Unbeknownst to me during my NFBC draft last night Ricky Romero was optioned to the minor leagues to work on his delivery. I love Romero as a bounce back candidate because I couldn’t find any statistical problems and it appears as though his 2012 year was all mental. Even though I drafted him not knowing he was sent to the minors, my rationale for drafting him is he can regain his delivery and be extremely effective when he makes it back to the big leagues. J.A. Happ replaces Romero in the rotation and becomes the 5th starter.

Andrew Cashner looked good in his start yesterday. His fastball sat between 94-97 mph and his changeup looked good too. It appears he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

Dan Haren looked bad in his start against the Marlins, giving up four home runs runs (two to Giancarlo Stanton). He had trouble commanding all of his pitches, especially his secondary offerings. He did strikeout three batters, but they were all looking; also, he didn’t miss a lot of bats. Most of the swings against him found barrels. He’s currently going as the 35th pitcher, which is too high for me. I rather have C.J. Wilson, Hiroki Kuroda, Lance Lynn and Jarrod Parker, who are all going after Haren.

Erasmo Ramirez was sent to Triple-A and Jeremy Bonderman was reassigned to the minors. This means Brandon Maurer and Blake Beavan will be the Mariners 4th and 5th starters. Maurer is the only pitcher you want in a mixed league as he can miss bats with mid-90s fastball, a plus slider in the mid-80s, and an average changeup that plays up due to the delivery. He’ll be able to miss a ton of bats and will have the fortune of pitching in the Safeco. Maurer isn’t known for his long bill of health so enjoy the production while you can.