Morning Marquee: Germen clears waivers, assigned to Iowa; Cubs prospects again gaining attention

The wild ride for Gonzalez Germen has ended, at least temporarily. After finding time with four different teams during the off-season, the most recent move found him clearing waivers, and finding a home in Des Moines to start the year. In two seasons with the New York Mets, Germen has made 54 appearances, posting a 4.31 ERA.

Once again as we enter Spring Training, eyes will be on the Chicago Cubs and their talented group of prospects. There won’t be many surprises coming out of camp, but the performance of some will be telling of when we may see the youngsters in Chicago. Players like Albert Almora, C.J. Edwards and Kyle Schwarber will look to turn heads and show their worth with their time at camp.

Major League Baseball is considering changes to the strike zone, possibly as early as 2016. With increasing strikeout numbers, declining walk rates and an increase in dominant pitching, a change could be in the works. The league will monitor it this season, and a change would have to be made by the Major League Rules Committee. The last formal change was in 1996, with an “unofficial” tweak in 2000.

These and other stories from around the league:

‘Gonzalez Germen assigned to Triple-A Iowa by Cubs’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Cubs prospects again gaining attention’ – MLB.com

‘MLB could shrink strikezone in 2016’ – ESPN.com

‘Neil Walker’s time in Pittsburgh will in 2016’ – Rum Bunter

‘Cardinals News: Oscar Taveras patch debate’ – Redbird Rants

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