Day 2 of Manager Media Availability at the Winter Meetings. Here are a few key notes:

|STAR| Jason Motte will officially open spring training as the Cards closer, according to manager Mike Matheny. While it's not a surprise after Motte's impressive performance down the stretch and during the Cards' World Series run last season, retired manager Tony La Russa was adamant about avoiding that label when Motte was handling the ninth inning on a regular basis. Nevertheless, it's his job to lose entering 2012 and given his improved walk rate (career-low 2.1 BB/9IP), he seemingly has a very good chance of keeping it all season long.

|STAR| When asked about David Freese's postseason success and how it may impact his preparation for the upcoming season, Matheny praised Freese's leadership skills and said that the extra attention wasn't something he was hoping for. Freese is not content with his October success, and is focused on becoming a better defensive player and staying healthy for a full season.

|STAR| Chris Carpenter threw 273.1 innings between the regular season and playoffs in 2011. Matheny acknowledged that he's known for his outstanding work ethic, but suggested that the team will need to "hold the reins a little bit". At this point, Carpenter is reportedly feeling great and there are no red flags (they probably wouldn't be disclosed by the team anyways). Given his age and injury history, there's plenty to be concerned about here.

|STAR| Keep an eye on Tyler Greene if the Cards don't sign a shortstop in free agency. Although his offensive game hasn't come around at the big league level, Matheny said Greene will play if he can develop more confidence. There's a pedigree here as Greene was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft by the Braves before the Cards selected him in the first round in 2005. He also has a career .291/.373/.477 line at Triple-A, which even with the necessary grain of salt due to the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League, is intriguing from a shortstop. His minor league numbers include a 31-for-34 mark on the basepaths at Triple-A in 2009 (89 games) and it's not unreasonable to think double-digit homer and steals could result if he secures regular time.

|STAR| The role of Kyle McClellan is TBD at this point, simply too early in the offseason to know if the Cards will need him to stretch out for the back of the rotation. It could ultimately hinge on whether Adam Wainwright is 100|PERCENT| when Opening Day rolls around.

|STAR| There's no clear-cut frontrunner for the starting job in left field for the Blue Jays, while Eric Thames and Travis Snider are set to compete for the job this spring. Edwin Encarnacion could also see time in that spot this season as manager John Farrell said he was ready to play there if needed in September. Farrell said that Snider has more polish as a defender and baserunner, but maintaining it over a full season has been his problem to this point.

|STAR| Adam Lind played just 11 games at first base in 2010 before seeing 109 at the position last season. Farrell suggested that going through the spring training cycle at that position for the second time will help his chances of rebounding and pointed out that Lind made just four errors at first base last season. The idea here would be that worrying less about getting comfortable in the field will enable Lind to focus more on the offensive aspect of his game in February and March.

|STAR| Farrell seemed understandably excited about the acquisition of Sergio Santos and described his new closer's stuff as electric. Given the Jays' ninth-inning woes last season, it's a considerable upgrade and one that doesn't lock Toronto in with an overpriced reliever in the long haul as Santos is owed a total of $8.25 million over three years.

|STAR| In addition to wanting more innings from the rotation as a group, Farrell said that Brett Cecil is a key part of their rotation improving. Cecil surrendered 22 homers in 123.2 frames last season.

|STAR| Royals manager Ned Yost said that Jonathan Sanchez's ankle will be completely healed for the start of spring training, so he should be on schedule with the rest of the staff when pitchers and catchers report in February.

|STAR| Joakim Soria is staying in the closer's role at this time, despite rumors to the contrary. When asked if the addition of Jonathan Broxton via free agency made the Royals more willing to change Soria's role because of his own experience as a ninth-inning option, Yost said the Royals have more candidates for the ninth-inning if needed including Greg Holland and Aaron Crow.

|STAR| Strangely, while Yost confirmed that Crow will get a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation, he mentioned him with the rest of the relievers on a multiple occasions Tuesday.

|STAR| Johnny Giavotella has the upper hand over Chris Getz for the starting job at second base and is recovering well from arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. Yost said that Giavotella did not mention the injury to the coaching staff last season, which explains why the news seemed to come out of nowhere in late October. It's still worth keeping an eye on where he's at when full squad workouts begin as the initial timetable for his recovery was set at 10-12 weeks.

|STAR| Wil Myers' transition to the outfield has been satisfactory to this point -- but that doesn't necessarily up his timetable for a big league arrival with the three starting jobs secured by Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain and Jeff Francoeur. Look for Myers to spend a significant portion of 2012 continuing to hone his craft at Triple-A.

|STAR| Speaking of Cain, he's impressed the coaching staff in the past with his ability to make adjustments at the plate and they expect him to contribute offensively. In addition to having Gold Glove potential (which should afford him the luxury of staying the lineup during slumps), he should make an impact on the basepaths as well.

|STAR| Mike Montgomery will have an opportunity out of spring training to open the season in the Royals' rotation. Yost described the situation as similar to what Aaron Crow faced last season in having to pitch so well that the team simply can't send him down.

|STAR| Yost spoke very highly of catcher Salvador Perez, calling him "the best young catching prospect I've seen," and going as far as saying that he would have been comfortable with him as his primary catcher at the start of last season straight out of High-A. Long term, he suggested that Perez will win Gold Gloves behind the plate and be an All-Star catcher, better than former Braves backstop Javy Lopez, where Yost was on the coaching staff from 1991-2002.

|STAR| Mike Moustakas had lofty expectations long before Eric Hosmer arrived on the scene last season for the Royals. Yost said that Moustakas developed the habit of trying to pull everything and was simply trying to hit home runs after he was promoted. As the season progressed, he focused more on simply making contact and showed considerable improvement including a .352/.380/.580 line with four homers and 12 RBI (4:11 BB:K) in September.

|STAR| Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said that Chase Utley's struggles against left-handers may have been a timing issue that developed on account of not seeing enough quality left-handed pitching while rehabbing back from patellar tendinitis. Utley hit .187/.298/.308 (.607 OPS) over 107 at-bats against southpaws last season after carrying OPS marks of .962 and 1.003 against them in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

|STAR| Without being prompted, Manuel stated that he believes Vance Worley is for real. Worley would seemingly get the No. 5 starter spot over Joe Blanton if the Phillies were to re-sign Roy Oswalt or bring in another veteran for the rotation, but keep in mind that big league hitters were beginning to solve him in September when he posted a 4.05 ERA, 1.56 WHIP despite striking out 36 batters in 33 frames. It's an adjustment process that all young players go through, but worth noting nonetheless given that he was a waiver-wire pickup in virtually all leagues and could be a bargain keeper on some rosters.

|STAR| Jim Thome may see some time on the minor league fields this spring to determine if he's fit to play first base occasionally. Think along the lines of Interleague Play, and 20 games would be a high end estimate. It's more likely that he works off the bench exclusively as a pinch-hitter.

|STAR| There are still plenty of moving parts in Seattle with a lot of young players heading to spring training having to compete for playing time. Manager Eric Wedge said that only Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda and Jason Vargas are assured rotation spots, meaning that Blake Beavan and Charlie Furbush will have to outperform prospects Tijuan Walker and James Paxton (perhaps Mauricio Robles at some point as well if he's healthy) in addition to any veterans added to the mix.

|STAR| Some good news for those holding onto Mike Carp in deep keeper formats, Wedge said that Carp will play every day "unless something crazy happens," More importantly, the Mariners want to avoid platooning their young players, so he doesn't appear to be in danger of missing a couple of starts each week depending on matchups. Carp is being looked at as a left fielder with Justin Smoak locked in at first base, and believes that he looked more comfortable at the position after getting steady time there late last season.

|STAR| Franklin Gutierrez is ahead of where the team expected him to be at this point and feeling good while regaining some of the weight he lost while battling GI issues last season. Wedge expects Gutierrez to contribute not only with plus defense in center field, but offensively by getting on base, stealing bases and potentially handling the No. 2 spot in the order.

|STAR| Casper Wells is reportedly past the sinus issues that derailed him in September, but he may not have an everyday spot. The Mariners look like a team that will have plenty of lineup flexibility, however, so Wells could carve out a few starts per week even if he's the fourth outfielder depending on whether the Mariners make a big splash for a power bat to handle DH duties in free agency.

|STAR| Third base is wide open, and while Wedge said that he's willing to go with what the Mariners have on their roster right now, Chone Figgins doesn't appear to be in the mix as a regular option there. It sounds like Wedge is planning on using Figgins in a utility role, but that assumes he's still on the roster come Opening Day. He's likely an endgame/$1 player in many leagues going into 2012, but keep an eye on him in spring training given the potential for cheap steals and multi-position eligibility as the season the rolls along. He's also returning from a hip flexor injury, which ultimately could have been an underlying reason for his collapse last season.

|STAR| Today's lunch: Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse. My clothes still smell like BBQ, and I am in no way ashamed.