Marlins sign Chad Qualls; Royals claim George Kottaras

-P- The Marlins have signed Chad Qualls to a minor-league deal, thus ensuring that Chad Qualls will be some other team's problem in 2013. Good luck with that, Miami! In all seriousness, it's just a minor-league deal, but I'd rate the chance that Qualls actually pitches a fair amount for the Marlins as relatively high.

-P- The Royals claimed catcher George Kottaras, which is a suspiciously smart thing for the Royals to have done -- perhaps Dayton Moore has been sneaking glances at Alex Anthopoulos' test? Kottaras' success is far from guaranteed, as he hits for low averages and will be 30 in May, but his very good power and batting eye make him a much better bet than players typically available on waivers. He'll presumably back up Salvador Perez in 2013.

-P- William Howard Taft will race between innings for the Washington Nationals this year, which is an inspired choice. (I almost wrote "entire" choice, which also seems appropriate.)

-P- The Braves have signed former Pirates minor-leaguer / guy we argued too much about Corey Wimberly to a minor-league deal.

-P- The Cardinals are reportedly interested in Ronny Cedeno. As with any former Pirate moving back to the N.L. Central, there's cause to be terrified here, since you just know Cedeno will find a way to go 7-for-12 in his first series against the Bucs. Cedeno posted a solid .741 OPS as a part-time player for the Mets in 2012.

-P- Rod Barajas' season controlling the running game was even worse than we thought.