WEST PALM BEACH Yunel Escobar Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Marwin Gonzalez was Houston’s do-everything utility player for the last few years.Replacing him is probably going to be a team effort.Gonzalez signed a $21 million, two-year deal with Minnesota on Monday, making official what the Astros seemed to know all offseason: they’re going to need new depth around the diamond. Gonzalez played every position except pitcher and catcher during his seven seasons with Houston.The player most likely to mimic Gonzalez is 2016 All-Star Aledmys Diaz, who was acquired from Toronto in November. Houston is also hoping first baseman Yuli Gurriel can bounce around the infield a bit more.“I want to see Diaz play all four infield positions and potentially two outfield positions on the corner,” manager AJ Hinch said. “We may not have enough time to do that as much as we want. As fun as it sounds, that’s lot to ask out of one guy, but I would like to move him around a little bit.”Diaz has experience at most of those positions. The 28-year-old has primarily been a shortstop with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, but he’s also comfortable at third base and has appeared at second base and in left field.“I think it’s a challenge to play different positions every day, but at the same time, I’ve played all over the infield in the past,” he said. “So for me, I’ve never played first base at this level and only a little bit in the outfield. So that’s one thing I’m going to try to improve on and work on is in the outfield.”Diaz said he’s been chatting with Houston outfielders George Springer, Michael Brantley and Josh Reddick about the position, though he anticipates the best preparation is in-game reps.“Having the experience is the most important thing at this level,” he said. “So for me having the chance to play a little bit in the outfield in spring training is going to help me going into the season to be more ready when he puts me in the outfield.”Hinch believes one of the most important qualities a utility player must have is a willingness to do whatever is asked of him. In that category Martin Maldonado Jersey , Diaz is already just fine.“I love his mindset,” Hinch said. “He’s willing to do anything. He’s going to start playing a different position virtually every day for the next four or five rotations that he plays. I do love the eagerness to fit in as opposed to the stubbornness of making demands and being upset over his reality.”Diaz’s reward will be more playing time. There aren’t any everyday openings in the infield — Carlos Correa is entrenched at short, 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve plays second, Alex Bregman is a budding star at third and Gurriel is locked in at first.“As soon as I heard about the trade, I talked to AJ in the offseason and told him I was motivated to play like every position the team needs me,” Diaz said. “It’s a long season, so the everyday guys might need a rest day. Also it will give me a chance to have more at-bats and be in the lineup more often.”Gurriel could also be a fill-in option at second or third base, although he’s played those positions sparingly over two-plus season with Houston following a 12-year career in Cuba and Japan. Hinch will give him some reps around the infield this spring in anticipation of a more versatile role.NOTES: Rookie RHP Josh James has a strained quadriceps that will cause him to miss time. He was vying for the fifth spot in Houston’s rotation, but Hinch said the setback effectively takes him out of that conversation. “I still think he’s going to get enough outings to factor in the bullpen conversation,” Hinch said. … RHP Collin McHugh left after one inning on Wednesday because of a sore back, but he said it isn’t anything serious and he doesn’t expect it to cause him to miss any time. The commissioner said he’d had enough."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Chicago Cubs recapsChicago Cubs minor leaguesChicago Cubs essaysChicago Cubs game threadsWrigley Field renovationsFull archiveLibrary Bleed Cubbie Blue Community GuidelinesCurrent time in ChicagoBCB Specials & Site InfoWinter 2019 music threadsCubs StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Cubs newsYahoo Cubs team pageYahoo Cubs reportYahoo Cubs depth chartYahoo Cubs transactionsYahoo Cubs photosOdds Shop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub 鉁昅eta BCBMLB announces priority rule intended legally for optimal or lively gamesNew,18commentsThe commissioner said he’d had enough.CDTShareTweetShareShareMLB announces priority rule intended legally for optimal or lively gamesAl YellonOne of the things Commissioner Rob Manfred has made a priority of, when considering MLB rule changes, is the pace of play. Several different things have been discussed regarding this, including pitch clocks http://www.angelsfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-cozart-jersey , which were used for the first couple of weeks of spring training, then abandoned when MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to not use them until at least 2022.But after Manfred saw Saturday night’s Cubs/Rangers game, which lasted three hours and 47 minutes and featured 19 walks, 19 strikeouts and three home runs and hardly any baseballs in play, and their Sunday game where all those runs scored and there were nine more walks and four home runs and that made the game last three hours and 46 minutes, he said that was the last straw.So MLB has announced this morning, effective immediately, that all games will be cut off at the three-hour mark, with whoever is leading at the time declared the winner. Here’s what will happen with games that are tied after three hours. Teams will have two options:Finish the game with a home run derby, similar to the NHL shootout. Each team will choose its top three players, and one of its own pitchers to throw, and each player will have one pitch to hit a home run. It will continue, as does the shootout, until one team has more home runs, orTeams can choose to continue playing Darin Erstad Jersey , but must remove one fielder for each inning of play.Manfred said, “We’re tired of these extra-long games and this will allow virtually all games to fit in a neat little time slot for TV. There should be more action, too, as players realize they’re getting close to the three-hour mark.”Large clocks will be installed in all ballparks to count down three hours from the first pitch.Cubs fans, be happy! Saturday night’s game hit the three-hour mark in the top of the seventh, and the Cubs were leading 6-3, so they would have won! And Sunday’s game was tied at that point, so we could have seen a Home Run Derby!Cubs Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins, who was in Arlington Sunday to help take down one of the “remaining games” numbers at Globe Life Park, scoffed at the new rule: “Why, I threw a 10-inning complete game on Opening Day 1971 in just one hour and 58 minutes! These whippersnappers don’t know what they’re missing!”And if you think all this sounds very strange, pause for a moment and remember what today is.