The Reds trade 3B Juan Francisco, once a top prospect but now out of minor league options, to the Braves in return for minor league P J.J. Hoover after he fails to make the team out of spring training.
The Cardinals’ Lance Berkman plays an April Fools prank on teammate Adam Wainwright. Before the 3rd inning of a Grapefruit League game, Wainwright’s white Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck is driven on the warning track at Roger Dean Stadium as the public address announcer states that it will be given away to a lucky fan. A stunned Wainwright watches from the bench as the supposed prize winners, a father and his son, climb into the bed of the truck when it stops in front of the home dugout and Berkman, who is driving, pokes his head out of the window, waves to everyone, and drives away.
Indians P Ubaldo Jimenez starts a bench-clearing brawl when he plucks former teammate Troy Tulowitzki in the elbow in the 1st inning of a Cactus League game. The Rockies are convinced the gesture is intentional, as there is some bad blood between the two, dating back to Jimenez criticizing his former team for not offering him a long-term contract last year, and Tulowitzki replying through the media that “there’s a certain point in this game where you go play and you shut your mouth.” Tulowitzki is taken out of the game, but x-rays on his elbow are negative. For his part, Jimenez will receive a five-game suspension.
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