Joey Votto might not be the starter at first base now, but that will not be the case all season.

As expected, it was a big week in transactions, as every team is solidifying up their 25 man rosters, and making their travel plans to head north for the season (well, most of them at least, except for the Marlins and the Diamondbacks who are spared from going north). Since most of the trips to the disabled list were merely formalities (John Smoltz, Randy Johnson, and Jason Schmidt come to mind), this will mostly be taking a look at demotions to minor league camp, and the potential impact of some of those guys before the end of the season.

Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers STUD (yes, he is so good that stud should be capitalized) starting pitching prospect was finally reassigned to minor league camp. He lasted longer than expected, as the Dodgers waiting until the last possible moment before reassigning him. He is only 20, so the Dodgers should (and probably will) take their time, but if Spring Training is any indication, Kershaw looks ready for The Show. Naturally, he is a young pitcher, so temper your expectations if he does get a call up, but from what I have seen, he looks like someone who can make an impact in the NL West, and on your fantasy teams, in 2008.

The next note of interest is not really a transaction, but since it involves some, I guess, "questionable" decision-making, it is worth mentioning. Scott Hatteberg will start at First Base for the Reds over Joey Votto. In fairness to Dusty Baker, Hatteberg is a decent enough player, with a good on base percentage, but Votto seems ready, and there appears to be no real reason to hold him back and not let him play. I suppose time will tell, but grab Votto now. Baker can only avoid starting him for so long.

In one of those moves where you wonder what it is that scouts see and know that you clearly do not, the Chicago Cubs sent Matt Murton down to Triple-A. Murton has not really done anything wrong, but the Cubs just do not appear to have any interest in playing him. He only was able to collect 235 at-bats last year at the major league level, but those at-bats were fairly productive. When the Cubs sent him to Triple-A, he seemed to be a man amongst boys, batting .331 with six home runs in 151 at-bats. However, the Cubs still run out and sign Reed Johnson as a fourth outfielder. At this point, the Cubs clearly do not have Murton in their plans. Obviously that means you should not be drafting him, but keep an eye on him if he gets a trade somewhere with opportunity. The man has some skills, and despite the Cubs treatment of him, I strongly believe he can hit major league pitching.

The Baltimore Orioles released Jay Gibbons. He is still living off his success from 2002-2005. He is still only 31, but the last two seasons point to some declining power and durability issues (cough, cough, steroids, cough, cough). He may snag a bench role somewhere, but unless you are in one of the deepest leagues in history, there does not seem to be any reason why Gibbons should be on your radar.

The Los Angeles Angels sent prospects Brandon Wood and Kendry Morales to Triple-A on Saturday. Both guys have plenty of talent, although neither has impressed in brief cameos (Wood's briefer than Morales’). Morales is getting a tad old for a prospect at this point, but he is still worth keeping an eye on for a mid-season call up. He appears to have mastered the minor leagues, and may get a more serious look from the Angels this year. As for Wood, he is only 23, but with Chone Figgins likely to be at 3B, Wood could find himself in the lineup before too long, with Figgins moving to one of the 300 other positions he plays. If Wood is called up, snatch him up, as he can play.

Sticking with the American League West, hot prospect (and crown jewel of the Dan Haren trade), Carlos Gonzalez was sent down to Triple-A. He is only 22, and should be given one more full season down on the farm, so you need only draft him if your league permits minor league keepers, but if the A's find themselves in an outfielder shortage, Gonzalez could get a late season call-up. He had a nice spring, so he could be ready, but I tend to believe that his impact this year, in the event he is called up, would be relatively minimal.

The Houston Astros released Woody Williams yesterday, who subsequently indicated that he would then retire. Real name Greg Williams (less catchy, I know), he was never the flashiest starting pitcher, and never struck out huge amounts (153 in a season was his best year), but he put together some solid years towards the tail end of his career, particularly in St. Louis and San Diego. However, it is clear he could no longer compete at the major league level, as his earned run average ballooned to 5.27 last season. He will never be a Hall of Famer, but I have some fond memories of a strong 2002 season with the Cardinals helping him fight for a money spot in a roto league. Good luck, Greg/Woody.

Finally, in non-transaction news, Doug Davis announced this weekend that he has thyroid cancer, and will miss at least a month of the season after his first start. As a cancer survivor myself, I thought this was worth mentioning, whether or not it has to do with a transaction, or has any impact on your fantasy team. I have never met Doug Davis. I am not even sure if I have ever owned him on a fantasy team. Of course, that is irrelevant in times like these, and I, along with everyone else at Sports Grumblings wish him a speedy recovery, and hope that we can very soon complain again about such unimportant things like him walking many batters and destroying our team's WHIP.