Asked to assess the Phillies’ position, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. responded in typically blunt fashion.

“We’re in a great spot,” Amaro said Thursday. “We’ve played terrible. And we’re 3 1/2 games out.”

Amaro has a point, as far as the NL East standings are concerned.

The first-place Braves are 10-17 since opening the season 12-1, while the second-place Nationals are 14-17 since their 7-2 start.

On the other hand, the Phillies (19-22) are starting to show encouraging signs, winning three of their last four against two strong clubs, the Diamondbacks and Indians.

A significant test looms this weekend when the Phillies host the Reds (Saturday, MLB on Fox, 4:05 p.m. ET). After that, the Phils begin an eight-game road trip to Miami, Washington and Boston.

Amaro said that changes in the team’s struggling middle-relief corps are possible over the next few weeks, with the Phillies currently weighing their options in the minor leagues.

He also said that two of the team’s biggest stars — left-hander Cole Hamels and first baseman Ryan Howard — are trying too hard to justify their massive contracts.

Hamels, in the first year of a six-year, $144 million extension, is 1-6 with a 4.61 ERA. Howard, in the second year of a five-year, $125 million deal, is batting .245 with a .713 OPS, six homers and 22 RBI.

“Cole’s stuff has been good, but he’s pitching with the weight of the world on his shoulders,” Amaro said. “He needs to relax. And it’s the same with Ryan Howard.

“They’re getting all that money and they’re trying to be something they’re not. They just need to relax and play.”

— Ken Rosenthal

The fine print in Roy Oswalt’s contract with the Rockies reflects the team’s desire for him to be a successful member of its starting rotation.

Oswalt, 35, signed a minor-league deal that will pay him $15,000 per month in the minors and a pro-rated portion of $2.3 million in the majors, according to a copy of the deal obtained by FOXSports.com.

The deal also includes a $400,000 bonus once Oswalt is added to the major-league roster, plus incentives that max out at $1.35 million for 18 starts and $1.25 million for 110 innings pitched.

Oswalt will receive $250,000 each for making eight, 10 and 12 starts, and $200,000 each for making 14, 16 and 18 starts. He also will get $100,000 for 50 innings pitched, $150,000 for 60, and $200,000 each for 70, 80, 90, 100 and 110.

If he is not on the major-league roster on June 18 or 28, he can request his release if he is not added to the roster within 72 hours.

-Ken Rosenthal

Twenty-nine strikeouts, one walk.

Those are right-hander Kevin Gausman’s numbers in 28 2/3 innings for the Orioles at Double A. And while Triple A right-hander Freddy Garcia likely will start Friday or Saturday in Anaheim, Gausman, 22, might not be in the minors much longer.

The Orioles, after demoting right-hander Jake Arrieta, are trying to establish a fifth starter. Garcia is the logical next choice — he’s 4-0 with a 2.67 ERA at Triple A, and he can exercise an out in his contract if he is not in the majors by May 15, a major league source said.

After that, the Orioles could turn to righty Jair Jurrjens, who is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA at Triple A and has an out date of June 15, according to the Baltimore Sun. In Gausman’s case, it would make sense for the team to keep him in the minors until at least June to prevent him from attaining “Super Two” status and gaining an extra year of arbitration.

The Orioles need not use Gausman as a starter immediately — they could break him in as reliever, supplementing one of their strengths. Either way, general manager Dan Duquette showed last season that he is willing to aggressively promote his top young talent, summoning third baseman Manny Machado and then right-hander Dylan Bundy.

Gausman, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, is 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA at Double A. While his strikeout-to-walk ratio is excellent, he is allowing more than a hit per inning. Bundy, meanwhile, is out with right flexor mass tightness and unlikely to rejoin the Orioles anytime soon — he received an injection of platelet-rich plasma on Monday and will be shut down for six weeks.

Rival scouts, executives and players were impressed with Gausman in spring training. The Red Sox’s Jonny Gomes, who faced Gausman twice, said, “A young guy like that who throws 98 and can throw his off-speed stuff for strikes? ... Forget about it.”

— Ken Rosenthal

The Brewers’ Jean Segura doesn’t look like a classic shortstop — he’s 5 feet 10 and 165 pounds, with a thick lower half. So, when trying to determine a “comp,” something baseball people love to do, Brewers director of pro scouting Zack Minasian went off the board entirely.

Minasian mentioned a player that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin once acquired for the Texas Rangers, but one who bears absolutely no physical resemblance to Segura.

Are you sitting down?

Michael Young.

Segura, Melvin said, is similar to Young because of his energy, his instincts, even his relatively low profile when he was a prospect in the Angels organization. Young, too, was mostly unknown early in his career with the Blue Jays.

Young exceeded expectations, and now it appears that Segura — the centerpiece of the Brewers’ three-player haul for right-hander Zack Greinke last July — might do the same.

Segura, 23, skipped Triple A after the Brewers promoted him on Aug. 6, opened the current season as the team’s starting shortstop and concluded April with a .367 batting average, second only to the Braves’ Chris Johnson in the National League.

Critics will point to Seguara’s low walk rate and .400 batting average on balls in play as evidence that his April surge is unsustainable. Fair enough, and no one expects Segura finish with a .567 slugging mark or .985 OPS, either.

But to a degree, such talk misses the point.

Segura is an infectious sort who finds different ways to help the Brewers win. He has three doubles, three triples and three homers. He’s 7 for 8 in stolen-base attempts. And though some with the Angels thought he would be better at second, he’s an above-average defender at short with quick hands and quick feet.

Melvin was still talking Wednesday about a play that Segura made the previous night when the Brewers went to an infield shift against the Pirates’ left-handed hitting Pedro Alvarez with one out and a runner on first base.

Second baseman Rickie Weeks shaded toward the first-base hole, and Segura set up barely on the shortstop side of second and deep, touching the outfield grass.

Melvin, sitting in his box at Miller Park, recalled looking at the configuration and saying out loud, “There’s no way we’re getting a double play.”

Or so the GM thought.

Alvarez hit the ball to Segura, who raced to touch second, then threw to first to get Alvarez and end the inning.

“He’s like a quarterback who can hit receivers while on the run,” Melvin said. “He doesn’t have to stop and get set. He can be moving right, moving left, moving in and still get the throw off and be accurate.”

He may look more like Ron Belliard than Michael Young, but never mind appearances. Segura is proving to be quite an original, a player without any comps.

— Ken Rosenthal

The St. Louis Cardinals may not need to shop for a closer after all.

Earlier this week, it appeared the Cardinals would be an early and enthusiastic entrant to the marketplace for bullpen help. With closer Jason Motte already on the disabled list and possibly done for the year, Mitchell Boggs surrendered four earned runs while recording only one out in Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia.    

But the Cardinals haven’t lost since – thanks, in large part, to their bullpen.

Edward Mujica – substitute closer, fill-in closer, whatever term you’d like to use – recorded saves in every game of the Cardinals’ three-game road sweep in Washington. Mujica is 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has a 1.00 ERA in nine appearances this season. Also, 24-year-old Joe Kelly has not allowed a run in his last four outings, as manager Mike Matheny has shifted his responsibilities later in the game.

So, it appears Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak was correct in expressing confidence earlier this week that the Cardinals could work through their bullpen issues internally. Mozeliak told FOXSports.com that he would consider other ways to improve, such as trades, “but that would not be in the near future.”

Mozeliak should get clarity on Motte’s status within the next couple weeks. Motte is on the disabled list with an elbow ailment and may need season-ending Tommy John surgery if his condition doesn’t improve soon.

-- Jon Paul Morosi

Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander is among the many pitchers across the majors who have shown decreased velocity early this season, as Jeff Passan detailed in a recent story for Yahoo! Sports.

Verlander’s average fastball this season has registered 93.2 miles per hour, according to PITCHf/x data on FanGraphs.com. That’s his lowest mark in the seven seasons for which such data is available; his average last year was 94.7 mph.

Passan’s research cited figures from Baseball Info Solutions (91.9 mph) and Brooks Baseball (92.5 mph), in comparison to Verlander’s April 2012 reading of 93.8 mph, according to FanGraphs.com. So, the drop could be as much as roughly 2 miles per hour.

Verlander, 30, acknowledged Wednesday that he’s aware his velocity is down. But he doesn’t seem concerned, either. “The most encouraging thing is it’s been picking up my last couple starts,” he said.

Verlander, who said he feels completely healthy, pointed out that he’s still building arm strength because he delayed the start of his offseason throwing program after logging 266 2/3 innings last year.

The 2008 season marked the last time Verlander’s average fastball dipped below 94 mph, according to PITCHf/x. That was his worst season in the big leagues. But Verlander is better able to handle the decrease this season (however long it lasts) than he was then. His command and secondary pitches are far more advanced, and pitching in the low 90s with increased movement (especially early in games) has become a larger part of his overall approach.

Verlander’s performance has not suffered to any noticeable degree. He’s 2-2 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts this season, entering Thursday’s intriguing matchup with Kansas City ace James Shields.

— Jon Paul Morosi

Most of the early talk about the baseball schedule concerns the unfortunate April weather — snow in Colorado and Minnesota, and cold in the Northeast and Midwest. 

Two Diamondbacks veterans, outfielder Cody Ross and third baseman Eric Chavez, pointed out another issue last week in comments to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic:

Night games on getaway days.

Look no further if you’re wondering why your favorite team often appears flat after late-night travel. It’s a problem, and one that has become more apparent since baseball banned amphetamines in 2006.

No one is advocating that the sport make such drugs legal again. The solution — if there is one — would be to reduce the number of night games on getaway days, enabling players to get their proper rest.

Consider the Diamondbacks’ schedule last week.

First, they played a 12-inning night game at Yankee Stadium on Thursday that lasted four hours, 11 minutes. They then flew to Denver, arrived early in the morning and had to play Friday night.

The D-backs lost the first two same games of the series 3-1 and 4-3, before rallying to win the finale 5-4.

“We got in really late,” Chavez said. “I kind of wish Major League Baseball would do something about that because getting in at 5:30 (a.m.) is just not fair. I sound like a whiny baby, but it’s the truth. We’ve been flat and I think that’s why.”

Ross told Piecoro that such schedule issues are “definitely something that we’ll talk about in the next (collective-bargaining) agreement.” Actually, the players and owners discussed the matter while negotiating the current CBA, which expires in 2016.

The two sides made one adjustment, according to a major league source — teams must play in the afternoons on getaway days if the visiting club is required to fly two or more hours prior to a day off at home.

But for business reasons, baseball otherwise is stuck.

Midweek day games generally do not draw as well as night games, particularly while school is in session. The Yankees, for example, play night games on getaway days in April and May, knowing children cannot attend games in the afternoon.

In addition, two teams each week are contractually obligated to play the national televised “Sunday Night Baseball” game, which almost always takes place on a getaway day.

Additional revenue translates to higher salaries, so it’s in the players’ interests to make sacrifices. But is there a happy medium? One player suggests that teams opposed to afternoon games on travel days could meet the players halfway, starting at 5 p.m. instead of 7.

Such a shift also might compromise attendance. But the bottom line is that the sport compromises its product when a team plays at night on a getaway day and then is back at it the next night.

“It’s not fun getting into a city at four or five in the morning and having to wake up and try to play a game at a high level,” Ross said.

Yet too often, that is what baseball requires players to do.

— Ken Rosenthal

The Blue Jays aren’t ready to move Brett Lawrie to second base full-time. But they are satisfied that he can handle the position, giving them alternatives both short- and long-term.

Lawrie, coming off a strained left rib cage muscle, played two games at second for Class A Dunedin on his rehabilitation assignment, but will be at third when he makes his season debut for the Jays on Tuesday night.

Which isn’t to say that he will remain at third every game as the Jays await the return of shortstop Jose Reyes, who is expected to be out three months with a sprained left ankle.

“It’s nice to have flexibility,” Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Tuesday. “Brett’s our third baseman. (Jose) Bautista is our right fielder. This just gives us one more option. And that’s never a bad thing.”

Bautista prefers playing right, and believes he is better defensively at that position than at third base. But Anthopoulos said there might be games in the near future where Lawrie is at second and Bautista is at third.

Other Jays — Adam Lind, Edwin Encarnacion and Maicer Izturis; Adam Lind, Emilio Bonifacio and Mark DeRosa — offer multi-position flexibility. Lawrie struggled at second in the Brewers’ organization, last playing it at Double A in 2010. But he impressed Jays instructors in drills and games at Dunedin.

Not that the Jays are in any rush for him to change positions — Lawrie, 23, had the highest plus-minus rating of any third baseman last season according to Bill James Online. Then again, he is so athletic, he probably could succeed as a middle infielder, too.

The Jays had wanted to experiment with Lawrie at second since acquiring him for right-hander Shaun Marcum in December 2010. But they kept postponing the idea for a variety of reasons, ranging from their desire to see him master third to Lawrie’s need to prepare for the World Baseball Classic this spring.

“We’ve always wanted to know that we have it in our pocket and can do it,” Anthopoulos said. “We haven’t planned on it. But we know we can throw him out there with no problems now.”

The added flexibility should help not only manager John Gibbons when he constructs his lineups, but also Anthopoulos when he talks about future trades.

For example, if the Jays acquired Padres third baseman Chase Headley, they could move Lawrie to second. If they acquired Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton, they could move Lawrie to second and Bautista at third.

Neither of those scenarios currently is in play, but neither is out of the question if the Jays are confident that Lawrie can handle second. Ditto for the eventual promotion of Class AAA outfielder Anthony Gose, another move that could force Bautista back to third.

— Ken Rosenthal

The big question, now that second baseman Robinson Cano has hired CAA and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports as his new agents, was whether the switch means that the New York Yankees stand a better chance of signing him.

Brodie Van Wagenen, who will be Cano’s primary baseball agent for CAA, didn’t answer that question directly in an interview with FOXSports.com on Tuesday night. But Van Wagenen made the obvious clear:

Cano, who is eligible for free agency at the end of the season, enjoys playing for the Yankees and is open to staying with the club.

“New York and Yankees fans have been great for Robbie,” Van Wagenen said. “He has flourished in pinstripes and loved his time in the city. His primary focus is continuing to represent that brand and help his team win games.

“Is there an opening for him to explore a contract? You know us. We’re not going to talk publicly about that. We certain will continue to work diligently to help him achieve his goals both on and off the field.”

CAA, however, has a long history of negotiating extensions for star players rather than waiting until free agency. Cano’s previous agent, Scott Boras, generally takes the opposite approach, preferring his clients to determine their values on the open market — though Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez and Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus are two recent exceptions.

Boras, in an interview Tuesday night, said that Cano had signed a representation agreement with him on March 20 in San Francisco, the day after the second baseman led the Dominican Republic to the World Baseball Classic championship.

Cano is free to hire another agent; he originally went to Boras after leaving another agent, Bobby Barad, in early 2011. Barad received the commissions on Cano's salaries for the four-year, $30 million contract he negotiated for the player in February 2008 and also Cano's option years for 2012 and '13.

Boras, however, could make a claim that he deserves part of Cano's next contract — the one he will sign with his new agents. The Yankees publicly acknowledged that they offered Cano a new contract in spring training, while Boras was still his representative.

In any case, Boras said he was blindsided by Cano’s decision.

“We never heard from him regarding anything but his approval of the process that we discussed way back in October,” Boras said. “We had three communications with him after he signed the representation agreement. We never heard anything from him to suggest that anything was other than he desired.”

As for Cano’s next step, the Yankees generally do not negotiate extensions while a player is still under contract. However, they adjusted their policy and made Cano an offer in spring training, and sources say they are willing to make a further adjustment and reopen talks during the season.

“Unlike some players, (Cano) doesn’t have that burning desire to leave his current team,” Van Wagenen said. “If he can continue the relationship, he’s certainly open to exploring that. But whether that comes now or in free agency remains to be seen.”

Cano’s decision to align with Roc Nation Sports, a newly formed, full-service sports management company, is a seeming indication that he would prefer to remain in a major market. Roc Nation Sports’ umbrella company, Roc Nation, was founded by Jay-Z.

“Robbie was searching for new representation,” Van Wagenen said. “As he was going through that process, I am sure that having competent contract agents in combination with a full-service 360-degree company to help him accomplish his off-the-field goals had to be appealing.

“Add to the fact that he had a previous relationship with Jay-Z and a tremendous amount of respect of Jay-Z, I’m sure it was exciting and potentially influenced his decision. Absolutely we feel there are unique opportunities both on and off the field, given this partnership.”

Boras, however, said that his agency did not handle Cano’s marketing; Cano could have retained him as an agent and still aligned with Jay-Z.

“We know it’s not about marketing,” Boras said. “Robbie had previous relationships with marketing arms. His marketing interests are taken care of by others.”

— Ken Rosenthal

The Rangers’ 10-year commitment to shortstop Elvis Andrus sounds huge, almost unfathomable. And it would be, if not for one thing: The commitment is not likely to be a 10-year commitment at all.

Andrus, who is under contract for the next two seasons, is expected to finalize his eight-year, $120 million extension with the Rangers later this week. But his deal includes an opt-out clause after 2018, according to Fox Sports Southwest’s Anthony Andro, potentially reducing the team’s commitment to four years, $60 million.

The potential escape is critical for Andrus and his agent, Scott Boras; Andrus likely will opt out if he stays healthy, becoming a free agent at age 30 instead of 34.

Why would the Rangers make such a concession?

Because it enables them to accomplish the rare feat of buying out four free-agent years on a Boras client — Boras generally shuns extensions, preferring his players to establish their values on the open market.

This way, the Rangers will control Andrus from his age 26 to 29 seasons at an average salary of $15 million — perhaps an overpay, but perhaps a bargain compared to what Andrus might have received as a free agent after next season.

The downside for the Rangers is that Andrus may suffer a serious injury and decide not to opt out. But the club almost certainly will buy insurance on Andrus to protect itself against such an outcome.

The other interesting aspect of Andrus’ opt-out is what it could mean for Rangers Triple-A shortstop Jurickson Profar, who just turned 20 and is one of the game’s top prospects.

The Andrus deal obviously will give the team the flexibility to trade Profar or second baseman Ian Kinsler. But the Rangers also can keep Profar, move him to second and then put him back at short after Andrus opts out.

At that point, Profar probably will have played second for four seasons. But he still will be only 25, entering his age 26 campaign.

So, while Profar eventually could bring back Rays left-hander David Price, Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton or Cardinals outfield prospect Oscar Taveras in a trade, Profar also remains immensely valuable to the Rangers.

Kinsler, who is just starting a five-year, $75 million extension, would appear to be a more likely trade candidate. But Kinsler’s value is down coming off his career-low .749 OPS in 2012.

The Rangers eventually can move Kinsler to either first base or left field to make room for Profar. Their more immediate move might be to drop him out of the leadoff spot in favor of Andrus.

Kinsler’s on-base percentage dropped from .382 to .355 to .326 from 2010 to ’12. Andrus’ OBP rose from .342 to .347 to .349 during those same years.

— Ken Rosenthal