As expected, Angel Guzman has opted for season-ending shoulder surgery after meeting with Dr. James Andrews earlier this week.

Guzman has a lengthy history of arm problems, including a previous Tommy John elbow surgery, and the latest injury is a significant ligament tear in his right shoulder. Andrews advised him to go under the knife rather than attempt to rehab the injury without surgery.

As for when he might be able to pitch again, Guzman wasn't sure:

I don't know how long it's going to take. ... Sometimes those doctors use language that is hard for me to understand. At least [Andrews] gave me hope. He said a lot of pitchers have had that surgery done before and have come back good.

It's going to take more than that to keep me away. I have to keep my mind the way I've been doing, like last year. That's the only thing I can control. ... I don't want, in two years, just thinking, "Why didn't I do it?" I'd prefer to get it done now and see if I really can keep pitching.

Guzman emerged as a reliable setup man last season with a 2.95 ERA and .192 opponents' batting average in 61 innings, and his injury reportedly has the Cubs in the market for additional relief help. At this point the best-case scenario for Guzman is probably a mid-2011 return.

Brad Lidge told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com that he was "pretty pleased" with his 16-pitch appearance in a minor-league game this afternoon, but also admitted afterward that he's unlikely to be ready for Opening Day following offseason knee and elbow surgeries:

It's going to be really tough to be ready for the opener. In my mind I'm still shooting for it, but I don't know if that's realistic. ... I want to be out there as much as I can, but we've got a deep bullpen. Obviously, we've got guys that can get it down while J.C. [Romero] and I are getting our arm speed back.

If we were on a bubble team and we had to be ready from Day 1 that's one thing, but I think our team can cover just about anybody at any position for a week or two. That's the fortunate part of being on a team as good as us.

Lidge estimated that he'll need to make nine more appearances before being ready for the season and pegged the April 9-11 series against Houston as a more realistic time frame for his debut. Ryan Madson is the favorite to fill the closer role in his absence, although the Phillies may also give Danys Baez some ninth-inning duties after signing him to a two-year, $5.25 deal in January.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said yesterday that he's met with Adam Dunn's agent about a contract extension since spring training started and described the talks as "amicable and upbeat":

It's something we think about all the time, and we're discussing that. I hate to put any date restrictions on anything, because I don't want to rush anything. I don't want him to feel rushed, and we don't want to feel rushed. If there's a deal to be done here, we certainly have both sides that are willing participants.

Dunn is an impending free agent and has said previously that he doesn't want contract talks to continue past Opening Day, but Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com suggests that the two sides could simply agree to the framework of a deal by then without making an official announcement.

Washington signed Dunn to a two-year, $20 million deal two winters ago and he hit .267/.398/.529 with 38 homers and 105 RBIs in 2009, topping 35 homers, 100 walks, and an .850 OPS for the sixth straight season. A similar contract seemingly makes sense because his value hasn't changed since then, although perhaps the perception of his value has.

Ozzie Guillen, on Ron Washington testing positive for cocaine:

One thing about it, it ain't going to happen to me, I guarantee you that. I grew up in some bad stuff, I know how that stuff is so bad. I support him. He made a mistake. I'm not saying he did the right thing, but in the meanwhile, we can't turn our back against him. They know Major League Baseball isn't playing around. They're serious about it. As long as they don't check for Vodka and Corona I'll be fine.

In addition to being amusing that quote also brings up an interesting point. Washington tested positive for cocaine after what he claims was his first use in 57 years, and now has to go through counseling, treatment, and thrice-weekly drug tests. However, a manager is free to, as Ozzie put it, drink as much Vodka and Corona as they want and unless they have an alcohol-related incident no one knows or, punishment-wise, cares.

One thing is illegal and the other isn't, which is obviously a very important distinction, but I'd certainly rather have my manager use cocaine once every 57 years rather than drink heavily on a regular basis. Of course, if you don't buy that Washington tried cocaine for the first and only time in his entire life at age 57 ... well, then it's probably a moot point.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that the Rockies have "expressed interest" in free agent reliever Joe Beimel following yesterday's news that closer Huston Street will likely begin the season on the disabled list.

Last month the Mets were said to be making a run at Beimel, but he remains unsigned deep into spring training much like last year, when the left-hander agreed to a $2 million deal with the Nationals in mid-March.

Franklin Morales is first in line to replace Street at closer, which would potentially open up another spot in the setup corps for a southpaw like Beimel. Right now the Rockies have scrap-heap veterans Jimmy Gobble and Randy Flores competing for a possible left-handed specialist role created by Morales moving to the ninth inning.

Matt Holliday was scratched from the Cardinals' lineup last Wednesday, with manager Tony La Russa explaining that he "felt something in his rib cage." Eight days later he's still on the sidelines.

La Russa replied "not yet" when asked by Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if he's worried about Holliday's status, adding: "He's a veteran. He's got a good idea. I think he's making progress. He's improving, but he hasn't been cleared to play, so I'm going to take it easy with him."

Holliday did some running in pre-game drills this morning, but hasn't been cleared to resume hitting yet with what has been officially diagnosed as a strained right rib cage.

Here's the full transcript of Ron Washington's official statement, released by the Rangers following news that he tested positive for cocaine last year:

I am here today to apologize for a huge mistake I made during the first half of the season in 2009. I am not here to make excuses. There are none. I am not here to ask for sympathy. That would be asking too much.

I fully understand that I disappointed a lot of people--my family, my players, coaches, as well as the team's leadership, especially Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels, as well as young people who may have looked up to me. I am truly sorry for my careless, dangerous, and frankly, stupid, behavior last year. Clearly, you have never seen me speak from a script before. But this is a time that I need to get the words exactly right.

Here's the biggest question: how and why did this happen? That's a question I have had to face in numerous sessions with counselors. I've learned a lot about myself personally, and I recognize that this episode was an attempt to dodge personal anxieties and personal issues I needed to confront. That was the wrong way to do it. It was self-serving, and believe me, not worth it.

I know you will ask, and so here's the answer: this was the one and only time I used this drug. I made a huge mistake, and it almost caused me to lose everything I have worked for all of my life. Shortly after I did this, MLB notified me that I would have a routine drug test. Before even taking the test, I notified the league about the drug use. Right after that test, I told Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan about my shameful behavior. I offered them my resignation.

They asked a lot of difficult questions. Remarkably, these two men, after a lot of thought and prayer, allowed me to stay here through last season. However, they also directed me to immediately begin MLB's drug treatment program, which is a thorough and exhaustive process, and it includes the administration of drug tests at least three times a week. I am proud to report to you that I have completed that program. I am not proud to admit this terrible error.

This morning, I talked to our players. I assured them that this will never happen again, and I asked them to forgive me. In the true spirit of a "team," they seemed to embrace me not only as a manager but as a human being. I won't let you down again. Please know that I will personally take on the challenge of telling young people my story and my mistake. I don't know what form that will take, but I am committed to do that.

I am hopeful that our fans, both Rangers fans and Major League Baseball fans, will accept this heartfelt and humble attempt to say: I'm so sorry for what I did.

After releasing Elijah Dukes this morning the Nationals may look to replace him with Jermaine Dye, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Ladson notes that platooning the left-handed-hitting Willie Harris with right-handed hitters Justin Maxwell or Mike Morse in right field is the Nationals' most likely post-Dukes plan, but adds that "they do have interest in" Dye if things don't work out with the in-house options (general manager Mike Rizzo denied any specific discussions about Dye).

Dye hit .250/.340/.453 with 27 homers in 141 games last season for the White Sox, which is more or less average production for a right fielder. However, he's also 36 years old, batted just .179 in the second half, and is pretty terrible defensively at this point. Dye had a 103 adjusted OPS+ last season. Dukes' career adjusted OPS+ is 104, and he's a decade younger with a much better glove.

Of course, Dye certainly won't cause as many headaches as Dukes and that seems to have been the driving force behind this morning's move regardless of how many times the Nationals insist it was done strictly for "baseball reasons." Generally speaking 25-year-old players don't get released for "baseball reasons" when they still have minor-league options remaining. They get sent to the minors or waived or traded or designated for assignment, but usually not released.

If you've ever wondered what Bill James looks like, sounds like, and thinks like, check out the video of Geoff Baker from the Seattle Times interviewing him for over an hour yesterday.

Some really interesting stuff, including James' thoughts on the current state of sabermetrics (a word he literally invented), the Mariners' chances this season, Edgar Martinez's case for the Hall of Fame, and what the next frontier in baseball analysis might be.

James often comes across as introverted, particularly on camera, but Baker did a nice job turning the show into more of a conversation than an interview and I actually watched the whole thing live from start to finish.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports wrote a great article about Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez, whose working-class family in the Dominican Republic made him turn down $20,000 to sign with the Mets as a 16-year-old:

They didn't want me to sign until I finished high school. I always respected my parents, and I knew it was for my own good, so I didn't sign. I always figured I was going to be a doctor anyway. ... I used to love medicine. My mom's a nurse. It's something I grew up seeing. Every time people got sick, my mom would be the one who helped make them better.

He eventually signed with the Rockies when they agreed to let him finish high school. Passan's article carries the clever headline "Jimenez gave up medicine to dispense pills" because last season he had the highest average fastball velocity in all of baseball while winning 15 games with a 3.47 ERA and 198 strikeouts. And now his older sister is the one studying to become a doctor.

Definitely check out the entire article, which has tons of good stuff (and good writing) about one of the game's best and most intriguing young pitchers.

According to an annual report on workplace productivity the NCAA tournament is expected to cost the United States' economy approximately $1.8 billion in lost production. Yes, that's "billion" with a "b." Oh, and that total only accounts for the first week of March Madness.

We here at NBCSports.com would really like to see that number top $2 billion, which is why you should fill out a bracket (or another bracket) and join our "It's Madness" game to compete for individual prizes and let us manage your entire office pool.

I'm planning to lose at least an hour of production tomorrow and am shooting for more like two hours on Friday when my beloved Gophers play, and having my bracket and results available online to stare at all day will really help me reach those goals. Sign up and join me!

Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Huston Street has been shut down indefinitely and will likely begin the season on the disabled list after experiencing shoulder soreness while playing catch today.

Street was sidelined early in camp with what the Rockies deemed shoulder inflammation, but had progressed to throwing regularly before this setback. Now he's headed for an MRI exam and the closer who signed a $22.5 million contract extension in January admitted that "Opening Day is definitely in jeopardy" while calling the situation "really frustrating."

Manny Corpas has the most closing experience of the potential Street fill-ins, but Franklin Morales would likely get the nod to replace him initially. Rafael Betancourt is also an option, but he may join Street on the season-opening disabled list because of a shoulder injury of his own.

Last week Derrick Turnbow's big toe "exploded" into "a bloody mess" before he took the mound, yet he still threw a bullpen session moments later because ... well, that's what you do when you're trying to salvage your career on a minor-league contract.

Unfortunately his comeback attempt hit another snag yesterday when Turnbow's shoulder began hurting more than usual and this morning the Marlins released the 32-year-old former All-Star.

"More than likely I'll try to have surgery and get it fixed," Turnbow told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. "Unless it is something that is just going to take forever to come back."

Turnbow hasn't been healthy and effective since saving 39 games with a 1.74 ERA for the Brewers as a 27-year-old in 2005, so he can probably take his sweet time coming back. He barely pitched in 2008, was out of the majors completely last season, and has the worst career walk rate among all active pitchers.

If this isn't the end of the line, he can probably see it from where he's standing (or sitting, if that exploding toe is still an issue).

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes the most shocking thing you'll read today: Bengie Molina was a shortstop in college.

It turns out that before Molina settled in for a career behind the plate, before he became the Sultan of Squat, he was a lithe and rangy shortstop for Arizona Western Community College.

Yes, that Bengie Molina. The player that manager Bruce Bochy has diplomatically described as "not being born with the gift of speed" first set out to make majors as the next Ozzie Smith. He had deft hands, a rifle arm and enough speed that he usually hit in the No. 2 hole. ...

"He was really skinny," [coach John] Stratton recalled. "He's just turned 18. And he was not a slow base runner. He wasn't a burner, but he was very athletic and a decent runner." Molina went on to make all-conference at the position.

Baggarly goes on to tell the really interesting story of how Molina went from community college shortstop to big-league catcher thanks to "a lark" and his mom's collection of newspaper clippings. Definitely worth checking out the entire article.

Cory Wade missed much of last season with a shoulder injury, but upon arriving at spring training last month the 26-year-old reliever said: "My shoulder is healthy. My back is strong. This is the best I've felt since 2008."

Unfortunately that was short-lived, as Wade complained of shoulder pain just two weeks later and is now scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow. He's expected to miss at least three months, but given his history it certainly wouldn't be surprising to see Wade sit out the entire season.

"If they don't find anything major, I'm looking at a three-month time frame," Wade told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. "Nobody wants surgery, but it's come to a point where we need to figure something out."

Wade was fantastic as a rookie in 2008, but fell victim to Joe Torre's tendency to give his top setup men incredibly heavy workloads. Wade logged 71.1 innings despite being on the Dodgers' active roster for just 120 games--which is a 100-inning pace for a full season--and then pitched in seven of the team's nine playoff games that October. His arm problems since then are unfortunate, but they're certainly not surprising.