Yelich, Brewers focus on clean slate after near-miss in 2018

PHOENIX >> Christian Yelich has already had conversations with some of his Milwaukee Brewers teammates about their biggest message this spring after coming up one win short of the World Series.

“What you did last year means nothing basically. Whether it was good or bad for you as an individual or as a team, it means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t matter,” Yelich said. “We all start with a clean slate. It’s all what are you going to do in 2019 to help the Brewers win.”

Even for the young slugging outfielder who was the NL MVP after nearly winning the Triple Crown (.326, 36 homers, 110 RBIs) in his first season with the Brewers.

Milwaukee’s first fullsquad workout is Tuesday, four months after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series.

Kelly, Weaver ready to make their marks for Diamondbacks

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> Carson Kelly and Luke Weaver will always been known as the other players in the Paul Goldschmidt trade. No matter what they do for the rest of their careers, good or bad, they will be linked to the Arizona Diamondbacks’ fan-favorite first baseman.

But the Diamondbacks do not consider them replacements for Goldschmidt.

Goldschmidt was one of the best players in baseball during his eight seasons in Arizona, so matching his production would be difficult. Plus, Kelly is a catcher and Weaver a right-handed starting pitcher.

The Diamondbacks just want them to be the best versions of themselves they can be.

“When they were traded over, those were the first conversations that I began to have with them about just being themselves, embracing the organization the way we’re embracing them,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We chose them for a reason: because they’re very special players.”

Both are looking forward to a fresh start.

For Kelly, the trade should mean an opportunity for more playing time.

He’s in a competition with Alex Avila, John Paul Murphy and Caleb Joseph to be part of Arizona’s three-man catcher rotation, but should get more playing time than he did with the Cardinals.

Posada joins Marlins as special adviser to Jeter

JUPITER, FLA. >> A black cap with the Miami Marlins’ new neon logo sat atop Jorge Posada’s graying hair Monday, a jarring sight for fans who recall he spent his entire playing career with the New York Yankees.

But Posada switched allegiances to return to the majors, and he’s at spring training as a special adviser to his close friend and former teammate, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter.

“Perfect timing,” Posada said Monday. “Derek approached me sometime in January and said, ‘Do you want to get back in the game?’ I said, ‘Yeah!”’

Posada retired following the 2011 season, his 17th as a Yankees catcher.