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Wow! It's just injury after injury this March.Alex Cobb won't start Opening Day
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Alex Cobb has tendinitis in his right forearm and will miss his planned Opening Day start against Baltimore on April 6.
Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman made the announcement before Wednesday's game against Toronto, a day after the 27-year-old right-hander was removed after throwing three perfect innings in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia. Cobb had an MRI after the game.
AP Photo/Tony GutierrezAlex Cobb has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his right forearm.
"It's never easy to know you have to take a step back," Cobb said during a telephone conference call. "The whole situation could be a lot worse."
Silverman hopes Cobb will return in mid-to-late April.
The trainers and doctors are playing a major role so far this Spring...Comment -
MLB hoping to 'maximize' final day
Major League Baseball says it has scheduled every game of the regular season's closing day to start at the same time because it hopes to elevate the excitement of the day, with five playoff spots now up for grabs in each league.
MLB chief operating officer Tony Petitti, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, said the league hopes to "maximize" the day in the event multiple meaningful games go down to the wire.
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Harry How/Getty ImagesThe Dodgers will close out the season at home against the Padres. First pitch for Oct. 4 games around the league is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
"If a game impacts another game, they're all occurring at the same time, so no team would be put into a lame-duck situation because their fate already had been decided by an earlier result," Petitti told the newspaper.
First pitch for Oct. 4 games is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
"It's a cool little wrinkle," Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier said, according to the Times. "It will definitely make games more exciting that day."
The simultaneous start also could provide a disadvantage for teams firmly in the playoff mix, who could have reacted to the results of earlier games to determine what pitchers they could start -- whether they needed to trot out their ace in an attempt to gain better seeding by clinching a division title, for example.
"If somebody is banged up, you can't risk resting him, because you haven't already seen the score of the other game," said catcher A.J. Ellis, whose Dodgers close out the season at home against the San Diego Padres.
Said Petitti: "We're hopeful that the races will come down to the last day of the season. We want to make sure we celebrate the end of the season properly."Comment -
Two years ago the last day was pretty darn excitingComment -
Zack Wheeler has officially opted for Tommy John surgery. The 24-year-old right-hander is scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday or Wednesday, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN. Dr. David Altchek will perform the surgery, per the report.
Wheeler was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament after he was scratched from a March 14 Grapefruit League game. A report also surfaced that he pitched with a torn tendon the previous season. Dillon Gee and Rafael Montero will compete for the the club's final rotation spot.
Wheeler went 11-11, with a 3.54 ERA in 32 starts for the Mets last year. He has a lifetime 3.50 ERA through 49 starts (285 1/3 innings). He is expected to be fully recovered in time for the 2016 season.Comment -
Mets pitcher Josh Edgin is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, The Star-Ledger reports. Edgin said Saturday he had yet to make a decision on whether to have the surgery and that he was seeking a second opinion on his overstretched ligament. The rehab will sideline Edgin for the entire 2015 season, leaving the Mets to find a new primary left-hander for the bullpen.Comment -
Robert Murray of MLBDailyRumors.com reports that the Padres are no longer in the running for Cuban infielder Hector Olivera.
When is Olivera signing. This have been dragging out for a while. Dodgers or Braves?Comment -
This is awesome! Imagine the scoreboard watching that will be going on...MLB hoping to 'maximize' final day
Major League Baseball says it has scheduled every game of the regular season's closing day to start at the same time because it hopes to elevate the excitement of the day, with five playoff spots now up for grabs in each league.
MLB chief operating officer Tony Petitti, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, said the league hopes to "maximize" the day in the event multiple meaningful games go down to the wire.
[+] EnlargeHarry How/Getty ImagesThe Dodgers will close out the season at home against the Padres. First pitch for Oct. 4 games around the league is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
"If a game impacts another game, they're all occurring at the same time, so no team would be put into a lame-duck situation because their fate already had been decided by an earlier result," Petitti told the newspaper.
First pitch for Oct. 4 games is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
"It's a cool little wrinkle," Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier said, according to the Times. "It will definitely make games more exciting that day."
The simultaneous start also could provide a disadvantage for teams firmly in the playoff mix, who could have reacted to the results of earlier games to determine what pitchers they could start -- whether they needed to trot out their ace in an attempt to gain better seeding by clinching a division title, for example.
"If somebody is banged up, you can't risk resting him, because you haven't already seen the score of the other game," said catcher A.J. Ellis, whose Dodgers close out the season at home against the San Diego Padres.
Said Petitti: "We're hopeful that the races will come down to the last day of the season. We want to make sure we celebrate the end of the season properly."
I might have to buy another TV or two, or three...
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Tonight, a buddy of mine told me that Buster Olney picked the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the World Series this year?
I like Olney and usually respect his opinions. I hope he's on to something here...
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I heard that hes Brandon Langs cousin. So not sure how much water that holds..??
LOL Only kidding....
Keep this hush hush, /but this Reds fan is a closet Bucs fan. I will deny if this is spread to anyone...lol
Best of luck this season SS.
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The Rangers and Phillies continue to remain in contact regarding star Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, according to people familiar with the talks.
The teams have discussed Rangers prospects who'd go in a package for Hamels, but the sides were said to be still far apart. At this point, the parties weren't necessarily expressing great optimism the gap could be closed, but they aren't closing the door, either.
The Rangers, who lost their ace Yu Darvish for the season due to a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery, may be the main hope for the Phillies now, as there is no evidence the Red Sox and Phillies have talked seriously in recent weeks about Hamels. The Phillies made clear they sought either outfielder/second base prospect Mookie Betts or catching prospect Blake Swihart for Hamels, and the Red Sox have rebuffed those attempts.
It was reported here March 13 that the Rangers and Phillies have stayed in touch, and they are still talking. The Phillies have been said to be seeking three good prospects, with one top-flight one, in any deal.
The Rangers have two of baseball's best prospects in slugger Joey Gallo and catcher Jorge Alfaro but they have a deep list, with right-handers Luke Jackson and Alex Gonzalez and outfielder Nick Williams plus many other well regarded. Texas also is thought to have some money left.
The Phillies are in the mindset of a rebuild or reset, and they've already traded shortstop Jimmy Rollins, outfielder Marlon Byrd and reliever Antonio Bastardo. Their 2015 chances, already slim, were further lessened by the loss of Cliff Lee, who is out for the foreseeable future with recurring arm trouble.
Hamels is the one gem Philly has to deal. While he went 9-9 last year, he had a 2.46 ERA in a very good season. He has $96 million guaranteed through 2018, including a $6-million buyout on a $20-million '19 team option.Comment -
Kris Bryant just crushed a 2-2 pitch about 450 foot off King Felix. He's the best hitter never to take a major league AB yet. I have no doubt he is one of the best hitters in the game already. Might be even better than that. Could be a once in a generation type hitter.Comment -
Haha! I'll keep it quiet by quoting it in my post here!
Great to know, by the way. It's amazing how many Pirate fans I encounter when out of town...
There always seems to be a decent amount of Pirate fans at all ballparks throughout North America.
Best of Luck to you also, my friend! Can't wait 'til the season starts in April!
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Pittsburgh fans are everywhere
partly because many who grow up in western is can't wait to move out on adult hoodComment -
Lang needs family in the game. Would be the first time he actually had inside information worth a damn.Comment -
Stephen Strasburg to miss start
VIERA, Fla. -- Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg will miss Sunday's scheduled spring training start after injuring his left ankle during conditioning work Friday.
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AP Photo/Carlos OsorioStephen Strasburg twisted his ankle during conditioning work and will miss his scheduled start Sunday.
"He twisted his ankle a little bit, so we're going to have to see how he goes in the next couple of days and push him (back)," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "He's a little sore, so we don't want to have any issues with him not feeling 100 percent."
Williams did not think the injury was serious. Strasburg has not had an MRI.
It's the second time Strasburg has missed a Grapefruit League start. He was scratched from a scheduled March 12 start against the New York Mets because of an ingrown toenail, but threw in a minor league game.
A.J. Cole will start for Washington against Detroit.Comment -
Super Two
Normally, players must have accrued at least three years of MLB service time before they can be eligible for salary arbitration — or in other words, until they can negotiate their salary and not have it automatically set by their club. But certain players with less than three years of service time can also become eligible for arbitration, if they meet the following criteria:
● If they have less than three years of service time, but more than two.
● If they rank within the top 22% of all 2-year players in terms of service time.
So if a player finishes a season and is just shy of three years of service time (say, 2 years and 171 days) then MLB will award them Super Two status and they’ll be eligible for arbitration. Since these players are still under team control for another three seasons, that means Super Two players get four year of salary arbitration instead of the typical three.
The Super Two cutoff used to stand at 17%, but got changed to 22% in the new CBA negotiations. This means that if a team wants to keep a player in the minors until after the Super Two cutoff, they will have to keep that player in the minors for even longer than before. Considering that the cutoff used to fall sometime in June — it varied from year to year, as the 17% cutoff isn’t tied to a specific date — it will likely end up being in July going forward.
Tuesday, 30 January 2007 16:46
A player with almost 3 years of Major League service time may become eligible for arbitration.
To qualify, a player must:
- have at least 2 years of service, but less than 3, and;
- have accumulated at least 86 days of service in the previous year, and;
- rank in the top 17% of all 2-year players in service time.
The cutoff point generally falls between 2 years, 128 days of service and 2 years, 140 days.
AKELAND, Fla. -- The service-time rules that could keep phenom Kris Bryant from breaking camp with the Chicago Cubs have drawn the attention of the Major League Baseball Players Association. And union chief Tony Clark said Tuesday that clubs' use of any rule to avoid fielding the best possible team is "unfortunate."During his annual spring training visit to the Detroit Tigers' camp, Clark was asked about the "Super 2" rule which teams now routinely use to delay calling up top minor leaguers until their arbitration eligibility is delayed for a year.
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Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY SportsCubs prospect Kris Bryant leads the major leagues in homers this spring and is one player who potentially could be affected by the "Super 2" rule.
"We don't think it's in anyone's best interest," the union's executive director said, "and we don't think it's in the industry's best interest, to not have the best players on the field all the time."
Bryant, who leads the major leagues in homers this spring with six, may not be specifically affected by that rule, but if he spends the first nine games of the season in the minor leagues, the Cubs would be able to keep him from exploring free agency until 2021 instead of 2020. Clark said the union's concerns extend not just to Bryant but to "any other player" who is kept out of the big leagues specifically to suppress his service time.
"As you know, this is a conversation we tend to have every year," Clark said. "And it's unfortunate that we have it. ... Although clubs are going to make whatever decision they need to make against the system that's in place, it's unfortunate that any fan would believe that they're not seeing all of the guys that they would like to see perform on the field."
The "Super 2" rule has been in place since 1990. It allows only the top 22 percent of players with between two and three years of service time to qualify for arbitration a year early. In response, clubs have begun to delay calling up their top prospects until mid-to-late June, in order to delay their eligibility for both arbitration and free agency for an extra year.
Bryant's status has become a particularly hot topic, both in Chicago and around baseball, because of his sensational spring a year after he hit 43 home runs and won numerous minor league player of the year awards. While the Cubs aren't likely to keep Bryant in the minors until June, they're expected to send him to the minors at the end of spring training to postpone his free-agent eligibility.
Clark made it clear Tuesday that the union was not honing in exclusively on Bryant, but on all instances of teams keeping their best players off their rosters for business reasons.
"At the end of the day," Clark said, "fans in the stands, everybody who has come here today, is excited about seeing the best players in the game. If, at the end of camp, Kris or any other young player suggests that he is prepared or equipped to make a contribution, we would love to see those guys on the field."
Clark said the union's concerns about the "Super 2" rule involve "how or if it's being manipulated to justify the decisions that are being made against not putting perhaps the best team on the field. That one is probably more in tune for somebody in management."
"As you might expect, I'm a former player," he said, "and to the extent I can appreciate (any player) having the opportunity to contribute, it's something that I pay attention to, something that we pay attention to, something that we will always pay attention to. It's our responsibility to pay attention to it."Comment -
First, a brief explanation of the arbitration rule:
Players who have at least three years, but fewer than six, of Major League service time, are eligible to file for arbitration. In addition, there there are the so-called "Super Two" players. These are the top 17 percent of players, based on service time, with at least two but fewer than three years of service. The rule states that a player must have at least 86 days of service in the immediately preceding season to qualify for this status. Typically, the cut-off for the top 17 percent has been around two years, 130 days of total service, though the days fluctuate from year to year.
Lincecum had two years, 148 days of service, making him a Super Two. Reynolds was at two years, 138 days, just short of qualifying.
In short, if a team calls up a player early -- such as Lincecum in 2007 -- and that player sticks in the Majors, he will be eligible for arbitration after his second full season. Lincecum would have been due a huge raise in arbitration prior to this season, two-plus years after coming up. Lincecum's camp had filed an arbitration request for $13 million, and there's a reasonable chance he would have gotten it. So the Giants signed him to the extension to buy out his next two arbitration years.
All of that happened because he came up on May 6 instgead of a week later. Think there's a chance the Giants are looking at those May starts of Lincecum's rookie season and wondering if it was worth it, considering he could've been making a lot less than $9 million this year?
Calling this simply a money issue is an over-simplification. Sure, the dollars mentioned above are not inconsequential, but having control of the player is equally important, if not more so, for some teams.
The service clock is crucial. The D-backs and Brewers, using the example above, had Reynolds and Braun under control for nearly an entire extra year -- before Braun's big extension, at least -- than the Giants did with Lincecum. That three-quarters of a season in 2007, in effect, doesn't really count. It's bonus.
"To get the guy for 6.8 years instead of six years, the money kind of goes out the window," said former general manager John Hart, who's now a senior advisor for baseball operations with the Texas Rangers and an MLB Network analyst. "I'm not so worried about Super Two, but if I bring this guy up [early]... When you have a Super Two and you get whacked, you say, 'Did I really need that guy?'"
A popular view is that small-market clubs wait to promote players to save money. But that's not a complete picture. The D-backs, who kept Reynolds down just long enough to avoid Super Two status, don't really qualify as "small-market." Neither do the Orioles, who didn't bring up Matt Wieters until he was past that threshold. The Boston Red Sox spend freely in the Draft and the free-agent market, yet it's believed that they have never had a Super Two player since Theo Epstein took over as general manager.
There are more variables that come into play in addition to the financial component. Development stages -- both of the player and of the team -- are often considered."If your club is a competitive club and you think this player is going to be an integral part of a competitive team, I'm not sure how you face the other 24 players, the staff, the fans and say, 'We're going to keep him in the Minor Leagues.' I can't do that. We'll figure out his contract way down the road." -- Braves GM Frank Wren
"As the world has changed financially, there are a variety of markets and clubs at different stages," Hart explained. "There isn't one blanket feeling on protecting service time or protecting from the Super Two. Everybody in the industry is aware of it.
"When I had good clubs, it never crossed my mind. When I felt we were growing or building and a guy could use more development time, I'll admit, I did pay more attention to it because he was going to fit for a longer period of time."
That's vitally important when considering today's landscape.
The Braves believed they had a chance to compete in 2010 and a budding star who was ready to play every day in Jason Heyward. So they didn't hesitate to put him on the Opening Day roster. The Rangers were undoubtedly thinking the same thing when they called up Justin Smoak recently.
"I think those are decisions you make in different circumstances with your club," Braves general manager Frank Wren said at the time. "If your club is a competitive club and you think this player is going to be an integral part of a competitive team, I'm not sure how you face the other 24 players, the staff, the fans and say, 'We're going to keep him in the Minor Leagues.' I can't do that. We'll figure out his contract way down the road."
For teams that aren't as close to competing in their division, there is some sense to keeping players in the Minors. Why burn that extra service time when it's not necessarily going to help the team's fortunes right away? Nothing is that cut and dry, as two examples this year point out.
The first is the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg. He is, in many ways, an entity unto himself, both in the unique talent he is as well as the fact he hadn't thrown a professional pitch before April. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has been clear about wanting Strasburg to get some development time in the Minors before bringing him up, that it has less to do with things like Super Two status and more to do with what's best for the player and team in the long-term.
Example 2 is the Pirates, whose fans want to know when Pedro Alvarez will be deemed ready for the big leagues. More than perhaps with any other team, any Super Two-related decisions could be a money-related issue. In addition to being fiscally responsible, the Pirates must pay attention to things like where Alvarez is developmentally and the fact the club already has two players -- Andy LaRoche and Ross Ohlendorf -- who will likely be Super Two players this year.
"We promote players when we believe they are prepared to compete and succeed at the next level," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "The landscape of Major League Baseball is littered with former super-prospects that have been rushed to the Major Leagues and as a result failed to reach their potential. While we anticipate continued growth and development at the Major League level, we work hard to put our players in a position to be successful and avoid the rushed-prospect syndrome.
"The best agents understand that development is a process and most even agree with us that it is better to be a month conservative in a promotion than it is to be a week too early. While organizations certainly consider the business side of the game in every transaction, for us, Super Two status is not a deciding factor. The player's place on his development curve is the deciding factor."
Huntington touches on one last variable that makes the whole Super Two decision process a bit more complex: the agent of the player. Huntington would not comment directly, but Strasburg, Alvarez and Wieters all share the same agency, Scott Boras Corp. And one thing that's been fairly constant with Boras clients is that they will not negotiate contract extensions when they are approaching arbitration eligibility.
"In Alvarez's case, he needed some Triple-A time, [and] the Pirates are still trying to build," Hart said. "They give him some more development time and they avoid the remote possibility of Super Two. That's a back-breaker because you have to figure in the agent. He's not Evan Longoria or Troy Tulowitzki. They have a shorter window [of controlling the player].Comment -
Hyun-Jin Ryu sent back to L.A.
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu had to shut down his throwing program and was sent to Los Angeles to meet with the team doctor after experiencing discomfort in his left shoulder when he tried to play catch Sunday.
Ryu will begin the season on the disabled list, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.
"I think he's feeling something. If he was feeling nothing, we wouldn't be trying to get him in front of Doc," Mattingly said. "We know to move forward it's going to be a heavier workload, so we've got to be sure where we're at. I saw the look on Hyun-Jin's face and it wasn't typical Hyun-Jin."
Mattingly said team physician Neal ElAttrache will determine whether Ryu needs further diagnostic tests after he examines him Monday.
Ryu (28-15 with a 3.17 ERA in two seasons) experienced soreness in his shoulder the day after a March 17 start against the Texas Rangers and had an anti-inflammatory injection the next day.
The Dodgers are looking to trade for a starting pitcher before the start of the regular season, but the conversations they've had with other teams haven't gone far. Now, they're prepared to ride out Ryu's injury by plugging in one of their internal options, probably Joe Wieland, the pitcher they acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Matt Kemp deal.
"We've been looking for starting pitching depth all offseason and that's kind of continued into camp," Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said. "This is just a hard time to go out there and acquire starting pitching depth. We're fielding calls from teams that are asking us about our starting pitching depth, so there aren't a lot of starting pitching sellers right now."
If Ryu is out for a month or less, the Dodgers feel perfectly prepared to weather the storm. Because of open dates, they would need just three fill-in starts between Opening Day, April 6, and May 5.
The other pitchers being considered as Ryu's fill-in are Carlos Frias and Mike Bolsinger. Both are in the Dodgers' minor league camp.Comment -
After being the biggest punchline in baseball for quite a while, the Pittsburgh Pirates are now coming off consecutive trips to the playoffs. The 2014 season marked a bit of a downturn, as they won six fewer regular-season games and then lost the wild-card game instead of falling in the NLDS, as they did in 2013. Gone is a key team leader, but back is pretty much everyone else of consequence -- and more. Let's take a look at the Pirates as they shoot for their third straight playoff appearance.
More: Likes, dislikes | Over/unders | All team previews | Spring training
Probable lineup
1. Josh Harrison, 3B
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Neil Walker, 2B
5. Starling Marte, LF
6. Pedro Alvarez, 1B
7. Jordy Mercer, SS
8. Francisco Cervelli, C
Bench: C Tony Sanchez, 1B Corey Hart, IF Jung Ho Kang, UT Sean Rodriguez, 1B/OF Andrew Lambo
Hart and Alvarez could platoon, but Pedro will surely be given every opportunity to start on a regular basis. Being that he's the lefty of the two, he would get more starts in a platoon anyway. Kang profiles as more of a second baseman down the road, per many scouts, but he could still have an impact at shortstop this season if Mercer falters.
The group as a whole ranked fourth in runs, third in average, second in on-base percentage and third in slugging percentage in the NL last season. Losing Russell Martin hurts, but there's expected improvement in several areas (Polanco, Alvarez), so we're still looking at a strong offensive ballclub.
Probable rotation
1. LHP Francisco Liriano
2. RHP Gerrit Cole
3. RHP A.J. Burnett
4. RHP Charlie Morton
5. RHP Vance Worley
Jeff Locke is, of course, also an option. Down the road, we could see top prospect Jameson Taillon, who missed all of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. In 2013, he made 19 starts in Double-A and six in Triple-A, so he's headed to Triple-A to start this season and we'll see how he progresses.
Probable bullpen
Closer: RHP Mark Melancon
Setup men: LHP Tony Watson, RHP Jared Hughes
Middle men: RHP John Holdzkom, LHP Antonio Bastardo, RHP Radhames Liz
Long man: RHP Jeff Locke
A grounder-heavy group that can also miss bats, the Pirates bullpen will again be good.
Under-the-radar offseason transaction
The Pirates couldn't do much about losing Martin to free agency and had to replace him without spending much money. They did so with Francisco Cervelli (one-year deal worth a touch less than $1 million) and I really like this move.
First off, though injuries and being a backup have severely limited his playing time, the 29-year-old Cervelli is a career .278 hitter with a .348 on-base percentage. That's quality for a catcher, especially a defensive-minded one.
Speaking of which, after calling Cervelli a "stud" this past offseason, former teammate Brandon McCarthy sang the praises of Cervelli's game-calling ability behind the plate. He said as much to David Cameron of Fangraphs:
There are metrics for pitch-framing and Cervelli ranks handsomely, having turned 56 balls into strikes last season in only 2,955 pitches received. Thus, he's among the best in baseball at framing.
The Pirates are still going to miss Martin in a big way, but Cervelli is a great option on the cheap to mitigate some of that damage to the ballclub.
Fantasy breakout: Gerrit Cole, SP
From Scott White's full fantasy preview:
The first overall pick in the 2011 draft, Cole's talent has never been in question, but when he averaged just 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings as a rookie in 2013 and followed it up with 6.9 per nine in five starts last April, some began to wonder if he was too comfortable pitching to contact to get the most out of his 97-mph fastball. But look where his strikeout rate ended up. In eight starts after returning from a right lat injury, the second of two lengthy DL stints, he averaged 10.3 strikeouts compared to just 1.9 walks per nine. That's domination by any standard and reason to believe Cole has turned the corner. The breakthrough came at a time, though, when it wouldn't leave a lasting imprint on the minds of Fantasy owners, and since it didn't entirely redeem his numbers, his final ERA and WHIP make him out to be more of a work in progress than he actually is. His ace potential comes with the price tag of a No. 3 starting pitcher.
Gerrit Cole could be in for a breakout season. (USATSI)Biggest strength
I like the offensive balance. This team has four players who should hit at least 20 homers and upwards of nine or 10 who could top 10 if given enough playing time. There are also four or five who will get to double digits in stolen bases. There are big-time power hitters, high-average guys, players who take lots of walks and at least one (MVP-caliber McCutchen) who does just about everything well.
So let's see ... they hit for average, get on base, hit for power and run well.
You won't find many more well-rounded offensive ballclubs in baseball.
Biggest weakness
I think there's enough reason for concern in the rotation to put it here. Ultimately I do think it will be fine, but Liriano will always be a question mark due to inconsistency and injury history. Cole is still only 24. Burnett was awful last season and he's 38 now. Morton, Worley and Locke are hardly sure bets, either.
The Pirates have had an uncanny ability to get the most out of pitchers (Burnett, Edinson Volquez, Worley, Locke, etc.) that other teams couldn't in the past few years, but it's always possible for the tide to turn.
Outlook
The NL Central is top-to-bottom strong, but the Pirates are in the upper part of it. Though it could be anyone, the safe bet to win the division is either St. Louis or Pittsburgh. I do think the Pirates are headed to the playoffs again and, in fact, I'll go a step further and say this is the year they take the division. Perhaps a trip to the NLCS for the first time since 1992? It's definitely possible.Comment -
Looking forward to seeing this radhames LizComment -
Hector Olivera signs for $62.5M
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Cuban infielder Hector Olivera to a six-year contract worth $62.5 million, agent Greg Genske said.
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Getty ImagesHector Olivera, who signed with the Dodgers on Tuesday, drew interest from several other teams during his workouts last month.
The agreement includes a $28 million signing bonus, Genske said Tuesday.
Olivera, who turns 30 next month, drew interest from several other teams, including the Braves, Padres, Marlins and Yankees.
MLB.com was first to report Olivera's deal with Los Angeles.
Olivera will join a crowded Dodgers infield that already features second baseman Howie Kendrick and shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Olivera likely will have the best chance to play third base, where Juan Uribe is expected to start.
Los Angeles also has Cuban infielder Alex Guerrero, who has impressed this spring, and highly touted shortstop prospect Corey Seager.Comment
