The Twins apparently are making another move to shore up their rotation.
The latest report is that Minnesota and RHP Phil Hughes have agreed to a 3-year, $24-million contract. That may sound like a lot. But even though Hughes probably isn't as good as the 18-game winner in 2012 (especially pitching for the Twins) but he's way better than the stiff who showed up every 5 or 6 days for the 2013 Yankees. That's assuming he doesn't have fundamental or irreversible arm problems.
It seems almost 100 per cent likely that RHP Ricky Nolasco and Hughes are a big improvement over the bottom-of-the-rotation starters they'll displace in Minnesota. The Twins will go into many series with a good chance to win two of three because they have that pair.
Much of the talk heading into next week's winter meetings is over which potential free agents will be tendered contract offers. In many cases teams are gambling that players they don't really want would decline their offer so that their 2013 team 1) wouldn't have to pay somewhat inflated guaranteed offers and 2) would receive draft-pick compensation for players who don't accept the tender. A third possibility is that teams could re-sign players who aren't tendered for a smaller dollar figure than they'd have to pay tendered players.
It's kind of confusing. Be prepared for many tendered and non-tendered players to sign elsewhere. And be prepared to hear 3 or 4 years from now about young 2014 draft picks who were "steals" because their team picked them as compensation for not signing (insert name of 2017-18 stiff here).
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Good week in my fantasy football leagues. I'm guaranteed a win in both.
I'll go into the playoffs in my 10-team scoring-plus-yardage league with a 6-7 record and in sixth place. That would put me in the middle-division playoffs. I think given breaks I could have contended for the top-division playoff title, but I didn't make that level. I'll be disappointed if I don't win the second-division playoffs to finish fifth.
In my scoring-only league, I'm still third but now only one game behind the teams tied for first lace with four weeks remaining. I hope to be a contender.
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Will just two players starting today, my hockey team appears to have dropped 1 1/2 points today but stayed in third place. I'm about 10 points out of second, but also about 15 ahead of the fourth-place team. The bottom seven teams are separated by about 5 points. Turns out I put the wrong Senator in Sunday's lineup. Clarke MacArthur was minus-1, dropping me down another point in that category. Jason Spezza, whom I didn't start, was plus-1.
Saw the Stars lose their second shootout in three nights, to the lowly Oilers. Edmonton gave starting G Devan Dubnyk the night off, until G Ilya Bryzgalov suffered what might have been a concussion in the second period. Dallas' Ryan Garbutt had his first NHL two-goal game, but I wouldn't expect a whole lot more of those from him.
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With Carmelo Anthony and David West provided 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds, my fantasy basketball team finished the week 4-4. Thus, I didn't catch the seventh-place team that split with me, but I did gain ground on two or three teams immediately ahead of that one.
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