Baseball

And now for a message to Atlanta Braves fans who are down in the dumps about the club's rebuild: Don't be afraid to get your hopes up.

Just ask any fan of the New York Mets or Chicago Cubs. 

Strictly going off their last four seasons, the Boston Red Sox have a 25 percent chance of finishing in first place in 2016 and a 75 percent chance of finishing in last place.

But in the words of Han Solo, never tell me the odds. Not those odds, anyway. The 2016 Red Sox are custom-designed to avoid the fate of the 2012, 2014 and 2015 clubs, and we're here to promise they will.

Hisashi Iwakuma is staying in Washington, after all.

After originally agreeing to leave the Seattle Mariners for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Iwakuma signed a new deal with the Mariners on Thursday for 2016 with options for 2017 and 2018, per Shannon Drayer of ESPN Radio in Seattle.

The Mariners posted a video of general manager Jerry Dipoto announcing the re-signing of Iwakuma:

At this point, I'll believe Jake Odorizzi is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers when he takes the mound at Dodger Stadium. Or maybe not until he throws his first pitch in Dodger blue.

According to Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Diego Padres re-signed right-handed pitcher Brandon Morrow to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training Thursday.

The team has not disclosed the figures of the contract.

The Toronto Blue Jays signed veteran pitcher Brad Penny to a minor league deal Thursday with an invitation to spring training, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The team has not released the figures of the contract.

According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, the deal includes a player opt-out option at the end of spring training.

Three years of retirement was apparently enough for Chipper Jones, as the former All-Star will return to the Atlanta Braves in their front office.

The Braves' official Twitter account announced Thursday that Jones will be working as a special assistant to baseball operations.

Knowing that they are a safe bet to win the 2016 World Series given their recent history in even years, the San Francisco Giants took steps to ensure a fourth title in seven seasons by signing Johnny Cueto. 

It was Tuesday, Sept. 1, when they all filed into the Fenway Park baseball conference room: pro scouts, amateur scouts, administrators—all for one of those change-of-command meetings that can lead to sleepless nights and bottles of Tums.

Dave Dombrowski, hired a mere two weeks earlier as Boston's incoming president of baseball operations, walked in to conduct the meeting and, as he did, carried with him a couple of the thickest notebook binders that maybe had ever been seen in Fenway.

Don Mattingly led three straight Los Angeles Dodgers teams to 90-win seasons and postseason appearances. He's the only manager in Dodger history—Brooklyn or Los Angeles—with three straight first-place finishes.