Baseball

The Pittsburgh Pirates reunited with a familiar friend Friday. Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that they signed starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a one-year deal.  

Despite frequent insistence to the contrary, free-agent signings are almost always about the money. That's what it's all about, you know.

But not for A.J. Burnett. On Friday, he decided to be a very rare exception to the rule. And for good reasons, to boot.

San Francisco Giants pitching prospect Adalberto Mejia has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball due to a failed drug test. 

According to Alex Pavlovic of The San Jose Mercury News, Mejia tested positive for a banned stimulant:

Starting pitcher A.J. Burnett enjoyed two of his best seasons as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he will look to recapture that magic in 2015.

The Pirates announced the deal via Twitter:

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com noted the money involved:

For a team with $182.5 million already committed to the 2015 roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers actually have a surprising amount of flexibility. They have a couple veteran outfielders they need to get rid of, a massive budget and a farm system that is finally bearing fruit.

Whether or not the new front office will want to make a massive deal is up in the air, but it certainly has the resources to do so.

The Boston Red Sox figure to be active participants on the trade market this offseason.

Yes, they have plenty to spend and could sign several marquee free agents. But the Sox have holes in their rotation, in their bullpen and at third base, and given their glut of outfielders, first basemen and young, right-handed arms, they have the ammunition to make deals both major and minor.

You'll know President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein finally has the Chicago Cubs ready to make a run at ending their 106-year championship drought when he strikes a deal with an old associate of his: Jon Lester.

Granted, we're technically in the realm of "if" rather than "when." The Cubs aren't any more assured to sign the 30-year-old left-hander than any other club eyeing him in free agency.

The Detroit Tigers don’t have long to decide about the future of catcher Alex Avila:

Detroit would be wise to re-sign Avila for another season. A catcher’s first job is to play solid defense, and to say Avila was solid behind the dish in 2014 would be an understatement—he was outstanding.

For the first time in more than two decades, the Pittsburgh Pirates have made headlines for seemingly all the right reasons, going from perennial losers to championship contenders after making the postseason in each of the last two seasons.  

Can we properly say that the Pirates truly have been a legitimate contender for a World Series title though?  

On the heels of a season that saw the Baltimore Orioles cruise to their first American League East title since 1997, Buck Showalter has been named the AL Manager of the Year:  

Major League Baseball confirmed the news:

Scott Miller of Bleacher Report passed along the voting results: