MLB

The Seattle Mariners finally continued their spending ways after agreeing to a two-year, $14 million deal with reliever Fernando Rodney, as reported by Grantland’s Jonah Keri. Keri also notes that the deal could be worth up to $15 million with incentives:

With Opening Day just around the corner, the San Francisco Giants are looking to redeem themselves after a 76-86 record in 2013.

The Giants have won two out of the last four World Series, but there are some serious question marks about their 2014 club.

Can their starting pitching return to old form? Will Pablo Sandoval have a productive season? Can their defense improve?

Here are five bold predictions for the Giants in 2014. 

The Philadelphia Phillies were a team to be reckoned with from 2007-2011. They were an example of what a franchise should embody with their ability to develop prospects, build chemistry and fill voids efficiently through free agency. Those teams won five National League East division titles, two National League Championships and one World Series.

We have almost made it to spring training, and 2014 is looking like a bright year for several young pitchers. Young pitchers seem to have a tendency to break into the majors with authority.

Hope springs eternal, and that may never be more true than in the hearts and minds of baseball fans. Every fanbase kicks off spring training with at least some sense of hope and optimism at the start of a new season.

There are obviously teams expected to contend each year, but the past two seasons have shown that dark-horse teams can emerge and make a push to October as well.

There is no denying that Pablo Sandoval has had a roller-coaster career with the San Francisco Giants. We have have seen the highs of a healthy Sandoval, who can hit .330 with 25 home runs, and the lows of Kung Fu Panda, who was overweight last year and hit a mere .278.

After proving that he was deserving of a bigger opportunity with a strong performance in a utility role in 2012, Matt Carpenter took full advantage once the St. Louis Cardinals handed him the starting second base job last season. His age-27 season resulted in an All-Star selection, Silver Slugger Award and fourth-place finish in MVP voting. That's what you call a "breakout performance."

While he may have put himself on the radar the previous season, his 2013 "breakout," which included a league-leading 55 doubles, placed him on a whole new level.  

Leave it to the Arizona Diamondbacks to make a transaction that ought to have you scratching your head in bewilderment.

About said transaction, this happened on Friday: The Diamondbacks agreed to terms with veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com had the news first:

Alex Rodriguez has given up on his pursuit to play Major League Baseball in 2014. For a player who has made a career out of negative public relations, the sport gave up on him a long time ago.

When the Boston Red Sox signed Jonny Gomes last winter, he was billed not only as a destroyer of left-handed pitching, but as a guy who would be instrumental in cultivating their clubhouse culture.