Ten of Sunday's Starting Pitchers Combine to set MLB Record

McHugh (Getty Images)

Sunday was a day for pitchers. Of course there were walk-offs and amazing defensive efforts all over the league but the real story of the day surrounded ten of the day’s starting pitchers. The combined performances of Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals,Garrett Richards of the Angels, Ryan Vogelsong of the Giants, Dillon Gee of the Mets, Collin McHugh of the (surprise!) Astros,  James Shields of the Royals, Jason Hammel of the Cubs,Ian Kennedy of the Padres, Julio Teheran of the Braves and the Reds’ Johnny Cueto set a Major League Baseball record. For the first time in MLB history ten starting pitchers each pitched at least seven complete innings giving up just three or fewer hits. Firsts in MLB, a sport with such a long and rich history, do not happen that often making Sunday’s performances all the more special.

For more on this story CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC.

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2014: Life as a MLB Season Ticket When the Team is Away, the Fans ...??

It’s a good question really. What do crazy fans who attend almost every ballgame do when their team is on a long road trip? Right now my Oakland A’s will have been gone 10 full days when they return Friday to take on the Houston Astros. (I threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Ryan Cook at the first A’s vs. Astros game in 2013 but that is another story for another time.)

Anyway, of course there are fans and season ticket holders who follow their teams on road trips, my self included (but again that’s another story for another time). Yet no one can follow their team to every city, unless of course they are a millionaire and can travel anywhere but the average, normal person who’s a crazy fan (so semi-normal people), what do they do when their team is away?

Well, I guess the first thing people like me do are all the normal things that you let go because there was that, Wednesday double header that you just couldn’t miss. Things like laundry, dishes, errands, making up for that day of work you may (most likely) have missed. But how do these obsessed fans cope?

Wanna read more about what I do when the A's are outta town? CLICK HERE! 

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You can find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @SportsUnbiased1

My Collaborative Article with John Flesta on VAVEL.com for an A's 2014 Season Preview

I was asked to assist on an A's preview by John Flesta (you can follow him on Twitter @jflesta). You may or may not like what I have to say but I would love to hear your opinion so please check it out! I think John's preview of the 2014 Oakland Athletics is great! I hope you enjoy reading it and any feedback is welcome!

Here's the link to the interview on VAVEL.com: 

Oakland A's 2014 Season Preview

Konerko Will Not Start His Final Opening Day

Getty Images

The captain of the Chicago White Sox, Paul Konerko, will not be in the lineup Opening Day. This will be his final opening day as the veteran first baseman announced this past winter that the 2014 season, his 18th in the Major Leagues, will be his last. He played on the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds in 1997 and 1998 but has spent the last 15 season with the White Sox. He has started with Chicago every Opening Day until now. The White Sox manager Robin Ventura made the announcement Sunday.

For More on this Story CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC

Find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB.

Bo Knows: Sends Advice Russell Wilson's Way

When given advice from easily the best two-sport athlete of all time, it is probably a good idea to listen. Bo Jackson told CSNChicago Tuesday,

“Stick to what got [Wilson] in the headlines, not baseball. Twenty-five or 30 years ago when I did it, I’m not trying to say anything negative about other athletes, but the talent pool wasn’t that deep. In this day in age, with all the high-tech training, computer-engineered workouts and the proper food and diet, if you try to concentrate on two sports, I guarantee you’re going to ride the bench in both because the talent is that deep. Stick to whatever sport you’re comfortable with and let everything else go.”

To Read the Rest of the Story on Outside Pitch Sports Network Click Here!

2014: LIfe of a MLB Season Ticket Holder: STH Friends are Like Family

This week in the little story that is my Life of a Major League Baseball Season Ticket Holder I am going to pick up where I left off last time. I was in my hotel room at the DoubleTree and had to take off in order to get to an A's game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers with the reigning Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, on the mound. I couldn't be late to see Kershaw!

Lucky for me, I was there to see the southpaw get crushed by the A's offense! Kershaw cruised through the first two innings but wasn't able to get out of the third inning. The A's scored 5 runs off Kershaw and seven total in the inning. They eventually won the game 7-3. So that was a great game in my book.

Besides winning the game, another great part of going to spring training is that you get to see, what I like to call, your "Season Ticket Holder (STH) Neighbors.' STH neighbors started out for me as just the people who had tickets directly around where my seat is. I've seen families come and go, children grow up and go to college. Overtime you develop relationships with these people with whom you share a common love. I have to say that your direct STH neighbors are where the really deep friendships are formed. Some families do come and go (I mean, my family was new in 2002 when we moved our season tickets from section 219 to section 128.) but you end up staying in touch and develop friendships with new people. With so many games and weekends spent together it makes sense that STH would bond.

To Read the Rest of this article go to Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source for Sports!

Padres' Cameron Maybin Will Not Require Surgery

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Earlier this week it was reported that San Diego Padres’ outfielder, Cameron Maybin, had ruptured his left bicep tendon. After an MRI on Monday, the prognosis was that surgery would be the the only way for the 26-year old outfielder to heal. This would have kept Maybin out of baseball for at least three months if not more. That is pretty devastating news for a player who was only be able play in 14 games for the Padres last season due to injuries. Even Padres’ general manager Josh Byrnes told MLB.com,

“I thought he was done for the season.”

Read the Rest of the Story on Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source for Sports

Arroyo Sidelined with Back Injury

The Arizona Diamondbacks’ newly signed pitcher, Bronson Arroyo, has been sidelined by a bulging disk in his back. This could signal bad news for Arizona, who recently signed Arroyo, 37, to a two-year $23.5 million deal. The aging pitcher was considering retirement but decided to stay on the free-agent market, eventually signing with the DBacks. 

Arroyo’s trademark, besides having good numbers (138-127 with a 4.19 ERA) over his 14-year-career, is his durability. He’s averaged over 200 innings pitched a season throughout his career. His durability is certainly in question now.

For the rest of this story go to OPSN - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a Major League Baseball Advanced Media Afiliate

Teixeira Having to Take it Slow This Spring

The New York Yankees are making Mark Texeira take it easy this spring training and it is not going over well with the first baseman. Teixeira has been dealing with the injury to his wrist for over a year now. The Yankees are making Teixeira take it slow this spring because the injury kept him out most of last season.

Texiera was not happy after being shut down by the team’s pitching coach, Larry Rothchild, after only a 21 pitch batting practice session according to the New York Daily News. Teixeira was quite irritated by his session being cut short but the incident has not caused a rift between the team and their first baseman.

For the rest of this story go to Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports

It's Sogard vs. Wright, East Coast vs. West Coast in Face of MLB Finals!

The final two contestants in MLB Network's (MLBN) Face of Major League Baseball competition were announced on the show, The Hot Stove, this morning. The final two will be Eric Sogard of the Oakland Athletics and David Wright of the New York Mets. It's a battle of East Coast versus West Coast and a battle of a big name player in Wright versus a virtually, until now, unknown player in Sogard. 

Sogard's fans have made his "Nerd Power" extremely hard to beat. Their tweets, along with his teammates tweets, have been hilarious and the internet "memes" have been as well. The Athletics and their fans are supporting Sogard in this way but they are not offering prizes or follows for votes. Sogard is a great face for the Athletics. He is an underdog, a status the A's themselves embrace. He is the epitome of small market teams and the adversities they face in the shadow of so many big market teams. 

To Read The Rest of this Article Check out the MLB Pro Blog OPSN - Outside Pitch Sports Network

AL West Updates: Rangers & Ron Washington, Angels & Mike Trout - Talk Extensions

Rangers, Ron Washington Agree to One-Year Extension

The Texas Rangers and manager Ron Washington have agreed on a one-year contract extension through the 2015 season. Washington will be entering his eighth and what would have been, without the extension, his final season with the Rangers.

Washington is the most successful manager in Texas Rangers’ history. He took the team all the way to the World Series in both 2010 and 2011. Those two appearances were the only World Series appearances the Rangers have ever made. Unfortunately for Washington and the Rangers both appearances ended in defeat. The Rangers were defeated by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011.

He has 611 wins in seven seasons with the Rangers which is the most ever for a Rangers’ manager and is also the fourth most of any manager since 2007.  His .538 winning percentage is yet another Texas Rangers record.

According to the Rangers’ general manager, Jon Daniels, there was never a question of whether or not Washinton’s contract would be extended.  Discussions between Washington and the club regarding the extension were ongoing throughout last season and the off season. They were not finalized, however, until last week. The announcement was officially made Monday after the team’s intrasquad game. The financial details of the extension have not yet been made available to the public.

Angels, Mike Trout Talk Six-Year Extension

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

Mike Trout, 22, is arguably one of the best players in Major League Baseball. It shouldn’t be surprising that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are thinking about taking a page out of the Atlanta Braves’ playbook, wanting to lock down their young talent. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, the two parties have been discussing a six-year contract extension worth $150 million.

Really this appears to be a good deal any way you look at it for both the Angels and for Trout. Under the current circumstances, Trout will not even be eligible for salary arbitration until next year and won’t have free-agent status until 2017. As a young player without the extension, Trout, who has finished second in the American League MVP voting to the Detroit Tiger’s Miguel Cabrera his first two years in the league, won’t even make $1 million in 2014. His services and talent are, at least by the current going rates, worth much more than that.

With an extension the Angels are getting a young, healthy, MVP caliber player and Trout would end up making around $25 million next season alone. Another plus for Trout would be that once hitting free-agency he would only be 28-years old. At that age he will have made as much as many players make in a career and still be in his prime.

Last season Trout hit .323 with 39 doubles, nine triples, 27 homers, 97 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 109 runs scored. Players with numbers like that do not come along very often and the Angels should follow the Braves’ example. The Braves recently extended contracts with several of their young, talented players who like Trout will be eligible for free agency even with the extensions while still in their primes. A contract extension for Trout at this time seems like a win-win for both the player and the ball club.

For More Check Out Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports

HOF Koufax Hit with Line Drive by Ethier at Dodgers Training Camp!

(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

What if you were Andre Ethier right now? How would you feel? Relieved? Embarrassed (even though it was a fluke accident)? Scared? Would you be sending flowers? I know I would after hitting a line drive that could have killed a legendary Hall of Famer!

Yes, at the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training camp in Glendale, AZ a line drive ball, out of the hand of prospect Ross Stripling and off the bat of Andre Ethier, hit HOF pitcher Sandy Koufax in the head. These types of injuries are not to be taken lightly. A line drive ball does have the capacity to kill someone if hit in the right place in the head at a high speed. In 2012 Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy, then with the Oakland Athletics, was hit in the head with a line drive during a game. He was out for the rest of the season and has since been experiencing seizures. Line drives do hit people and hurt them but it is an out of the ordinary occurrence.

That is why this must have been so insane for poor Mr. Ethier. What if you were the guy who killed the great Sandy Koufax? The Dodgers would have you traded where? Siberia? Just to have hurt someone is bad enough but a 78-year old legend? My own mind is blown at the thought. 

Getty Images

Anyway, the good news is that Mr. Koufax is alright. Koufax miraculously remained on his feet despite suffering a gash to his forehead. He was, however, immediately carted off by the team's trainers in a golf cart and was treated by medical staff. Reigning Cy Young Award winner, Clayton Kershaw, was sitting 20 feet away when Koufax was hit. He told reporters later, 

 "It didn't look good. I'm glad he walked off."

Such a scary moment for everyone involved but Koufax seemed to take it like the champ he is. He was later reported to be seen walking around the Dodgers clubhouse talking to some of the players. If there are any lasting side effects, as there have been with McCarthy, they remain to be seen. 

Koufax is a regular at the Dodgers spring training camp and works as a special assistant to team president Mark Walter. For the past two seasons he has also worked informally as a coach for the younger pitchers. 

Ethier later told the press that, of course, he was worried,

"Wouldn't you be? Not just because of who he is, but anybody who gets hit. It's scary. I've seen it happen."

Of course no player or fan ever wants to see a person hit by a line drive but in this case it did matter a little more because of who he hit. Dodgers pitching coach, Rick Honeycutt, seemed still shaken hours later saying,

"Everybody was like, 'Oh my gosh, You don't want anybody hit, but Sandy? I mean, you don't want that to happen to anybody, but especially him, he's out here to support and help us and be around. I just got a sick feeling from the sound of it."

Well, thankfully, the entire baseball world can breathe a sigh of relief that the Hall of Famer is safe and sound. I'm sure Andre Ethier is doing the exact same thing!

For More News From Around The League Visit MLB Nation!

Major League Baseball Drops Lawsuit Against Biogenesis in PED Scandal

Biogenesis Lab (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

It appears that Major League Baseball has dropped its lawsuit against Biogenesis, a now defunct anti-aging clinic in Coral Gables, Florida. Coral Gables is located just southwest of downtown Miami. The clinic was at the center of baseball's most recent "steroid scandal." Players began receiving suspensions in 2012 for their involvement with Biogenesis, the culmination of which was the historic 211-game suspension of New York Yankees' star third baseman Alex Rodriguez on August 5, 2013.

Of course as we know, Rodriguez appealed his suspension which was reduced to 162-games plus any 2014 post season games. Though the actual story about the Biogenesis lab was broken by the Miami New Times in January 2013, players connected to the clinic were being suspended near the end of the 2012 season.

The first of the major league players suspended in 2012 for 50 games each were Oakland Athletics' pitcher Bartolo Colon, San Francisco Giants' outfielder Melky Cabrera and San Diego Padres' catcher Yamani Grandal. Both Colon and Cabrera began serving their 50-game suspensions in 2012 with Colon's lasting until the first five games of the 2013 season.

But when the story broke in January 2013, 14 more players were connected to Biogenesis and proceedings for the suspensions began. Ryan Braun, former National League MVP and Milwaukee Brewers' outfielder, was the first to be suspended for 65-games or what was the remainder of the 2013 season. Braun reportedly made a deal with MLB when he was shown the evidence they had against him.

Ryan Braun (Marc Serota/Getty Images)

After that, 12 other players were handed out 50-game suspensions that were not eligible for appeal. The list of players included Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers, Johnny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers and Francisco Cerevelli of the New York Yankees. Two players on the list Gio Gonzalez, of the Washington Nationals and Danny Valencia, then a player for the Boston Red Sox, were among the original list of players named, but both were cleared of any wrongdoing.

The 13 player suspensions are the most to be imposed simultaneously in the history of organized baseball. The previous record was in 1919 when eight of the 1919 Red Sox, later remembered as the "Black Sox," were given lifetime bans for throwing the World Series under former federal judge and the first Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis....

For More of This Article Visit Sports Unbiased - Your Alternative Source For Sports

Two of my Fave Things All Rolled Into One Photo (no real explanation needed)

Really there isnt much to say about how f*ckin' cool this is except ... I NEED this on a shirt and as a poster like STAT!

Look who the Orioles picked? Bet Santana is Pissed!

Today, as I predicted would happen in a previous post! That the Orioles would and indeed they did forfeit their first round, 17th overall draft pick. But the question then was "Will it be Santana or Jimenez? Well today we got our answer. Ubaldo Jimenez whose been on the free-agent market for wuite some time now has signed with the Orioles for four years and $50 million.

Jimenez
(Getty Images)

The Orioles were really in desperate need of a proven 5th starter. Even after signing Suk-min Yoon, there is no guarantee that he will produce in the majors even with his spotless 24-0 record last season with the Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).

The Orioles kind of alienated themselves from AJ Burnett by cancelling contracts and sparking bad blood with former Oakland Athletics' closer Grant Balfour and  OF Tyler Colvin. They lost out on Arroyo to the Diamondbacks who would have been better for them than both Burnett and Jimenez who have draft picks tied to them while Burnett did not. Jimenez went 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 32 starts for Cleveland last season. He turned down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Indians, so Baltimore would have to forfeit its first-round draft pick to sign him.

As I blogged a few days ago it was time that the O's finally gave in and gave up that draft pick. They were out of options otherwise unless they signed Santana or Jimenez. They ultimately went with Jimenez ... It will be interesting to see where Santana will end up and who still needs a starter and is willing to give up their best draft pick ... my point in this blog was to talk about Jimenez! But I'm kinda off onto topic number #2 ....

Are free-agents who turn down a qualifying offer from their current team really truly free if they have a draft pick attached to their name??

I'd say hello no! But I will get to that in second. I mean yes, the Tanaka signing basically held everything in stasis for the entire month of January which I found disgusting and unfair! Then to be the last pitchers left because you are controlled by a draft pick and no one wants you? To me that means that even if you have played long enough and finally become a free agent but because you couldn't decide you have to feel dragged down. Because while you can blame Tanaka for January, both Ubaldo and Santana should have been signed by now ... I guess Mr. Jimenez has now. 

Ervin Santana
 (Image courtesy of Jaime Squire/Getty Images)

The Orioles needed a closer and a starter and probably would have done better without being overly picky about team physical. I would bet - if I actually had any money - that Grant Balfour has a great year for the Tampa Bay Rays. I don't know too much about Colvin except that he too got screwed by the Orioles over a physical. I personally think that the Orioles need to loosen the reins a bit and chill out or they wouldn't have had to spend $50 million and a first round draft pick to get Jimenez ... if he has a Cy Young year then he may be worth it but who sees that in the stars right now?

The question as of this moment is what teams is desperate for a starter and which teams are brave enough to give up that first round pick?? And how would you feel if you were Santana? Is there anyone in the hunt left for a starter?? Betcha he didnt think that it would be like this come mid February!! Can't wait to find out!!

A's Claim LHP Joe Savery on Waivers From Philly

(Nick Laham/Getty Images)

The Oakland Athletics claimed LHP Joe Savery on outright waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies Monday. To make room for him on the 40-man roster the A's moved fellow southpaw, Eric O'Flaherty on the 60-day Disabled List. O'Flaherty who is coming off of Tommy John Surgery isn't expected to be ready to pitch until July so the move works out just fine.

The transaction ends a disappointing stint in Philly for Savery, who was the Phillies' first round draft pick in 2007. Savery was known not only for his top fastball but also for his big bat, a bat he never even got to use in Philadelphia and will most likely never use in Oakland either. His fastball declined in 2011 and he was re-signed by the Phillies as a first baseman and designated hitter. He played in 2012 for the Single-A Clearwater Threshers, sharing time at first base with Darin Ruf.

Later during a 23-inning game, both Savery and Ruf were called into pitch and everyone realized that Savory's fastball was miraculously back. Savery moved quickly up through the minors and was called up to the Phillies as a pitcher, the very same season he started in Single-A as a first baseman.

(Getty Images)

Savery was 3-2 with the Phillies posting a 4.12 ERA in 41 games over the past three seasons. In 2013, however, he posted a solid 3.15 ERA in 20 innings pitched but only faced a total of 86 batters over that span making it quite a small sample to make comparisons. Hopefully, Savery will be get more of an opportunity with the Athletics that he did not get in Philly and be able to bolster the Athletics' already stellar bullpen.

For More of the Latest News From Around the League Check Out MLB Nation!

2014 Oakland Athletics: Life of a MLB Season Ticket Holder

So this column is going to appear on Sports Unbiased every Monday at 12pm Eastern Time! I hope you guys will take a minute to read it and once it gets going, really enjoy it!! :-)

xx ~ Jen

Welcome to the first edition of 2014 Oakland A’s: Life of a MLB Season Ticket Holder. I’m Jen aka the original “Oakland A’s Socks Girl.” I’ve also had season tickets for well over a decade now. I sit down the third base line in Section 128, row two, seat eight, directly behind the Athletics’ bullpen. That’s my seat. I LOVE that seat. I could be buried with that seat and know that I died happy! My mom sits in seat nine and my dad in ten. Seat seven also belongs to the Rainwater family but being that my brother lives in Merced, CA, we usually have a guest. Technically we only have our season tickets for every weekend home stand. But lucky for my mom and me, the A’s have a great policy where you can turn in tickets that you aren’t going to use or that you didn’t use to be able to go to weekday games. So in essence, I usually make four to five games every home stand, which equals out to about 60 games per season....

Wanna Read More? Click here .... Sports Unbiased - Life of a MLB Season Ticket Holder

My New Weekly Column is Debuting Tomorrow on Sports Unbiased!!

So tomorrow at noon Eastern time and nine am Pacific time my new weekly column will be debuting on Sports Unbiased!! So PLEASE check it out!! 

The title of my new weekly series of articles is 2014 Oakland Athletics: Life of an MLB Season Ticket Holder. I am starting tomorrow going to be chronicle the season for the entire year ... because as all A's fans and die hard baseball fans know there is ABSOLUTELY no such thing as the off-season ... it's like, "what? I've never heard of such a thing!" .. LOL! Yes we all mourn the end of a season but there are trades and deals and the winter meetings and arbitration fights ... and yes, football and basketball and hockey to get us through the off-season ... but mainly let's just stick to the baseball stuff! Why? Because baseball is the greatest sport EVER and it should be treated as such! LOL! Now I am just being silly and making myself laugh ...

So back to my new column it is! I'm gonna talk about everything from the sometimes tediousness of having to get up, get ready and get to the yard six days straight, to the joys of seeing a Perfect Game(which we all know probably will not happen this year depending upon how bad the Astros are ... oh! I like the Astros! That was so mean ... but true) or a Complete Game Shut Out or a No-Hitter or a 18th inning walk-off single off Mariano Rivera (thank you Nate Freiman for FINALLY ending that marathon in the sun!)  ... but you get the ideas I am trying to get across here ...right?

Sometimes being the most hard core fan is the most rewarding thing in the world, sometimes you come home just wanting to kill yourself or you find yourself yelling at your empty Bud Light can in its #OaklandKoozieSwag saying youre gonna throw it at the television (oh wait .... what do you mean that doesn't happen to you guys?? Wait a min ....) But no matter how happy or how miserable you are there really isn't a bad thing to say about baseball .... 

It's the greatest sport the world has ever known and its history is so rich both before and after the modern era .... the amazing amount of time this game has been played and there have only been what? 24 PG's in well over 100 years and I was present for one! That's someone watching out for you right there ... that kinda shit doesn't happen ... like I hugged the President ... I mean how often do you get that chance ... odds are it's more often than seeing a PG and I've done both. Now before I die I just want to meet Troy Aikman and be at a World Series game that the A's are playing in and preferably one they win (and preferably win the whole thing but I will take what I can get depending on the circumstances) .... 

Ok, again caught rambling off topic .... so PLEASE REMEMBER MY NEW COLUMN GOES LIVE TOMORROW ON SPORTS UNBIASED at Noon Eastern Time (9am for us West Coasters) ... PLEASE Check it out! Leave comments, love it - hate it - lemme know how to improve it because I am gonna be promoting it for a year so if you hate it you just might wanna make a suggestion or two!!! LMAO! But in all seriousness I'm excited about having this opportunity to share my baseball experience with all of you ... it means so much to me and I hope that everyone has something that means as much to them! SO CHECK OUT MY COLUMN: 2014 Oakland Athletics:Life of an MLB Season Ticket Holder on Sports Unbiased tomorrow at 12pm ET/9am PT!! Thank you and as always ..... 

LET'S GO OAKLAND!!!!!

Orioles Finally Ready to Forfeit Draft Pick for a Starter

According to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal the Baltimore Orioles are finally giving in to the fact that in order for them to round out their rotation they are going to have to give up their first round, 17th overall, draft pick.

The Orioles haven't had the greatest off season. They traded away their closer, Jim Johnson, for a mediocre second baseman, Jemile Weeks. They had pretty much done deals with both RHP Grant Balfour and OF Tyler Colvin only to have both deals fall through due to issues surrounding the player's physicals. They were interested in closer Fernando Rodney but lost out to the Mariners. The Orioles have an even more desperate need for a fifth starter. They had would like to have signed Bronson Arroyo who signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, reportedly saying that he was deterred from playing in Baltimore because of the issues they'd had with Balfour and Colvin. Baltimore was also very interested in AJ Burnett. It was widely known that Burnett wanted to pitch somewhere near his Maryland home and the Orioles were automatically seen as the front runners, only to have Burnett sign with the Phillies instead.

The Orioles did sign Korean pitcher Suk-min Yoon on Wednesday to a three year, $5.75 million contract. This signing does give their rotation a definite boost, but only if Yoon performs like fellow Korean pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu has performed for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Signing a player from overseas is always a risk because there is no guarantee how they will adjust to playing Major League Baseball as opposed to baseball in their home countries.

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Still there are two free agent, proven starting pitchers out there for the taking but they each have a downfall. Both Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez have a draft pick attached to them. Meaning that if signed by Baltimore, the Orioles will have to give up their highest draft pick to either Santana's former team, the Kansas City Royals or to Jimenez's former team, the Cleveland Indians. Both pitchers' former teams offered one year deals worth $14.1 million and both deals were rejected by the players, thus the Indians and Royals receive a draft pick to compensate for their loss.

The Orioles (and most other teams) have been shying away from Jimenez and Santana for this reason. It is very likely the reason these two are still on the market with pitchers and catchers having already reported to training camp. Baltimore's only other option is to stay in-house and promote their 2012 first round draft pick, Kevin Gausman, to the starting rotation. Promoting Gausman is, like signing Yoon, a gamble because he is young and inexperienced.

As was reported by Ken Rosenthal the Orioles have a small window if they want to win (2014-2015) so the best bet for the team is to suck it up and give up a draft pick in order to get a proven starter. We will probably know within a matter of days if that starter is Jimenez or Santana.

For More News From Around the League Check out MLB Nation!

Update: Mark Mulder Ruptures Achilles Tendon, Needs Season Ending Surgery

Getty Images

Mark Mulder, who is trying to make a comeback to Major League Baseball after a six year hiatus, was injured early Saturday while warming up for his first bullpen session of the spring. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reported early Saturday morning that the Angel's pitcher injured his ankle. Mulder was taken in for x-rays and it was later found that he ruptured his left Achilles tendon. The injury is going to require what will probably be season-ending surgery.

This is a major and very unfortunate freak injury for Mulder that may not have just sidelined his comeback but ended it completely. He injured the ankle during some easy agility drills during a warm up for his first bullpen session in years. 

I feel for the guy, I really do. I watched him grow as a pitcher with the A's and he was dynamic. When Mulder pitched you knew it would be a quick game and most likely a complete one, maybe even a shut out. The first time I ever sat in the Diamond Level at the Coliseum, Mulder pitched the game. The game was under two hours!! At the time I was thinking, thanks a lot Mark! But when he announced his plans to comeback I was all for it! He was probably my favorite of Oakland's "Big Three" (along with Tim Hudson and Barry Zito) in the early 2000s. I'm very sorry to see this happen to him even though he most likely would have been pitching against my Athletics with the Angels. Which if he were back to his 2000s form would have been formidable. All I keep thinking is,

 "Really? Seriously? How could this happen? It's like a freak accident! Poor guy!"

Ok, back to the facts of the story and not my rambling .... In November Mulder held a tryout session and the scouts were impressed with what they saw. It was rumored that his fastball was hitting the 90 mph mark. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim soon signed Mulder to a minor league contract with an invite to big league spring training. There were hopes that he would be able to stay healthy with his new delivery and possibly make the Angels' starting rotation. Mulder would have been battling for the fifth spot in the Angels rotation with Joe Blanton and Tyler Skaggs, whose importance just rose immensely. Angels' general manager, Jerry Dipoto, told the media,

"My heart goes out to him. I know how hard he worked, and we're all disappointed for him. Every one of us."

The former star southpaw for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals has not thrown a pitch in the majors since 2008 and officially announced his retirement in 2010. Mulder was sidelined by shoulder injuries after being traded from the Athletics to the Cardinals. A star on the Athletics, Mulder dominated the league between 2001 and 2005.  In that time he averaged 18 wins a year with 3.65 ERA.  After the trade he pitched only 12 2/3 innings with the Cardinals.  He has since been working for ESPN as an analyst.

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During the playoffs last year Mulder figured out a way to throw the ball without it affecting his shoulder by watching Dodger's pitcher Paco Rodriguez's delivery. He was able to replicate Rodriguez's delivery without any shoulder pain or strain. He has been training extremely hard since October to be ready for spring training. Mulder was confident about his comeback just Friday saying,

"That was the first day I really thought to myself, 'OK, I'm ready to start this."

Mere hours later Mulder was at the hospital getting the news that he'd have to have season ending surgery on his left ankle. For Mulder the comeback was more out of curiosity than necessity which prompts one to believe that he will return to ESPN and retired life especially given that he is already 36 years old. Mulder talked about the injury Saturday afternoon on his Twitter account,

@markmulder20 I can handle this. But seeing my son in tears when he saw me in a boot and crutches and I told him I wasn't going to pitch - that was tough.

Mulder, unfortunately, just seems to have a streak of bad luck. After finding a way to throw with his often injured shoulder, he wasn't even able to make it to his first bullpen session. It is highly likely that his comeback attempt was thwarted before it even officially started.

The southpaw has not made an official statement on what he believes his future to be. Mulder is expected to address the media Sunday morning

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