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Rockies avoid arbitration with star 3B Arenado - MLB.com
Thomas Harding breaks down the Rockies' salary arbitration agreements and filings in the wake of yesterday's announcements. Nolan Arenado agreed to $5M for the 2016 season, while the club's offers to Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu fell considerably short of the $3.7M and $3.3M they filed at, respectively. You can read more about Blackmon and LeMahieu's arbitration cases here. Hearings to settle the terms are scheduled for February, if an agreement is not reached before that time.
To stay current on arbitration news around baseball, check out MLB.com's arbitration deadline tracker.
Trial date set for Reyes domestic violence charge - MLB.com
Jose Reyes is scheduled to appear in court on April 4th, facing domestic violence charges from an incident in Hawaii on October 31st. Maui County deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen has stated that a plea offer before the trial is still a possibility. Questions regarding Reyes's U.S. citizenship status as well as the disciplinary decision of the Commissioner's Office present additional factors that may effect the obviously much less important baseball side of things.
Mile High Expectations for 2016 - Mile High Sports
Mark Knudson has mile-high expectations for the Rockies if he's hoping for a .500 team competing for a Wild Card spot. However, I could see the emergence of Jon Gray and another insane year from Nolan Arenado as possibilities. Les Shapiro chimes in with his doubts about Gray, Corey Dickerson and the Rockies' infield — settling on a 75-win expectation.
The biggest remaining hole on every National League roster - SBNation
Grant Brisbee is not convinced of a first-base platoon of Mark Reynolds and "Jackknife" Ben Paulsen. Though the pair has potential to do some damage at Coors Field, neither appear to be the next Todd Helton. The Rockies' lack of a long-term solution at first could prove to be a nagging issue in the coming years.
Fun Factor: Ranking MLB's Divisions - Sports on Earth
The NL West ranks second on AJ Cassavel's list of divisions to watch in 2016. Unsurprisingly, the Rockies and Padres are left off the list of potentially great teams, however Nolan Arenado gets a personal nod for his "wizardry".
Reds ink C Jordan Pacheco to minor league deal — Cincinnati.com
Hey, here's a good thing for an old friend. Jordan Pacheco will get a shot at a big league job with the Cincinnati Reds this spring, after spending some time recently with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Statistical Signature of a True Changeup Artist - The Hardball Times
A fascinating look at pitch sequencing and the statistics behind some of the games premier changeup artists. Eli Ben-Porat dives into what makes pitchers like Cole Hammels and Marco Estrada some of the most deceptive in baseball.