Dominican Rep. tops Cuba
Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Willy Garcia hit a two-run home run Tuesday and the Dominican Republic beat Cuba 6-1 in the Caribbean Series in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Cuba (0-2) returned to the Caribbean Series in 2014 after a 53year absence, going 1-3 last year in Venezuela. Garcia homered in the sixth inning off reliever Jonder Martinez in the tournament opener for the Dominican Republic. The 22-year-old outfielder had three hits, including a double. Dominican Republic starter Rafael Perez (1-0) pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings. The Texas Rangers righty allowed six hits and struck out one, with no walks. Cuba starter Norge Luis Perez (0-1) allowed three runs and nine hits. Dominican Republic is represented by the Cibao Giants, who won the Dominican winter league for the first time and made their debut in the regional tournament. Cuban league champion Pinar del Rio strengthened its squad with some of the country’s top players, including national team stars Youlieski Gourriel, Alfredo Despaigne and Frederich Cepeda. Puerto Rico (0-1) plays Mexico (1-0) in the second game.
The Kansas City Royals on Tuesday settled their arbitration cases with outfielder Lorenzo Cain, who agreed to a $2.75 million contract for 2015, and third baseman Mike Moustakas, who agreed to a $2.64 million deal. The settlement leaves the club with four cases still to handle. The quartet is composed of closer Greg Holland, first baseman Eric Hosmer, starter Danny Duffy and reliever Kelvin Herrera. Both Cain and Moustakas were eligible for arbitration for the first time. Cain, the 28-yearold reigning American League Championship Series MVP, made $546,000 last season. He filed for $3.6 million and the Royals countered at $2 million. He played the most games in his career in 2014, 133, and hit .301 with five home runs and 53 RBI. Moustakas, the 26-year-old third baseman, filed for $3.1 million; the Royals countered with $1.85 million. They reached a deal slightly above the midpoint. Moustakas posted the least-productive offensive season of his career in 2014. He finished with a career-low .212 batting average and .632 on-base plus slugging percentage. But he still hit 15 home runs, and formed a critical portion of the club’s infield defense. It was in October that Moustakas shined. He had five home runs and slugged .558 in the playoffs. The club was heartened by his performance that month, and team officials hope he builds on it for 2015.
Right-hander and the Los Angeles Angels have finalized a $3.2 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. The deal was reached last weekend and announced by the team on Monday. Richards, who played for the Class AA Arkansas Travelers in 2011, went 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA last season and made $520,000. His season ended when he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee while covering first base Aug. 20 in Boston. He had asked for $3.8 million in arbitration and had been offered $2.4 million offered by the club. Newly acquired outfielder Matt Joyce is the Angels’ only player remaining in arbitration. He asked for a raise from $3.7 million to $5.2 million, and the Angels offered $4.2 million. Los Angeles hasn’t gone to an arbitration hearing since 2011.