Rodney, Padres agree to one- year deal
Free agent Fernando Rodney agreed to a one- year, incentive- laden contract with the San Diego Padres, who will give the veteran reliever the opportunity to close. The deal is pending a physical.
Rodney’s base salary for 2016 is $ 1.6 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Rodney, who turns 39 in March, will join the Padres’ staff as its only member with extensive experience pitching the ninth inning. Over 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs, he has a 3.71 earned- run average and 236 saves.
His numbers plummeted in 2015. After recording a 5.68 ERA and blowing six saves through 54 appearances, the Mariners designated him for assignment in August and subsequently traded him to the Cubs.
Free- agent reliever Antonio Bastardo and the New York Mets agreed to terms on a $ 12- million, two- year contract, a person familiar with the deal said. Bastardo was 4- 1 with a 2.98 ERA and one save in 66 games last season for Pittsburgh.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes has decided to focus on football and won’t rejoin the Red Raiders baseball team this season. Mahomes threw for 4,653 yards and 36 touchdowns last season.
Old rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma have added two more games against each other to their future schedules.
Nebraska announced the games for 2029 and 2030. Those are in addition to previously announced meetings in 2021 and 2022.
Nebraska- Oklahoma was one of college football’s greatest rivalries, with games in the 1970s and ’ 80s usually deciding the Big Eight championship. The teams last played in the 2010 Big 12 championship game, the year before the Cornhuskers moved to the Big Ten Conference.
Alabama backup quarterback Alec Morris transferred to North Texas, where he will be eligible to play immediately for new Coach Seth Littrell.
The New Orleans Pelicans said Eric Gordon is expected to be out for four to six weeks following surgery to repair his fractured right ring f inger, which affects his shooting hand. The starting shooting guard was injured during the third quarter of New Orleans’ 114- 99 victory over Minnesota on Tuesday. Gordon is averaging 14.9 points a game.