The southpaw strained his right oblique and will be shelved for at least a few weeks. The injury will delay Ferguson's team debut. The Reds signed him to a one-year, $4.5MM free agent contract. Ferguson is coming off a 3.58 earned run average over 65 1/3 innings split between the Pirates and Mariners.
Steele remains what he's always been, a strong run blocker with more lapses in pass protection than you'd generally like to see. His strengths and weaknesses are better suited to what Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams are doing offensively, which improved his long-term outlook. His warts become even more tolerable now after the pay cut, dropping his total contract value by about $12-$15 million.
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani made an appearance in Arizona on Wednesday, nine days before pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch for spring training. While there, Ohtani played catch and did a photo shoot. Emmet Sheehan and Anthony Banda also reported early. Pitchers and catchers are set to arrive at Camelback Ranch Feb. 13, and the rest of the team will report Feb. 17 for the first full-squad workout of the season. Their opening game of spring training comes against the Los Angeles Angels later that week on Feb. 21.
That was the price for progress, and it worked right out of the gate. Things look much more uncertain now, but the choice not to offer safety Kamren Curl a new contract in 2024 is probably one that Peters would like to have back. Curl emerged from a seventh-round pick into a highly capable starter. Peters didn't think his production warranted another financial commitment, and he signed for the Los Angeles Rams in free agency.
USA Hockey Leaks over the past couple of days have prepared us for this, so there are no true surprises in this morning's announcement. That still doesn't make some of GM Bill Guerin's decisions any sounder. The most blatant is the omission of Dallas's Jason Robertson, who leads all Americans in NHL scoring with 48 points (24 goals). Robertson, like other top forward snubs including Cole Caufield, and to a lesser extent Matthew Knies and Alex DeBrincat, is a little one-dimensional.
Washington Commanders fans were hoping to see something from defensive end Drake Jackson after the team opened his 21-day return window recently. But time is rapidly running out for the pass-rusher to convince the coaching staff he is healthy enough to participate. The Commanders believed Jackson could still have something to offer. General manager Adam Peters knows the player well from their time together with the San Francisco 49ers.
One problem with the NFL trade deadline is that it's too early for some teams to make hard-and-fast decisions -- even though it has been moved back a week. The Panthers, for instance, enter Week 9 with a 4-4 record. Should they add? Should they trade players for draft picks? The answer probably depends on their outlook for the rest of the season, and whether they're real contenders now or still at least a year away. As a result, they probably stand pat this week.
A banged-up San Jose Sharks defense corps got some positive news this week as Nick Leddy and Shakir Mukhamadullin, while both on injured reserve with upper-body ailments, are not expected to miss much more time. Leddy was placed on IR on Tuesday after he was injured during the Sharks' game against the New York Rangers on Oct. 23. But he and Mukhamadullin were on the ice with the Sharks during their morning skate prior to the team's game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center.
