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In what would be a surprise move, the Chicago Cubs have reportedly signed coveted Japanese closer Kyuji Fujikawa. 

Fox’s Ken Rosenthal has the scoop:

Sources: #Cubs in agreement with Japanese closer Kyuji Fujikawa. Rival executives involved in bidding had expected him to go to #Angels.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2012

Fujikawa deal with #Cubs is two years with a vesting option for a third. He likely will be the team’s closer.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2012

If Fujikawa option does not vest, #Cubs hold $5.5M club option with $500K buyout. A total of $9.5M guaranteed.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 1, 2012

Rosenthal is as respected and well-connected as any baseball reporter out there, so there is every reason to believe this information, even if, as he points out in his tweet, it comes as a surprise. 

Fujikawa has been most closely linked to the Angels all offseason. However, if these reports are true, he must have preferred the money and the opportunity in Chicago better.

He will almost definitely be the closer with Chicago, as Fujikawa should have little problem wrestling away the Cubs’ closer position from Carlos Marmol.

Marmol had 20 saves last season in 23 opportunities with an ERA of 3.42. Not bad numbers, but the Cubs are clearly ready to move on. The Cubs attempted to trade him earlier in this offseason, but the trade he vetoed the deal.

Fujikawa, 32, has recorded 220 saves with a 1.77 career ERA and 914 strikeouts to just 207 walks while pitching in Japan. He was also a big presence on Japan’s World Baseball Classic teams. 

He is not slipping with age either. Last season, he recorded 24 saves with a 1.32 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 58 strikeouts for the Hanshin Tigers in Nippon Professional Baseball. 

This move will free the Cubs up to continue to unabashedly shop Marmol, and it should also make his veto trigger finger a little less itchy. 

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The Los Angeles Angels may be preparing to watch starting pitcher Zack Greinke walk away in free agency. 

CBS’ Danny Knobler reported this juicy rumor: 

The Angels, once considered the favorite to keep free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke, are now unlikely to sign him, according to sources.

Knobler is a respected baseball journalist, so there is every reason to believe this information is coming from trusted sources. 

Also, it just makes sense. For starters, CBS’ Jon Heyman recently reported that “Zack Greinke is headed for a record payday by right-handed pitchers,” and Greinke simply isn’t worth that kind of coin. 

He is going to benefit from a pitching-starved free-agent market. 

Greinke is better served as a No. 2 starter in a quality rotation than a No. 1 starter.

Last season, he went 15-5 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He did this while throwing over 200 innings and going for 200 strikeouts against just 54 walks, while spending time with both the Brewers and Angels. 

Solid numbers, but it is way off what he did in his dominant season when he won the Cy Young in 2009, and in the three seasons since winning that award, he has done nothing to show that he will regain that Cy Young form, which is what a team needs if it is going to hand out a record contract to a 29-year-old pitcher.

The Angels will be better served to not hand out a bloated contract to Greinke and aim more for players who have a chance to produce at a level more equal to their salary. 

This would leave the Angels scrambling to put together their rotation, and they’d have a big hole to fill, but they can’t let that force them into overpaying for a pitcher and making a bad decision. 

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Mariano Rivera is not going to let an injury dictate the end of his stunning career. While recovering from major knee surgery, the iconic closer told the New York Yankees that he wasn’t ready to hang up the cutter just yet. 

George A. King III of the New York Post passed along this quote from Yankees GM Brian Cashman: “Rivera contacted us and wants to play.”

This is fantastic news for the Yankees, the game of baseball and sports fans everywhere.

Rivera, 42, is baseball’s all-time leading saves leader. The career Yankee has accumulated those saves over an 18-year career, and he has been the team’s closer since replacing John Wetteland in 1997. 

Rivera’s consistency and longevity have been amazing, and he’s done it all with really only one pitch: the cutter.

Baseball was not the same this season without that physics-defying pitch. 

The injury occurred in early May. Rivera, as was his routine, was shagging fly balls when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. It’s an injury more typically reserved for an NFL running back than a pitcher, but the result is the same: a long recovery process. 

That said, Rivera shouldn’t be at a huge risk for re-injury. There is a good chance he will no longer be shagging fly balls, though, and I wouldn’t expect him to get in any pickup tackle football games in the near future. 

As for his pitching? It is likely he will be just as wicked as when he left. Rivera pitched only 8.1 innings last season, but he looked like his typical dominant self. 

It is also safe to assume that he will be pitching in pinstripes. Teams, especially a team like the Yankees, do not let players like this go. 

The Yankees received wonderful pitching in the closer role from Rafael Soriano last year, but they are still likely to jump at the chance to get Mariano back in that role.

Now they just have to remember how to hit so he can have a game to save. 

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The New York Mets have reportedly made the easy call of picking up the contract options of third baseman David Wright and starting pitcher R.A. Dickey.

Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi shares the news. 

As expected, #Mets today formally picked up contract options on David Wright and R.A. Dickey, sources told @ken_rosenthal and me. @mlbonfox

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 30, 2012

It would be shocking if this report did not prove to be true. Morosi and Rosenthal are trusted reporters, and beyond that, the moves make sense. 

Wright’s option was for $16 million, and the Mets had until Wednesday to exercise that option. As CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports, the two sides have been working on a long-term deal and will likely continue to do so. 

But there was no scenario where they were just going to let him walk. Wright is the face of the franchise and an outstanding third baseman. The 29-year-old is also coming off a season where he produced the second-highest WAR of his career at 6.7. 

The call to pick up the option on Dickey must have been just as easy. The 38-year-old knuckelballer was amazing last year, going 20-6 last season with a 2.73 earned run average.

Dickey underwent abdominal surgery earlier in the offseason, but that is not something that is expected to hamper him. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo had previously reported that the option on Dickey’s contract is for $5 million, which is now an absolute steal.

Dickey and the Mets will also likely continue to try to come to terms on a longer deal. 

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The St. Louis Cardinals exploded for a 12-4 victory on Monday over the Washington Nationals to even the series at one game apiece. 

The win was especially vital, as the series now shifts from St. Louis to Washington D.C. for the final three games of this best-of-five series. 

Chris Carpenter is scheduled to take the hill for the Cardinals against the Nationals’ Edwin Jackson. 

Carpenter did not make his season debut until late in September due to shoulder issues, and he did not face the Nationals this season. 

Jackson, a former Cardinal, has two starts against St. Louis this season.

He had an eight-inning, one-run outing on Aug. 30 and a 1.1-inning, nine-run outing on Sept. 28. The Nationals are hoping his next outing will be more in line with the Aug. 30 affair. 

Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 1:07 p.m. ET.

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Arizona Diamondbacks‘ center fielder Chris Young returned to the lineup on Tuesday, but he did not last long. He re-injured his quad on the first play of Arizona’s crucial game with the San Diego Padres. 

The USA Today’s Bob Nightengale passed along the news Twitter style. 

Chris Young makes nice running catch on 1st play of game, but re-injures quad, and out of game #Dbacks

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 19, 2012

Adam Eaton took over for Young in center field and Gerardo Parra entered the game for Young and took Eaton’s spot in left. 

Young had been out of the lineup since injuring his quad on September 15, and apparently he was not yet ready to return. 

Hamstrings and quads are tricky injuries. They are two injuries that cannot be rushed back. If they are, you get what happened to Young. 

Now, this doesn’t mean the Diamondbacks’ medical staff was negligent. Young very well could have been moving around pain free and showed no signs that a re-injury imminent. 

This injury will likely force Young back to square one with his recovery, which is bad news for the Diamondbacks who are 72-74 and are 4.5 games out of the final wild card spot. 

Young is hitting .227 with 14 home runs and 39 RBI in 94 games this season. If he finishes this season with an average less than .236, it will be the second-straight season he has seen his average drop. 

Struggling average or not, Arizona did not want to see this. 

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Roger Clemens‘ solid comeback start with the Sugar Land Skeeters may have the legendary pitcher hungry for more. 

Deadspin’s Erik Malinowski has the report: 

A source close to the Skeeters tells Deadspin that Clemens has already penciled in September 7 as his next (and final?) start for the club. 

This is certainly not a shock. Given even a semi-decent performance, it seemed obvious that the “Rocket” would make a push to keep pitching.

So when the 50-year-old toed the rubber and delivered 24 strikes on 37 pitches in 3.1 innings of shutout baseball for the Skeeters, all questions turned to when, not if, Clemens would pitch next.

However, Roger wasn’t going to make this conclusion cut and dry, which seems appropriate since nothing is cut and dry regarding Clemens. 

The Houston Chronicle’s Alan Blondin captured this post-start quote from Clemens addressing whether or not he would be pitching professionally again. 

“Not at this point. That could change in a couple days, but right now we haven’t talked to any of the guys or anything like that,” Clemens said.

That report came out on Tuesday, the same day as the Deadspin report. Is this a classic case of misdirection by Roger, or is it a misinformed or misleading source? 

Time will tell, but my money is on Clemens keeping people guessing. As long as his arm holds up, my expectation is for him to make it all the way back to the bigs.

Prior to his start with the Skeeters, MyFoxHouston’s Mark Berman reported that the Astros were “open to the idea” of Clemens once again suiting up for Houston. 

Clemens is way too competitive to let an opportunity like this slide idly by. 

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Starting pitcher Jake Westbrook and the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to an extension that will keep him in St. Louis through next season and possibly 2014.

The Cardinals tweeted the news: 

Cardinals announce a contract extension with Jake Westbrook that carries through the 2013 season & includes a mutual option for 2014.

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 21, 2012

CBS’ Matt Snyder also passed along this statement from Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak: 

Jake continues to be a steady and sturdy part of our pitching staff and we are pleased to announce his extension. His veteran presence is important to the makeup of our team. Jake has demonstrated his leadership with his commitment and hard work, resulting in both a terrific 2012 season and career.

This extension is not a shock; Westbrook looks comfortable with the Cardinals. He’s providing them with some very solid innings, and they’re wise to lock him up before he hits free agency at the end of the season. 

This season, the 6’3″ right-hander is 12-9 with a 3.50 earned run average and has 95 strikeouts in 154.1 innings.

He is now 28-22 with a 4.02 ERA ever since coming to St. Louis in a three-team, trade-deadline deal in 2010. 

What likely got the Cardinals moving on this deal is that starter Kyle Lohse’s contract is up at the end of the season, and he is going to command a ton of attention and a lot of money on the open market. 

Having Westbrook already in the fold for next season limits the damage that would occur if Lohse should leave, and it takes the pressure off the front office to re-sign him if the dollars he is seeking rise beyond his value. 

Time will tell where Lohse ends up, but Westbrook is in St. Louis to stay. 

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For two glorious innings, Giancarlo Stanton returned to the Marlins lineup on Saturday. Then he left with discomfort in his right knee.

Not surprisingly, he has been ruled out of the All-Star game as a consequence, and it was later revealed he is now scheduled for surgery.

The MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweeted that news about the All-Star appearance. 

#Marlins Stanton out of All Star Game

— Joe Frisaro (@JoeFrisaro) July 7, 2012

My guess is this will open the door to the Nationals rookie Bryce Harper to make the squad, but back to Stanton.

Stanton was in the game long enough to get an at-bat. He singled and later scored, but the result of his at-bat is of little concern given his new battle with knee pain. 

CBS Sports’ Eye on Baseball reports that Stanton is now going to undergo surgery and will be out four-to-six weeks. 

Giancarlo Stanton to undergo knee surgery, miss 4-6 weeks cbsprt.co/N5eHw0 via @cbssports

— Eye on Baseball (@EyeOnBaseball) July 7, 2012

Stanton had already come to the grips with the fact that he was going to need surgery; he just was hoping it wouldn’t be quite so soon. Last Tuesday, he had an MRI that revealed bodies in his knee. Prior to today’s action, he had been out since Monday. 

While Stanton is surely frustrated about not being able to make his All-Star appearance, it is wise for he and the Marlins to take care of this situation now. He is just 22 years old, and the sky is the limit for this talented right fielder. 

He is hitting .284 with a .364 OBP and 19 home runs and 50 RBI. If he returns to form from this injury and is lucky enough to enjoy a run of good health, this is just the first of many All-Star games he will earn the right to play in. 

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The 2012 National League All-Star team just got a Bourn identity—as in Atlanta Braves center fielder Michael Bourn.

Bourn was named as a replacement for injured Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond. Desmond is shelved with a strained oblique muscle. 

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweeted out the news:

Bourn was named to NL all-star team replacing Ian Desmond who has strained oblique

— David O’Brien (@ajcbraves) July 7, 2012

This move comes just days after Bourn’s teammate Chipper Jones was named to the team to replace injured Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp. 

After not being selected to the original squad, Bourn was added to the “Final Vote” with Jones, David Freese, Bryce Harper and Aaron Hill. Freese won the vote, and it looked as though Bourn’s chances of making his second All-Star team had vanished. 

This is a well-deserved selection. For the season, Bourn is hitting .305 with a .360 OBP. He has seven home runs and 32 RBI. 

This speedy outfielder does more than make an impact at the plate, though. He is an excellent defensive center fielder and has 23 steals in 30 attempts. 

Bourn’s other All-Star appearance came in 2010 as a member of the Houston Astros, and he is well on his way to having his greatest season as a pro. His average and slugging percentage are on track to be career highs. 

This was a nice selection for an injury replacement. He deserved to be on this team when it was first announced, but now that point is moot. 

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