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Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez is a six-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner, and he is unquestionably considered one of the best pitchers in the game. He could even be on his way to Cooperstown one day if he continues to dominate opposing hitters late into his career.

However, the 29-year-old ace has one glaring omission on his resume—a postseason appearance. He plans to change that during the 2016 season.

Hernandez addressed his personal postseason drought at a Mariners workout, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times: “It’s always motivating me every year, trying to do something special and make the playoffs. It drives me crazy. I’ve never made the playoffs in the big leagues. I can’t wait to be there.”

Hernandez isn’t the only one in the Mariners organization who’s using the postseason drought as motivation. Manager Scott Servais discussed the juxtaposition of Hernandez’s career and the lack of team success when looking ahead to the season, per Divish:

Felix has never thrown a pitch in the playoffs, and it’s time. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get there. And he knows that as well. For a player to have that kind of career and to not have pitched in the playoffs yet, it’s up to us to make sure we get the pieces around him and it’s up to him to pull a few guys along with him. It’s going to be a joint effort.

Seattle hasn’t reached the postseason since 2001, and those 14 seasons represent the longest drought in the league. From a production standpoint, it is hard to blame Hernandez for that:

Despite the strong numbers, Hernandez wasn’t pleased with his individual performance in 2015, per Divish: “I was [inconsistent]. I’ve worked on my mechanics a little bit. I did the same physical program I’ve done the last two years. I can’t wait to throw my bullpen and see how it feels.”

Many will be anxious to see how Hernandez feels this season.

Former outfield coach Andy Van Slyke appeared on a St. Louis radio station and questioned the pitcher’s health even though he reached the 200-inning plateau for the eighth straight year, per Divish: “He also lamented the health of Hernandez and its effect on the team. Van Slyke said that the Mariners’ ace was pitching with ulnar collateral ligament that had deteriorated by 25 percent and there was a general concern it could snap at any moment.”

However, head trainer Rick Griffin was skeptical of Van Slyke’s claims. “All pitchers, especially those who have thrown 2,000 innings, have some damage in their ligament,” he said, per Divish. “He has not missed a start because of his elbow in the entire time he’s been here with us. We do everything we can to keep him on the field. I don’t know where that percent came from.”

Hernandez also dismissed the notion, per Divish: “No, no, not true. I’m fine. He said a lot stuff that’s not true. … I know you guys said last year at the end of the year I was hurt, but I wasn’t. I’m fine. Physically, I’m fine. I’m ready to throw.”

But there is a noticeable difference in the overpowering pitcher’s appearance heading into the 2016 campaign. Divish noted Hernandez showed up to workouts with his usual black hair dyed blond as well as blond chin hair that was “now more than an inch in length.”

Hernandez addressed the change, per Divish. “I was tired of seeing my black hair in the mirror all the time, so I decided to go blond,” he said. “I’m just trying something different. Yeah, I’m going to keep it for the entire season.”

Perhaps the new hair will give Hernandez just the change in karma he needs to finally reach the postseason with what could be a strong contender behind him.

Jonah Keri of Sports Illustrated listed the Mariners as the 11th-best team in baseball in his power rankings at the start of spring training. He particularly liked the new players the front office added in the offseason to a team that was 76-86 in 2015.

The problem for the Mariners is a strong American League West division that features two playoff teams from last year in the Texas Rangers (seventh in Keri’s rankings) and Houston Astros (third in Keri’s rankings).

However, the projected bottom of the division is soft, with the Oakland Athletics (24th in Keri’s rankings) and the Los Angeles Angels (21st in Keri’s rankings), which will help the Mariners in the wild-card race against teams from the American League East and Central who won’t get to play Los Angeles or Oakland as much.

If the new players fulfill expectations and Hernandez performs like he does seemingly every season, Seattle and its superstar ace may finally reach the playoffs for the first time since Lou Piniella was the team’s manager.

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Oakland Athletics pitcher Henderson Alvarez is inching closer to a return to the mound after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Continue for updates.  

Latest on Alvarez’s Return

Sunday, Feb. 28

The former All-Star pitcher—who signed a one-year deal with the A’s in December worth $4.25 million, per Spotrac—could be days away from throwing off a mound for the first time since last July, per Jane Lee of MLB.com.

Alvarez underwent arthroscopic right-shoulder surgery last year in his third season with the Miami Marlins, finishing the 2015 season at 0-4 with a 6.45 ERA. 

The 25-year-old Venezuelan right-handed pitcher was named to his first career All-Star Game in 2014 with a 12-7 record and a 2.65 ERA. He was one of the 12 players included in the Marlins’ trade with the Toronto Blue Jays centered around shortstop Jose Reyes, per ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

This is a good sign for both Alvarez and the A’s, who are looking to rebound after finishing last in the American League West a year ago at 68-94. Oakland allowed 729 runs last year, good for 10th-worst in MLB, per ESPN.com. If Alvarez is on schedule for a healthy return, he and Sonny Gray could make a solid tandem in Oakland.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Shortstop Ian Desmond has been a huge part of the Washington Nationals‘ success in recent years, but the two sides parted ways Sunday as Desmond signed with the Texas Rangers in free agency.  

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the deal will be for one year and $8 million. William Ladson of MLB.com confirmed the agreement. The Rangers confirmed their signing Monday morning:

Desmond has undoubtedly been one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball over the past few years. He won the National League Silver Slugger Award at his position every year from 2012 through 2014, and he is a one-time All-Star selection.

Despite that, Jim Bowden of ESPN reported the plan is for Desmond to be the team’s starting left fielder for the 2016 season. Rosenthal added that left field will be Desmond’s primary position, but he could move around the field based on injuries or performance.

The 2015 campaign was a struggle for him, though, as he hit a career-low .233 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI, and Washington missed the playoffs. With that said, his play improved significantly after the All-Star break.

Desmond is just one year removed from his most productive season to date. He posted 24 home runs, a career-high 91 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 2014.

Few players in Major League Baseball have a power-speed combination comparable to Desmond’s, which is why the 30-year-old veteran was so coveted on the open market.

The Nationals were in a difficult situation with Desmond. He was one of their best offensive players, but they could not work out an extension, per Ladson. He was constantly the subject of trade rumors as well, but Washington opted to keep him in 2015, which resulted in the organization ultimately losing him for nothing.

When asked about his desire to remain with the Nationals long term prior to the 2015 season, Desmond made it clear that he was interested in doing so, according to Ladson.

“Do I want to be a National (beyond 2015)? Yes,” he said. “Do I think, at this particular moment, I will be? I don’t know. I cannot give you an answer on that. We’ll see. I know 2015 is coming fast. I’m excited to get back out there. I think we have a lot to prove. We have a hungry bunch coming in 2015.”

It eventually became apparent that the two sides were reaching the end of their time together, however. It was so obvious, in fact, that his final game of 2015 was treated as a farewell of sorts.

After that contest, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo discussed how much Desmond meant to the team over the years, per Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post:

Ian Desmond is the rock of the organization. A guy that when I became the GM we made him the everyday shortstop, and (he) has blossomed into one of the best in all of baseball. So yeah, these guys, when these guys are in their last years, their decision-making years, it’s very, very difficult for us personally and professionally.

Desmond is very much in the prime of his career, but there is no telling how he will handle the change in scenery, since he has never known anything other than playing for the Nationals at the MLB level.

While it could be a tough transition, it could just as easily re-energize him and lead to some big-time production after a down year in 2015.

Desmond is easily one of the best offensive shortstops in baseball when he is on his game, and there is a solid chance that he’ll make the Nats regret letting him get away depending on how well he transitions to a new position. 

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels has filed a lawsuit against Cornucopia Events after he and his wife were unable to get into the 2015 Victoria’s Secret fashion show.   

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Hamels claims Cornucopia Events did not get him or his wife into the event last year even though he paid about $70,000 for three VIP packages. 

Per the AP report, Hamels’ lawsuit states the money was supposed to cover a “four-night stay in a luxury hotel, a limousine with champagne, access to exclusive restaurants and goodie bags.”

However, Hamels’ suit alleges he and his party did not receive any of the perks paid for and were not granted entry into the fashion show that took place in November and was broadcast on CBS the following month. 

Law360 obtained a legal document in the case (via Lindsey Foltin of FoxSports.com), stating “The Cornucopia defendants held themselves out to be a ‘VIP’ concierge/lifestyle management company with access to the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. The Cornucopia defendants did not intend, could not and/or failed to provide the Hamels any entry at all to the [show].”

The AP noted Hamels is seeking “$150,000 in damages for fraud and misrepresentation” in his lawsuit, and Cornucopia’s managing director did not immediately respond to an email. 

Hamels filed the lawsuit in Philadelphia on Feb. 19, per the AP report. The 32-year-old spent the first nine years of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies before being traded to the Rangers last July.

He led the Phillies to a World Series title in 2008, winning NLCS and World Series MVP after posting a 1.80 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 35 innings during the postseason. 

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Right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie has agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, pending a physical, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com.

The 36-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Kansas City Royals, although he was not on the postseason roster when the team made its World Series run in 2015.

Although his 91-108 record does not impress, he has been a workhorse over his career, surpassing 200 innings five times. He won a career-high 15 games in 2013 but was just 8-8 with a 70 ERA+ and a 1.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio last year, per Baseball-Reference.com.

Guthrie thanked Kansas City for his time with the team in an Instagram post:

The 12-year veteran won’t provide much more than depth at the back end of the rotation, but Baseball-Reference projects that he’ll win one more game than last season while posting a 4.83 ERA.

Texas can use all of the help it can get on the mound, as the team finished 23rd in MLB with a 4.24 ERA and 24th in the big leagues with a .262 batting average against last season.

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After a successful debut season with the Texas Rangers in 2015, manager Jeff Banister was rewarded Friday in the form of an exercised contract option for 2018.

According to Rangers Executive Vice President of Communications John Blake, the 52-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach was also given a team option for 2019.

The 2015 campaign was Banister’s first as a major league manager, and he didn’t disappoint, as he led the Rangers to the playoffs with a record of 88-74, won the American League West crown and took AL Manager of the Year honors.

After finishing last in the AL West in 2014 with a record of just 67-95, the Rangers pushed a loaded Toronto Blue Jays team to a decisive fifth game in the American League Division Series.

While it was a great bounce-back for an organization that reached the World Series in both 2010 and 2011, Banister stressed the importance of staying hungry, per Pat Doney of NBCDFW.com: “We challenged our guys after the last game last year. Don’t become complacent. And that’s a challenge when everyone goes their own way because everyone becomes their own individual.”

The Rangers look to have a similar roster in 2016 as they did last season, plus ace starting pitcher Yu Darvish figures to return at some point during the campaign from Tommy John surgery.

Banister helped Texas exceed expectations in a big way in 2015, and there is little doubt he deserved a vote of confidence.

With the Houston Astros on the ascent and the Los Angeles Angels boasting a talented team, however, remaining at the top of the AL West in 2016 and beyond will be huge challenge for Banister and Co.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is recovering from offseason foot surgery, leaving his status for the start of the 2016 MLB campaign in jeopardy.

Continue for updates.

Pujols Not Expected to Play on Opening Day

Thursday, Feb. 18

The Associated Press’ Mike Cranston reported on Pujols’ status ahead of the Angels’ season opener, which is on April 4 against the Chicago Cubs at Angel Stadium.

“The doctors have given the timeline, but if you know Albert, you know he always come back quicker than the timeline given,” said manager Mike Scioscia, per Cranston. “But we’re definitely not going to sacrifice a lion’s share of the season to get him back maybe two weeks before he should.”

Even at the age of 36, Pujols has remained productive. Despite hitting just .244 last season, he still ripped 40 home runs and 95 RBI. It was his most home runs since 2010, though it was just the second time in his 15-year career he failed to reach the 100-RBI plateau.

Pujols’ one-dimensional power numbers from the plate in 2015 were perhaps partly the result of a plantar fascia injury he played through for much of the season and which required the aforementioned surgery in November.

Pujols remains one of the most prominent power hitters of his generation, evidenced by his long list of awards and accolades that includes three National League MVPs, 10 All-Star Game appearances, the 2001 Rookie of the Year Award, the batting title in 2003, two Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger Awards.

Between 2005-10, he finished with the best WAR among National League position players each season, per Baseball-Reference.com.

While he isn’t quite the dominant force he was during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, he’s paired with Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun to give the Angels a solid trio of power hitters in the middle of the lineup. With Pujols sidelined, the Angels will turn to C.J. Cron (.262, 16 home runs, 51 RBI in 2015) to replace him.

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The beauty of sport is its unpredictable nature, right?

It’s funny because even though we can all agree that sport is the best in unscripted reality television, our natural tendency is to predict. We think we know who may compete this baseball season simply because we can look at rosters and compare them.

The irony is that our uncontrollable need to forecast a season ultimately plays into that original premise—that our predictions are often wrong. That’s exactly why sports rate so well on television. We are unable to perfectly predict the outcome.

So every season there are teams that shock the baseball world by contending for the postseason. Consider the Seattle Mariners to be one of those out-of-nowhere teams in 2016.

Before you go apoplectic about such a claim, remember this: To pick the big surprises of the 2016 season, there first has to be a litany of reasons not to.

The organization has a new general manager, Jerry Dipoto, who likely told the franchise he would need time to turn the team into a competitor. Since he took the job in September 2015, the hourglass isn’t even close to empty.

He needs to infuse talent into Seattle’s minor league system which ranked 28th in Baseball America’s latest rankings. The team, though it underwent a large overhaul of its roster this offseason, didn’t make a major splash in free agency.

Now that we’ve gotten all that’s working against the Mariners this season on the record, there were a couple of under-the-radar moves that give reason to think they’ll improve on last year’s 76-86 record and justify FanGraphs’ prediction of an 84-win 2016 season.

In 2015, the Mariners ranked fifth in Major League Baseball with 198 home runs. So how the heck did they rank only 21st with 656 runs scored?

They couldn’t get on base.

Seattle hit .249 as a team last season, only .06 points higher than baseball’s worst team. Their .311 on-base percentage ranked 22nd in baseball. What did they do this offseason?

They got guys who could get on base (you probably guessed it, I know).

Outfielder Nori Aoki (.353), Adam Lind (.360) are both solid on-base players who figure into the team’s everyday lineup. And the Mariners didn’t lose much power in the offseason.

The team returns Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz who combined to hit 70 of Seattle’s home runs last season.

In 2015, second baseman Robinson Cano also saw his average dip below .300 for the first time since 2008 and should return to being the high-average player the Mariners thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent prior to the 2014 season. An uptick in Cano’s average should help the middle of Seattle’s order produce more runs.

There’s a whole other side of the game, of course.

The team’s ace, Felix Hernandez, posted his worst ERA (3.53) since the 2011 season (3.47). He is likely to vastly improve from a subpar 2015 campaign and remain one of baseball’s more coveted pitchers. Joaquin Benoit, a 14-year veteran, was added this offseason to bolster the bullpen.

Luck factors in, too. The Mariners could use some of that. This roster isn’t baseball’s most talented. But it isn’t a roster bereft of talent, either.

The most talented team doesn’t always win. If it did, baseball’s paper champion would also be its World Series Champion. And who would want to watch a game that predictable?

The Mariners have contending-type pieces. Hernandez has been among baseball’s best pitchers, Cano was one of its most sought-after free agents, Cruz has been an All-Star the past three seasons and Seager has one All-Star appearance to his name.

It’s easy to overlook what the Mariners have on their roster because of so much they lack. The 2015 season exposed many deficiencies on this roster—including its weak minor league system—that a turnaround in 2016 seems unfathomable.

Should the Mariners contend in 2016? Probably not. That doesn’t mean they can’t, though.

That is precisely why you’ll be watching all season.

Seth Gruen covers baseball for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

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The Texas Rangers plan to sign left-handed slugger Ike Davis to a minor league contract, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News confirmed the deal Sunday, noting it will include an invitation to spring training.

The six-year veteran first baseman played 74 games for the Oakland Athletics last year, batting .229/.301/.350 with three home runs, 20 RBI and 19 runs scored.

If he makes the major league roster, the 28-year-old will have a chance to rejoin Rangers manager Jeff Banister, who was the bench coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates when Davis played there in 2014. 

A 2008 first-round pick of the New York Mets, Davis spent his first four-plus seasons in Queens, where he hit a career-high 32 home runs in a career-high 156 games in 2012.

The team sent him to the minors in 2013, and he battled hip and quadriceps injuries through most of the 2014 season. Last year, he underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn hip labrum in August. 

He’ll provide the Rangers with another left-handed option at first alongside Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland. Citing a team source, Grant noted that “Davis will simply give the Rangers more insurance in the event of an injury to Fielder or Moreland.”

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Houston Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis turned in a career year in 2015, but he underwent hernia surgery on Tuesday, according to the team.

Continue for updates.

Gattis to Miss ‘Most’ of Spring Training

Tuesday, Feb. 9

Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle confirmed Gattis had hernia surgery but noted “the injury is not considered severe.” Drellich also said the expected recovery time is four to six weeks and that Gattis will miss “most of his spring training at a minimum.”

Drellich added Gattis suffered the injury working out at Minute Maid Park about a week prior to surgery. 

Houston’s first full workout is Feb. 23.  

Gattis spent the first two seasons of his career with the Atlanta Braves, but they traded him to the Astros before the 2015 campaign. All he did for the Astros was post a .246 batting average with 27 home runs and 88 RBI. It was his third season in the league and his third year topping the 20-homer plateau, but his total of 27 last season was a career-high mark.

Gattis also racked up 11 triples, which was certainly surprising for someone who only had one career three-bagger coming into 2015. The 6’4” and 260-pound slugger has yet to register a single stolen base as well.

Despite the impressive production, Drellich pointed out Gattis and the Astros were “far apart” on their proposed arbitration numbers heading toward a Feb. 16 hearing. Houston proposed a $3 million salary for 2016, while Gattis countered with $3.8 million.

Drellich called the hernia update “a new wrinkle” in the process, and it will likely help the Astros on the business side of things. Even though Gattis doesn’t have much big league experience since he entered the majors in 2013, he will turn 30 years old in 2016 and now has health concerns as an additional factor to consider.

Drellich said it is “unclear how significantly” the surgery will impact the arbitration, but it is not a stretch to say it gives the Astros more leverage in any negotiations.

Still, Gattis was a major part of a Houston offense that finished sixth in the major leagues in total runs in 2015 on the way to a wild-card berth in the American League. The Astros lost a heartbreaking five-game series in the divisional round to the eventual champion Kansas City Royals.

If Houston plans on advancing deeper into the playoffs this time around, it needs Gattis back and healthy in that potent lineup alongside Jose Altuve.

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