Daisuke Matsuzaka

So far this spring, he has been delayed by back and neck problems. These are the type of nagging injuries that could haunt him all year.

Dice-K throws way too many pitches. Even when he was good, it seamed like every batter worked the count full. He also has a problem holding runners. He did nothing last year and this year it appears to be “Ground-Hog Day” all over again.

Last year, Red Sox manager Terry Francona stated that Matsuzaka was placed on the DL due to “weakness” in his throwing arm possibly caused by the extensive pitching he did in the World Baseball Classic. This year there’s no excuse and if his arm strength is not back by the end of April, it could be another year back on the DL.

On November 14, the Boston Red Sox won the bidding rights to Matsuzaka with a bid of $51 million, outbidding the Texas Rangers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. The Red Sox also paid $53 million over 6 years on top of the $51 million.

That is a lot of money for a guy who so far pitched one year and is entering his third year with back and neck problems.

Minnesota Twins

Nathan leads the major leagues with 246 saves since the 2004 season and is due to make $11.25 million both this season and next. Nathan went 2-2 with a 2.10 ERA and a career-best 47 saves last season.

The Twins will need to find a replacement. Jon Rauch is the only player on the Twins that has 26 saves and he will most likely step into the role. Rauch was 7-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 2009 and will have to take charge this year in place of Nathan.

This is really bad news for any team with a top pitcher going down for a season. The Twins are not a team with pitching depth.

Joe Nathan played a game of catch on Sunday morning and felt pain in his pitching elbow. Because he felt pain, which wasn’t unexpected, Nathan will proceed with Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. (It won’t be done by Dr. James Andrews, who removed bone chips from Nathan’s elbow this past offseason.)

Estimated recovery time for Tommy John: 12 months.

We wish Joe a speedy recovery.

Saunders is a bargain if you look at his numbers over the last two years. Joe Saunders was 16-7 with a 4.60 ERA last year and has a 33-14 record in the last two seasons. This is a great bargain at $3.7 million for a young 28 year old with good numbers and on a good team.

In addition to his base salary, he can earn $50,000 in performance bonuses – $25,000 each for 180 and 200 innings—and award bonuses.

The Anaheim Angels made the right move in resigning Saunders in 2010. This resigning will make them a better team and one that will compete with the Mariners.

Johnny Damon is still looking for a job, but has his price gone down?

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports: Cuban left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, whose defection sparked a bidding war among major league teams that coveted his 100-mph fastball, agreed Sunday morning to sign for $30 million with the Cincinnati Reds, sources close the negotiations told Yahoo! Sports.

The Reds had been “going after him like crazy,” according to one source, and outbid several other teams, including the Los Angeles Angels, Florida Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays.

The 22-year-old Chapman’s value has steadily climbed since a Dec. 15 workout in Houston in which he wasn’t throwing at full speed and still hit 97 mph. His potential as a front-of-the-line starter intrigued teams from coast to coast.

The bidding increased from an initial $15.5 million offer from the Boston Red Sox in early December to the highest reported proposal of $23 million from Toronto a few days ago.

Chapman immediately becomes the top prospect in the Reds’ system and could join a dangerous young rotation if Edinson Volquez returns healthy from Tommy John surgery and Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey develop. The Reds had been particularly quiet this offseason, sitting on a team that went 78-84 last year.

$30 million is a huge gamble for a pitcher who has never thrown a pitch in the Major League.

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