Herzlich Willkommen » Ultimate Zone Rating, but his Defe

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Right-hander Luke Hochevar and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a $10 million, two-year deal that should give the defending American League champions even more firepower in their bullpen.Hochevar will make $4.5 million this season and $5.5 million for the 2016 season, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Hochevar must pass a physical to complete the agreement.Hochevar missed last season after Tommy John surgery.Despite the need for a starting pitcher to replace James Shields and a designated hitter to replace Billy Butler, the Royals have chosen to first lock down their pricy but effective bullpen.They have already exercised their option on setup man Wade Davis, which means he will earn $7 million next year — a big jump from the $4.8 million he made last season. That decision also triggers an $8 million option for 2016 with a $500,000 buyout. And if the Royals exercised that, they would have a $10 million option for 2017 with a $250,000 buyout.All-Star closer Greg Holland remains under club control through 2016, but hes eligible for arbitration and likely will earn more than $9 million next season.Add to the mix right-hander Kelvin Herrera, who handled most of the seventh-inning duties last season and will likely see a bump to about $1.5 million through arbitration, and the Royals could have $22 million tied up in four relief pitchers for the 2015 season.Of course, thats assuming all of them are still on the roster by spring training.The Royals have been open to the possibility of trading one of their prized relievers, and Holland would net them the most in return. With few impact bats available in free agency, a trade might be the best route for the Royals to address their gaping hole at designated hitter.It also remains to be seen just how effective Hochevar will be after Tommy John surgery.The former No. 1 overall draft pick struggled for years as a starting pitcher, going 11-11 with a 4.61 ERA in his best season. He drew the ire of Royals fans tired of losing, and became a not-so-pleasant face of a franchise that had been treading in baseballs backwater.But then Hochevar shifted to the bullpen fulltime in 2013, and he proved to be a dynamic relief pitcher. He went 5-1 with a 1.92 ERA, blowing away hitters with a upper-90s fastball.The Royals toyed with moving him back into the starting rotation last spring training, but they ultimately decided to keep him in the bullpen. Not long after that decision was made, the right-hander felt a twinge in his elbow. An MRI exam take a couple of days later revealed a major tear of the ulnar collateral ligament, resulting in Tommy John surgery.Hochevar spent the season rehabbing, but he also never strayed far from the clubhouse. And when the Royals went on a magical run to the World Series in its first playoff appearance in 29 years, Hochevar was right in the midst of it, rooting on his teammates every night.Now, after a long wait, it appears hell have a chance to help them out on the field once more. Hochevar is expected to be ready to pitch when the Royals report to Surprise, Arizona, for spring training in mid-February.___AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report. Mike Conley Jersey . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. 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Fielder, 29, drove in more than 100 runs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, but his .819 OPS was the lowest of his career, with his 2.2 fWAR his worst since 2008. From 2006 through 2013, Fielder slugged 283 home runs, ranking fourth, so his power ought to play well in Texas, which is one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the game. Fielder is also exceptionally durable, his 1283 games played since 2006 leading the majors, so he also has durability going for him. The question when it comes to Fielder is going to be in terms of value, particularly in comparison to the financial obligation that the Rangers are taking on by picking up the seven years and $168-million remaining on Fielders contract. Now, theyre not picking up all of it. Initial reports indicate that the Tigers are sending $30-million along to help defray the cost of Fielders contract. Fielder, who rates as a subpar fielder on a consistent basis, will replace Mitch Moreland at first base for the Rangers, with Moreland able to play a corner outfield spot or designated hitter, effectively filling in for the recently-departed David Murphy, who just signed with the Cleveland Indians. Furthermore, and perhaps the primary impetus for this deal from the Texas perspective, is that by dealing Ian Kinsler, the Rangers open up an everyday spot in the lineup for Jurickson Profar, the 20-year-old top prospect who came up through the organization as a shortstop, but played wherever he could fit into the Texas lineup last season and 32 games at second base was his most at any position. Provided he continues to stay reasonably healthy through his mid-30s, Fielder ought to be productive enough to make this deal palatable to the Rangers. If he hits 30 homers a year in the cleanup spot for the Rangers, thats an upgrade in power that the Rangers need. The Tigers Get: 2B Ian p;Kinsler.dddddddddddd Kinsler is a 31-year-old who has been one of the most productive second basemen in the game but, for the first time in his career, his OPS has been under .760 the last two seasons. His 2.5 fWAR last season was his lowest since 2007. Since 2006, Kinsler is one of six players to record at least 150 home runs and 150 stolen bases. The others are Hanley Ramirez, Alex Rios, Matt Kemp, David Wright and Brandon Phillips; good company. While his power has dipped, particularly from the 2009 and 2011 seasons when he hit more than 30 home runs, Kinsler is also showing patience at the plate. His 3.9% rate of swinging strikes ranked seventh-lowest among qualified batters last season, so hes not an easy out. Its fair to expect that it will be more difficult for Kinsler to hit home runs in Detroit, compared to Arlington. Kinsler does figure to be an upgrade over Omar Infante, but the benefit of moving out Fielder is that the Tigers should be able to shift Miguel Cabrera back to first base. Cabreras a great hitter, but a poor fielder and will likely do less damage with the glove playing at first. Over the last couple years, Kinsler has a subpar Ultimate Zone Rating, but his Defensive Runs Saved is among the highest at the position. Since 2009, Kinsler has 59 DRS, ranking second among second basemen. Kinsler has four years and $57-million remaining on his contract (with a $10-million option, $5-million buyout, for 2018). In the total summation, it will cost the Tigers about $92-million for four years of Ian Kinsler and the Rangers will pay about $138-million for seven years of Fielder. Both players should be productive, though declining as their contracts take them to their mid-30s. The benefit to the Tigers is that they create some financial flexibility that will come in handy for signing others, most notably Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, who is slated to become a free agent at the end of the 2014 season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. 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