made 5.5 million this season and, like Motte, is a free agent

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Carlos Pena is back in the major leagues with the team that drafted him in the first round quite a while ago. Pena rejoined the Rangers on Tuesday, a week after signing a minor league deal and going to Triple-A Round Rock, and 13 years after making his major league debut with Texas. He was the 10th overall pick in 1998. "God is good, man. Here I am, where it all started for me and its truly very special," Pena said the home series opener against Detroit on Tuesday night, when he was batting sixth and playing first base. "Just to think back where it all started. ... This is crazy. I was looking at a picture I had of my first at-bat ever and it was with a Rangers uniform. My wife sent it to me this morning." The Rangers designated first baseman/outfielder Brad Snyder for assignment when they purchased the 36-year-old Penas contract from Round Rock. Since losing Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland to season-ending injuries, Snyder was splitting time at first base with Donnie Murphy. Neither Snyder nor Murphy had played first base in the major leagues before this season. "We just brought in a first baseman to play first base, and he has a presence," manager Ron Washington said. "He may be a little older, but he has presence. Throw something in the wrong spot, and he will hurt you. He knows how to play around that bag. He knows what to do, he knows where to be. Its second nature to him." In seven games at Round Rock, Pena hit .333 (8 for 24) with one home run. The only person to go longer between games for the Rangers was Sammy Sosa, who made his major league debut for Texas in 1989 and then played his final season there in 2007. Fielder had a cervical fusion of the C5 and C6 disks in his neck last month. Moreland had ligament reconstructive surgery and bone realignment in his left ankle Monday, and the team said he went home to Mississippi. Fielder and Moreland are expected to be ready for spring training next season. After playing 22 games for the Rangers, Pena was traded to Oakland that winter. He has also played for Detroit, Boston, Tampa Bay, the Chicago Cubs, Houston and Kansas City. He was an All-Star in 2009 with Tampa Bay, when he had an AL-high 39 homers. Pena went to spring training with the Los Angeles Angels, but was released March 23 after hitting .139 in 20 spring games. "I was training. I was staying ready. I had faith that something was going to happen," he said. "At the same time, I didnt want to force it. I wanted to make sure it was right and it was the right spot, the right situation." Red Sox Jerseys 2020 .m. on Friday. Granger was acquired from the Indiana Pacers last Thursday for Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen, but never played a minute for Philadelphia. The 76ers also received a 2015 second-round draft pick in the deal. Boston Red Sox Store . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. https://www.cheapredsox.com/ . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. Cheap Red Sox Jerseys . -- Jane Kish stopped all 25 shots she faced as the Weyburn Gold Wings blanked the Sudbury Lady Wolves 3-0 on Friday to advance to the gold-medal game at the Esso Cup. Fake Red Sox Jerseys . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver.The Blue Jays bullpen is going to have a distinctly different look in 2015 after the drop off the group experienced this year. GM Alex Anthopoulos fingered the pen as a significant factor in the club missing the post-season by five games. He said if the relievers had just performed at the Major League average, the Jays likely would have beaten out Oakland for that second Wild Card position. Its almost a guarantee that Casey Janssen wont be back as the closer next season. After all, he is a free agent and the Jays so far have shown no inclination to re-sign him. Casey never was the prototypical closer. He got by more on stealth and pinpoint control than power. But over the past three seasons, he racked up 81 of his 90 career saves, good for fourth all-time on the Jays list. It was only a year ago he had his best season, saving 34 of 36 chances. But closers can be great and lose it just like that as Oakland found out with Jim Johnson this year and Tampa Bay learned with Grant Balfour, two free agent signings that didnt exactly work out. Aaron Sanchez, who was so effective down the stretch in a set-up role with a couple of saves thrown in, could emerge as the closer next spring. However, its a better bet that he winds up in the starting rotation. Before Janssen, the last home grown starter I can remember who morphed into a closer was Billy Koch. They drafted the flame-throwing righthander in the first round of the June draft fourth overall in 1996. He pitched in A ball at Dunedin in 1997 and 1998 as a starter and impressed with his velocity but struggled at times with his control and his composure on the mound. After making five starts at Syracuse in 1999, Koch was called up to the Blue Jays and immediately thrust into the role of closer, largely because of his ability to hit 100 miles per hour on the gun. Koch had a solid three-year run as the Blue Jays bullpen stopper, racking up 100 saves in 117 chances, good for the third spot on the Jays list. After the 2001 season, incoming GM J.P. Ricciardi dealt him to Oakland for 3rd baseman and now Cubs coach Eric Hinske, who would go on to be the American League Rookie of the Year in 2002. The As benefited from that deal as well. Koch racked up 44 saves in 2002 for the playoff-bound As and put up an (11-4) record. Unfortunately, that season proved to be his unddoing.dddddddddddd Koch was burnt out by the playoffs and gave up a decisive home run to the Twins A.J Pierzynski in the deciding game of that series with Minnesota. Koch was never the same and bounced around from the As to the White Sox and then the Marlins before finally being released by the Blue Jays in spring training of 2005 after just four Grapefruit League appearances. He didnt pitch in another Major League game after 2004 at age 30. The point being of course, the Blue Jays want a longer career out of Sanchez, not just the sort of flame-out career that often becomes the lot of a closer. If the Blue Jays are going to look for an experienced veteran closer, there are a couple of interesting names who are going to be on the market shortly as free agents, including Jason Motte of the Cardinals and Sergio Romo of the Giants. Motte, whos 32, has now saved 42 games for the Cardinals when they won the World Series. Then the following year, he underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow. Motte made $7.5 million this season and the Cards let him walk since they seem to have settled on Trevor Rosenthal as their closer. Romo, whos 31, has dropped off a bit this season, but still has 75 of his career 78 saves in the past three years. He made 5.5 million this season and, like Motte, is a free agent. He also has a wicked slider as an out pitch. If the Jays go the internal route, lefty Brett Cecil might be the best bet. Division Series Picks After lucking out in the Wild Card games and going 2 for 2, I might as well give you my picks for the Division Series. In the American, though Id love to see Kansas City win, Im picking the Angels in four games. In the other series Baltimore in five over Detroit. In the National League, the Dodgers over St. Louis in four and Washington to beat the Giants in four. Id still love to see San Francisco win though, just to see them play the Dodgers in a seven-game series for the first time ever. Jays Streak A strange and unusual Blue Jays streak that I had totally forgotten about: over a stretch of 614 games starting on October 4th of 1980, the Blue Jays did not get a single victory from a lefthanded starting pitcher. Jimmy Key finally ended the streak on May 1st of 1985. This season, southpaws Mark Buehrle and J.A. Happ won 24 between them. Go figure. ' ' '