Teixeira Now A Yankee; Pavano & Orioles Sign Koji Uehara

The big news of today in baseball was the unveiling of Mark Teixeira as a Yankee. We all know the details, and we know he didn't want to come to Baltimore; alas, seeing him in pinstripes was a little surreal after all that took place this off-season.

Mark said all the right things in his press conference, and only spoke glowingly of his new employers, but I'll be interested to see the reaction when comes back to his hometown for Opening Day.

Well, the other news that really intrigued me was that Carl Pavano found work in Cleveland. His deal is worth $1.5 million plus heavy incentives which he could earn an additional $5.3 million based on starts and innings pitched. The Indians got a pitcher on the cheap -- mostly because of his adventures in New York -- however, if he can be a .500 pitcher or better, he'll help them out greatly.

Now onto Baltimore...

The Orioles finally added another pitcher as they inked Koji Uehara to a two-year, $10 million according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The report also notes that the deal could be worth as much as $16 million over two years if he meets performance milestones.

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Quick Hits: MLB Stuffage

* Ryan Zimmerman was given a $400,000 salary for 2007 by the Washington Nationals after finishing second in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season. The third baseman won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2011 season, and general manager Jim Bowden said Saturday that the Nationals "will continue to work with Ryan and his representatives to secure a long-term contract long before his free agency."

* Brawl Time in Florida: Magglio Ordonez was hit in the side of the head by a breaking ball from Josh Beckett on Saturday, sending the Detroit slugger to the hospital and leading to a near scuffle between the Tigers and Boston Red Sox.

Beckett plunked Gary Sheffield with a first-inning pitch and hit Ordonez in the third, forcing him from the game. He was treated at a hospital.

Detroit reliever Todd Jones then threw behind Boston's J.D. Drew in the fifth, and the benches and bullpens emptied. Players converged near home plate, but no punches were thrown.

Jones and Tigers manager Jim Leyland were ejected. In the clubhouse after Detroit's 7-6 loss, Ordonez wore a bandage that covered much of his head.

* Carl Pavano: Yankees pitcher Carl Pavano rejoined the team Saturday, one day after missing a scheduled spring training start to address a personal matter. Pavano declined to talk about the situation, saying he would answer questions Sunday before a game against Cleveland.

* In light of the completion of the DirecTV deal that was just completed, Senators John Kerry and Arlen Specter (a team – right there?) are going to look into the agreement.

"I will review this deal to ensure it benefits consumers," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. "I'm encouraged that Major League Baseball may be willing to provide broader access to their games than what was initially proposed. I will be watching closely to ensure the league works in good faith so that America's pastime is available to all fans. My concern all along has been that fans continue to have the ability to enjoy baseball on television."

Arlen Specter said:

"I will be analyzing the commitment to see ... if the conditions for other carriers are satisfactory," Specter said. "This arrangement should motivate the NFL to reconsider broader coverage on its Sunday ticket and Thursday/Saturday programming to make such games available to other carriers beyond DirecTV.

"It may be necessary for the Senate Judiciary Committee to have further hearings on the antitrust implications of the NFL and MLB TV programming and whether it is in the public interest to allow the antitrust exemptions of the NFL and MLB to continue."

Hopefully something can be done, as a lot of customers will be screwed by the deal.