Tonight, the Rangers and Astros will play the opener of the 2013 season on ESPN. Bud Norris and Matt Harrison will be the starting pitchers for the Astros and Rangers, respectivelly. Both teams would like to rebound after dissappinting finishes last year. The Rangers blew the AL West on the last day of the season and the Astros did not even win 60 games last year in the NL Central. The Astros then changed logos and moved to the AL West. Becoming only the second team in MLB history to change leagues (Braves upon moving to Atlanta), the Astros still have a lot to prove. Tonight's game will be a preview to what we could see for both teams in 2013.

Justin Verlander and the Tigers agreed to a long-term extension which will keep Verlander on the Tigers to at least 2019 and possibly 2020. He signed a record breaking deal, surprassing King Felix's deal which was $25 MM per year. Verlander will be making $28 MM per year and $140 MM overall. The Tigers want to have their ace on the hill wearing a Tigers uniform for as long as possible and this is just the first step. Congrats, Justin!

The Giants re-signed three very important pieces today that helped them win 2 of the past 3 World Series. They re-signed Manager Bruce Bochy, General Manager Brian Sabean, and Catcher Buster Posey.

Sabean and Bochy were signed for 3 years each and will be in the Giants Organization until 2016.

Posey was signed to a 8 year, $169 MM deal. He will be playing Catcher on the Giants until 2019. He is the leader on this team and will continue to be that.

The Giants want to contend for a long time and re-signing these pieces will help them stay within their goal from 2012 and beyond.

Santana thought he'd put down the ball for 6 weeks. Now it could be his whole career. "No-han" pitched the first Mets no-hitter in Mets history last year, and has been the ace of the team, when he was healthy. They diagnosed him with a re-tear of his left shoulder that could have to result in a second surgery or even retirement. Santana only has 1 year left on his contract following 2013 and that is a club-option. So, this offseason, Santana could be looking for work from other clubs.

Santana, who has been the Mets ace for a long time, may just have to put the ball down for good, either now or at the end of the season. He hopes to recover, but I beieve after his injury history, he may not be able to pitch again.

Adam Wainwright, the ace on the St. Louis Cardinals, extended his contract through 2017. He just signed a 5 year, $97.5 MM contract extension to keep him on the Cards roster for a long while.

Wainwright, 31, has a career record of 80-48 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He pitches very well, but after coming off Tommy John surgery in 2011, he may never reach what he was back in 2009 (19-8, 2.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP). This extension should give time for Wainwright to fully heal and continue to be one of the best pitchers in the league.