There was a very interesting signing made by the Chicago Cubs earlier this week when they came to terms with their budding slugger, first baseman Anthony Rizzo on a seven-year deal worth $41 million, plus a club option for two more years that could keep Rizzo with the Cub through 2021. Rizzo is hitting .277 with nine homers and 29 runs batted in and is considered one of the main centrepieces of a rebuilding franchise. But heres the catch. Rizzo came into this season with less than a full year of Major League experiece, playing parts of two seasons with the Padres and the Cubs after being drafted by Boston and subsequently dealt to San Diego as part of the Adrian Gonzalez trade. If Rizzo continues to develop and blossom, this contract could be a bargain. There is a school of thought that since Rizzo won a battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma, a form of cancer, he felt it was better to secure his future now, rather than speculate as to what he could possibly make down the road, feeling nothing in life is truly guaranteed. Clearly sending a message to their long-suffering fans, the Cubs earlier locked up shortstop Starlin Castro. That brings us to the Blue Jays and Brett Lawrie. The Blue Jays high-octane third baseman is also 23-years-old and, like Rizzo, is in his third season in the Majors. Off to a slow start in part because of that rib cage muscle injury in the spring, Lawrie is only hitting .204 with four homers and 10 runs batted in. But his career numbers so far are remarkably similar to Rizzos, hitting .268 with 24 homers and 83 runs batted in with a .762 OPS. Over his career, Rizzo is batting .283 with 25 homers and 86 runs batted in with a .763 OPS. He has walked 62 times and struck out 142 times while Lawrie has walked 57 times and fanned 143 times. You might also argue Lawrie plays a tougher and more valuable defensive position. So the question becomes, should the Blue Jays be offering Lawrie the same kind of contract the Cubs gave Rizzo, and would Lawrie even want to lock himself in at this point? There really are no definitive answers. In the not-too-distant past, the Blue Jays tried to give their fans and possible free agents the same message the Cubs did to theirs by signing Vernon Wells and Alex Rios to significant long-term pacts. Neither worked out for the Blue Jays. Wells had injury issues and his production was up and down and ultimately he was traded to the Angels. Rios struggled with fan expectations, never lived up to what he was making and ultimately went to the White Sox on a waiver claim. Wells and Rios have both revamped their careers; Wells now with the Yankees and Rios still with Chicago. The Blue Jays are under no pressure to sign Lawrie since he wont be eligable for arbitration until 2015 and cant become a free agent until 2018. What Lawrie needs to do first and foremost is to stay healthy for a full season and realize the plate potential he flashed when he broke in with the club late in 2011. At that point , he looked like a star in the making. John Farrell, and now John Gibbons, have felt that Lawrie has the potential to be one of the great third basemen. But now doesnt seem to be the time for the Blue Jays to go down the same road as the Cubs. Important Stretch The Blue Jays are entering a very important two-week stretch in their schedule. Theyve won a season high four straight games and have scrambled back to .500 for the month of May at 7-7. But they are still seven games under .500 overall. Coming up, they have 10 straight games against the East, including three at New York this weekend against the division-leading Yankees, followed by seven at home, three against Tampa Bay and four against Baltimore. Going 4-6 or worse in these games is not an option. They need to go at least 6-4 to keep the momentum going and ensure they dont have a second straight losing month, which is usually the kiss of death. The hitting has come around, but the big question mark remains the health and consistency of the starting rotation. Great Deal Last July 27th, Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin pulled off what may go down as one of the greatest trades in franchise history. He swapped soon-to-be free agent Zack Greinke to the Angels for three prospects. One of those three turned out to be 23-year-old shortstop Jean (Gene) Segura, who is having an incredible rookie campaign with the Brewers, hitting .353 with seven homers and 18 RBIs and playing some great defence. Making the swap even worse for the Angels, Greinke opted to leave as a free agent and signed with the Dodgers where he gives LA an incredible 1-2 punch with lefty Clayton Kershaw. I wonder how long until the Brewers sign Segura to a long-term deal? Air Max 270 Offerta . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Air Max 270 Prezzo Basso . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. http://www.airmax270outlet.it/ .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Air Max 270 Outlet . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Air Max 270 Outlet Italia .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Mackenzie Hughes figured he was down to his last chance to stay alive in a four-man playoff Monday morning in the RSM Classic.The Canadian rookie with pluck and a pure putting stroke poured in an 18-foot par putt from off the 17th green at Sea Island, and that last chance turned into his first PGA Tour victory when the other three players all missed from 10 feet or closer.I made the putt of my life right there, Hughes said.He calmed his nerves and came up clutch in the 42-degree chill, becoming the first PGA Tour rookie in 20 years to go wire-to-wire for his first victory. The final day of a long year on the PGA Tour brought a most unlikely finish.Hughes had a chance to end it Sunday night until his 10-foot birdie putt in the dark on the 18th hole turned away. The next morning, he was the only player who was never on the green at the par-3 17th until his ball was in the cup.Blayne Barber, Henrik Norlander and Camilo Villegas narrowly missed their par putts to extend the playoff.Hughes was watching from off the green, and the prospect of winning became more real with each putt that missed -- first Barber, then Norlander. When Villegas missed his 7-footer, Hughes dropped his putter, turned his back on the green and knocked off his cap as he rubbed his head in disbelief.If I didnt make, I thought I was probably out, Hughes said. Before I hit it, the thought was, Just make them think about it. Put this putt in first, and if you can be the first guy in, put the pressure back on them. And thats what happened.The victory sends the 25-year-old Canadian to the Masters. One of his most vivid golf memories as a kid in Ontario was watching Mike Weir win the green jacket in 2003.He was texting me last night a little bit, Hughes said. Its pretty cool to have a guy like that to lean on for advice.Billy Horschel was eliminated from the five-man playoff on the first extra hole Sunday night when he narrowly missed a birdie putt then shockingly missed a 2-foot putt. Hughes putts so well it was mildly surprising when he missed his 10-foot putt on the second playoff hole.It ate at me a little bit knowing that I had 10 feet to win it, he said. But I came out here to try to clear my mind, tell myself that I have a one-in-four chance.ddddddddddddThe odds looked worse when his 4-iron bounded over the green and down a steep slope. Making the pitch shot even more difficult was that the pin was 15 feet from the back edge and the green ran quickly away from him. His pitch was a few feet from being perfect, but instead it stopped short of the green.Norlander was in the front bunker, while Barber was left of the green and Villegas was just over the back. Barber and Villegas used putter for their second shots.The last rookie to go wire-to-wire for his first win was Tim Herron at the 1996 Honda Classic. Hughes started this week with a 61, and he led after every round until he was posing with tournament host Davis Love III with the trophy.Hughes, who closed with a 69 and finished at 17-under 265, capped a memorable fall season.He began his rookie season by playing the final two rounds with Phil Mickelson and tying for 13th at the Safeway Open. Mickelsons caddie Jim Mackay said in a text message Saturday night, I really like his moxie, hes got guts.In his only week off this fall, Hughes and his longtime girlfriend from Kent State, Jenna, were married. They planned a honeymoon in the offseason, and now he gets to plan a schedule that includes Kapalua, Augusta National and the PGA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives.Hughes earned $1.08 million.Villegas and Norlander do not have full PGA Tour cards, and a victory would have changed that. Villegas got into the field as a past champion, while Norlander has no PGA Tour status and received a sponsors exemption.Villegas had made every big putt, from his birdies on the 16th and 17th in regulation to his 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to join the playoff to another tough 4-foot putt in the dark Sunday night to stay alive. He missed from 7 feet Monday.I just pushed it a tiny bit, Villegas said. But once again, Im proud of myself. We want to win a golf tournament, so you go with a little bittersweet, but youve got to look at the positive and keep moving forward. 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