Bobby Abreu thinks he can pitch - MLB

I was walking around morning workouts when I encountered Bobby Abreu throwing the ball with Torii Hunter in the outfield. Torii Hunter has nine gold gloves, by the way, so this exchange was a lot of fun.

Abreu: Don’t think about it. Just get the ball … [throws] … and release.

Hunter: Uh-huh.

Abreu: Perfect strike. Just get the ball … [throws] and release. It’s nothin’.

Hunter: [said nothing, laughed a little, and then I imagined he rolled his eyes]

At that point, Abreu got the ball, went into a half-hearted windup as if he were pitching, and threw a strike to Hunter. He turned around at the coaches and players behind him with a smug look on his face, thinking he looked like Verlander or something.

Third Base Coach Dino Ebel: “65 miles an hour”

Abreu: MY ASS!

Did I mention that the Angels seem like they’re having fun?

LOS ANGELES — All-Star pitcher Tony Gonsolin and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed on a two-year, $6.65 million contract that avoided an arbitration hearing.

Gonsolin gets $3.25 million this year and $3.4 million in 2024.

His salary in the second season can escalate by up to $3 million based on a points system in which he will be credited one point for each start, or each relief appearance of 3 1/3 innings: $500,000 apiece for 14, 16, 18, 20, 24 and 28 points. The 2024 salary also would increase by $1,125,000 for winning a Cy Young Award this year, $625,000 for finishing second or third in the voting and $500,000 for finishing fourth or fifth.

The sides exchanged salary proposals on Jan. 13, with Gonsolin seeking a raise from $720,000 last season to $3.4 million this year, while the Dodgers offered $3 million.

The 28-year-old right-hander was 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 24 starts during a breakout season last year. Gonsolin earned his first All-Star selection with an 11-0 record and a 2.02 ERA in the first half. He finished with the highest winning percentage (.941) in franchise history.

Gonsolin has been with the Dodgers for parts of four seasons since being drafted in the ninth round out of Saint Mary’s College in 2016. He is 26-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 59 career games.

He helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series during the pandemic-shortened season.