Braves add Jhoulys Chacin on a minor league contract - MLB

CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the Braves have added veteran right-hander Jhoulys Chacin on a minor league contract. The deal presumably includes an invitation to spring training, where he could compete for a spot in the starting rotation.

Chacin was once an above-average starter with the Rockies, posting a 3.58 ERA (127 ERA+) from 2010-2013, but he was limited to 11 starts in 2014 due to a shoulder issue before being given his release last spring. He pitched with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate for a stretch before latching on with the Diamondbacks, where he made four starts and one relief appearance while posting a 3.38 ERA and 21/10 K/BB ratio over 26 2/3 innings. While it feels like Chacin has been around forever, he doesn’t turn 28 until January.

As of now, the Braves’ 2016 rotation will likely include Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler, Bud Norris, and some combination of young starters. The team has a bunch of options for those spots, but it’s not hard to imagine Chacin making a handful of starts with the Braves next season.

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CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada Senate adjourned Thursday without voting on a financing bill for a proposed $1.5 billion Las Vegas Strip stadium for the Oakland Athletics, extending the special legislative session into the next week amid negotiations over whether to contribute $380 million in public funding to the project.

The measure can still be amended by lawmakers, and if it passes the Senate it would still need approval from the Assembly before going to the desk of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who has expressed support for it. Both the state Senate and Assembly are adjourned until Monday.

In a hearing that began Wednesday and stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, lawmakers peppered tourism officials and a representative from a firm partnering with the ball club with questions about the feasibility and benefits of financing such a deal.

Public funds for the stadium would mainly come from $180 million in transferable tax credits and $120 million in county bonds. Backers have pledged that the creation of a special tax district around the proposed stadium would generate enough money to pay off those bonds and interest. The plan would not directly raise taxes.

The A’s would not owe property taxes for the publicly owned stadium. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, would also contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

A’s representatives and some tourism officials say a deal would further grow Las Vegas’ developing sports scene and act as an economic engine, but a growing chorus of economists and some lawmakers warn that the project would bring minimal benefits for the hefty public price tag.