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PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Even though the Pittsburgh Pirates employ one of the largest analytics departments in baseball, they are not exactly sure how Jung Ho Kangs outstanding statistics in South Korea will translate to the major leagues.They are willing to find out.Pittsburgh and the 27-year-old infielder finalized an $11 million, four-year contract on a busy Friday for the Pirates. The deal includes a $5.5 million club option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.Meanwhile, closer Mark Melancon was among nine of the Pirates 12 players who filed for arbitration earlier this week and agreed to one-year contracts. The 29-year-old will make $5.4 million, more than double the $2,595,000 he earned last season when he converted 33 of 37 save opportunities and had a 1.90 ERA in 72 games.Joining Melancon in agreeing to one-year deals were left-handed relievers Antonio Bastardo ($3.1 million) and Tony Watson ($1.75 million); right-handed reliever Jared Hughes ($1,075,000); catchers Chris Stewart ($1,225,000) and Francisco Cervelli ($987,500); third baseman Josh Harrison ($2.8 million); infielder Sean Rodriguez ($1.9 million); and outfielder Travis Snider ($2.1 million).The Pirates were unable to reach terms with right-hander Vance Worley, first baseman Pedro Alvarez and second baseman Neil Walker and the sides exchanged arbitration figures. If management sticks to its intended plan of refusing to negotiate now that figures have been filed, then the three players will end up in hearings in February.Kang is trying to become the first position player to make the jump from the Korean Baseball Organization to the major leagues.This is an unprecedented situation, so its difficult to truly project how he will perform, Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. That is why we had multiple people watch him play multiple times. We feel good about bringing him into our organization and we feel that this is going to be a very good investment for our organization.Kang hit .356 with 40 home runs in 117 games last season for the Nexen Heroes, who play in Seoul. He had a .383 on-base percentage and a .503 slugging percentage.During his nine-year career in the KBO, Kang hit .298 batting with 139 homers in 902 games. He also played for South Korea in the World Baseball Classic in 2013.The Pirates will pay a $5,002,015 posting fee for Kang.Im very excited and humbled by this opportunity, he said in a statement released by the Pirates.Most of the ballparks in South Korea are smaller than in the major leagues. The Pirates, however, believe Kang will hit for power.He hit a lot of balls in Korea that would have been out of the ballparks in the major leagues, too, Huntington said. What we really like about him is that he has a good overall approach to hitting.Kang was primarily a shortstop in Korea but will begin his career as a utility infielder, backing up Walker, Harrison and shortstop Jordy Mercer. Huntington dismissed the idea of having Kang start the season in the minor leagues in an effort to better adjust to the American style of play.The best way to transition him to the major leagues is by having play in the major leagues, Huntington said. Our challenge, as it would be with any role player, is giving him enough playing time to stay sharp.In arbitration, Walker is seeking $9 million while the Pirates filed at $8 million. The 29-year-old switch-hitter set a career-high 23 home runs last season and batted .271 while earning $5.25 million.Alvarez is seeking a raise to $6 million from $4.25 million while the Pirates filed at $5 million. After leading the NL with 36 home runs in 2013, he hit just 18 last season to go with a .231 batting average in 122 games.Worley is looking to boost his salary from $527,500 to $2.45 million while the Pirates countered with a figure of $2 million. The 27-year-old went 8-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 18 games, all but one a start.Harrison quintupled his salary of $523,000 last year, when he finished second in the NL batting race with a .315 average after beginning the season as the last man on the bench. He hit 13 home runs and stole 18 bases.Bastardo was acquired from Philadelphia during the winter meetings for minor league pitcher Joely Rodriguez. The 29-year-old gets a raise from $2.15 million after going 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 67 games.The 29-year-old Watson, along with Harrison, was selected to the All-Star game for the first time in his career last season when was paid $528,500 while leading the NL with 78 appearances. He was 10-2 with two saves and a 1.62 ERA.Hughes got a boost from $513,500. He pitched in 63 games last season, going 7-5 with a 1.96 ERA.Stewart made $1 million last year, when he hit a career-high .294 in 49 games. He is expected to split time with Cervelli, a 28-year-old acquired from the New York Yankees in November. He hit .301 with two homers in 49 games in an injury-filled season and made $700,000.Rodriguez, 29, was acquired from Tampa Bay on Dec. 1 for pitching prospect Buddy Borden. He had a $1,475,000 salary last season when he hit .211 with a career-high 12 home runs in 96 games.Snider, 26, is expected to compete with Gregory Polanco for the starting right fielders job in spring training after hitting .264 with 13 home runs in 140 games last season while making $1.2 million.The Pirates are 10-10 all-time in arbitration and won the last time they went to a hearing, beating Garrett Jones in 2012. Grant Fuhr Jersey .com) - Former New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya is joining the Major League Baseball Players Association staff as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark. Wayne Gretzky Jersey .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/. Osmond, of Marystown, N.L., fell in the middle of her routine and placed fifth in the ladies free skate at Iceberg Skating Palace (110.73 points), but that was all the Canadians needed after a strong performance by Kevin Reynolds in the mens free earlier Sunday. Jari Kurri Jersey .Y. -- Major League Soccer has agreed to new measures to protect gay players from discrimination and harassment as a result of meetings with New Yorks attorney general. Andrew Ference Jersey . - Connor Brown and Dane Fox both scored in regulation and in the shootout, as the Erie Otters extended their win streak to 10 games by defeating the London Knights 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.TORONTO -- Andrew Stein and Glenn Macaulay bought into the Blue Jays hype. Best friends since kindergarten and lifelong baseball fans, the pair were swept up in the promise of 2013 and purchased season tickets. From the top level of Rogers Centre above home plate they watched as Toronto slumped through the spring then came alive during an 11-game winning streak only to finish last in the AL East. Excitement isnt a word they used to describe their hopes for 2014. "I wouldnt say worried," said Stein. "Not optimistic," said Macaulay. "Yeah, not optimistic," said Stein. "Maybe slightly uneasy that its just going to be a repeat of last year." Stein and Macaulay were among the Blue Jays season ticket holders at Rogers Centre on Wednesday for the teams annual State of the Franchise event. Team president and CEO Paul Beeston, general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons were on hand to take questions as jazz played throughout the stadium and food and drinks were handed out to fans wondering just what the state of the team is. Anthopoulos had no surprise announcements, nor was he worried about being grilled despite promises of change going unfulfilled during a quiet off-season. "When you dont have a good season you expect theres criticism that comes with that, that goes without saying, thats part of it," he said. "But again, these fans, I think its a different type of setting because these are the season-seat holders. They support the club. They love the team good and bad. Obviously were here to be accountable and to make ourselves available to talk and answer whatever questions they might have." Torontos only notable acquisition has been catcher Dioner Navarro, who was brought on to replace J.P. Arencibia. Navarro, who hit .300 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in 240 at-bats with the Chicago Cubs last season, barely made the splash that all-stars Jose Reyes or R.A. Dickey did when Toronto traded for them prior to last season. "(Navarro will) be serviceable. Im not going to buy his jersey or anything," said Stein. The Blue Jays real need, the one Anthopoulos promised would be his winter focus, is starting pitching. Dickey, coming off a Cy Young season, struggled, although not as badly as Josh Johnson. J.A. Happ missed time after being hit in the head by a frightening comebacker in May, while Brandon Morrows season ended in July with a forearm injury.dddddddddddd Only Mark Buehrle, who also had a slow start to the season, performed to expectation. Torontos rotation finished with a 4.81 earned-run average last season, second worst in the majors, and the starters 899.1 innings pitched were 28th in baseball. But Toronto has stood pat during the off-season. Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka was signed by the New York Yankees before veteran Matt Garza joined the Milwaukee Brewers. Several pitchers such as Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez still remain on the market, but Anthopoulos said progress has been slowed by free agents who cost teams draft picks. That doesnt apply to the Blue Jays -- theyve got two protected first-round draft picks. But Anthopoulos remained non-committal. "We like some of the upside of the guys that are coming back. Wed still like to add," he said. "I think weve been very open about that. I dont know whats going to happen obviously between now and the start of camp. "Depending on how free agency goes or even the trade market, maybe its beyond that, but we are excited about some of the guys coming back, especially some of the young guys. Theres upside to the performance of a lot of these guys. But at the same time were still going to be active and try to get a starter." Whereas Anthopoulos could only ask fans to stick by the team, Gibbons said hes looking ahead after making peace with 2013. "After I was home for about two weeks I said, you know what, its time for a new season," said Gibbons. "Ive always been an optimistic guy. Its smart to look back and look at some areas to do things differently maybe to improve some things. But in the end youve got to turn the page and its a new start here in the next two months." Gibbons, who heard plenty of calls for his dismissal last season, isnt worried about the direction of the team. He acknowledged fans frustrations, and that there wont be as much good will in April as there was last year. "It sure would be nice me coming in here feeling good going to this thing having won something, but until you do that youre just hoping and dreaming. So hopefully we can do that." What, then, is the state of the Blue Jays? Ask again on Opening Day. ' ' '