PEORIA, Ariz. Desmond Trufant Falcons Jersey . -- The Seattle Mariners hope Chris Young can solidify the back of their rotation until their staff gets healthy. The 34-year-old right-hander agreed Thursday to a $1.25 million, one-year contract after Seattle released veteran starters Randy Wolf and Scott Baker this week. Young can earn an additional $3,475,000 in roster and performance bonuses and would get the full amount if he makes 28 starts and pitches 180 innings. Young has not pitched in the majors since 2012, but Seattle is taking a chance he can be a serviceable starter behind Felix Hernandez, Erasmo Ramirez and James Paxton until Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker return from injuries. Young allowed four earned runs over 10 1-3 innings in two spring training starts with Washington, which released him Tuesday. At 6-foot-10, Young is tied for the second-tallest player in major league history. The Princeton graduate spent last season in the Nationals minor league system as he struggled with troubles in his pitching shoulder, and he was 1-2 with a 7.88 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A Syracuse. An All-Star in 2007, Young has a 53-43 record and 3.79 ERA in nine major league seasons with Texas (2004-05), San Diego (2006-10) and the New York Mets (2011-12). Young would get $125,000 bonuses for 30 and 60 days on the active roster and $75,000 for 45. He can earn $150,000 each for 60, 80, 90, 110 and 125 innings; $200,000 apiece for 140 and 155; and $250,000 each for 170 and 180. He also would get $150,000 each for 12, 15, 18 and 20 starts; $200,000 apiece for 22 and 24; and $250,000 each for 26 and 28. Seattle believed it had the veteran it wanted in the rotation with Wolf. But he declined to sign a 45-day advanced consent waiver earlier this week and instead asked for his release. The waiver would have allowed Seattle to pay him only a prorated portion of his contract if he was released within the first 45 days of the regular season. Iwakuma (finger) and Walker (shoulder) are not expected to be available to join the Mariners rotation until mid- to late-April at the earliest. Left-handed reliever Bobby LaFromboise was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Young on the 40-man roster. Julio Jones Falcons Jersey .com) - The Detroit Lions announced on Wednesday that they have placed wide receiver Ryan Broyles on season-ending injured reserve. Joplo Bartu Falcons Jersey . Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., won the Jack W. Davies Trophy as outstanding athlete of the year, plus the F.BRISBANE, Australia - Serena Williams extended her winning streak against Maria Sharapova to 14 matches with a 6-2, 7-6 (7) semifinal victory Friday to earn a shot at back-to-back Brisbane International titles. The defending champion will play second-seeded Victoria Azarenka in Saturdays final, and will be favoured to retain the title that kicked off her stunning 2013 season that included 78 wins from 82 matches and 11 titles. After blowing two match points in the tiebreaker, Williams sealed the win with her seventh ace against the third-seeded Sharapova. In their first meeting since the French Open final, the uneasy rivals barely exchanged glances before the match and only briefly shook hands after. Both players were returning aggressively — leading to 15 double-faults between them and six breaks of serve in the second set — and hitting their grounds strokes hard and deep. Williams hit consecutive double-faults to give Sharapova a mini-break at 5-4 in the tiebreaker, something she said she couldnt remember ever doing before on tour. Sharapova responded with a double-fault to make it 5-5, and said shed missed her opportunities. "I had a few missed chances ... but overall Im happy I can compete at this level in my third match back," Sharapova said. "Its a good sign for me." Any friendship that existed between the pair soured when they traded personal barbs relating to their romantic relationships ahead of last years Wimbledon, where Sharapova made an early exit. Sharapova only played one match after that in 2013 as she recovered from a right shoulder problem. Williams said shed need to vastly improve her first-serve percentage — which sunk to 40 in the semifinals — to beat Australian Open champion Azarenka, who overcame a shaky serve and another case of the nerves to beat former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Facing two of her biggest rivals back-to-back in her first tournament of the year, and less than two weeks before the Australian Open, is a big step up in preparations for Williams. "Yeah, I feel like Im being pushed into the deep end straightaway," she saiid. RaShede Hageman Falcons Jersey. . "I also think its a good thing." Azarenka had her problems on serve, too. She dropped her first three service games and was facing three break points in the opening game of the second set when she shifted the momentum with a winner she picked up on a half-volley when Jankovic was in control of the point. After needing 10 match points to beat Stefanie Voegele in the quarterfinals the previous night, Azarenka missed one chance to serve it out at 5-2 in the deciding set, conceding a break with a double-fault. She then missed a match point at 5-4 but held her nerve and finally finished it off on her second match point. The prospect of a match against another top four player so close to the Australian Open doesnt daunt Azarenka. "I dont think its ever too early. If you want to win big titles you got to play against the best players," she said. On the mens side, top-seeded Roger Federer coasted to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Marinko Matosevic of Australia and moved into a semifinal against No. 8 Jeremy Chardy of France. Second-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan reached the semifinals with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic of Croatia and will next play former No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt, who cruised past Romanian qualifier Marius Copil 6-4, 6-2. Both Williams sisters will be playing finals Saturday, with Venus Williams to face Ana Ivanovic in the title match at the WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Venus Williams got a walkover into her first final since October 2012 when Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal with a right hip injury. Ivanovic beat third-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-2, 7-6 (3). At the Hopman Cup, France clinched a place in the final against Poland with a victory over winless Spain. Alize Cornet beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-2 before Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sealed the victory by defeating 194th-ranked Daniel Munoz-De La Nava 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-2. The Czech Republic took a 3-0 win over the United States after John Isner withdrew ahead of his singles match and Sloane Stephens retired with a left wrist problem after losing the first set 6-3 to Petra Kvitova. ' ' '
