miaowang123: he said. "The last part of the schedule we pla

miaowang123

MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Hughes has long been on Minnesotas radar. Yeezy Boost 350 For Sale . Thanks to a rough season by the right-hander in New York, the Twins finally added him to their roster. "He probably wouldnt be sitting here if he had an average year. So maybe this is a good omen for us," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said, adding: "Weve got hopes that with a change of scenery that were going to get him going in the right direction." Hughes went 4-14 with a 5.19 ERA for the Yankees last season, and the Twins finalized a $24 million, three-year contract with him after he passed his physical Thursday. This was their second significant step toward restoring a ragged rotation, after signing right-hander Ricky Nolasco Tuesday to a $49 million, four-year deal. Twins starters had the worst collective ERA in the majors last season. "I think its going to be great. Like Terry said, I struggled last year," Hughes said at an introductory news conference at Target Field. "Coming to a new team, a new place and a ballpark thats obviously a little bit more conducive to pitching is going to help a lot." Minnesota picked Trevor Plouffe at No. 20 and Glen Perkins at No. 22 in the 2004 draft, and Hughes went from Santa Ana, Calif., to the Yankees at No. 23. After breezing through their minor league system, he made his debut in 2007. When the Twins were shopping Johan Santana in trades before the 2008 season, Hughes was high on their wish list. But the Twins consummated a deal with the Mets, not the Yankees. Hughes had a stellar season as a setup man for the World Series champions in 2009, won 18 games in 2010 and 16 games in a career-high 191-plus innings in 2012. "Im a firm believer that everything happens for a reason," Hughes said. "It wasnt right in 2004 and it wasnt right in 2008, but I think its going to be right in 2014." The Twins are banking on a move out of hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium to spacious Target Field will help Hughes rediscover the success he had earlier in his career. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Hughes was an All-Star in 2010. "Hes got the velocity. Hes got a curveball. Hes got a slider. Hes got a change. Hes big. Hes strong," Ryan said, adding: "Hes only 27. Pitching in New York and in Yankee Stadium is nothing like it would be here at Target Field. ... We need pitching. Were willing to take a risk." He will make $8 million in each of the next three seasons. The contract includes $1 million in annual performance bonuses: $250,000 each for reaching 180 and 195 innings and $500,000 for reaching 210 innings. Hughes still had 121 strikeouts in 145 2-3 innings last season, despite his struggles. He couldve taken a one-year offer, got back on track and cashed in with a bigger contract next winter. But he liked the commitment showed by the Twins, who wanted some stability. Ryan said Hughes was the youngest free agent pitcher on the market this year. "I dont want to get too far ahead of myself, but obviously when you sign two guys for the dollars that we have here, you have high hopes that were improving this rotation," Ryan said. Behind Nolasco and Hughes is returning veteran Kevin Correia. The other spots are open, with Samuel eduno, Scott iamond, Kyle Gibson and Vance Worley among the leading candidates at this point. Ryan said the team is still considering other available free agents. To make room on the 40-man roster for Hughes, the Twins designed right-hander Liam Hendriks for assignment. Being a part of a rebuilding project was another attraction for Hughes, as was escaping the pressurized environment in New York. "That the Twins wanted me for the long term, or somewhat long term, was enticing for sure and something I felt a lot of value with, going to a team that really wants you around," Hughes said. Cheap Yeezy Boost 350 For Sale . A groundswell for raising the number of playoff qualifiers to seven in each conference figures to get plenty of support from the 32 owners. Most notably, Arizonas Bill Bidwill, who saw his Cardinals go 10-6 and not get in, while Green Bay (8-7-1) qualified by winning the NFC North. Cheap Yeezy Boost 350 v2 For Sale . But last years runner-up Jarkko Nieminen crashed out despite winning the first set against Denis Istomin. Istomin fired 10 aces and won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2 to even his career record against Nieminen at 3-3.WINNIPEG -- It was back to business for the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday, as they skated for the first time since the Olympic break and prepared to resume their quest for the playoff berth that has eluded the franchise for so many years. With 22 games left and just over a week till they play again, coach Paul Maurice says he wants to get started right away sharpening defensive neutral zone play and forechecking without the puck. "Our sole focus is trying to find ways that we can be more aggressive with it," he said. The Jets were still minus their four Olympians -- forwards Olli Jokinen, Blake Wheeler and Michael Frolik, plus No. 1 netminder Ondrej Pavelec remain in Sochi -- but they made up for that with a healthy Evander Kane, Jim Slater and Matt Halischuk, all back from the injury list. Slater was out the longest after sports hernia surgery in Montreal. The centre and one of the teams faceoff leaders last played Oct. 18 but he says he now feels strong and ready to compete. Its a far different team than the one he left, with the Jets on a roll since Maurice took over from Claude Noel. They now sit just two points out of that coveted playoff spot. Slater says its always tough to be on the sidelines when a new coach comes in. "The slates wiped clean and when you cant get out there and play and show him what youve got, its definitely tough, you dont know where you fit in," he said. But Maurice helped to set his mind at ease. "Ive played against Paul a lot of my career when he was in Carolina, so we had a talk, he knows what kind of player I am and just wanted me to get healthy, come back strong and ready to goo. Yeezy Boost 350 V2 For Sale. " The focus may be on getting his team ready for their first game Feb. 27 when the Phoenix Coyotes visit Winnipeg, but Maurice says hes still arranged practice Friday to let the team watch Canada and the U.S. play in the Olympics. "Weve moved practice so that we can get together and watch that as a team," he said. "Its a big deal so we want to respect that and enjoy it. . . At the end of the day hockey events are what were all about, right, and this is a big game." Its been seven years since the Atlanta Thrashers were swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs in their only appearance. Kane last played Jan. 26 in Chicago. He was out twice with an injured hand, the second time after what turned out to be a premature return resulted in an infection that saw his hand swell to the size of a baseball. He says hes sure hell be ready to go Feb. 27 and he likes where the Jets are now sitting. "We put ourselves in a position now where we can make a push and we have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs and contend," he said. "The last part of the schedule we play the teams that kind of bunched in with us so its going to be an good opportunity for us to make a push and finish off strong." Team captain Andrew Ladd says the time to practice will help the Jets get their pace back up. "I think that was the best part of our game, the last 10 games or so . . We were playing (with) speed and confidence and weve got to find a way to get that back." He said its also good to see players like Slater and Halischuk return after long absences. "Its nice to have some extra bodies." ' ' '