LOS ANGELES, Calif. - After an itinerant major league career, Brandon McCarthy is grateful the Los Angeles Dodgers are giving him the chance to grow with a contender.The Dodgers finalized a $48 million, four-year contract with McCarthy on Tuesday, designating reliever Brian Wilson for assignment to make room for the right-hander.McCarthy eagerly agreed to a long-term deal with his favourite childhood team, seizing the chance to replace Dan Haren as the NL West champions fourth starter alongside Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu.There was nothing that didnt intrigue me about the Dodgers, McCarthy said. I grew up 10 miles from the stadium. The Dodgers were what I knew, who I looked up to as a kid.Before he graduated from high school in Colorado, the 31-year-old McCarthy lived in Pasadena, California, idolizing Orel Hershiser and looking forward to his familys handful of trips each season to Chavez Ravine. He remembers getting Hershisers autograph at Disneyland as a high point of his youth.And after bouncing around the majors to five teams in his first nine years, McCarthy was thrilled by the Dodgers four-year commitment.It was a very big thing for me, because having that stop-start identity with each organization, it weighs on you, McCarthy said, adding that he wanted to have a chance to actually make a name for myself and actually leave an identity and a long-term reputation with a team.McCarthy gets a $6 million signing bonus with half payable by Jan. 15 and the rest by Feb. 15, and salaries of $11 million in 2015 and 2016, dropping to $10 million in 2017 and 2018. The Dodgers get some injury protection in the form of a conditional club option at $5 million if he spends 180 or more days on disabled list as a result of an injury to his pitching shoulder related to stress fracture or a reaction injury during 2015-18. The option price would increase to $8 million if the DL time is from 120-179 days from 2015-18.In a prudent financial move by the free-spending Dodgers, McCarthys contract includes no tweet escalators. The pitcher already has a fame outstripping his 52-65 career record thanks to the 148,000-odd followers of his popular Twitter account — and that of his equally hilarious wife, Amanda, who also was born and raised in Southern California.If the 6-foot-7 McCarthy maintains the form he showed late last season with the New York Yankees, hell fit in splendidly on Hollywoods favourite team.McCarthy went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts for the Yankees, who acquired him from Arizona on July 6. He started the season 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA in 18 starts for the Diamondbacks, who signed him before the 2013 season.McCarthy has never won more than 10 games in a season, racking up a career 4.09 ERA during stints with the Chicago White Sox (2005-06), Texas (2007-09) and Oakland (2011-12).But he thrived last season with the Yankees, adding a cutter to his repertoire and pitching more than 200 innings for the first time in his career. New Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi has faith in McCarthy after their time together in Oakland.Although McCarthy has been to the disabled list 10 times in his career, he apparently has fully recovered after getting hit in the head by a line drive from the Angels Erick Aybar in 2012. McCarthys health remains his paramount concern, but he also looks forward to improving his game by joining one of baseballs most impressive rotations.Missing time, you lose that feel and ability in the middle of the season, McCarthy said. Last year I was able to gain as a pitcher instead of falling backwards. Having guys like Greinke there, having guys like Kershaw, having a whole new library of information you can tap into once you walk in those doors, Im looking forward to that.To make room on their 40-man roster, the Dodgers finally gave up on Wilson, the heavily bearded reliever who revitalized his career with Los Angeles over the past two years.Wilson went 2-4 with a 4.66 ERA in 61 appearances for the Dodgers last season, but the longtime Giants closer blew four of his five save opportunities and lost his job as a setup man for Kenley Jansen while developing a reputation for wild inconsistency. After two elbow ligament replacement surgeries, he has struggled to hit 90 mph with his fastball, but his strong finish to 2013 earned him a lucrative contract with a big player option for 2015.If the deep-pocketed Dodgers release Wilson, they would be responsible for his $10 million salary. If he then signs a major league contract with another team, that team would pay him the $507,000 major league minimum salary, which would be offset.President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedmans new regime in Los Angeles has been awfully busy in its first month on the job. While trading Haren and Dee Gordon to Miami in a seven-player deal last week, the club also acquired veterans Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick while shipping Matt Kemp to San Diego. Discount Cleveland Browns Jerseys . The young man, never lacking confidence, thought he could be really good. Cleveland Browns Jerseys Outlet . Braves reliever David Carpenter was also fined for throwing at Rockies outfielder Corey Dickerson in the same game, which featured several ejections, including Colorado manager Walt Weiss. http://www.cheapbrowns.com/. Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away. Cleveland Browns Sione Takitaki Jersey . The England international had both goals in TFCs season-opening 2-1 win over the Seattle Sounders on Saturday. Cleveland Browns Austin Seibert Jersey . - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to meet with Richie Incognito to determine if one of the central figures in the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal can help their struggling offensive line.PHILADELPHIA -- Trade talk mostly fizzled at the NHL draft. "It just seemed to me there were a lot of phone calls, a lot of talking, people interested, but nothing really happened," Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray said. Aside from Ryan Kesler getting dealt before proceedings got underway and then James Neal a few hours later, the weekend passed without much major action. One small trade -- the Calgary Flames getting Brandon Bollig from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round pick -- looked like a preview of many more to come as cap-strapped teams try to get under the US$69 million ceiling set for next season. "Its a puzzle to put together and try to make all the numbers work," Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said Saturday. "Thats clearly the biggest factor youre faced with when you have salary cap being what it is. Youre going to have some tough decisions. Were not the only team thats in that position. There will be other teams that face the same things." Without naming names, Bowman was describing the plight of the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers, along with his Blackhawks, who almost certainly have to make sacrifices just to be cap-compliant. In the Bruins case, it might mean saying goodbye to Jarome Iginla, a 61-point player and a major piece of their Presidents Trophy-winning season. "If we cant sign Jarome, were going to find a good player at that position," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said Friday night. "We feel all our young guys and our current players are going to get better." Its unclear what else the Bruins might have to do with forwards Reilly Smith, Jordan Caron and Justin Florek and defenceman Torrey Krug and Matt Bartkowski needing new deals as restricted free agents. According to CapGeek, Boston has just over $1.6 million to spend. The Flyers, technically over the cap by a couple hundred thousand dollars, have some room with defenceman Chris Pronger bound for long-term injured reserve. But theyre still reportedly shopping Vincent Lecavalier to rid themselves of at least part of his $4.5 million cap hit for the next four seasons. Chicago managed to part with Bolligs $1.25-million cap hit but might have to clear more salary to fiill out the roster.dddddddddddd Enter the likes of the Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres, teams with salary-cap space to take on salary. Oilers GM Craig MacTavish knows players wont be given away, but talent should be available. "Were in a pretty enviable position to be able to take on some of those contracts," MacTavish said Friday night. "Those are really the style of deals that weve looked to make over the last little while where we give up a few assets, take the contract and the cap space, so well be trying to do some of that." That was part of what went into the Flames trading for Bollig, who just signed a contract extension in March. When the cap was set at $69 million, it was at least $1 million, if not more, less than GMs were hoping for. "Weve been looking at situations with the cap where people that may have difficulty or be in a situation where they had to move money," Flames GM Brad Treliving said. Sabres GM Tim Murray implied that hed be willing to accept expensive contracts, but only if he gets an asset like a draft pick in return. "I tried to make a big trade today, a unique trade," Murray said Saturday. "I said, We got to do like the NBA. So I went to a team and said, You trade me your first pick from yesterday. He didnt want to be the first guy to do that. So Im not sure I did, either. But I thought it was a good idea." There could be a market for those NBA-style deals if GMs determine the cap space gained is worth it. More likely, teams up against the $69 million limit will be getting partial value on current players to clear room to manoeuvre when unrestricted free agency opens Tuesday. Plenty of money will get handed out then, and the teams that dont have the space to do it will be forced to rely on younger players to fill the void. Bowman, who has gone through this during two Stanley Cup runs, called it just the continuation of the development cycle. "Its a constant process of finding guys who will be able to fill those roles," he said. "Its a never-ending game. Thats the state of the game today. But you have to find players, whether theyre free agents or like today draft picks and work with making it to the point where they can be NHL contributors." 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