DUNEDIN, Florida – Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos spent a patient offseason waiting for the market value of free agent starting pitchers to drop. Andre Smith Jersey . In the end, Ervin Santanas desire to pitch in the National League and his willingness to play the waiting game won the day when he signed a one-year deal with the Braves worth a reported $14.1-million, exactly the value of the qualifying offer he rejected from his former team, the Kansas City Royals. Anthopoulos was light on specifics but insisted neither term nor dollars affected Santanas decision. The Jays could have increased their offer to Santana. They cant change the league or division in which they play. “Couldnt compete with it,” said Anthopoulos. “Wish him the best, obviously Im sure us and other clubs would have loved to have had him but were going to move on.” Santana couldnt find a multi-year contract offer which suited him, due largely in part to the draft pick compensation owed Kansas City by the team that signed him. The preference to pitch in the National League, in and of itself, is understandable. “I certainly understand it,” said R.A. Dickey, who pitched in the NL East for the Mets. “You get to face a pitcher every night, you dont have the DH and then the games are quicker and all that stuff, parks a little bit bigger. So, it makes sense logically for him on a one-year deal in particular.” Santana is pitching for his next contract; a deal he hopes will be a multi-year pact. He will be 32 at the time. The Braves play in a division that features the young, rebuilding Miami Marlins, the Bernie Madoff-infected New York Mets and the expensive, aging Phillies. On paper, only the Nationals pose a threat to Atlanta and both could end up in the playoffs, one as a wildcard. The Braves entered the fray on the weekend after two of their top pitchers, Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, experienced elbow pain. Beachy has had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. It appears Medlen is destined for the operation, which would cost him the season, although he was seeking a second opinion. What isnt clear is how close the Blue Jays were to signing Santana before Atlanta emerged. It is clear they thought they close. “Talking about Santana (internally,) that kind of put some things on hold, it kind of changed our opinions on some things but now that hes gone were back to where we were,” said manager John Gibbons. Asked if he thought Santana would sign on the weekend, Anthopoulos kept his cards close. “Um, yeah, you know what, Id rather not say. Id probably rather not say.” Was Anthopoulos surprised the Jays didnt land Santana? “Thats another good (question.) Id probably rather not say on that one as well.” The Blue Jays exercised a full-court press to secure Santanas services. The pitcher has a number of friends on the club – hes a native of the Dominican Republic – and he shares an agent, Jay Alou, with Jose Bautista. None of it was enough. The Blue Jays are back to square one. R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Mark Buehrle are locks for the starting rotation. At the start of camp, Anthopoulos indicated J.A. Happ had a starters job, too, but has since backtracked. Happ was away from the team for two days late last week dealing with back pain both he and the club say isnt affecting his ability to pitch. Happ has been knocked around, to the tune of a 40.50 ERA in two appearances, and is now part of the larger group of pitchers competing for the final two rotation spots. Happ told TSN.ca on Saturday he hadnt been told of a possible change to his role. He was surprised and appeared vexed. “Well he hasnt told me anything,” said Anthopoulos. “As far as Im concerned, no one said anything to me, so I dont have any concerns.” Josh Bynes Cardinals Jersey . Nine years later, he might have finally figured it out. He had only five rounds in the 60s in his previous eight trips. Chad Williams Cardinals Jersey .I shared with him how much I appreciated all he had done for us, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said of that Thursday night farewell.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton will undergo surgery Wednesday on his left ankle and will be sidelined for four months, the Carolina Panthers announced. The team said Tuesday the Pro Bowl quarterback has experienced soreness in the ankle since the end of last season and the problem simply wasnt getting better. "The ankle was sore after the San Francisco game and we wanted to see if rest would calm it down, but it is still bothering him and the decision was made to address it," Panthers trainer Ryan Anderson said in a press release. The Panthers lost to the 49ers on Jan. 12 in the NFC divisional playoffs. The surgery will be performed by Panthers team physician Robert Anderson at Carolinas Medical Center. If all goes as expected, Newton could return before training begins at the end of July. Newton led the Panthers to a 12-4 record last season and the NFC South championship. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl. The news is particularly concerning for the Panthers since Newton is expected to be working with almost an entirely new group of wide receivers this season. The Panthers released Steve Smith, the franchises all-time leader in receptions in a salary cap related move last week. Brandon LaFell, the teams other starter last season, signed with New England in free aagency while top reserves Ted Ginn Jr. Andre Smith Cardinals Jersey. and Domenik Hixon signed free agent deals with Arizona and Chicago respectively. Given that Newton wont be back until just before the start of training camp means he wont have much time to develop chemistry with the new receivers the team brings in to play this season. The Panthers havent signed any free agent receivers this off-season, although they did recently visit with Jerricho Cotchery from the New York Jets. Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Ron Rivera were unavailable for comment. Newtons father, Cecil Newton, reached by telephone, said he hasnt spoken to his son about the ankle and didnt feel comfortable discussing the injury in the media. He said Cam Newton has been taking classes at Auburn where he is working on his college degree. Newton has started all 48 regular season games since arriving as the No. 1 overall pick out of Auburn in 2011. This past season Newton threw for 3,379 yards with a career-high 24 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. He also led the Panthers on five come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter. In three seasons Newton has thrown for 11,299 yards passing with 64 touchdowns and 42 interceptions. Hes also run for 2,032 yards and 28 touchdowns. Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Blue Jackets Jerseys Cheap Hurricanes Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Sabres Jerseys Cheap Bruins Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys ' ' '