Jair Jurrjens finally signed his contract with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday evening. Originally reaching an agreement for a Major League contract worth $1.5 million it was re-structured after a physical raised questions about the health of the right-hander. He now signed a minor league contract with an invitation for Spring Training, which will pay him the same amount if he makes the MLB roster. However the new development means that he won’t be playing for the Netherlands in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, trying to focus solely on Spring Training with the O’s.
Dutch shortstop Jurickson Profar is likely waiting until the last minute to decide if he joins the Dutch team for the WBC. The soon to be 20-year-old competes for a roster spot with the Texas Rangers and is still pondering what to do.
Francisco Cervelli meanwhile was never really an option to play for Italy in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Speaking to reporters on Saturday he confirmed that he already told manager Marco Mazzieri in December that it isn’t likely he would play due to his chances to be the number one catcher for the New York Yankees. Italy still put him on the provisional roster just in case. Cervelli talked with Mazzieri again a couple of days ago to confirm that his WBC status hasn’t changed.