BAKU -- Maurizio Sarri overshadowed Chelsea's preparations for the Europa League final by storming out of an open training session on the eve of the match against Arsenal.

- The Road to Baku: How fans can reach UEL final

Chelsea's head coach furiously threw his hat to the ground and kicked it away twice on his way down the tunnel before the scheduled hour-long session had ended at Baku Olympic Stadium, in full view of the assembled media.

Gonzalo Higuain had earlier angered David Luiz with a late challenge during a small-sided training game, though Chelsea officials subsequently insisted that this was not the reason for Sarri's sudden outburst.

A Chelsea spokesman said: "Maurizio's frustration displayed at the end of training was not related to any of his players, but was due to not being able to practise set-plays in the final 15 minutes of the hour-long training session as it remained open to media."

Sarri's fury came less than two hours after a news conference in which he appeared in good spirits, revealing that he will have to consider his love for Chelsea's players and his affection for English football when weighing up his future at Stamford Bridge after the Europa League final.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Chelsea are not inclined to sack Sarri even if he loses to Arsenal on Wednesday, but are prepared to negotiate with Juventus -- or any other interested club -- if the Italian makes it clear he wants to leave.

Chelsea's open training session had been relatively unremarkable until Sarri's outburst, with N'Golo Kante's cautious participation the main talking point.

Kante did light exercises on his own under the watchful eye of a Chelsea fitness coach and was seen in discussion with the club's medical director Paco Biosca, before leaving the session before the small-sided training game began.

Sarri rated Kante as "50/50" to start against Arsenal as the France international attempts to recover from a twisted knee sustained at Cobham on Saturday.

Ahead of their opening game against South Africa on June 2, Bangladesh will have to consider the conditions at The Oval when picking their playing XI, but there is stiff competition within the squad too. ESPNcricinfo looks at five areas that need to be addressed before their first match in this World Cup.

Will they break the grand plan for Mosaddek?

The first big question that will be posed in front of captain Mashrafe Mortaza, coach Steve Rhodes, chief selector Minhajul Abedin and BCB president Nazmul Hassan, ahead of their game against South Africa, is whether they should break their long-term plan to bat Sabbir Rahman at No. 7 in order to accommodate Mosaddek Hossain.

The long-term plan was so ingrained into their thinking that the BCB reduced Sabbir's ban for abusing a fan on Facebook to ensure he played the three ODIs against New Zealand back in February. But even though he struck his maiden ODI hundred during that series, Sabbir's form of late hasn't been as encouraging.

And then came Mosaddek's blinder against West Indies in the tri-series final, especially his sudden six surge during a chase. Bangladesh have been searching for years for at least one lower-order batsman to be able to do something similar. Sabbir was their marked man for this role but now Mosaddek's case looks stronger ahead of their World Cup opener.

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Rubel or Saifuddin, or both?

Mohammad Saifuddin's all-round abilities give him the edge over Rubel Hossain, who will call upon the experience of playing two previous World Cups and having been a match-winner for Bangladesh. It is not quite a secret that captain Mashrafe has considerable faith in him and has said often that he prefers Rubel in the death overs.

Saifuddin hasn't had enough performances to warrant the same unflinching faith but the general habit in Bangladesh cricket is to risk a youngster on a big occasion.

Given the conditions they could also play both Rubel and Saifuddin, if they feel picking Mehidy Hasan would be too many spinners. But Mehidy's accuracy with the ball, and his batting, suggests that he is a likely starter.

Does Liton's fifties give him an outside chance?

Suddenly, Liton Das has also thrown himself in the mix, especially after his fifties against India in the practice match and against Ireland two weeks ago. It is unlikely that they would break the Tamim Iqbal-Soumya Sarkar opening combination, and Liton has largely been picked as their back-up. However, in the two chances he has been given so far he has looked in good touch. If he hadn't been struck on the throat a hundred was in the offing in Cardiff.

In the event of the team management seriously considering including Liton they would have to reshuffle the batting order again. It would mean Shakib Al Hasan being sent to No. 5 after he has established himself at No. 3 since the start of 2018. And it would also mean Mohammad Mithun, who was the only notable performer in the ODI series against New Zealand back in February, would have to make way for Liton.

Who will take the new ball?

Bangladesh haven't done too well with the new ball this year. Mashrafe has been the only constant during the first Powerplay, with Saifuddin and Mustafizur Rahman at times giving him company. Rubel is said to be more comfortable bowling in the middle and death over while Saifuddin is still developing. They tried Abu Jayed for a couple of game but he is only going to play if the conditions are conducive to swing. Mashrafe and Mustafizur therefore seem to be the most likely pairing but if that isn't working, Mashrafe has also not been shy to bring Shakib and Mehidy into the attack early.

Regardless of it coming in a warm-up match, KL Rahul's century against Bangladesh has likely put him in the front of the queue for the No. 4 slot in the India middle order after captain Virat Kohli said his form was the "biggest positive" India would take into their first match of the World Cup against South Africa on June 5.

Although Vijay Shankar was nominated by MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors, as a suitable choice for the No. 4 slot, Kohli hinted that the team management would be open to thinking of Rahul for that position.

"The biggest positive to come out of this game was the way KL batted at four," Kohli said after the outing in Cardiff. "All the other people know their role pretty well, so it was important that KL gets runs because he is such a sound player. He can get the scoreboard ticking and you saw that - a great example of the skillset that he has."

Although Vijay would have been the favourite to bat at No. 4 he hurt his right forearm on the eve of the first warm-up match against New Zealand and sat out that match. He recovered quickly and played the whole match against Bangladesh, but did not get a start and went wicketless. He is bound to feel unlucky if Rahul trumps him for a slot in the middle order in India's first match next week.

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Rahul himself was more composed, albeit happy that he might be in contention to play his first World Cup match. Asked if he was ready to bat at No. 4, Rahul chose to be diplomatic, saying he was flexible with any role the team gave him.

"It is a team game and you need to be flexible and be ready to bat wherever, or as a player you need to be ready to take up whatever role is given to you," Rahul said. "Every batsman who has played at this level knows how to handle pressure and knows how to handle the roles and responsibilities given to him.

"And it is a team game and everybody has been prepared for the last couple of years in a way where anything, any role can be given come a big game. All of us are prepared that way and nothing that is given to any individual now will come off as a surprise. Everybody has been tried and tested in different positions. As individuals, we have got a fair hit and know how to perform if a different role is given to us."

It has been a challenging 18 months for Rahul who has struggled in Test cricket since the South Africa tour last year. Even in ODIs, the team think tank had preferred the likes of Ambati Rayudu for the No. 4 slot until as recently as March.

ALSO READ: KL Rahul stakes his claim for the No. 4 slot

Rahul then had to endure the embarrassment of being recalled from the T20 series in Australia in January after the BCCI suspended him along with team-mate Hardik Pandya for breaching the code of conduct after the pair made offensive and derogatory remarks on an Indian television chat show. Both players accepted their guilt allowing the board's ethics officer to let them off with a monetary fine.

Rahul accepted that he was humbled by the incident. Rahul Dravid, the former India captain and now India A coach, provided help when Rahul was part of the A series against England Lions where he struck good form. He carried that forward in the IPL where he was the best batsman for his franchise Kings XI Punjab. And then, in April he was picked for the World Cup squad.

"Time-out from the game gives a player an opportunity and time to reflect on himself and his cricket. It wasn't any different for me. I got some time to spend with friends and family which was so important because I've been on the road for a long time. Given the situation, that's not what I wanted to get some time off. Anyway I tried to make the best use of it, I felt like there were a few things with my batting and technique I needed to fix.

"I worked with my coach back home in Bangalore and the India A games gave me a little time with Rahul Dravid to just speak to him about mental preparation and how to handle pressure and how to handle low confidence and low form. The best way to get back to scoring runs is to find that form in the middle and I got that opportunity. So from there I just carried on and I knew that my batting was fine and I was very hungry to come back and score runs for whatever teams I played."

Gavin Robertson, the former Australian spin bowler, is facing a protracted course of treatment for aggressive brain cancer after a recent diagnosis.

A little more than 20 years after the last of his four Test matches Robertson sought medical advice after reportedly feeling unwell and was found to be suffering from primary brain cancer, otherwise known as gliobastoma.

He has undergone surgery to remove a brain tumour and is now set to begin an intensive course of chemo and radiation therapy over the next 18 months in an effort to contain the cancer in his body.

Since his retirement, Robertson has been well-known and liked as a commentator while also working as community liaison officer for the Greater Western Sydney Giants AFL team. In a statement released on Wednesday he thanked the outpouring of support.

"My family and I have been overwhelmed by the incredible show of love and support from so many friends and well-wishers over the past week," Robertson said. "It has been an emotional roller coaster, consuming each and every minute of my day, and now I am ready and able to meet this challenge that confronts me.

"Thank you again for your positive messages sending me best wishes. It reminds me how fortunate I am to have made so many enduring and genuine friendships over the past 50 years. I really appreciate your support, and just can't answer all these messages right now, and kindly request that we have some privacy in the first phase of the battle ahead."

Thinking of Gavin Robertson and his family at this tough time, the world is testing all of us and many others affected by Cancer, keep going @GavRobbo375 @MarkAllenGolf you are true champions, your families are great pillars of strength and our thoughts are with you all. Xxxx

— Darren Lehmann (@darren_lehmann) May 28, 2019

His spin bowling for New South Wales and Australia earned respect for its resourcefulness and accuracy, while he learned a great deal about how to tackle subcontinental conditions more than a decade before Nathan Lyon finally mastered the task in 2017.

Mark Taylor, who was Robertson's Test captain, praised his character and fighting spirit. "The first thing that comes to mind is him being a very vibrant person," Taylor told Wide World of Sports. "He brought that to NSW and Australian cricket. Always chin up, with a smile on his face, enjoying life; as a cricketer and as a person. That vibrancy, that always looking for the positive; that was what Gav was very good at. I hope that will hold him in good stead in the weeks, months and maybe years ahead for him."

"I want to wish our mate Gavin Robertson a happy birthday. I know he's had happier birthdays than the one he's experiencing right now," reporter Mat Thompson said on Macquarie Sports Radio. "But he has a wonderfully supporting family, great friends and many wellwishers among the supporting public.

Thinking of Gavin Robertson this evening as he battles brain cancer. One of the good guys, stay strong Robbo all our prayers are with you mate. @GavRobbo375

— Tom Moody (@TomMoodyCricket) May 28, 2019

"Sadly, the news for Gav is not great. I told you a couple weeks back that he'd been feeling unwell with a variety of symptoms, which prompted him to go and seek advice from the great professor Dr Charlie Teo and within hours he'd been diagnosed with a brain tumour and was in surgery.

"Robbo is facing a very long fight. When one of the good guys is faced with a struggle like Gavin is, it's absolutely heartbreaking. When I heard the news of his diagnosis last night I was numb. He's a man who I've respected enormously for many years. He's in for the fight of his life."

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- While Oakland Raiders receiver Antonio Brown was not asked Tuesday about his severed relationship with his former quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger apologized for his treatment of him in Pittsburgh, Brown did heap praise on his new QB, Derek Carr.

Brown also shined some light on how he's getting along with new teammate Vontaze Burfict, who once knocked Brown out of a playoff game on a hit to the head when with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"It's tremendously important to have a relationship off the field because playing football, you get mentally tired," Brown said after the Raiders' Week 2 OTA practice. "You get frustrated. You always want to have that respect for a guy to know where he's coming from, know what he stands for and know what's important to him so you guys can be on the same page. And do what you desire to do -- win.

"Camaraderie is key. Any team needs camaraderie to win, to know the guys and have their back. That's why we're here today, to build camaraderie, show the guys what I'm about and continue to build it."

Then how, exactly, would Brown, acquired for a third- and fifth-round pick on March 13, describe his relationship with Carr?

"I think it's really growing," he said. "Making a lot of deposits so we have a lot in the bank. Extremely grateful to be out here, to put the work in action. Show these guys what I'm about, on and off the field. It's exciting to build that correlation and see it come to fruition right here."

In nine seasons with the Steelers, Brown teamed with Roethlisberger to go to the playoffs six times. In 10 playoff games, Brown caught 51 passes for 837 yards and four touchdowns.

Carr, meanwhile, has yet to play in the postseason, the Raiders falling to the Houston Texans in the 2016 playoffs as he was recovering from a season-ending broken right ankle suffered in Week 16.

Being a fan of "visualization," Carr said he studies tapes of his receivers from their previous stops.

"That's huge, and seeing how someone breaks on a route -- because half the time you only get a split second when you see them break, you don't get to see the whole picture -- I'm throwing behind massive bodies and I just have to know that that's where the ball is supposed to be," Carr said last week.

"Watching these guys run these routes and watching how they break, you definitely take a look at it, especially with AB. The success that he and Ben had, you'd be silly not to see what they did. I'd be a fool to say, 'Ah, no, let's do it our way.' No, let me see what you all did good, because we can do the same things here, you're just wearing a different color."

Brown and Carr famously vibed at the Pro Bowl in 2018.

"Being with DC at the Pro Bowl was really a fun experience," Brown said. "You know, seeing his passion as a quarterback, seeing his detail and I think we had a moment like, 'Dang that was pretty cool.' Me running a route, him being [able] to throw and being in this position to look back from that day is God's planning."

And when it came to Burfict, Brown said he carried no ill will.

"Well, football is football," Brown said. "You know, obviously, the player I am, there's always a bull's-eye on me. I know when I got the light under my cleats guys are going to take chances and try to hurt me. But it's not personal, it's just part of the game.

"It's not like he's hit me off the field. Then that would be a bigger problem, you know? But it's football. You play the game long enough, you're going to get hit hard. And you know it's just part of the game."

CHICAGO -- A Chicago White Sox employee of the month got to throw out a first pitch. And, to put it mildly, she was just a little bit off target.

The rookie right-hander uncorked one of the most wayward first pitches ever when she plunked a team photographer standing close by, between the mound and the first-base line, before Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals.

The ball went right off Darren Georgia's lens, nowhere near the plate.

The woman covered her face with both hands and raised her arms. White Sox pitcher Evan Marshall, her intended catcher, put his hands over his head, then wrapped his left arm around her.

Georgia told NBC Sports Chicago he was able to get a photo just before the woman released the pitch.

Life comes at you pretty fast. pic.twitter.com/ySGgmqSc1n

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 29, 2019

"I honestly didn't even see it coming," George said during NBC Sports' broadcast of the game. "I took the photo, and it just hit the camera. It didn't hit my head. The camera's OK. I'm OK. But just shocked."

The White Sox didn't identify the woman pitcher. But no doubt, her toss is certain to be replayed for years, right up there with the wild first pitch by rapper 50 Cent before a Pittsburgh Pirates-New York Mets game at Citi Field -- that came five years and one day earlier.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Devin Smeltzer took the mound for his first game in the majors, his wife and parents among a sizable crowd at Target Field, set to face National League MVP Christian Yelich and the hard-hitting Milwaukee Brewers.

Nervous?

After fighting to get this far, no way.

Diagnosed with cancer when he was just 9 years old, Smeltzer added another chapter to his inspiring comeback story, pitching six shutout innings in his debut to help the Minnesota Twins beat the Brewers 5-3 on Tuesday night.

"It's everything I've dreamed of. I've worked for this my whole life, been through a lot, and it all came true today," he said after tearful hugs from 21 family members outside the clubhouse, including an extended embrace with his wife, Brianne.

"I joked with my wife after the game, 'I think that's the most calm I've ever been.' I'm usually very high energy," Smeltzer said. "Tonight, I felt like I'd done it a million times."

Smeltzer probably had that many dreams, or more, about baseball success while building to this moment. It was a long way from the day doctors found a grapefruit-sized cancerous tumor against his bladder.

"I know that tomorrow, between the lines, may not happen. It's been told to me before, and I don't take a day for granted out there," he said.

"So, I put a lot into that, and my family goes with that, and pretty much everything I've been through has turned into hard work and determination and putting my nose down and working a lot and just keep pushing."

The 23-year-old Smeltzer allowed three hits, walked none and struck out seven. Showing a funky, three-quarter style delivery, the lanky left-hander threw 69 pitches, 53 for strikes.

He exited with the game scoreless and got a no-decision. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Smeltzer will get another chance at his first win.

"It was really fun experience just watching him keep rolling out there inning after inning and getting the job done," Baldelli said. "He did exactly what he's been doing in the minor leagues."

In nine combined starts at Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Rochester, Smeltzer was 3-2 with a 1.15 ERA. He got called up this week when the Twins put pitcher Michael Pineda on the injured list with right knee tendinitis.

Smeltzer retired his final eight batters, striking out Lorenzo Cain and Yelich to end the sixth.

Smeltzer danced around damage in the second, third and fourth innings when, with a runner on base, the final out each inning was a catch on the warning track.

The Twins got Smeltzer last July in a trade that sent second baseman Brian Dozier to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Eddie Rosario homered and Max Kepler added a two-run double for Minnesota, which has won 12 of 14 games and has the best record in the majors.

Keston Hiura and Yasmani Grandal homered late for the Brewers.

Rosario capped a five-run seventh inning with a two-run drive off Junior Guerra. It was the Twins' 56th home run in May, setting a franchise record for a month.

That homer came after C.J. Cron doubled off Guerra to make it 3-0. Kepler, selected as the American League Player of the Week, doubled in two runs earlier in the inning against Alex Claudio (1-2).

Matt Magill (1-0) tossed a scoreless inning, and Ryne Harper got the final out for his first career save.

In the fourth, Kepler made a leaping grab at the wall, lost the ball in the transfer and doubled up Ryan Braun at second base. Milwaukee unsuccessfully challenged the catch; the Brewers now are 1-6 in replay challenges this season.

Milwaukee starter Zach Davies allowed five hits and struck out four in six shutout innings. He allowed six earned runs in three innings last Wednesday at home against the Cincinnati Reds.

"I felt like I stuck to my game plan in my last outing, but the execution of pitches wasn't there," Davies said. "Coming into this game, just making sure I'm free and easy, and throwing to my game plan. I ended up executing better, and the results followed."

SUCCESSFUL STARTERS

Smeltzer is the fourth Twins starter in team history to throw at least six shutout innings in his major league debut. Andrew Albers, Anthony Swarzak and Eric Milton are the others.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jeremy Jeffress, who was nearly hit in the head by a line drive on Monday and fell back at an awkward angle, said he feels fine. ... Entering Tuesday, 3B Travis Shaw (right wrist) was 2-for-19 in his first five games on a Triple-A rehab assignment with six strikeouts. Manager Craig Counsell said there is no timetable for his return.

Twins: CF Byron Buxton left in the second inning with a bruised right knee after crashing hard into the fence in front of the bullpens as he tried to catch a second-inning triple by Grandal. "I feel fine. It's just one of those things where I come out to get looked at. Just to be precautionary," he said.

UP NEXT

Brewers: Send RHP Chase Anderson (2-0, 3.25) to the hill on Thursday for the start of a four-game series in Pittsburgh. The Pirates plan to go with RHP Joe Musgrove (3-5. 4.27).

Twins: Open a 10-game road trip Thursday with the first of four games at the Tampa Bay Rays. LHP Martin Perez (7-1, 2.95), who has won six of eight starts since joining the rotation, is scheduled to face the Rays' Charlie Morton (5-0, 2.54).

CINCINNATI -- Derek Dietrich was describing his three-homer game for the media when Scooter Gennett walked past and put it in a slightly different perspective.

"Anybody can hit three, Derek,'' said Gennett, who did him one better in 2017.

No, Dietrich's latest big game didn't set any records. But it extended one of the most unexpected home run tears by a Cincinnati Reds player in recent years. Dietrich hit three homers -- all two-run shots -- and the Pittsburgh Pirates suffered yet another injury to their rotation Tuesday night as Cincinnati pulled away to an 11-6 victory.

"This is more than just a hot streak,'' Reds manager David Bell said.

Dietrich grounded out in his first at-bat and connected in the fourth off Jordan Lyles (5-2), who left after the inning with discomfort in his left hamstring. Dietrich then connected off Geoff Hartlieb in the fifth and again in the seventh for his first three-homer game.

After the third homer, the 13,824 fans at Great American Ball Park demanded a curtain call. Still holding his batting helmet, Dietrich emerged from the dugout and raised both arms.

He didn't get another at-bat to try to match Gennett, who tied the major league record with four homers at Great American Ball Park on June 6, 2017.

Signed to a minor league deal in February with a chance to compete for a spot off the bench, Dietrich has received playing time with Gennett sidelined since spring training due to a groin injury. Dietrich's 17 homers already has set a career high, and 12 of his past 17 hits have been home runs.

It only took Dietrich 118 at-bats to get to 17 homers, the seventh fewest at-bats by a player with 17 homers since 1961, behind luminaries such as Barry Bonds (116), Albert Pujols (112) and Mark McGwire (93).

"They let me be myself,'' Dietrich said. "They believe in me. They gave me an opportunity. That's all I've ever needed along the way.''

Most of the damage has been against the Pirates, who have allowed eight of his homers.

"He's hitting our mistakes extremely well,'' Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "The balls are not where we wanted them, and he's clobbered them.''

Lyles had an awkward follow-through on a pitch in the fourth but completed the inning. The Pirates already are missing starters Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams. They've had 22 players on the injured list this season, with starter Chris Archer also missing time because of a sore thumb.

Now, there's a chance Lyles will have to miss time, as well.

"We've got the injury bug so far this year,'' Lyles said. "Everybody knows it.''

With its seventh loss in nine games, Pittsburgh fell to 26-27, the first time the Pirates have been below .500 since May 3.

Lucas Sims (1-0) was called up pregame and struck out a career-high nine in 7⅓ innings, the longest outing of his career. He gave up Kevin Newman's grand slam in the eighth, the rookie's first major league homer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Over the next week, as the Major League Baseball draft approaches, a creative team could sign Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel.

That looks like a simple sentence. In truth, it is 21 words of absurdism. It is, in many ways, the perfect summation of how baseball's economic system short-circuited. It is disparate ingredients swimming in the same stock pot and producing something gamy and funky and generally unappetizing. It is also worthy of a clause-by-clause breakdown, to tie together these elements and make sense of a baseball story that didn't need to be.

Over the next week ...

For 211 days, Keuchel and Kimbrel have been free agents, available to sign with any of MLB's 30 teams. That's an entire offseason, all of spring training and the first third of the season. Neither the excitement of the winter nor the improvement of rivals nor the fear of camp not turning out as intended nor the rigors of 50-plus games has changed that.

There is a distinct expectation, among teams with and without a need to sign a pitcher -- the latter admittedly is in far shorter supply than the former -- that it will happen after the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. and Sunday turns into Monday. At that moment, the draft-pick compensation attached to Keuchel and Kimbrel -- because they rejected qualifying offers from Houston and Boston, respectively -- will disappear and teams' only outlay for the players will be monetary.

Executives privately admit that it's a terrible look -- that no matter what Keuchel or Kimbrel went into the winter seeking, two pitchers with their pedigrees remaining free agents into the third month of a season reflects poorly on the industry writ large. Keuchel, 31, is a workhorse. Only a dozen pitchers have thrown more than his 950⅓ innings over the past five seasons -- and just five of those sported a better ERA. Kimbrel, who turns 31 today, has been the best closer of his generation and posted more wins above replacement through age 30 than every reliever but Lee Smith and Bruce Sutter, each of whom threw nearly 250 innings more in that time span than Kimbrel.

Clearly teams did not believe Kimbrel was worth the $120 million over six years they say he sought over the winter. Keuchel likewise did not appeal to them at a similar number of years and an even higher per-annum price. But still a free agent? Even with seven American League teams and as many as 13 in the National League with at least some hope for the playoffs? A draft pick is going to get in the way of that?

... as the Major League Baseball draft approaches ...

If indeed a rush on Keuchel or Kimbrel commences when draft-pick compensation vanishes, it will only reinforce the need to once and for all untether free agency from the draft. Every iteration of the system linking the two has been abused or contributed to a dampening of the free-agent market. The general premise sounds noble: Give back to teams that lose the best free agents, penalize the teams rich enough to sign them. The reality is muddier and plays out to its grubbiest endpoint with Keuchel and Kimbrel: The penalty applies to all teams, not just the richest, and gets passed on to the players, to whom draft picks tether themselves.

Teams already do all they can to undercut the value of players, much as players try to extract the most out of teams. The power imbalance reveals itself in the perception of offers. Keuchel and Kimbrel have been castigated this winter for overvaluing themselves; teams, meanwhile, have offered well below the value of both players' projected numbers, and they're instead lauded for fiscal responsibility or attempts to get a good deal.

The draft-pick excuse is the apex of this. Yes, draft picks do have value -- and a fair amount of it, actually, because MLB's core economic system depresses the earning potential of players through their prime years. At the same time, if the draft -- which, best-case scenario, churns out a major-league-ready player within two years -- so clearly exceeds in importance what's happening in the major leagues right now, perhaps it's time to send the pendulum in a different direction. Because contending teams are going to lose out on Keuchel or Kimbrel due to fear over draft-pick value -- or, better put, teams that can legitimately strengthen their chances of winning a World Series will opt instead for the lottery ticket.

... a creative team ...

Here's the fun part. Any of those 20 contending teams can jump the market. If they really believe the beginning of the draft is going to jump-start two markets that never really materialized in the first place, they can call Keuchel's agent, Scott Boras, or Kimbrel's agent, David Meter, and say: Forget the pick, let's do a deal.

There are so many options too. Start with Kimbrel. Teams might be more inclined to jump the market if he opts for a one-year deal. Kimbrel is also wary of the volatility of relief pitching and teams believe he will continue to look for a multiyear pact. Wariness will greet such a tack.

A shorter-term deal, on the other hand, suddenly makes plenty of sense for the Chicago Cubs. They don't have a closer. The salary that will count against their luxury-tax number is what Kimbrel is being paid, not the full-season figure. They're already above the second tax threshold, and Kimbrel isn't going to take them to the third. And they'd have to give up just the 64th pick, which carries slightly more than $1 million in bonus money (and an implied value, because of the return, of closer to $4 million).

If the Cubs want a closer, they can trade for one -- and give up top prospects to do so -- or simply pay cash for Kimbrel. However mediocre he looked last October, Kimbrel pitching ninth innings in October instead of Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek and others would round out an awfully talented team.

Keuchel, on the other hand, would seem to fit very nicely with the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays, who happen to be in first and second place in the AL East. Every Yankees player is mandated, it seems, for at least one injured-list stint, so there's still room in the rotation for Keuchel. And the Rays, whose only starters are Blake Snell and Charlie Morton, have nothing but room until the return of Tyler Glasnow from the IL and the ascent of prospects.

For the Yankees, it would cost the 38th pick and nearly $2 million in bonus money. The Rays would forfeit the 40th pick. As Craig Edwards noted at FanGraphs, each of those picks is worth about $8 million in value. The Rays are unlikely to jump the market, even if it would so behoove them. The Yankees could because they're the Yankees, but they have embraced value with great rigor.

So will anyone get creative? Will the Brewers say forget it, be willing to forfeit the 133rd overall pick (and its $425,000 in draft dollars) and give Josh Hader a chance to breathe with the addition of Kimbrel? Will the Braves, so deep already in young talent, cede the 60th pick so they don't have to go against the Dodgers or Cubs in the first round of the playoffs with Luke Jackson closing games? Can the Rays or Dodgers or Padres or even the Red Sox get the reliever each needs before the draft pick turns into a pumpkin? Will the Phillies solve their fifth-starter issue not internally but with Keuchel -- and give up only the 91st pick in the process? Do the Brewers or Cardinals or Twins or even the Astros grab that starter to round out their rotation? Does anyone want to win enough that a team, before the draft ...

... could sign Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel.

That's not exactly a fair question. Of course teams want to win. Professional sports would not exist otherwise. The better question: Do they want to win so badly that they're willing to do something irrational?

Because in most of these cases, it's true: Jumping the market to sign Keuchel or Kimbrel just days before they can avoid giving up a draft pick to do so would be irrational. It also would avoid the idea of a bidding war ... which could wind up being nothing more than a red herring. As valuable as the draft picks might be to teams, their ultimate decision to sign a player will depend in large part on what he's asking.

And whether teams are willing to meet that price, of course, depends on what he can reasonably provide. At this point, Keuchel and Kimbrel will take a few weeks minimum to prepare for major league games. The good news is they'll be fresh, rested and presumably ready to be taxed even harder than usual down the stretch and into the playoff drive.

Both understand they're pitching for big paydays at this point. If Keuchel can stay healthy and produce in the postseason, surely a team will give him a representative multiyear offer next winter. If Kimbrel can be the guy who knows where his 99 mph fastball is going and can throw enough strikes with his curveball to keep hitters honest, he might not get $120 million, but half that isn't out of the question. Both understand too that they shouldn't be anywhere close to this position, that baseball is a sport with enough mediocrity that Keuchel and Kimbrel's unemployment is farcical. There are hundreds upon hundreds of worse pitchers in the major leagues today.

That should be remedied soon. Maybe not this week, unless a team recognizes an opportunity, and maybe not even early next week, but soon enough. It wouldn't necessarily right a wrong in full, but at least it would take a step in the right direction and remind MLB that as it meets soon with the players' union to discuss changes to the economic system, this case -- and broken draft-pick compensation -- should be among the first things discussed.