First tier luxury tax. But without enough commitments to put them in danger of a second year over. As the luxury tax stands now, they will go over it one year, but not two in a row.
All bets are off with the new CBA after next year, though.
They were bad for large swaths of the season. They were unbelievably good early on. I think wear and tear/injuries to blame. Thankfully signs of life lately.
Rib fracture doesn't mean what it sounds like it means. It's not like he snapped a bone. Its more likely the a rib pulled away from the connecting cartilage. Think of it more like a dislocated rib. Still very painful and debilitating
Put another way, Arrieta continued to dominate lineups the third and fourth time through. In all likelihood, Horton would have been at least somewhat more vulnerable had he been allowed to face lineups a third time.
ETA: lineups didn't get a chance to face him the fourth time very often. Even in 7-8 innings.
Announcers say the they don't know what he hurt. It looked pretty obvious he tore something in his shoulder there. He was pitching through pain before, and it just went.