around the horn

Former Ole Miss standout Aaron Barrett made some headlines over the weekend when he blamed his elbow injury on overuse early in the 2015 season. The right-handed reliever, who’ll miss the 2016 season following September Tommy John surgery, worked in 30 of Washington’s first 60 games. “The bottom line was I was literally just throwing too much,” he told The Associated Press. He pitched in only 10 games thereafter, working 29 1/3 innings all told. After a strong start, Barrett did two stints on the disabled list and wound up with a 4.60 ERA. … Houston wanted lefty reliever Tony Sipp back in the fold for 2016, and the feeling apparently was mutual. “You can see the talent on this team. … Just want to be a part of it,” Sipp told mlb.com. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula signed a 3-year, $18M deal with the Astros, for whom he posted a 1.99 ERA in 2015. He yielded one unearned run in five appearances in the postseason, Houston’s first venture there in 10 years. … Jonathan Papelbon, the Mississippi State alum, told WEEI.com (a Boston radio station) that new Red Sox closer (and former Mississippi Braves star) Craig Kimbrel is “a younger version or me.” Papelbon, now with Washington, is Boston’s all-time saves leader but, of course, is also infamous for some episodes of hotheadedness. Red Sox fans must be hoping that Papelbon was only talking about his pitching exploits when he made his comment about Kimbrel. … The Chicago White Sox reportedly discussed a trade with Cincinnati for All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier but did not want to include Tim Anderson, the ex-East Central CC star, in the deal. Shortstop Anderson, the White Sox’s top-rated prospect, hit .312 with 49 stolen bases at Double-A Birmingham this past season. Anderson had a “speed score” of 8.6 in 2015, fifth-best among mlb.com’s Top 100 prospects.