George Springer, Trevor Bauer and Francisco Lindor are wearing blue now. Springer received the biggest contract in the offseason from the Toronto Blue Jays. Bauer got the most money per season from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lindor was traded to the New York Mets in a six-player deal. The three star players headline the list of big names on new teams. Springer, a three-time All-Star outfielder and 2017 World Series MVP with Houston, signed a team-record $150 million, six-year contract with the Blue Jays in January. He joined a roster that includes young sluggers Vladimir Guerrero and Bo Bichette, plus Cavan Biggio, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. “I really like the blue. It’s a good color,” Springer said after his first spring training game with Toronto. “It was a little weird but I’m over it. It’s fun and I enjoy it.” Bauer, who won the NL Cy Young Award last season with Cincinnati, signed a $102 million, three-year deal with the Dodgers last month. The reigning World Series champions... [More]

Kohei Arihara finished what he started this time. The Texas Rangers newcomer bounced back from a shaky spring training debut, pitching three solid innings Monday in a 9-0, seven-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs. Arihara retired his final seven batters, setting down Ian Happ, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant to end his outing. Overall, he allowed a run on two singles without a strikeout or walk. Signed to a $6.2 million, two-year contract after six seasons in Japan, the 28-year-old right-hander allowed a three-run homer in the first inning of his initial spring start against the Chicago White Sox last week. He worked two innings, both of them cut short before the third out because of high pitch counts. After his three innings against the Cubs, Arihara went to the bullpen to throw additional pitches to get him up to 50 for the day. All in all, a bit different than the adrenaline and excitement of his first game against big league hitters last week. Arihara said he was just thinking about doing... [More]

Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain has no regrets about opting out of nearly the entire 2020 season but realizes his long layoff could create some obstacles now that he’s back. “Definitely the right choice, 100% it was the right choice,” the 2018 All-Star and 2019 Gold Glove winner said Wednesday from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “No doubt in my mind. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Cain, who turns 35 on April 13, played just five games last year before sitting out the rest of the season. He was one of nearly 20 players to opt out, a group that also included Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. Nearly all are returning to action this spring. He said in August his decision resulted from concerns about the pandemic and from a desire “to get my life right with God.” Cain went into more detail Wednesday. “I kind of put God on the backburner for the longest time,” Cain said. “I felt like I needed to make him my... [More]

Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain has no regrets about opting out of nearly the entire 2020 season but realizes his long layoff could create some obstacles now that he’s back. “Definitely the right choice, 100% it was the right choice,” the 2018 All-Star and 2019 Gold Glove winner said Wednesday from the Brewers’ spring training site in Phoenix. “No doubt in my mind. I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Cain, who turns 35 on April 13, played just five games last year before sitting out the rest of the season. He was one of nearly 20 players to opt out, a group that also included Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey. Nearly all are returning to action this spring. He said in August his decision resulted from concerns about the pandemic and from a desire “to get my life right with God.” Cain went into more detail Wednesday. “I kind of put God on the backburner for the longest time,” Cain said. “I felt like I needed to make him my... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American League East entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Tampa Bay Rays Manager: Kevin Cash (seventh season). 2020: 40-20, first place, AL champions, lost to Dodgers in World Series. Training Town: Port Charlotte, Florida. Park: Charlotte Sports Park. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Michael Wacha, RHP Chris Archer, C Francisco Mejia, RHP Luis Patiño. He’s Outta Here: LHP Blake Snell, RHP Charlie Morton, OF Hunter Renfroe, RHP Aaron Slegers, 1B Nate Lowe, LHP Aaron Loup, LHP Jose Alvarado, 1B Brian O’Grady, RHP Chaz Roe, RHP Oliver Drake, LHP Sean Gilmartin. Going campin’: The AL champions are coming off their first division title in a decade and first World Series appearance in 12 years, but they have to replace their top two starting pitchers after declining a $15 million option on Morton and trading Snell to San Diego. The Rays... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League West entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad: ___ Los Angeles Dodgers Manager: Dave Roberts (sixth season). 2019: 43-17, first place, World Series champions. Training Town: Glendale, Arizona. Park: Camelback Ranch. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Trevor Bauer, RHP Tommy Kahnle, LHP Garrett Cleavinger. He’s Outta Here: 3B Justin Turner, RHP Pedro Báez, INF/OF Enrique Hernández, LF Joc Pederson, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Jimmy Nelson, OF Terrance Gore. Going campin’: After winning their first World Series title since 1988 during the pandemic-shortened season, the Dodgers are looking to repeat. They made a major splash just before spring training, signing Bauer a year after trading for Mookie Betts and David Price in February. The roster boasts an enviable three MVPs and three Cy Young Award winners, making the Dodgers the favorites... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account. Bauer narrated the piece, which ended with him saying, "This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.” The Dodgers made it worth his while: His contract is for $102 million over three years, according to multiple media reports. The video was titled “MY NEW HOME!!!” and the credits said it was written by Bauer, who wore a Dodgers jersey and cap. He tossed a baseball from one hand to the other. Bauer, who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer's agent, Rachel Luba, tweeted, “So excited for your next... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account. Bauer narrated the piece, which ended with him saying, "This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.” The video was titled “MY NEW HOME!!!” and the credits said it was written by Bauer, who wore a Dodgers jersey and cap. He tossed a baseball from one hand to the other. Bauer, who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer's agent, Rachel Luba, tweeted, “So excited for your next chapter with the @Dodgers, Trevor Bauer.” For the second straight year, the Dodgers had a mostly quiet offseason before making... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account. Bauer narrated the piece, which ended with him saying, "This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.” The video was titled “MY NEW HOME!!!” and the credits said it was written by Bauer, who wore a Dodgers jersey and cap. He tossed a baseball from one hand to the other. Bauer, who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer's agent, Rachel Luba, tweeted, “So excited for your next chapter with the @Dodgers, Trevor Bauer.” For the second straight year, the Dodgers had a mostly quiet offseason before making... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account. Bauer narrated the piece, which ended with him saying, "This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.” The video was titled “MY NEW HOME!!!” and the credits said it was written by Bauer, who wore a Dodgers jersey and cap. He tossed a baseball from one hand to the other. Bauer, who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer's agent, Rachel Luba, tweeted, “So excited for your next chapter with the @Dodgers, Trevor Bauer.” Bauer joins a Dodgers rotation that had a major league-best 3.02 ERA during the abbreviated... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Trevor Bauer is coming home to pitch for the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision on Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account that ended with him saying, “And I can’t wait Dodger fans.” The video was titled “MY NEW HOME!!!” Bauer, who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. The right-handed free agent also was negotiating with the New York Mets. Bauer joins a Dodgers rotation that had a major league-best 3.02 ERA during the abbreviated 60-game season last year, when the franchise won its first championship since 1988. He will slot in among ace Walker Buehler, three-time NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and 2012 AL Cy Young winner David Price, who opted out last season because of the pandemic. Bauer is 75-64 with a 3.90 ERA in nine major league seasons that included a career-best 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA for Cleveland... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — For three seasons the Boston Red Sox have entered spring training hoping that Dustin Pedroia would be able to make a return to second base on a full-time basis after the franchise stalwart had his career disrupted by a knee injury in 2017. Those hopes ended on Monday when the four-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner announced his retirement, concluding what had been a merry-go-round of surgeries, rehab attempts and setbacks for the longest-tenured player on Boston’s roster and the only holdover from the 2007 championship team. The Red Sox took another step in moving on Tuesday when they officially announced the signing of infielder Enrique Hernández to a two-year contract for a reported $14 million. “The team has a lot of really good players ... probably the reason I wanted a two-year deal instead of one is I get invested in teams and my teammates," he said. Speaking of the expectations Boston fans have for their teams, he added: “I know that they're not going to... [More]

Two months ago, Blake Snell got yanked off the mound with a two-hit shutout going in the final game of the World Series. Now, the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to ship him out of town. The San Diego Padres are close to completing a blockbuster trade to acquire Snell from the defending AL champions. The teams have an agreement in place and the star pitcher was told he’ll be sent to the Padres — subject to the review of medical records, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press late Sunday night on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. According to The Athletic and ESPN, the Rays would receive 21-year-old pitcher Luis Patiño, catcher Francisco Mejía, pitching prospect Cole Wilcox and catching prospect Blake Hunt in return. The Athletic was first to report the players headed from San Diego to Tampa Bay if the trade is finalized. Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened... [More]

The San Diego Padres are close to completing a blockbuster trade to acquire star pitcher Blake Snell from the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays. The teams have an agreement in place and Snell was told he’ll be sent to the Padres — subject to the review of medical records, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press late Sunday night on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. According to The Athletic and ESPN, the Rays would receive 21-year-old pitcher Luis Patiño, catcher Francisco Mejía, pitching prospect Cole Wilcox and catching prospect Blake Hunt in return. The Athletic was first to report the players headed from San Diego to Tampa Bay if the trade is finalized. Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner, was 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He had 63 strikeouts in 50 innings. Snell went 2-2 in the AL playoffs, then racked up 18 strikeouts in 10 innings and compiled a 2.70 ERA during... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion during the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion, and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers led with $98.6 million — the smallest for the top spender in 20 years. Base wages for 40-man rosters tumbled to $1.54 billion, according to information sent from Major League Baseball to teams on Friday night and obtained by The Associated Press. That was down from $3.99 billion in 2019. Prorated portions of signing bonuses totaled $120.6 million, down slightly from $122.8 million. Earned bonuses fell to $25 million from $26.9 million. Buyouts of unexercised 2021 options came to $58.2 million, more than double the $26.9 million for buyouts of unexercised 2020 options, a sign of expense-cutting amid the revenue loss. Los Angeles won its first title since 1988 as it topped spending for the first time since 2017, when the Dodgers led for the fourth year in a row. The total had not been that low of the top spender... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dave Roberts isn’t sure whether third baseman Justin Turner or former All-Star pitcher David Price will play with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021. Turner became a free agent in October after the Dodgers won the World Series for the first time since 1988. He tested positive for COVID-19 and was pulled from the deciding Game 6, then violated protocol by going on the field for the postgame celebration — his lone controversy in seven years with the club. Turner batted .307, with 23 RBIs and four home runs in 42 games during last season’s abbreviated 60-game season. He spent time on the injured list with a hamstring strain. In a virtual call with reporters Thursday, Roberts said bringing Turner back is “way up there” as a priority. “What Justin does on the field, in the clubhouse and community, he’s one of the Dodger greats. His body of work is really special, unique,” the manager said. “But it’s a two-way deal, it’s the organization and also Justin and his family. Selfishly,... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox are bringing back Alex Cora, rehiring the manager that led them to the 2018 World Series title less than a year after the team let him go because of his role in the Houston Astros' cheating scandal. “I am grateful for the opportunity to manage once again and return to the game I have loved my entire life,” Cora said in a statement Friday. "Boston is where I have always wanted to be and I could not be more excited to help the Red Sox achieve our ultimate goal of winning in October.” Boston announced the decision 10 days after Cora finished a one-season suspension for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scheme during their 2017 championship run. Cora was Houston's bench coach when he joined the Red Sox in November 2017, and he led Boston to the 2018 title after a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins. The Red Sox, who finished third in 2019, let Cora go in January after Commissioner Rob Manfred identified him as as the ringleader in the Astros’ scheme.... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox will rehire Alex Cora as manager, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press, restoring him to the dugout less than a year after letting him go because of his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity on Friday because the sides were still finalizing terms of the agreement and the move was not ready to be announced. The decision came about a week after Cora finished serving a one-season suspension assessed by Commissioner Rob Manfred for Cora's cheating while bench coach of the Houston Astros during their run to the World Series championship in 2017. Cora joined the Red Sox in November 2017 and led Boston to the 2018 World Series title after a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins. Boston finished third in 2019, and Cora was identified by Manfred last Jan. 13 as the ringleader in the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme, with his penalty held off until Manfred ruled on sign stealing... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox will rehire Alex Cora as manager, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press, restoring him to the dugout less than a year after letting him go because of his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity on Friday because the sides were still finalizing terms of the agreement and the move was not ready to be announced. The decision came about a week after Cora finished serving a one-season suspension assessed by Commissioner Rob Manfred for Cora's cheating while bench coach of the Houston Astros during their run to the World Series championship in 2017. Cora joined the Red Sox in November 2017 and led Boston to the 2018 World Series title after a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins. Boston finished third in 2019, and Cora was identified by Manfred last Jan. 13 as the ringleader in the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme, with his penalty held off until Manfred ruled on sign stealing... [More]

Joc Pederson is the guy the Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t need or want — until October. After nearly being traded in February and hitting .190 during the regular season, Pederson is coming up big in the postseason. Pederson crushed a fastball from Rays starter Tyler Glasnow over the left-center field wall leading off the second inning Sunday night, extending LA's lead to 3-0. After enduring a stunning 8-7 loss in Game 4, the Dodgers rebounded early and went on to a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay. Los Angeles is one win from its first World Series championship since 1988. “They don't call it Joctober for no reason,” said teammate Max Muncy, who added a solo shot in the fifth. “The guy performs on the huge stage, that's just what he does.” Pederson could tell his 428-foot drive immediately was gone. “They don’t want that smoke,” he bellowed upon returning to the dugout. “Come on, let’s go!” It was the Dodgers’ 28th home run of the postseason after leading the majors with 118 during the regular season.... [More]