NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann and the New York Mets were close to completing a $40 million, four-year contract Saturday as the team continues to upgrade its roster under new owner Steve Cohen. A person close to the deal confirmed the details to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Other news outlets reported the terms earlier in the day. McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 when he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. He batted .289 with seven homers and 15 RBIs for Chicago this year in 31 games while splitting time with Yasmani Grandal during the pandemic-shortened season. Last week, the Mets signed free agent reliever Trevor May to a $15.5 million, two-year deal. That was the first major move by the team since Cohen bought the club for $2.42 billion last month. The Mets haven't reached the playoffs since losing the 2016 NL wild-card game. New York went 26-34 this season with Wilson Ramos and Robinson... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann and the New York Mets were close to completing a $40 million, four-year contract Saturday as the team continues to upgrade its roster under new owner Steve Cohen. A person close to the deal confirmed the details to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Other news outlets reported the terms earlier in the day. McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 when he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. He batted .289 with seven homers and 15 RBIs for Chicago this year in 31 games while splitting time with Yasmani Grandal during the pandemic-shortened season. Last week, the Mets signed free agent reliever Trevor May to a $15.5 million, two-year deal. That was the first major move by the team since Cohen bought the club for $2.42 billion last month. The Mets haven't reached the playoffs since losing the 2016 NL wild-card game. New York went 26-34 this season with Wilson Ramos and Robinson... [More]

The free agent market received a small boost this week, although it remains to be seen whether teams will be eager to take advantage. A record 59 players became free agents when their teams declined to offer them contracts by Wednesday night's tender deadline. That group included a few well-known names like Kyle Schwarber of the Chicago Cubs and Eddie Rosario of the Minnesota Twins — but these additions to the free agent class did little to change the sense the market could be slow this offseason. Teams may be looking to cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic, and so far there have been only a few short deals, such as Charlie Morton going to Atlanta on a one-year, $15 million contract and Mike Minor signing with Kansas City for two years and $18 million. As we enter the heart of the offseason calendar, here’s a look at the top free agents still available, broken down by position. The biggest names on the market are players who were already free agents well before the new group of non-tenders... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Voting for the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player Award, with first-, second- and third-place votes and total points based on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis: Player1st2nd3rdTotalFreddie Freeman, Braves282-410Mookie Betts, Dodgers2215268Manny Machado, Padres-216221Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres-25201Juan Soto, Nationals-32172Marcell Ozuna, Braves--2167Trea Turner, Nationals---83Mike Yastrzemski, Giants---81Corey Seager, Dodgers---43Trevor Bauer, Reds---32Trevor Story, Rockies---23Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves---21Dominic Smith, Mets---16Yu Darvish, Cubs---14Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals---9Brandon Belt, Giants---2Wil Myers, Padres---2Max Fried, Braves---1Ian Happ, Cubs---1Dansby Swanson, Braves---1Ryan Tepera, Cubs---1Devin Williams, Brewers---1

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers Wednesday, receiving one-year deals to stay with their teams rather than test what they could get in free agency. Four players declined qualifying offers at the 5 p.m. EST deadline: right-hander Trevor Bauer from Cincinnati, outfielder George Springer from Houston, second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the New York Yankees and catcher J.T. Realmuto from Philadelphia. If any of those players sign with a new team, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round of next year’s amateur draft or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on whether the new contract is worth $50 million or more and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player. A team signing the player would give up either its third-highest draft pick, its second-highest pick and $500,000 of international signing bonus allotment... [More]

Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer love to talk pitching. They bonded as teammates with the Cleveland Indians, and stayed in touch after Bauer was traded to the Cincinnati Reds last year. Bieber got a text from Bauer before this season started. The right-handers had the same Las Vegas odds for the Cy Young Award. “I said ... why don’t we go 2 for 2, or something like that?” Bieber said. Why not, indeed. Bieber was a unanimous winner in the American League on Wednesday night, and Bauer became the first pitcher to take home the NL honor for the majors’ oldest franchise. “Nobody’s more deserving of it than him and he knows what he wants and he knows how to go out and get it,” Bieber said. “And we keep in touch. I was truly pulling for him and you know, so is my family. And I know he feels the same way, so it’s special.” Bieber and Bauer, two California natives, made it an Ohio sweep on the mound in 2020. They are the third pair of former teammates to win Cy Young Awards in the same season, according... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers Wednesday, receiving one-year deals to stay with their teams rather than test what they could get in free agency. Four players declined qualifying offers at the 5 p.m. EST deadline: right-hander Trevor Bauer from Cincinnati, outfielder George Springer from Houston, second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the New York Yankees and catcher J.T. Realmuto from Philadelphia. If any of those players signs with a new team, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round of next year’s amateur draft or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on whether the new contract is worth $50 million or more and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player. A team signing the player would give up either its third-highest draft pick, its second-highest pick and $500,000 of international signing bonus... [More]

Total points on a 7-4-3-2-1 basisPlayer1st2nd3rd4th5thTotTrevor Bauer, Reds273---201Yu Darvish, Cubs3242--123Jacob deGrom, Mets-3234-89Dinelson Lamet, Padres--520257Max Fried, Braves---4715Corbin Burnes, Brewers---11012Aaron Nola, Phillies---113Devin Williams, Brewers----33Kyle Hendricks, Cubs----22Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks----22Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers----22Zack Wheeler, Phillies----11

NEW YORK (AP) — Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman and San Francisco starter Kevin Gausman accepted $18.9 million qualifying offers Wednesday, receiving one-year deals to stay with their teams rather than test what they could get in free agency. Four players declined qualifying offers at the 5 p.m. EST deadline: right-hander Trevor Bauer from Cincinnati, outfielder George Springer from Houston, second baseman DJ LeMahieu from the New York Yankees and catcher J.T. Realmuto from Philadelphia. If any of those players signs with a new team, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round of next year’s amateur draft or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on whether the new contract is worth $50 million or more and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player. A team signing the player would give up either its third-highest draft pick, its second-highest pick and $500,000 of international signing bonus... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Trevor Bauer's agent says the pitcher is rejecting the Cincinnati Reds' $18.9 million qualifying offer. The right-hander, who turns 30 in January, was given the offer on Sunday and had until Nov. 11 to make his decision. “Why wait for the QO to expire to state the obvious,” agent Rachel Luba tweeted Wednesday. She added that Bauer “believes the QO is a ridiculous process so let’s just put it to bed.” Bauer was 5-4 with a National League-leading 1.73 ERA, striking out 100 and walking 17 in 73 innings. Acquired from Cleveland on July 31, 2019, he had a $17.5 million, one-year contract that resulted in $6,481,481 in prorated pay. He would earn a $92,593 bonus for winning the NL Cy Young Award, prorated from an original $250,000. “Trevor Bauer has rejected the QO but not the Reds,” Luba tweeted, adding “he looks forward to speaking w/ them & all other interested teams thru free agency.” Bauer was among six players given qualifying offers, joined by Houston outfielder George... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Trevor Bauer's agent says the pitcher is rejecting the Cincinnati Reds' $18.9 million qualifying offer. The right-hander, who turns 30 in January, was given the offer on Sunday and had until Nov. 11 to make his decision. “Why wait for the QO to expire to state the obvious,” agent Rachel Luba tweeted Wednesday. She added that Bauer “believes the QO is a ridiculous process so let’s just put it to bed.” Bauer was 5-4 with a National League-leading 1.73 ERA, striking out 100 and walking 17 in 73 innings. Acquired from Cleveland on July 31, 2019, he had a $17.5 million, one-year contract that resulted in $6,481,481 in prorated pay. He would earn a $92,593 bonus for winning the NL Cy Young Award, prorated from an original $250,000. “Trevor Bauer has rejected the QO but not the Reds,” Luba tweeted, adding “he looks forward to speaking w/ them & all other interested teams thru free agency.” Bauer was among six players given qualifying offers, joined by Houston outfielder George... [More]

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league, and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is in the running for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award. The competition, of course, is tough. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the top finishers for NL MVP in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the finalists in the NL Cy Young race. The three highest vote-getters for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series last week for the first time since 1988. Frank Robinson is the only player to win the MVP award in both leagues, accomplishing the feat in 1961 with Cincinnati and 1966 for Baltimore. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Finalists for the 2020 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards, with date of announcement of winners (announcements during hour following 6 p.m. EST): Monday, Nov. 9AL Rookie of the Year: Cristian Javier (Houston), Kyle Lewis (Seattle), Luis Robert (Chicago) NL Rookie of the Year: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia), Jake Cronenworth (San Diego), Devin Williams (Milwaukee) Tuesday, Nov. 10AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay), Charlie Montoyo (Toronto), Rick Renteria (Chicago) NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly (Miami), David Ross (Chicago), Jayce Tingler (San Diego) Wednesday, Nov. 11AL Cy Young Award: Shane Bieber (Cleveland), Kenta Maeda (Minnesota), Hyun Jin Ryu (Toronto) NL Cy Young Award: Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati), Yu Darvish (Chicago), Jacob deGrom (New York) Thursday, Nov. 12AL Most Valuable Player: José Abreu (Chicago), DJ LeMahieu (New York), José Ramírez (Cleveland) NL Most Valuable Player: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Freddie Freeman (Atlanta), Manny Machado (San Diego)

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston outfielder George Springer, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto were among just six free agents who received $18.9 million qualifying offers on Sunday from their former teams. Three right-handed pitchers also received the offers, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and San Francisco's Kevin Gausman. Those six players have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 to accept the offers or press ahead as free agents, who could start negotiating contracts with all teams on Sunday night. They are the only ones subject to compensation among the 181 players who became free agents in a market that also includes pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, shortstop Didi Gregorius and designated hitter Nelson Cruz. A brutal market is expected, with many teams likely to cut payrolls following a regular season played with no fans in the seats due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. If a team makes a qualifying offer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston outfielder George Springer, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto were among just six free agents who received $18.9 million qualifying offers on Sunday from their former teams. Three right-handed pitchers also received the offers, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and San Francisco's Kevin Gausman. Those six players have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 to accept the offers or press ahead as free agents, who could start negotiating contracts with all teams on Sunday night. They are the only ones subject to compensation among the 181 players who became free agents in a market that also includes pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, shortstop Didi Gregorius and designated hitter Nelson Cruz. A brutal market is expected, with many teams likely to cut payrolls following a regular season played with no fans in the seats due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. If a team makes a qualifying offer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston outfielder George Springer, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto were among just six free agents who received $18.9 million qualifying offers on Sunday from their former teams. Three right-handed pitchers also received the offers, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and San Francisco's Kevin Gausman. Those six players have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 to accept the offers or press ahead as free agents, who could start negotiating contracts with all teams on Sunday night. They are the only ones subject to compensation among the 181 players who became free agents in a market that also includes pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, shortstop Didi Gregorius and designated hitter Nelson Cruz. A brutal market is expected, with many teams likely to cut payrolls following a regular season played with no fans in the seats due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. If a team makes a qualifying offer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]

NEW YOIRK (AP) — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was voted Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman was picked as Player of the Year in annual Players Choice award voting by the Major League Baseball Players Association. Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The Marvin Miller Award goes to the player whose his peers “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Freeman batted .341 with 13 homers and 53 RBIs. Freeman was voted the NL’s outstanding player, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer outstanding pitcher, San Diego infielder Jake Cronenworth outstanding rookie and Colorado pitcher Daniel Bard comeback player, the union said Thursday. Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu was voted the AL’s Outstanding Player, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber outstanding pitcher, Seattle outfielder Kyle Lewis outstanding rookie and Cleveland pitcher Carlos Carrasco comeback player. Hall of Famer Andre... [More]