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:___New York YankeesManager: Aaron Boone (third season). 2019: 103-59, first place, lost to Houston in AL Championship Series. Training Town: Tampa, Florida. Park: George Steinbrenner Field. First Workout: Feb. 13/18. He's Here: RHP Gerrit Cole, C Erik Kratz, C Chris Iannetta, C Josh Thole, RHP Nick Tropeano, LHP Luis AvilánHe's Outta Here: LHP CC Sabathia, SS Didi Gregorius, 1B Edwin Encarnacion, C Austin Romine, RHP Dellin Betances, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Jacoby Ellsbury, 1B Greg Bird, RHP Chance Adams, LHP Stephen Tarpley, LHP Nestor Cortes Jr., RHP Cory GearrinGoing campin': After a big league-record 30 players went on the injured list a total of 39 times last season, health remains a concern. Left-hander James Paxton had back surgery Feb. 5 and is expected to be sidelined until May or... [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 (fifth season). 2019: 106-56, first place, lost to Nationals in Division Series. Training Town: Glendale, Arizona. Park: Camelback Ranch. First Workout: Feb. 14/18. He's Here: OF Mookie Betts, LHP David Price, LHP Alex Wood, RHP Blake Treinen, RHP Jimmy Nelson, 2B Clayton Daniel.He's Outta Here: LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, RHP Kenta Maeda, LHP Rich Hill, OF Joc Pederson, OF Alex Verdugo, 1B David Freese, RHP Yimi Garcia, 3B Jedd Gyorko, C Russell Martin, RHP JT Chargois, 2B Kristopher Negron.Going campin': In what's become a familiar refrain, the Dodgers arrive at camp still looking for their first World Series championship since 1988. After losing in two straight World Series, they were ousted by Washington in five games in the NL Division Series last fall.... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — All-Star closer Kirby Yates, who led the major leagues with 41 saves, agreed Friday to a one-year contract for $7,062,500 with the San Diego Padres.Yates was named to his first All-Star team in his first full season as closer. He had 101 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings. He and the Padres have been discussing a long-term deal.San Diego agreed to deals with all of its arbitration-eligible players. New left fielder Tommy Pham got a $7.9 million deal, right-hander Zach Davies a $5,250,000 contract and catcher Austin Hedges got $3 million.The Padres agreed with right-hander Dinelson Lamet for $1.3 million, center fielder Manuel Margot for $2,475,000, right-hander Luis Perdomo for $950,000 and left-hander Matt Strahm for $1.4 millionPham was acquired from Tampa Bay in a deal that sent slugger Hunter Renfroe to the Rays. Pham batted .273 with 21 homers, 68 RBIs, 25 stolen bases and an .818 OPS.Davies was obtained from Milwaukee with outfielder Trent Grisham for popular young second baseman Luis Urías and left-hander Eric Lauer, who was San Diego’s opening day starter in 2019. Davies was 10-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 2019.Hedges is one of the top defensive catchers in the majors but struggled so badly at the plate that he began to lose playing time to Francisco Mejía and could be relegated to backup duty. He hit only .176 with 11 home runs and a .252 on-base percentage.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tyler Glasnow agreed to a $2.05 million, one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday that avoided arbitration and fellow right-hander Oliver Drake struck a $1,025,000, one-year deal.Outfielder Hunter Renfroe agreed at $3.3 million after making $582,100 while hitting 33 home runs with the San Diego Padres in 2019. Infielder David Robertson received a $1,025,000 deal as the Rays reached agreements with all of their arbitration-eligible players.Reliever Chaz Roe agreed at $2,185,200 on Thursday night. He made $1,275,000 last season.Glasnow, who earned $566,700 last season, was acquired in a trade sent Chris Archer to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2018. He earned a spot in Tampa Bay’s rotation last spring and was off to a strong start before being sidelined for nearly four months by a right forearm strain in mid-May.The 26-year-old right-hander was 6-0 with a 1.47 ERA over his first seven starts of 2019. He returned from a stint of the 60-day injured list... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are working to finalize a two-year contract worth about $12 million with Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the agreement had not been announced.Tsutsugo was made available to major league teams through the posting process by Yokohama of Japan's Central League. Major league clubs have until 19 to negotiate with Tsutsugo, who turns 28 on Nov. 26. A contract for $12 million guaranteed would require the Rays to pay a $2.4 million posting fee to Yomiuri. A left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, Tsutsugo batted .272 this year with 29 homers and 79 RBIs. He has a .285 average with 205 homers and 613 RBIs during 10 seasons with Yokohama, including 44 homers and 110 RBIs in 2016.Tampa Bay, which came within one win of reaching the AL Championship Series this year, traded outfielder Tommy Pham to San Diego for outfielder Hunter Renfroe as part of a five-player deal last week. Pham hit .273 with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs last year.Renfroe hit 33 homers last year, his third full season in San Diego, but struggled with injuries during the second half.Tampa Bay catcher-first baseman Travis D'Arnaud, a key mid-season addition, signed as a free agent with Atlanta.———More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are working to finalize a two-year contract worth about $12 million with Japanese slugger Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the agreement had not been announced.Tsutsugo was made available to major league teams through the posting process by Yokohama of Japan's Central League. Major league clubs have until 19 to negotiate with Tsutsugo, who turns 28 on Nov. 26. A contract for $12 million guaranteed would require the Rays to pay a $2.4 million posting fee to Yomiuri. A left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, Tsutsugo batted .272 this year with 29 homers and 79 RBIs. He has a .285 average with 205 homers and 613 RBIs during 10 seasons with Yokohama, including 44 homers and 110 RBIs in 2016.Tampa Bay, which came within one win of reaching the AL Championship Series this year, traded outfielder Tommy Pham to San Diego for outfielder Hunter Renfroe as part of a five-player deal last week. Pham hit .273 with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs last year.Renfroe hit 33 homers last year, his third full season in San Diego, but struggled with injuries during the second half.Tampa Bay catcher-first baseman Travis D'Arnaud, a key mid-season addition, signed as a free agent with Atlanta.———More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN DIEGO (AP) — General manager A.J. Preller continued to remake the San Diego Padres' outfield, and added an intriguing two-way player as well.Preller acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder-pitcher Jake Cronenworth from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday for outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named.The moves came a week after the Padres obtained starter Zach Davies and outfielder Trent Grisham from Milwaukee, and signed free agent reliever Drew Pomeranz.“We tried to address every area of our ballclub and we feel we're improved at this point," Preller said. The Padres need to get better. Even with $300 million slugger Manny Machado and rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr., they had their ninth straight losing season and missed the playoffs for the 13th consecutive year. They finished last in the NL West at 70-92, their fourth season in a row with 90-plus losses.Pham gives the rebuilding Padres some pop after they finished near the bottom in... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — General manager A.J. Preller continued to remake the San Diego Padres' outfield, and added an intriguing two-way player as well.Preller acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder-pitcher Jake Cronenworth from the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday for outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named.The moves came a week after the Padres obtained starter Zach Davies and outfielder Trent Grisham from Milwaukke, and signed free agent reliever Drew Pomeranz.“We tried to address every area of our ballclub and we feel we're improved at this point," Preller said. The Padres need to get better. Even with $300 million slugger Manny Machado and rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr., they had their ninth straight losing season and missed the playoffs for the 13th consecutive year. They finished last in the NL West at 70-92, their fourth season in a row with 90-plus losses.Pham gives the rebuilding Padres some pop after they finished near the bottom in... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder-pitcher Jake Cronenworth from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named.The trade was finalized Friday.Pham gives the rebuilding Padres some pop after they finished near the bottom in the majors in most offensive categories last season, when they were last in the NL West at 70-92.Pham hit .273 with a .369 on-base percentage, 21 home runs and 68 RBIs last year. He set the Rays’ franchise record with a 48-game on-base streak. He helped the Rays beat Oakland in the AL wild-card game and then batted .333 with one homer in the Rays’ division series loss to Houston.He broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 and was traded to the Rays on July 31, 2018.Renfroe hit 33 homers last year, his third full season in San Diego, but struggled in the second half. He hit 26 homers in each of the previous two seasons.Cronenworth led the International League with a .334 average for the Triple-A Durham Bulls and also made seven pitching appearances, including six as an opener.The 20-year-old Edwards has played two seasons in the minors, batting a combined .328 with 56 stolen bases.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have acquired outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder-pitcher Jake Cronenworth from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named.The trade was finalized Friday.Pham gives the rebuilding Padres some pop after they finished near the bottom in the majors in most offensive categories last season, when they were last in the NL West at 70-92.Pham hit .273 with a .369 on-base percentage, 21 home runs and 68 RBIs last year. He set the Rays’ franchise record with a 48-game on-base streak. He helped the Rays beat Oakland in the AL wild-card game and then batted .333 with one homer in the Rays’ division series loss to Houston.He broke in with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 and was traded to the Rays on July 31, 2018.Renfroe hit 33 homers last year, his third full season in San Diego, but struggled in the second half. He hit 26 homers in each of the previous two seasons.Cronenworth led the International League with a .334 average for the Triple-A Durham Bulls and also made seven pitching appearances, including six as an opener.The 20-year-old Edwards has played two seasons in the minors, batting a combined .328 with 56 stolen bases.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays did not offer a contract for 2020 to outfielder Guillermo Heredia, making him a free agent Monday night.Heredia batted .225 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 89 games last season, his first with the Rays after spending the previous three with the Seattle Mariners.The Rays offered contracts to their other five arbitration-eligible players — outfielder Tommy Pham, right-handed pitcher Tyler Glasnow, relievers Chaz Roe and Oliver Drake, and infielder Daniel Robertson — by Monday’s deadline.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are disappointed, though hardly discouraged.The overachieving franchise with baseball's smallest payroll returned home from losing to the Houston Astros in the AL Division Series confident that getting its first taste of postseason success since 2013 will make it stronger moving forward."We would have loved to be World Series champs, but reaching the ALDS for the first time in six years is a right step forward," defensive whiz Kevin Kiermaier said."You hate seeing it end right now, but at the same time, you think about Day 1 spring training, we accomplished most of our goals," the center fielder added. "We didn't finish where we wanted to, but at the same time ... what a fun year."After compiling the best record among major league teams failing to make the playoffs in 2018, the Rays improved from 90 to 96 victories this season to make the playoffs for the fifth time in club history. They beat Oakland in last week's wild-card game, then survived... [More]

Rays first. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Tommy Pham homers to center field. Ji-Man Choi walks. Avisail Garcia singles to left field. Ji-Man Choi to second. Brandon Lowe flies out to shallow left field to Michael Brantley. Travis d'Arnaud singles to left field. Avisail Garcia to second. Ji-Man Choi scores. Joey Wendle doubles to deep right field. Travis d'Arnaud to third. Avisail Garcia scores. Kevin Kiermaier strikes out swinging.3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Rays 3, Astros 0.Rays fourth. Willy Adames homers to center field. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Tommy Pham lines out to left field to Michael Brantley. Ji-Man Choi walks. Avisail Garcia singles to shallow center field. Ji-Man Choi to second. Brandon Lowe strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Rays 4, Astros 0.Astros eighth. Carlos Correa grounds out to second base, Brandon Lowe to Ji-Man Choi. Aledmys Diaz pinch-hitting for Josh Reddick. Aledmys Diaz strikes out on a foul tip. Robinson Chirinos homers to center field. George Springer flies out to deep center field to Kevin Kiermaier.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 4, Astros 1.

Astros first. George Springer grounds out to shortstop, Willy Adames to Ji-Man Choi. Jose Altuve homers to center field. Michael Brantley strikes out swinging. Alex Bregman walks. Yordan Alvarez reaches on error to shortstop, advances to 2nd. Alex Bregman to third. Throwing error by Yandy Diaz. Yuli Gurriel pops out to shallow center field to Brandon Lowe.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 left on. Astros 1, Rays 0.Rays second. Ji-Man Choi grounds out to shallow right field, Jose Altuve to Yuli Gurriel. Avisail Garcia singles to center field. Brandon Lowe grounds out to second base, Jose Altuve to Yuli Gurriel. Avisail Garcia to second. Travis d'Arnaud hit by pitch. Kevin Kiermaier homers to center field. Travis d'Arnaud scores. Avisail Garcia scores. Willy Adames doubles to deep right center field. Matt Duffy pinch-hitting for Yandy Diaz. Matt Duffy grounds out to shallow infield, Zack Greinke to Yuli Gurriel.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rays 3, Astros 1.Rays third. Austin Meadows strikes... [More]

Astros fourth. Alex Bregman homers to center field. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging. Yuli Gurriel grounds out to first base, Ji-Man Choi to Diego Castillo. Carlos Correa grounds out to shallow infield, Diego Castillo to Ji-Man Choi.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Astros 1, Rays 0.Astros seventh. Yuli Gurriel reaches on error. Throwing error by Willy Adames. Carlos Correa doubles to deep left field. Yuli Gurriel to third. Kyle Tucker grounds out to shallow infield, Emilio Pagan to Ji-Man Choi. Martin Maldonado singles to left center field. Carlos Correa to third. Yuli Gurriel scores. George Springer pops out to shallow right field to Brandon Lowe. Jose Altuve flies out to deep right field to Avisail Garcia.1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. Astros 2, Rays 0.Astros eighth. Michael Brantley pops out to Yandy Diaz. Alex Bregman singles to third base. Yordan Alvarez singles to right field. Alex Bregman to second. Yuli Gurriel flies out to deep right field to Avisail Garcia. Alex Bregman... [More]

Astros fifth. Josh Reddick walks. George Springer called out on strikes. Jose Altuve homers to left field. Josh Reddick scores. Michael Brantley singles to right field. Alex Bregman doubles to deep left field. Michael Brantley to third. Yordan Alvarez strikes out swinging. Yuli Gurriel reaches on error. Alex Bregman scores. Michael Brantley scores. Fielding error by Brandon Lowe. Carlos Correa called out on strikes.4 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 left on. Astros 4, Rays 0.Astros seventh. Jose Altuve lines out to left field to Tommy Pham. Michael Brantley called out on strikes. Alex Bregman walks. Yordan Alvarez doubles to right center field. Alex Bregman scores. Yuli Gurriel doubles to right field. Yordan Alvarez scores. Carlos Correa called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Astros 6, Rays 0.Rays eighth. Travis d'Arnaud lines out to right field to George Springer. Joey Wendle singles to left field. Kevin Kiermaier grounds out to second base, Carlos Correa to Yuli Gurriel. Joey Wendle to second. Eric Sogard pinch-hitting for Willy Adames. Eric Sogard singles to left field. Joey Wendle scores. Austin Meadows doubles to deep right center field. Eric Sogard scores. Tommy Pham singles to shallow infield. Austin Meadows to third. Ji-Man Choi grounds out to third base, Alex Bregman to Yuli Gurriel.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Astros 6, Rays 2.

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m. (FS1); Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 9:07 p.m. (FS1); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 7, at Tampa Bay, TBA (MLB); x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Tampa Bay, TBA (FS1); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 10, at Houston, TBA (FS1).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Rays won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63) or Yandy Díaz (.267, 14, 38, .816 OPS in 79 games), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy... [More]

There will be a new World Series champion this year, because the Boston Red Sox didn’t make the postseason.In fact, only one champ from the past seven years _ Houston _ is in the remaining playoff field. Teams like the Dodgers, Yankees and Nationals have certainly fielded good teams in recent years, only to fall short one way or another. Now they have another chance.With the wild card games out of the way, there are 16 possible World Series matchups left. Here’s a list of them all _ and what could make each of them interesting. The matchups are listed in descending order of likelihood, using probability figures from Fangraphs.com heading into Thursday’s action:___ASTROS-DODGERS (15.9%)A rematch of the 2017 World Series. This would be the first time the same teams met in the World Series twice in a three-year span since the Yankees played the Dodgers in both 1977 and 1978.ASTROS-NATIONALS (12.1%)Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer know each other well from their postseason runs with Detroit.... [More]

Rays first. Yandy Diaz homers to center field. Tommy Pham called out on strikes. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 1, Athletics 0.Rays second. Matt Duffy singles to shortstop. Avisail Garcia homers to center field. Matt Duffy scores. Willy Adames grounds out to shortstop, Marcus Semien to Matt Olson. Kevin Kiermaier strikes out swinging. Mike Brosseau called out on strikes.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Rays 3, Athletics 0.Rays third. Yandy Diaz homers to center field. Tommy Pham singles to center field. Austin Meadows strikes out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud flies out to deep center field to Mark Canha. Brandon Lowe pinch-hitting for Matt Duffy. Brandon Lowe grounds out to first base to Matt Olson.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Rays 4, Athletics 0.Athletics third. Marcus Semien reaches on error to third base, advances to 3rd. Throwing error by Mike Brosseau. Ramon Laureano out on a sacrifice fly to... [More]

A look at the American League wild-card game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics:___Schedule: Wednesday, at Oakland, California, 8:09 p.m. EDT (ESPN).___Season Series: Athletics won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Rays: 2B Joey Wendle (.231, 3 HRs, 19 RBIs in 75 games), LF Tommy Pham (.273, 21, 68, 33 2Bs), RF Austin Meadows (.291, 33, 89 in 138 games), C Travis d'Arnaud (.263, 16, 67 in 92 games with Rays; .087, 0, 2 in 10 games with Mets, and 1 at-bat in only game with Dodgers), 1B Ji-Man Choi (.261, 19, 63), DH Brandon Lowe (.270, 17, 51 in 82 games) or Avisail Garcia (.282, 20, 72, 25 2Bs in 125 games), 3B Matt Duffy (.252, 1, 12 in 46 games), CF Kevin Kiermaier (.228, 14, 55, 19 SBs in 129 games), SS Willy Adames (.254, 20, 52).Athletics: SS Marcus Semien (.285, 33, 92, 123 runs, 43 2Bs), RF Ramon Laureano (.288, 24, 67, 10 assists), 3B Matt Chapman (.249, 36, 91, 102 runs, 36 2Bs), 1B Matt Olson (.267, 36, 91), CF Mark Canha (.273, 26, 58), DH Khris Davis (.220, 23, 73), LF... [More]