PHOENIX (AP) — Toronto's Marcus Stroman and Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi went to hearings to begin the final week of what could be the busiest salary arbitration season since 1990.Stroman asked for a raise from $3.4 million to $6.9 million on Monday in a hearing before arbitrators Edna Francis, Elizabeth Neumeier and Gary Kendellan. The Blue Jays argued he should be paid $6.5 million.Odorizzi requested a hike from $4.1 million to $6.3 million instead of the Rays' $6.05 million offer in a case heard by Dennis Archer, Phillip LaPorte and Matt Goldberg.Players lead 7-6 with decisions pending until late this week for Stroman, Odorizzi and Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer. Seven more hearings are scheduled, and 23 decisions would be the most since players won 14 of 24 cases in 1990.A 26-year-old right-hander, Stroman went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 2017. He struck out 164, two shy of his career high, and walked a career-worst 62 in 201 innings.Odorizzi, a right-hander who turns 28 next month, was 10-8... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Toronto's Marcus Stroman and Tampa Bay's Jake Odorizzi went to hearings to begin the final week of what could be the busiest salary arbitration season since 1990.Stroman asked for a raise from $3.4 million to $6.9 million on Monday in a hearing before arbitrators Edna Francis, Elizabeth Neumeier and Gary Kendellan. The Blue Jays argued he should be paid $6.5 million.Odorizzi requested a hike from $4.1 million to $6.3 million instead of the Rays' $6.05 million offer in a case heard by Dennis Archer, Phillip LaPorte and Matt Goldberg.Players lead 7-6 with decisions pending until late this week for Stroman, Odorizzi and Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer. Seven more hearings are scheduled, and 23 decisions would be the most since players won 14 of 24 cases in 1990.A 26-year-old right-hander, Stroman went 13-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 2017. He struck out 164, two shy of his career high, and walked a career-worst 62 in 201 innings.Odorizzi, a right-hander who turns 28 next month, was 10-8... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Pitcher Jake Odorizzi and the Tampa Bay Rays have gone to salary arbitration with the sides $250,000 apart.The right-hander, who turns 28 next month, asked arbitrators Dennis Archer, Phillip LaPorte and Matt Goldberg for a raise from $4.1 million to $6.3 million. The Rays argued during Monday's hearing that he should be paid $6.05 million.Odorizzi was 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 starts last year. He struck out 127, his lowest total in four full major league seasons, and walked a career-high 61.He is eligible for free agency after the 2019 season and could be dealt by the low-payroll Rays.Infielder Adeiny Hechavarria beat the Rays in arbitration on Feb. 3 and will get $5.9 million instead of the team's $5.3 million offer.Players lead 7-6 with decisions pending for Odoruzzki and Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer. Eight more hearings are scheduled for this week.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PHOENIX (AP) — Pitcher Jake Odorizzi and the Tampa Bay Rays have gone to salary arbitration with the sides $250,000 apart.The right-hander, who turns 28 next month, asked arbitrators Dennis Archer, Phillip LaPorte and Matt Goldberg for a raise from $4.1 million to $6.3 million. The Rays argued during Monday's hearing that he should be paid $6.05 million.Odorizzi was 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 starts last year. He struck out 127, his lowest total in four full major league seasons, and walked a career-high 61.He is eligible for free agency after the 2019 season and could be dealt by the low-payroll Rays.Infielder Adeiny Hechavarria beat the Rays in arbitration on Feb. 3 and will get $5.9 million instead of the team's $5.3 million offer.Players lead 7-6 with decisions pending for Hechavarria and Cleveland pitcher Trevor Bauer. Eight more hearings are scheduled for this week.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays will have a new look in 2018.A lingering question entering spring training is to what extent.Evan Longoria is gone. So are Alex Cobb, Logan Morrison and Lucas Duda.Jake Odorizzi, and maybe even two-time All-Star Chris Archer or closer Alex Colome, could be on the way out, too, with the budget-minded team committed to trimming payroll while also trying to remain competitive in the tough AL East.Closing the gap on defending division champion Boston and the big-spending New York Yankees, who've added Giancarlo Stanton after coming within one victory of reaching the World Series, won't be easy.The Rays finished 80-82 in 2017, their fourth consecutive losing record on the heels of a stretch in which they made the playoffs four times in six seasons."It's a challenge. You can't sugarcoat it," manager Kevin Cash, entering his fourth season, said of the Yankees adding Stanton, baseball's home run leader, to an already potent batting order."I've already... [More]

Houston closer Ken Giles and Tampa Bay shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria have won their salary arbitration cases and Toronto closer Roberto Osuna has lost.The decisions Saturday left players with a 5-2 record this year. There are 18 players scheduled for hearings in the next two weeks.Giles got a raise from $555,100 to $4.6 million — $400,000 more than Houston's offer. This was the first time he was eligible for arbitration.Giles went 34 for 38 on save chances last season and was 1-3 with a 2.30 ERA. He struggled as the Astros won their first championship, posting an 11.74 ERA in the postseason and 27.00 ERA in a pair of World Series appearances, when he allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings.Hechavarria, who made $4.35 million last year, was awarded $5.9 million, instead of the $5.35 million offered by the Rays. He hit a combined .261 with eight homers and 30 RBIs last season, when he was traded from Miami to Tampa Bay in late June.Osuna, also eligible for arbitration for the first time, will make $5.3 million after asking for $5.8 million. He made $552,400 last year when he was 3-4 with a 3.38 ERA and 39 saves while also leading the majors with 10 blown saves.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

PHOENIX (AP) — Catcher J.T. Realmuto lost his salary arbitration case against Miami and first baseman Justin Bour beat the Marlins to leave players with a 3-1 record this year.Realmuto was given a $2.9 million salary Friday instead of his request for $3.5 million. The decision was made by arbitrators Andrew Strongin, Elizabeth Neumeier and Allen Ponak, who heard arguments Wednesday.Bour was awarded $3.4 million instead of Miami's $3 million offer by James Oldham, Steven Wolf and Mark Burstein, who presided over Thursday's hearing.Realmuto may be traded as part of the Marlins' payroll purge under new chief executive Derek Jeter. Miami already has dealt major league home run champion Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon and Christian Yelich. Realmuto made $562,500 last year and was eligible for arbitration for the first time after hitting .278 with 17 homers and 65 RBIs.Bour hit .289 with 25 homers and 83 RBIs last year, when he had a $552,500 salary.Boston All-Star outfielder Mookie... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Closer Alex Colome and All-Star designated hitter/outfielder Corey Dickerson are among seven players who agreed to one-year contracts with the Tampa Bay Rays, avoiding salary arbitration.Infielders Matt Duffy and Brad Miller, outfielder Steven Souza, Jr., catcher Jesus Sucre and relief pitcher Dan Jennings also reached terms before Friday's deadline for players and teams to exchange proposed salaries for next season.Pitcher Jake Odorizzi and shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria are Tampa Bay's only arbitration-eligible players who didn't agree to deals. Odorizzi's case set to be settled by an arbiter for the second straight winter.The 27-year-old right-hander won his arbitration case last February, receiving a raise from $520,700 to $4.1 million. He went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 starts last season.This time, Odorizzi is seeking $6.3 million while the Rays are offering $6.05 million.Hechavarria, acquired in a trade from Miami in June, is asking for $5.9 million after... [More]

SS Adeiny Hechavarria came up with three hits -- in addition to another super game in the field -- to raise his season average to .261. He'll be a free agent, and the Rays will have to decide whether to pay more to bring him back or turn to a younger option like prospect Willy Adames.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria accounted for Tampa Bay's lone run Wednesday when he hit a homer off RHP Luis Severino in the fifth inning. He has hit a tiebreaking homer in two of his last four games against the Yankees. Hechavarria hit his seventh homer for the Rays and eighth overall, matching his total from the past two seasons in 285 games.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria got the night off in the series opener Thursday against the Orioles. Hechavarria was not starting for the first time since Aug. 24. He is batting .245 with six homers and 20 RBIs over 70 games. He has not committed an error since July 30.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria had two of the Rays' five hits and scored their only run, providing a solid bat to match his glove. Hechavarria is batting .261, and his stellar defense is making a case for the Rays to bring the free agent back in 2018.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria hit his career-high seventh home run of the season on Friday. He has hit six of the homers since he joined the Rays on Aug. 9.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria made his only hit count Tuesday night, when his solo homer in the eighth inning snapped a tie and lifted the Rays to a 2-1 win over the Yankees at Citi Field. Hechavarria struck out in his first two at-bats against Yankees RHP Sonny Gray before homering to left field. The homer capped a two-day cycle of sorts for Hechavarria, who tripled, doubled and singled on Monday and missed the cycle-completing homer by a few feet when he flew out to the warning track in right field in his final at-bat. Hechavarria is batting .254 with six homers and 24 RBIs in 84 games this season between the Rays and Miami Marlins, who traded him to Tampa Bay on June 26.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria came within a few feet of history Monday night, when he went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple and finished a homer shy of the cycle in the Rays' 5-1 loss to the Yankees at Citi Field. Hechavarria tripled in the second to score 1B Lucas Duda, singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth. With a chance at his first career cycle, Hechavarria batted again in the eighth with two on and two out and flew out to the warning track in right field. Hechavarria is batting .253 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 83 games this season between the Rays and Miami Marlins.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria went 2-for-3 Sunday with a triple and a two-run home run in the seventh inning -- his third of the season. Hechavarria has two home runs since joining the Rays and his seven total bases tied a career high.

MIAMI -- Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, who had two hits Wednesday to raise his batting average to .278, is one of the few things that have gone right for the Miami Marlins this season.He recently went 43 straight games without an error before committing two last Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. The team record is 54 by Hanley Ramirez in 2009.Hechavarria, who has made just six errors all year, is competing to win the Gold Glove award at shortstop. But it will be tough to take that award away from Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who has won it the past two years in a row.Entering Wednesday, Simmons led the NL with a .994 fielding percentage. Hechavarria was second with a .987 fielding percentage, which is the best mark of his three-year career.Marlins infield coach Perry Hill said Hechavarria has gotten much better in his knowledge of hitters and counts, getting himself in better position to make plays.A native of Cuba, Hechavarria is under club control for the next three seasons.... [More]

SS Adeiny Hechavarria made two spectacular plays defensively on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox, showing the glove that the Rays had wanted when they acquired him from the Miami Marlins. He's only hitting .265 so far, but his superior defense is helping Rays pitching.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria was held out of the lineup for the series finale against the Orioles. Hechavarria was acquired from the Marlins on June 26 and reinstated from the DL one day later from a left oblique strain. "Just coming off the DL he played back to back days and we've asked quite a bit of him," manager Kevin Cash said. "We felt this is a good time with the off day tomorrow, double up and have him fresh for the series with the Cubs." Hechavarria has eight hits in 19 at-bats (.421) with three RBIs.

SS Adeiny Hechavarria has been giving the Rays some punch since joining the team earlier this month. That continued on Friday as he went 4-for-4, including a game-tying single in the ninth against the Orioles as Tampa Bay went on to a 6-4 victory in 10 innings. Hechavarria now has a .571 average during his brief stint with Tampa Bay.