NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among a record 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams declined to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. The total cut was one more than the previous high at the tender deadline, ahead of the 2004 season. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams declined to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora batted .167 in 28 games last season and earned $1,667,667 prorated from $4.5 million, down from a .236 average,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams failed to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora batted .167 in 28 games last season and earned $1,667,667 prorated from $4.5 million, down from a .236 average,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals agreed to one-year deals with outfielders Jorge Soler and Franchy Cordero, first baseman Hunter Dozier and right-handers Jesse Hahn and Jakob Junis on Wednesday as they brought arbitration-eligible players under contract during a busy week of roster management. The Royals also cut third baseman Maikel Franco, failing to offer a contract to a player who would have been due a substantial salary increase after hitting .278 with eight homers and 38 RBIs while playing on a $2.95 million deal last season. The only remaining arbitration-eligible players are two big ones: shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, their defensive linchpin and best all-around athlete, and No. 1 starter Brad Keller, who was 5-3 with a 2.47 ERA in nine starts last season. The 28-year-old Soler agreed to an $8.05 million contract that includes up to $250,000 in incentives, a big bump from prorated pay of $2,703,704 from his $7.3 million base salary last season. It came after the slugging... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams failed to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora batted .167 in 28 games last season and earned $1,667,667 prorated from $4.5 million, down from a .236 average,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals agreed to one-year deals with outfielders Jorge Soler and Franchy Cordero, first baseman Hunter Dozier and right-handers Jesse Hahn and Jakob Junis on Wednesday as they brought arbitration-eligible players under contract during a busy week of roster management. The Royals also cut third baseman Maikel Franco, failing to offer a contract to a player who would have been due a substantial salary increase after hitting .278 with eight homers and 38 RBIs while playing on a $2.95 million deal last season. The only remaining arbitration-eligible players are two big ones: shortstop Adalberto Mondesi, their defensive linchpin and best all-around athlete, and No. 1 starter Brad Keller, who was 5-3 with a 2.47 ERA in nine starts last season. The 28-year-old Soler agreed to an $8.05 million contract that includes up to $250,000 in incentives, a big bump from prorated pay of $2,703,704 from his $7.3 million base salary last season. It came after the slugging... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals reinstated outfielder Jorge Soler from the injured list and optioned infielder Kelvin Gutierrez on Monday before starting their final homestand with three games against the St. Louis Cardinals. Soler was hopeful that he could return for the final week of the season after hurting his oblique. The slugger has failed to match his breakout 2019 season, when he played all 162 games and hit a club-record 48 homers, but has still hit .235 with eight homers and 22 RBIs for a club that is in rebuilding mode. He was the designated hitter and batting cleanup on Monday night. Gutierrez had one hit in 12 at-bats over four games this season. He had appeared in 20 games last season, hitting .260 while showing some versatility on defense. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

White sox first. Tim Anderson singles to shallow right field. Yoan Moncada singles to shallow center field. Tim Anderson to second. Jose Abreu grounds out to shallow left field, Maikel Franco to Hunter Dozier. Edwin Encarnacion out on a sacrifice fly to deep center field to Edward Olivares. Yoan Moncada to third. Tim Anderson scores. Luis Robert lines out to shallow infield to Brady Singer.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. White sox 1, Royals 0.White sox second. Eloy Jimenez singles to shallow right field. James McCann singles to shortstop. Eloy Jimenez to second. Nomar Mazara strikes out swinging. Nick Madrigal singles to second base. James McCann to third. Eloy Jimenez scores. Fielding error by Edward Olivares. Tim Anderson called out on strikes. Yoan Moncada hit by pitch. Nick Madrigal to second. Jose Abreu lines out to second base to Hunter Dozier.1 run, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 left on. White sox 2, Royals 0.Royals second. Alex Gordon walks. Edward Olivares strikes out swinging. Nicky... [More]

Indians first. Cesar Hernandez singles to shallow center field. Jose Ramirez pops out to shallow left field to Maikel Franco. Francisco Lindor homers to right field. Cesar Hernandez scores. Carlos Santana grounds out to shallow right field to Ryan O'Hearn. Franmil Reyes homers to center field. Tyler Naquin grounds out to shallow center field, Maikel Franco to Ryan O'Hearn.3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Indians 3, Royals 0.Indians second. Josh Naylor singles to deep left field. Roberto Perez homers to right field. Josh Naylor scores. Delino DeShields singles to second base. Cesar Hernandez reaches on a fielder's choice to shallow infield. Delino DeShields out at second. Jose Ramirez walks. Cesar Hernandez to second. Francisco Lindor flies out to deep center field to Bubba Starling. Carlos Santana lines out to deep right center field to Bubba Starling.2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Indians 5, Royals 0.Indians sixth. Roberto Perez pops out to shallow right field to Whit Merrifield.... [More]

Indians seventh. Francisco Lindor lines out to center field to Whit Merrifield. Carlos Santana singles to center field. Franmil Reyes doubles to deep left center field. Carlos Santana scores. Tyler Naquin flies out to center field to Whit Merrifield. Jordan Luplow pops out to shallow infield to Ryan O'Hearn.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Indians 1, Royals 0.Royals eighth. Hunter Dozier walks. Jorge Soler walks. Hunter Dozier to second. Ryan O'Hearn strikes out swinging. Maikel Franco singles to left field. Jorge Soler to second. Hunter Dozier scores. Bubba Starling singles to center field. Maikel Franco to second. Jorge Soler scores. Adalberto Mondesi strikes out swinging. Nicky Lopez pops out to Jose Ramirez.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Royals 2, Indians 1.

White sox second. James McCann walks. Luis Robert flies out to deep center field to Whit Merrifield. Danny Mendick strikes out swinging. Adam Engel singles to shallow center field. James McCann to third. Nick Madrigal singles to right center field. Adam Engel to third. James McCann scores. Tim Anderson reaches on a fielder's choice to shortstop. Nick Madrigal out at second.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 left on. White sox 1, Royals 0.White sox third. Eloy Jimenez grounds out to shortstop, Adalberto Mondesi to Ryan O'Hearn. Yasmani Grandal singles to center field. Jose Abreu singles to left field. Yasmani Grandal to second. James McCann doubles to left field. Jose Abreu to third. Yasmani Grandal scores. Luis Robert pops out to shallow infield to Adalberto Mondesi. Danny Mendick strikes out on a foul tip.1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. White sox 2, Royals 0.Royals sixth. Nicky Lopez strikes out swinging. Cam Gallagher doubles to shallow left field. Whit Merrifield singles to left center field.... [More]

Royals second. Maikel Franco grounds out to shallow infield, Jose Abreu to Dylan Cease. Alex Gordon homers to right field. Adalberto Mondesi grounds out to shallow infield, Dylan Cease to Jose Abreu. Nicky Lopez strikes out swinging.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Royals 1, White sox 0.White sox third. Luis Robert singles to right field. Nomar Mazara grounds out to second base, Nicky Lopez to Ryan O'Hearn. Luis Robert to third. Nick Madrigal singles to shallow infield. Luis Robert scores. Tim Anderson singles to shallow right field. Nick Madrigal to third. Yoan Moncada walks. Tim Anderson to second. Yasmani Grandal strikes out swinging. Jose Abreu strikes out swinging.1 run, 3 hits, 1 error, 3 left on. Royals 1, White sox 1.White sox fourth. Eloy Jimenez walks. Edwin Encarnacion homers to left field. Eloy Jimenez scores. Luis Robert called out on strikes. Nomar Mazara grounds out to shallow infield, Brady Singer to Ryan O'Hearn. Nick Madrigal grounds out to shortstop, Adalberto Mondesi... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Dominic Smith hit the go-ahead home run in his first game since tearfully pleading for help combating racial inequality, Pete Alonso also connected and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 6-4 in the opener of a doubleheader Friday.Amed Rosario hit a walkoff, two-run homer to lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory in the nightcap — a bizarre scene in the Bronx, where the Yankees batted first as the visiting team in the makeup of a game postponed last weekend.The sweep sent the Yankees to their seventh straight loss.Rosario connected off closer Aroldis Chapman (0-1) with pinch-runner Billy Hamilton at second base. Chapman walked Jeff McNeil to open the inning, and Hamilton promptly stole second despite being picked off by the All-Star left-hander.Rosario then cranked his third home run of the season into the left field seats, setting off the second big celebration in the visiting dugout as the Mets swept the Yankees in a doubleheader for the first time.Jared Hughes (1-1)... [More]

White sox second. Edwin Encarnacion called out on strikes. Yoan Moncada flies out to right field to Hunter Dozier. Luis Robert homers to right field. Danny Mendick doubles. Adam Engel pops out to first base to Ryan O'Hearn.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. White sox 1, Royals 0.Royals third. Whit Merrifield homers to left field. Hunter Dozier singles to right center field. Jorge Soler singles to left field. Hunter Dozier to second. Ryan O'Hearn singles to center field. Jorge Soler to third. Hunter Dozier scores. Maikel Franco called out on strikes. Alex Gordon strikes out swinging. Adalberto Mondesi grounds out to shallow infield, Reynaldo Lopez to Jose Abreu.2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Royals 2, White sox 1.White sox fifth. Danny Mendick strikes out swinging. Adam Engel pops out to shallow right field to Nicky Lopez. Tim Anderson singles to shallow infield. Eloy Jimenez homers to center field. Tim Anderson scores. Yasmani Grandal strikes out swinging.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors,... [More]

Royals third. Nicky Lopez singles to left center field. Cam Gallagher homers to left field. Nicky Lopez scores. Whit Merrifield grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt. Hunter Dozier walks. Jorge Soler grounds out to first base, Paul Goldschmidt to Dakota Hudson. Hunter Dozier to second. Ryan O'Hearn is intentionally walked. Maikel Franco flies out to center field to Dylan Carlson.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Royals 2, Cardinals 0.Cardinals third. Kolten Wong walks. Tommy Edman singles to shallow right field. Kolten Wong to third. Paul Goldschmidt out on a sacrifice fly to deep left field to Alex Gordon. Kolten Wong scores. Brad Miller strikes out swinging. Paul DeJong flies out to center field to Whit Merrifield.1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 left on. Royals 2, Cardinals 1.Cardinals fourth. Matt Carpenter hit by pitch. Yadier Molina pops out to Ryan O'Hearn. Tyler O'Neill called out on strikes. Dylan Carlson doubles to deep left field. Matt Carpenter scores. Kolten... [More]

Royals second. Ryan O'Hearn singles to deep right center field. Maikel Franco doubles to left field. Ryan O'Hearn to third. Ryan McBroom grounds out to shallow infield, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt. Ryan O'Hearn scores. Adalberto Mondesi pops out to shallow infield to Yadier Molina. Nicky Lopez grounds out to second base, Kolten Wong to Paul Goldschmidt.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Royals 1, Cardinals 0.Royals third. Cam Gallagher lines out to shallow center field to Paul DeJong. Whit Merrifield lines out to deep center field to Harrison Bader. Hunter Dozier walks. Jorge Soler walks. Hunter Dozier to second. Ryan O'Hearn singles to left center field. Jorge Soler to third. Hunter Dozier scores. Maikel Franco lines out to center field to Harrison Bader.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on. Royals 2, Cardinals 0.Cardinals third. Dexter Fowler grounds out to shallow right field, Nicky Lopez to Ryan O'Hearn. Dylan Carlson singles to center field. Harrison Bader walks. Dylan Carlson to... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Javier Báez hit two home runs and the Chicago Cubs became the second franchise in major league history to post 11,000 wins, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-3 on Monday night.Only the Giants have won more, with 11,179 victories after starting in New York in 1883 and later moving to San Francisco.The Cubs, who earned their first victory in 1876, improved to 11,000-10,414. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are close behind with 10,996 wins.David Bote homered and drove in four runs for the NL Central-leading Cubs. Báez had three RBIs.Cubs starter Alec Mills (3-2) got the win, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven. Tigers top prospect Casey Mize (0-1) made his first home start, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two.BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 4ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Toronto beat Tampa Bay.Reliever Aaron Loup (3-2) replaced Edgar García... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Javier Báez hit two home runs and the Chicago Cubs became the second franchise in major league history to post 11,000 wins, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-3 on Monday night.Only the Giants have won more, with 11,179 victories after starting in New York in 1883 and later moving to San Francisco.The Cubs, who earned their first victory in 1876, improved to 11,000-10,414. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are close behind with 10,996 wins.David Bote homered and drove in four runs for the NL Central-leading Cubs. Báez had three RBIs.Cubs starter Alec Mills (3-2) got the win, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven. Tigers top prospect Casey Mize (0-1) made his first home start, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two.BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 4ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Toronto beat Tampa Bay.Reliever Aaron Loup (3-2) replaced Edgar García... [More]

Cardinals first. Tommy Edman walks. Brad Miller lines out to second base to Adalberto Mondesi. Paul Goldschmidt walks. Tommy Edman to second. Matt Carpenter hit by pitch. Paul Goldschmidt to second. Tommy Edman to third. Paul DeJong out on a sacrifice fly to deep right field to Hunter Dozier. Paul Goldschmidt to third. Tommy Edman scores. Yadier Molina flies out to center field to Whit Merrifield.1 run, 0 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cardinals 1, Royals 0.Cardinals fifth. Tommy Edman singles to shallow left field. Brad Miller singles to right field. Tommy Edman to third. Paul Goldschmidt singles to shallow infield. Brad Miller to second. Tommy Edman scores. Matt Carpenter walks. Paul Goldschmidt to second. Brad Miller to third. Paul DeJong doubles to deep left field. Matt Carpenter to third. Paul Goldschmidt scores. Brad Miller scores. Yadier Molina hit by pitch. Dexter Fowler doubles. Yadier Molina to third. Paul DeJong scores. Matt Carpenter scores. Dylan Carlson grounds out to shortstop.... [More]