PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Retired pitchers Al Leiter and John Franco have been hired as baseball operations advisers by the New York Mets.Leiter, a broadcaster since his last season in 2005, will be involved with scouting, player development and pitchers' mental preparation."Al's passion for the game is infectious," general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Monday. "His unique ability to communicate his knowledge to players, coaches and the front office will immediately make us better."Franco will scout and assist pitchers. The Mets said he will also continue in the club ambassador role he has held since 2010.Notes: SS Amed Rosario was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Boston RHP Mike Shawaryn in the fifth inning of a Mets' split squad's 9-3 loss to Boston. X-rays following the game were negative, manager Mickey Callaway said. ... Adeiny Hechavarria, one option for the Mets at shortstop, went 0 for 3 in the other squad's 7-4 win over Houston in West Palm Beach. He is hitting .077. Veteran... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Danny Farquhar took the mound in a game again. That was more than enough on Saturday.Farquhar's spring training appearance for the New York Yankees was his first game since the 32-year-old reliever collapsed in the Chicago White Sox dugout on April 20 because of a ruptured aneurysm and brain hemorrhage. The right-hander got one out and was charged with five runs in an 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates."I felt great out there," Farquhar said. "I was happy to be back on the mound. Obviously, the results weren't great but I call it a good day. I felt like a baseball player, again."Farquhar allowed three hits and walked two while throwing 19 pitches in the fourth inning. He is in camp with the Yankees on a minor league deal."The fact that he's on the mound and gotten to this point is pretty awesome," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I found myself a little more emotional than I even thought. Even though it didn't go great, I think he really appreciated how special... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — When injuries depleted the Arizona outfield last season, middle infielder Ketel Marte volunteered to be an interim option.The Diamondbacks are taking him up on that offer this year.Marte will move from second base to center field this season as the Diamondbacks reconfigure following the loss of free agent center fielder A.J. Pollock and a perceived dearth of free agents or trade options to replace him."He feels like he can do anything in this game, and I love that," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said."Last year when A.J. went down, he said, 'I'll be the best center fielder. If you need somebody, put me out there.' That was our starting point with him this year."Marte made all of his 132 starts in the middle infield in 2018, 105 at second base, and he also reached career highs in virtually every offensive category after signing a five-year, $24 million contract last March.He led the NL with 12 triples and had 26 doubles, 14 homers and 59 RBIs in his first full season.While... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion are still productive major leaguers with the potential for big seasons.Encarnacion had 32 home runs and 107 RBIs a season ago with Cleveland. Bruce hit 29 homers two seasons ago with the New York Mets. So they could play an important role in any success the Seattle Mariners have in 2019.They just don't fit perfectly into the Mariners' long-term plans to build for the future.It leaves them in the odd circumstance of knowing they are trying to help Seattle be successful and mentoring the next wave of young prospects, while at the same time essentially auditioning for teams that could be looking to add some offensive punch by the time midseason rolls around."I don't worry about any of that stuff. I don't trade myself. I create trade interest in myself by playing well. I help the team by playing well," Bruce said. "I set an example for the young players based on my actions. I try not to be real preachy about the way I go about my business.... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — The Mets are missing a pair of injured infielders, and the calendar hasn't even reached March.Third baseman Todd Frazier injured his left oblique muscle and will return to New York for a cortisone injection, the second Mets infielder to get hurt at spring training after fellow infielder Jed Lowrie.The 33-year-old Frazier had an MRI that revealed the injury."I was hitting the ball great, and then I felt a little tightness in my left side," Frazier said Tuesday.Frazier said he had not experienced the injury before."I thought I was doing everything right," he said. "I'm frustrated, very frustrated myself. It's just one of those things where you come into the year all healthy and ready to roll and this happens. It's not fun."Frazier hit 18 homers and drove in 59 runs in 115 games last year, when he went on the disabled list for the first two times in his big league career. He was out from May 8 to June 2 with a left hamstring strain and from July 9 to Aug. 2 with... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano had a youthful perspective after reporting to spring training."I feel like I'm 25," the 36-year-old All-Star second baseman said Sunday, a day ahead of the team's first full-squad workout.Cano took a physical and held a news conference. He took over the spot in the clubhouse that used to belong to Mets captain David Wright, who retired because of neck and back injuries."First of all, nobody's going to replace David Wright," Cano said. "David Wright is the organization. We all know what he did through the years. I feel special that I get to have his locker. This is a game that you play as a team. I'm going to go out and do my best and give it everything I've got, yes I will. But I don't like to pressure myself and go out and be that guy."Cano was acquired Dec. 3 from Seattle along with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, the first big move made by new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen — Cano's former agent."He said he was going to... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets infielder Robinson Cano had a youthful perspective after reporting to spring training with the New York Mets."I feel like I'm 25," the 36-year-old All-Star second baseman said Sunday, a day ahead of the team's first full-squad workout.Cano took a physical and held a news conference. He took over the spot in the clubhouse that used to belong to Mets captain David Wright, who retired because of neck and back injuries."First of all, nobody's going to replace David Wright," Cano said. "David Wright is the organization. We all know what he did through the years. I feel special that I get to have his locker. This is a game that you play as a team. I'm going to go out and do my best and give it everything I've got, yes I will. But I don't like to pressure myself and go out and be that guy."Cano was acquired Dec. 3 from Seattle along with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, the first big move made by new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen — Cano's former agent."He... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Mickey Callaway's first season as a manager with the New York Mets was ... well ... messy.His team batted out of order due to a lineup-card snafu. Several puzzling decisions drew heavy scrutiny. And the banged-up Mets faded fast following an 11-1 start, finishing eight games under .500."I experienced a ton. I think that's probably the most valuable thing, is just going through it. Going through the ups and downs," Callaway said Wednesday. "I'm looking forward to Year 2."But as he prepares to begin his second spring training in charge, the 43-year-old Callaway is already under plenty of pressure in a potentially dicey situation.The club's new general manager, former player agent Brodie Van Wagenen, didn't hire him. Not to mention, Van Wagenen and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon want a playoff contender after spending about $80 million on free agents plus more big bucks to obtain second baseman Robinson Cano in a blockbuster trade with Seattle.On paper, the... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — If nothing else, the Seattle Mariners' early arrival for spring training will give them a little more meet-and-greet time.The Mariners have 20 new players, including seven projected new starters, on their training camp roster this spring after an offseason overhaul following an 89-victory 2018 that still left them eight games out of the playoffs."I've been studying mugs of these guys to get a feeling. It's going to be a little bit different camp with all the new people," manager Scott Servais said Monday. "A lot of educating to do. Name tags would be good. Mandatory wear your jersey out there with the name on the back."The most notable new face is left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is expected to start one of the two games the Mariners will play in his native Japan. Seattle reported to spring training a day earlier than most to prepare for the season-opening series against Oakland in Tokyo on March 20-21.Kikuchi, who signed a four-year, $56 million contract in the offseason,... [More]

Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel won't be around when the bat and ball bags are opened at spring training throughout Florida and Arizona this week.They are among the dozens of free agents still looking for jobs, joined by Mike Moustakas, Marwin Gonzalez, Carlos Gonzalez and Gio Gonzalez.For the second straight winter, camps are opening with many rosters in exceptional flux."The market will sort itself out," St. Louis Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said at last week's owners' meetings. "There is a long time between the end of the season and spring training, and there's maybe not so much a sense of urgency on whichever side it happens to be."Among the 164 players who exercised free agency rights at the end of last year's World Series, 84 had announced agreements on the eve of spring training. That is up from 65 of 166 at roughly the same point last season but down from 105 of 158 two years ago.Boston added J.D. Martinez last Feb. 26 and Philadelphia brought... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National 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:___Atlanta BravesManager: Brian Snitker (fourth season).2018: 90-72, first place, lost to Dodgers in Division Series.Training Town: Kissimmee, Florida.Park: Champion Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Brian McCann, C Raffy Lopez, pitching coach Rick Kranitz.He's Outta Here: C Kurt Suzuki, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Brad Brach, 3B Ryan Flaherty, RHP Peter Moylan, 1B Lucas Duda, C Rene Rivera, OF Lane Adams, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez.Going campin': The 2018 Baby Braves were a surprise breakthrough team, winning the club's first NL East championship since 2013. A repeat title in a tougher NL East might be a bigger challenge. A key to the start of spring will be the health of Donaldson, who signed a one-year, $23 million deal after a left... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National 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:___Atlanta BravesManager: Brian Snitker (fourth season).2018: 90-72, first place, lost to Dodgers in Division Series.Training Town: Kissimmee, Florida.Park: Champion Stadium.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Brian McCann, C Raffy Lopez, pitching coach Rick Kranitz.He's Outta Here: C Kurt Suzuki, RHP Anibal Sanchez, RHP Brandon McCarthy, RHP Brad Brach, 3B Ryan Flaherty, RHP Peter Moylan, 1B Lucas Duda, C Rene Rivera, OF Lane Adams, pitching coach Chuck Hernandez.Going campin': The 2018 Baby Braves were a surprise breakthrough team, winning the club's first NL East championship since 2013. A repeat title in a tougher NL East might be a bigger challenge. A key to the start of spring will be the health of Donaldson, who signed a one-year, $23 million deal after a left... [More]

A team-by-team look at the American 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:___Houston AstrosManager: AJ Hinch (fifth season).2018: 103-59, first place, lost to Boston in ALCS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 14/18.He's Here: OF Michael Brantley, C Robinson Chirinos, LHP Wade Miley, INF Aledmys Diaz.He's Outta Here: INF-OF Marwin Gonzalez, LHP Dallas Keuchel, RHP Charlie Morton, DH Evan Gattis, LHP Tony Sipp, C Brian McCann, C Martin Maldonado.Going campin': The Astros won a franchise-record 103 games last season and reached the ALCS. But mounting injuries and inconsistent play led to their elimination by Boston in five games and kept them from repeating as champions after winning their first World Series title in 2017. Houston returns aces Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, who are both coming off great... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The timetable for Yoenis Cespedes' return to the New York Mets will remain an unanswered question until after opening day.The 33-year-old outfielder was limited to 38 games last year. Dr. Robert Anderson operated to remove bone calcification from Cespedes' right heel on Aug. 2 and from the left on Oct. 26.New Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Cespedes' former agent, has said it is too early to prognosticate when the All-Star slugger will be back in the lineup."I don't think we'll have an idea during spring training," Van Wagenen said on a sun-splashed, spring-like Monday while watching the team's equipment truck leave for spring training. "I think that our expectation is that he can make progress every day, that we build him up in a smart fashion, that we're not taxing him too soon, and we want to make sure that he's 100 percent healthy when he comes back, whenever that day is."Originally acquired from Detroit at the 2015 trade deadline, Cespedes hit .287 with 17... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas City Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund was suspended Monday for the season's first 80 games after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances.The commissioner's office said the positive tests were for selective androgen receptor modulators S-22 (Ostarine) and LGD-4033 (Ligandrol).Royals general manager Dayton Moore said in a statement Skoglund "unknowingly made a mistake" and "we remain proud of who Eric is as a person and will support him as an organization."Skoglund was 1-6 with a 5.14 ERA last season. The 26-year-old lefty was in the rotation in April and May, missed the next three months because of an elbow sprain and pitched well in September.The 6-foot-7 Skoglund made his big league debut in 2017, going 1-2 with a 9.50 ERA in seven games. He was a candidate to begin this season in the rotation, a year after the Royals went 58-104 and finished last in the AL Central.Skoglund is the first player to be suspended this year under the major league drug program.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jed Lowrie would rather talk about wine than whine.The infielder visited Citi Field on Wednesday after finalizing a $20 million, two-year contract with the New York Mets, likely less money and a shorter term than he would have gotten before the free-agent market for solid-but-less-than-stellar veterans buckled a year ago."I think that argument could be made," he said. "But you deal in reality, and so I'm excited to be a Met."A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star appearance. In his 11th major league season, Lowrie set career highs last year for Oakland with 23 homers, 99 RBIs, 78 walks and 128 strikeouts, hitting .267."He's a big wine connoisseur. He gets better with age like many of the wines that he collects," said new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Lowrie's former agent.Lowrie, wife Milessa, daughter Saige and son Miles likely will live in New York City, possibly in Brooklyn. They have homes in Houston and his hometown... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas City Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund has been suspended for the season's first 80 games after testing positive for two performance-enhancing substances.The commissioner's office said Wednesday the positive tests were for selective androgen receptor modulators S-22 (Ostarine) and LGD-4033 (Ligandrol).Royals general manager Dayton Moore says in a statement Skoglund "unknowingly made a mistake" and "we remain proud of who Eric is as a person and will support him as an organization."Skoglund was 1-6 with a 5.14 ERA last season. The 26-year-old lefty was in the rotation in April and May, missed the next three months because of an elbow sprain and pitched well in September.The 6-foot-7 Skoglund made his big league debut in 2017, going 1-2 with a 9.50 ERA in seven games.Skoglund is the first player to be suspended this year under the major league drug program. Ten players were suspended under the program last year, including Robinson Cano, Jorge Polanco and Welington Castillo.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent infielder Jed Lowrie and the New York Mets have finalized a $20 million, two-year contract.A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star season."We are really fortunate and thrilled that Jed bought what we were selling," new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.Lowrie played mostly second base for the Oakland Athletics during the past three seasons. Van Wagenen says he will play second, shortstop and third for the Mets, who acquired All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from Seattle last month"He's going to be in our lineup virtually every day," Van Wagenen said.Lowrie is the fifth All-Star added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.Like Cano, he used to be represented by Van Wagenen, co-head of CAA Baseball before he became New York's general manager in October.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent infielder Jed Lowie and the New York Mets have finalized a $20 million, two-year contract.A switch-hitter who turns 35 in April, Lowrie and is coming off his first All-Star season."We are really fortunate and thrilled that Jed bought what we were selling," new Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.Lowrie played mostly second base for the Oakland Athletics during the past three seasons. Van Wagenen says he will play second, shortstop and third for the Mets, who acquired All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano from Seattle last month"He's going to be in our lineup virtually every day," Van Wagenen said.Lowrie is the fifth All-Star added by the Mets this offseason, following Cano, closer Edwin Diaz, catcher Wilson Ramos and reliever Jeurys Familia, traded to Oakland last summer and then re-signed by New York as a free agent.Like Cano, he used to be represented by Van Wagenen, co-head of CAA Baseball before he became New York's general manager in October.... [More]