MESA, Ariz. (AP) — A world away, Liam Hendriks had to do something to help everyone affected by the ravaging fires back home in Australia.The Oakland Athletics reliever campaigned on social media to do his part for the cause, no matter he grew up on the country's West Coast in Perth where the massive bush fires haven't been as devastating. He made a quick visit this offseason.On Instagram, Hendriks encouraged contributions to Red Cross Australia. While he fully supported everyone rescuing koala bears and other animals from the flames, he also wanted to make sure the people affected received necessary support.“Nothing is ever enough but the response was always positive, which is highly unusual for social media regardless of the tack you're taking," Hendriks said before a recent spring training workout. “We got a decent chunk of change that we sent over there. Hopefully it helps make a difference, but at the end of the day there's only so much we can do from over here. The awareness is the... [More]

DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) — Bo Bichette says it's been tough to watch the Houston Astros response to their sign-stealing scandal exposed in Commissioner Rob Manfred's report."I don't know what they're really thinking," the 21-year old Toronto Blue Jays shortstop and son of former player Dante Bichette said Saturday. "I don't know what their true intentions behind the apologies are. From the outside looking in, it doesn't seem to be too apologetic."MLB acknowledged the Astros guilty of using video to steal catchers’ signs in 2017 and 2018. The cheating was publicly revealed when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, now with Oakland, discussed it with The Athletic in November.Blue Jays third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr, son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, also doesn't like what transpired."I'm not very comfortable with that," Guerrero said through a translator. “It's been a while for them to be doing that, so they should get some kind of punishment. I believe if I know what's coming, I will hit... [More]

TAMPA. Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had suspected that the Houston Astros had been breaking rules against electronic sign stealing long before Commissioner Rob Manfred released his report in January that resulted in three big league managers losing their jobs."I'll acknowledge that we had many a conversation with Major League Baseball the last number of years about suspicions, but having suspicions and being able to prove it are two different things," Cashman said Friday.Cashman also talked with other teams regarding the matter. Manfred recently disciplined the Astros after he agreed the team broke rules by using electronics to steal signs during 2017 and 2018. Houston manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were given one-year suspensions by Manfred and were then fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. Boston manager Alex Cora and New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs. Cora was a coach and Beltrán played for the 2017 Astros in his final season as... [More]

TAMPA. Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had suspected that the Houston Astros had been breaking rules against electronic sign stealing long before Commissioner Rob Manfred released his report in January that resulted in three big league managers losing their jobs."I'll acknowlege at that we had many a conversion with Major League Baseball the last number of years about suspicions, but having suspicions and being able to prove it are two different things," Cashman said Friday.Cashman also talked with other teams regarding the matter. Manfred recently disciplined the Astros after he agreed the team broke rules by using electronics to steal signs during 2017 and 2018. Houston manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were given one-year suspensions by Manfred and were then fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. Boston manager Alex Cora and New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs. Cora was a coach and Beltrán played for the 2017 Astros in his final season as... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Called up in September 2017 by Houston, Tony Kemp immediately got asked by teammates whether he wanted to be a part of the Astros' sign-stealing scheme. His answer was a firm no, and Kemp didn't feel further pressure to do it.“That stood,” the second baseman said Friday after arriving in Oakland's spring training camp and reuniting with former Astros teammate Mike Fiers, who went public in November about Houston's sign-stealing that rocked the baseball offseason.“Once I got there in September the system was already in place and I just tried to keep my head down and play hard and not really concern myself with it,” Kemp said. He said what Houston did was wrong, and when asked whether the ‘17 World Series title is tainted, noted: “That’s a good question, everyone's going to have their own speculations about it, everyone's going to have their own opinions about it. I'm not sure.”Then-Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired on the same day they... [More]

TAMPA. Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had suspected that the Houston Astros had been breaking rules against electronic sign stealing long before Commissioner Rob Manfred released his report in January that resulted in three big league managers losing their jobs."I'll acknowlege at that we had many a conversion with Major League Baseball the last number of years about suspicions, but having suspicions and being able to prove it are two different things," Cashman said Friday.Cashman also talked with other teams regarding the matter. Manfred disciplined the Astros after he found the team broke rules by using electronics to steal signs during 2017 and 2018. Houston manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were given one-year suspensions by Manfred and were then fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. Boston manager Alex Cora and New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs. Cora was a coach and Beltrán played for the 2017 Astros in his final season as a player.Beltrán... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Called up in September 2017 by Houston, Tony Kemp immediately got asked by teammates whether he wanted to be a part of the Astros' sign-stealing scheme. His answer was a firm no, and Kemp didn't feel further pressure to do it.“That stood,” the second baseman said Friday after arriving in Oakland's spring training camp and reuniting with former Astros teammate Mike Fiers, who went public in November about Houston's sign-stealing that rocked the baseball offseason.“Once I got there in September the system was already in place and I just tried to keep my head down and play hard and not really concern myself with it,” Kemp said. He said what Houston did was wrong, and when asked whether the ‘17 World Series title is tainted, noted: “That’s a good question, everyone's going to have their own speculations about it, everyone's going to have their own opinions about it. I'm not sure.”Then-Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired on the same day they... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — In the ocean off the Florida coast, Mike Fiers found a way to get his mind off everything this winter for a couple of hours at a time and prepare for another baseball season.Far away from the Astros scandal. No whistleblower chatter. Just tough swims in the surf and workouts with his buddies on Pompano Beach.It's an offseason the Oakland pitcher is counting on to carry him from the momentum he established during a career year in 2019 and another playoff season, when he pitched his second career no-hitter and went on to win 15 games.Fiers made it clear he is moving forward after he told The Athletic in November that his former Houston team had stolen signs using a video camera in center field during the Astros' 2017 run to the World Series title. “Right now I want to focus on this team and not the past,” said Fiers, who has declined to speak in detail about the scheme or his decision to go public.The revelations prompted an investigation that shook up several teams. Houston... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — In the ocean off the Florida coast, Mike Fiers found a way to get his mind off everything this winter for a couple of hours at a time and prepare for another baseball season.Far away from the Astros scandal. No whistleblower chatter. Just tough swims in the surf and workouts with his buddies on Pompano Beach.It's an offseason the Oakland pitcher is counting on to carry him from the momentum he established during a career year in 2019 and another playoff season, when he pitched his second career no-hitter and went on to win 15 games.Fiers made it clear he is moving forward after he told The Athletic in November that his former Houston team had stolen signs using a video camera in center field during the Astros' 2017 run to the World Series title. “Right now I want to focus on this team and not the past,” said Fiers, who has declined to speak in detail about the scheme or his decision to go public.The revelations prompted an investigation that shook up several teams. Houston... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Marwin González became the first batter from the 2017 Houston Astros team that won the World Series to publicly apologize for his role in the sign-stealing scandal, expressing regret Tuesday after reporting to spring training with the Minnesota Twins.“I'm remorseful for everything that happened in 2017, for everything that we did as a group, and for the players that were affected directly by us by doing this and some other things,” González said. He later added: "I wish that we could take it back, but there's nothing we can do now.”Major League Baseball's investigation into the allegation first made publicly by former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers resulted in one-season suspensions for manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, a $5 million fine and the loss of Houston's first- and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. Hinch and Luhnow were fired by the Astros, and Boston manager Alex Cora and New York Mets manager Carlos Beltrán also lost their jobs for... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Baseball returns to the field next week when pitchers, catchers and cheaters report to spring training.Fans await the annual sunny scenes of favorites stretching on bright green grass in Florida and Arizona.This year the players bring along dark clouds of scandal — the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros have been tainted by their sign-stealing scam and the 2018 champion Boston Red Sox have been accused of similar subversion.Teams hope once workouts start, the stain will fade."I think those stories lines will weave in and out, but that spring training is that juncture for individual fan bases to be optimistic about what the season ahead holds and it shifts back to that," Toronto Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said. "There's a natural kind of rhythm to spring training that diverts to the positive stories."But first, confessions?Some regard baseball's blemish from sign stealing as vivid as the acne on the backs of steroids-swelled sluggers of the 1990s and early... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Baseball returns to the field next week when pitchers, catchers and cheaters report to spring training.Fans await the annual sunny scenes of favorites stretching on bright green grass in Florida and Arizona.This year the players bring along dark clouds of scandal — the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros have been tainted by their sign-stealing scam and the 2018 champion Boston Red Sox have been accused of similar subversion.Teams hope once workouts start, the stain will fade."I think those stories lines will weave in and out, but that spring training is that juncture for individual fan bases to be optimistic about what the season ahead holds and it shifts back to that," Toronto Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said. "There's a natural kind of rhythm to spring training that diverts to the positive stories."But first, confessions?Some regard baseball's blemish from sign stealing as vivid as the acne on the backs of steroids-swelled sluggers of the 1990s and early... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jessica Mendoza will no longer be on ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” or work for the New York Mets front office after signing a contract extension with the network.ESPN announced Friday that Mendoza will be an analyst on weekday games as well as making appearances on various network shows, including “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight.” Mendoza's increased appearances on ESPN have led her to resign as a baseball operations adviser to the Mets and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. She was hired as a Mets adviser last March.Mendoza joined ESPN as a softball analyst and college football sideline reporter in 2007. She has been an MLB analyst since 2015 and was part of the “Sunday Night Baseball" booth for four seasons. Her roles with the network and the Mets had been under discussion since the end of last season.“I’ve always prioritized my growth and these new opportunities will allow me to expand my broadcasting career while challenging me at the same time," Mendoza said... [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 Astros Manager: Dusty Baker (first season). 2019: 107-55, first place, lost to Nationals in World Series. Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida. Park: Ballpark of Palm Beaches. First Workout: Feb. 13/17. He's Here: Manager Dusty Baker, RHP Austin Pruitt, C Dustin Garneau.He's Outta Here: Manager AJ Hinch, RHP Gerrit Cole, RHP Will Harris, C Robinson Chirinos, OF Tony Kemp. Going campin': The Astros enter the spring reeling from a sign-stealing scandal that cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs. They brought in Baker to steady the team, and it gives the 70-year-old another chance to chase his first World Series title as a manager. He’ll get a crash course learning his new team this spring after being hired less than three weeks before pitchers and catchers... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jessica Mendoza will no longer be on ESPN's “Sunday Night Baseball” or work for the New York Mets front office after signing a contract extension with the network.ESPN announced Friday that Mendoza will be an analyst on weekday games as well as making appearances on various network shows, including “SportsCenter” and “Baseball Tonight.” Mendoza's increased appearances on ESPN have led her to resign as a baseball operations adviser to the Mets and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. She was hired as a Mets adviser last March.Mendoza joined ESPN as a softball analyst and college football sideline reporter in 2007. She has been an MLB analyst since 2015 and was part of the “Sunday Night Baseball" booth for four seasons. Her roles with the network and the Mets had been under discussion since the end of last season.“I’ve always prioritized my growth and these new opportunities will allow me to expand my broadcasting career while challenging me at the same time," Mendoza said... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Major League Baseball intends to impose new limits on what live video is available to teams, and Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to complete his investigation into alleged electronic sign stealing by the Boston Red Sox before spring training camps open next week."I think you should assume that before the season starts we will have new guidelines with respect to the use of video equipment," Manfred said Thursday after an owners meeting. "I think we have too much video available in real time right now."After former Houston pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic in November that the Astros used a video camera to steal the signs of opposing catchers in 2017 and 2018, Manfred last month suspended Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season, fined the Astros $5 million and stripped them of their first- and second-round drafts picks in 2020 and 2021. Hinch and Luhnow were fired the same day, and the scandal led to the departures of Boston manager Alex... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Major League Baseball intends to impose new limits on what live video is available to teams, and Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to complete his investigation into alleged electronic sign stealing by the Boston Red Sox before spring training camps open next week."I think you should assume that before the season starts we will have new guidelines with respect to the use of video equipment," Manfred said Thursday after an owners meeting. "I think we have too much video available in real time right now."After former Houston pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic in November that the Astros used a video camera to steal the signs of opposing catchers in 2017 and 2018, Manfred last month suspended Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season, fined the Astros $5 million and stripped them of their first- and second-round drafts picks in 2020 and 2021. Hinch and Luhnow were fired the same day, and the scandal led to the departures of Boston manager Alex... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Major League Baseball intends to impose new limits on what live video is available to teams, and Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to complete his investigation into alleged electronic sign stealing by the Boston Red Sox before spring training camps open next week."I think you should assume that before the season starts we will have new guidelines with respect to the use of video equipment," Manfred said Thursday after an owners meeting. "I think we have too much video available in real time right now."After former Houston pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic in November that the Astros used a video camera to steal the signs of opposing catchers in 2017 and 2018, Manfred last month suspended Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season, fined the Astros $5 million and stripped them of their first- and second-round drafts picks in 2020 and 2021. Hinch and Luhnow were fired the same day, and the scandal led to the departures of Boston manager Alex... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The dual roles of former Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez and ex-Olympic softball player Jessica Mendoza as team employees and broadcasters have drawn the concern of baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.Martinez is a Red Sox special assistant and an analyst for TBS. Mendoza is a New York Mets baseball operations adviser and an ESPN broadcaster. Both criticized pitcher Mike Fiers for revealing the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scam to The Athletic. Fiers, now with Oakland, sparked an investigation that led to the departures of 10% of the major league managers: Houston's AJ Hinch, Boston's Alex Cora and the Mets' Carlos Beltrán.“I'm a transparency guy,” Manfred said Thursday after an owners meeting. “That someone should be kind of singled out because they saw something that was wrong and decided to talk about it, I don't agree with that."Martinez, a Hall of Famer, told Boston radio station WEEI “whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse, and Fiers broke the rules.”Mendoza... [More]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The dual roles of former Boston pitcher Pedro Martinez and ex-Olympic softball player Jessica Mendoza as team employees and broadcasters have drawn the concern of baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred.Martinez is a Red Sox special assistant and an analyst for TBS. Mendoza is a New York Mets baseball operations adviser and an ESPN broadcaster. Both criticized pitcher Mike Fiers for revealing the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scam to The Athletic. Fiers, now with Oakland, sparked an investigation that led to the departures of 10% of the major league managers: Houston's AJ Hinch, Boston's Alex Cora and the Mets' Carlos Beltrán.“I'm a transparency guy,” Manfred said Thursday after an owners meeting. “That someone should be kind of singled out because they saw something that was wrong and decided to talk about it, I don't agree with that."Martinez, a Hall of Famer, told Boston radio station WEEI “whatever happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse, and Fiers broke the rules.”Mendoza... [More]