CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas."We've had a couple of goals going into the offseason and that's foremost trying to make sure we have a team that's capable of winning the American League Central in 2019 but also position the organization for sustained success beyond that," Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "There are a couple ways to do that. One is to infuse young, controllable talent into the organization. The second... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas.Cleveland may not be done. The club has considered trading either ace Corey Kluber or All-Star Trevor Bauer. The Indians have outfield needs and are looking to rebuild their bullpen.Alonso batted .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in his only season with the Indians, who signed him as a free agent last December.This deal between AL Central rivals could have broad implications for both teams the rest of the offseason.Chicago... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.In exchange, Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call, who has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also got rid of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas.Cleveland may not be done. The club has considered trading either ace Corey Kluber or All-Star Trevor Bauer. The Indians have outfield needs and are looking to rebuild their bullpen.Alonso batted .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in his only season with the Indians, who signed him as a free agent last December.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was released from a hospital Thursday, hours after completing a trade from his bed during the baseball winter meetings.He had begun feeling ill earlier in the week.The team said Dipoto was driven to an area hospital by Mariners officials Wednesday "out of an abundance of caution." Dipoto made improvements into Thursday and was released later in the day, the team said. He was expected to fly home to Seattle on Friday.No other information was provided about his condition, though assistant GM Justin Hollander said further tests were done.Despite being sick, the 50-year-old Dipoto dealt Carlos Santana to Cleveland in exchange for Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday — getting a big assist from Hollander.Hollander handled the final logistics of the swap from Seattle's side. He went to the hospital Wednesday night to work out "sort of a new wrinkle" with Dipoto."We were texting back and forth. Some of the groundwork had been laid and then... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was in a hospital, making a trade from a bed.Cleveland counterpart Chris Antonetti was boarding a plane headed back home, trying to finalize the deal before the flight pulled away from the gate.They managed to complete the swap as the winter meetings came to an end. Carlos Santana was sent back to Cleveland, where he was an Indians fan favorite. Edwin Encarnacion is headed to Seattle — no telling how long he'll stick there.The star hitters were dealt for each other Thursday, part of a three-team trade that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, while the busy Mariners wound up with a draft pick. Tampa Bay will send $5 million to Seattle and the Mariners will pay $6 million to Cleveland."I called Edwin earlier this morning before we had final sign-off because again I wanted him to hear... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Carlos Santana and Jeurys Familia found friendly landing spots, Edwin Encarnacion took off for a more uncertain future. Joe Kelly joined the team he helped beat in the World Series, the Milwaukee Brewers boosted their imposing bullpen.The winter meetings wrapped up Thursday with a three-team trade involving Cleveland, Seattle and Tampa Bay, plus a couple more relievers reached free-agent deals.Even so, baseball fans might've felt a bit cheated this week. Because even after all clubs gathered along the Strip, no one went all in.Hometown slugger Bryce Harper stayed put, Manny Machado didn't move. A lot of trade talk about Corey Kluber, Noah Syndergaard and J.T. Realmuto, but no deals.Blame that, maybe, on a new way of doing business.In older days, a general managers or agent would've met around the blackjack table or roulette wheel in the wee hours and hammered out a swap on a handshake. Now, with so many financial, medical and analytical components, that's virtually impossible."There's... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was in the hospital, making a trade from a bed.Cleveland counterpart Chris Antonetti was boarding a plane headed back home, trying to finalize the deal before the flight pulled away from the gate.They managed to complete the swap as the winter meetings came to an end. Carlos Santana was sent back to Cleveland, where he was an Indians fan favorite. Edwin Encarnacion is headed to Seattle — no telling how long he'll stick there.The star hitters were dealt for each other Thursday, part of a three-team trade that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, while the busy Mariners wound up with a draft pick. Tampa Bay will send $5 million to Seattle and the Mariners will pay $6 million to Cleveland."I called Edwin earlier this morning before we had final sign-off because again I wanted him to... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Carlos Santana is going back to Cleveland, where he was an Indians fan favorite. Edwin Encarnacion is headed to Seattle — no telling how long he'll stick there.The star hitters were swapped for each other Thursday, part of a three-team trade that also involved Tampa Bay as the winter meetings wrapped up.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, while the busy Mariners wound up with a draft pick. Tampa Bay will send $5 million to Seattle and the Mariners will pay $6 million to Cleveland."We'll see how it goes with Edwin, whether he stays with us or he moves on to another destination," Seattle assistant general manager Justin Hollander said.Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto finished the trade while in a hospital. He felt ill a day earlier and was checked "out of an abundance of caution," the team said.Coming off their third straight AL Central, the Indians had been... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was taken to a hospital as a precaution after he began feeling ill during the baseball winter meetings then he pulled off a trade from his bed.The team said Dipoto was driven to an area hospital by Mariners officials Wednesday "out of an abundance of caution." Dipoto made improvements into Thursday and was expected to be released at some point during the day, likely flying home to Seattle on Friday.No other information was provided about his condition, though assistant GM Justin Hollander said further tests were done.Despite being sick, the 50-year-old Dipoto dealt Carlos Santana to Cleveland in exchange for Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday — getting a big assist from Hollander.Hollander handled the final logistics of the swap from Seattle's side. He went to the hospital Wednesday night to work out "sort of a new wrinkle" with Dipoto."We were texting back and forth. Some of the groundwork had been laid and then he basically handed... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Cleveland Indians reacquired fan favorite Carlos Santana and sent slugger Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle in a three-team trade Thursday that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, while the Mariners wound up with a draft pick. Tampa Bay will send $5 million to Seattle and the Mariners will pay $6 million to Cleveland.Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto finished the trade while in a hospital. He fell ill during the winter meetings and was checked "out of an abundance of caution," the Mariners said.Coming off their third straight AL Central, the Indians had been expected to make a move at the meetings, presumably with ace Corey Kluber or pitcher Trevor Bauer.Instead, they jettisoned Encarnacion — the designated hitter has averaged 108 RBIs over the last seven seasons — and brought back the popular Santana."Not sure how to feel,"... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Cleveland Indians reacquired fan favorite Carlos Santana and sent slugger Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle in a three-team trade Thursday that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Sulser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers from Tampa Bay, while the Mariners wound up with cash and a draft pick.Seattle general manager Jerry Dipoto finished the trade while in a hospital. He fell ill during the winter meetings and was checked "out of an abundance of caution," the Mariners said.Coming off their third straight AL Central, the Indians had been expected to make a move at the meetings, presumably with ace Corey Kluber or pitcher Trevor Bauer.Instead, they jettisoned Encarnacion — the designated hitter has averaged 108 RBIs over the last seven seasons — and brought back the popular Santana."Not sure how to feel," Indians star Jose Ramirez tweeted after the deal.The 32-year-old Santana, known for... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):10:57 a.m.A person with direct knowledge of the agreement says free agent right-hander Lance Lynn and the Texas Rangers have reached a deal on a $30 million, three-year contract.The deal is pending a physical, says the person, who was speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract isn't complete.The 31-year-old Lynn has double-digit wins in all six seasons he has been a regular starter since after his rookie year of 2011. He went 10-10 with a 4.77 ERA in 31 appearances with 29 starts in 2018 pitching for the Twins and Yankees.— AP Baseball Writer Janie McCauley reporting.___10:45 a.m.Durable left-hander Alex Claudio was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers from the Texas Rangers for a draft pick.Claudio was 4-2 with a 4.48 ERA and one save in 65 relief appearances and one start this year. He has a 13-6 record with 12 saves and a 3.20 ERA in 206 relief appearances and two starts in five big league... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):10:26 a.m.Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was taken to a hospital "out of an abundance of caution," according to the team, after he fell ill during the winter meetings in Las Vegas.The Mariners said Thursday that team officials took him to a local hospital on Wednesday to be checked out after he was not feeling well. No other information was provided about his condition.Despite being sick, Dipoto was still able to pull off a trade during the meetings, sending Carlos Santana to Cleveland in exchange for Edwin Encarnacion on Thursday.___10:19 a.m.Slugger Edwin Encarnacion has been traded to Seattle and first baseman Carlos Santana has returned to the Indians in a three-team deal that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor league right-hander Cole Slusser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers.The swap came Thursday at the close of the winter meetings.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Slugger Edwin Encarnacion has been traded to Seattle and first baseman Carlos Santana has returned to the Indians in a three-team deal that also involved Tampa Bay.The Rays got infielder Yandy Diaz and minor and minor league right-hander Cole Slusser from Cleveland. The Indians also acquired first baseman Jake Bauers.The swap came Thursday at the close of the winter meetings.

CLEVELAND (AP) — For the third year in a row, the unmistakable aroma of champagne wafted into the hallway outside the visitor's clubhouse following the final game at Progressive Field.On the Cleveland side, the smell was sour.The Indians were built for one goal: to win their first World Series since 1948. Yet after cruising to a third straight AL Central title, they couldn't get past the first round.October rejects again."We had a good year," said pitcher Trevor Bauer, whose shift from the starting rotation to the bullpen for the postseason maybe best summed up Cleveland's unsatisfying, disjointed season. "We definitely could have gone further. We had a lot of talent here and it didn't go our way."Nothing went Cleveland's way. But beyond being swept by the impressive Houston Astros, who were superior at every level, the Indians barely put up a fight.Postseason push-overs.The Indians were so close in 2016, when they took the Chicago Cubs into extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians manager Terry Francona found a simple way to sum up his team's tenuous state this October.And he channeled Yogi Berra to do it."As long as we're still breathing, we're still breathing," Francona said before Monday's critical Game 3 against the Houston Astros. "We just don't have a lot of margin for error."With his club down 2-0 and batting only .100 (6 for 60) so far in the series and facing left-hander Dallas Keuchel in Game 3, Francona juggled his lineup by starting right-handed hitters Yandy Diaz at designated hitter and Brandon Guyer in right field. Also, Edwin Encarnacion was switched from DH and play first base, replacing left-handed Yonder Alonso.The Indians were dominated in Games 1 and 2 by Astros fireballers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. Cleveland has had some success against Keuchel, beating him on May 19 in Houston. The Indians scored three runs in the first inning and chased Keuchel after in five innings.In his second matchup against Cleveland on... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Indians manager Terry Francona juggled his struggling lineup for Game 3 of the AL Division Series against Houston.With his club batting .100 (6 for 60) in the series and facing left-hander Dallas Keuchel, the Indians are starting right-handed hitters Yandy Diaz at designated hitter and Brandon Guyer in right field. Also, Edwin Encarnacion will switch from DH and play first base, replacing left-handed Yonder Alonso.The Indians were dominated in Games 1 and 2 by Astros fireballers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. Cleveland has had some success against Keuchel, beating him on May 19 in Houston. The Indians scored three runs in the first inning and chased Keuchel after in five innings.In his second matchup against Cleveland on May 25, he allowed two runs and eight hits in six innings.Astros manager A.J. Hinch made two switches, starting Brian McCann behind the plate and using Tony Kemp as his DH instead of Tyler White, who served that role in the first two games.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, 1:30 p.m.; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, 4:35 p.m.; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, 4:07 p.m. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239,... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239, 15, 65), 1B... [More]

A look at the best-of-five American League Division Series between the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros:___Schedule: (All times EDT) Game 1, Friday, at Houston, 2:05 p.m.; Game 2, Saturday, at Houston, 4:37 p.m.; Game 3, Monday, Oct. 8, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 9, at Cleveland, TBA; x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 11, at Houston, TBA. (All games on TBS).x-if necessary.___Season Series: Astros won 4-3.___Projected Lineups:Indians: SS Francisco Lindor (.277, 38 HRs, 92 RBIs, 42 2Bs, 25 SBs), LF Michael Brantley (.309, 17, 76), 2B Jose Ramirez (.272, 39, 106, 34 SBs), DH Edwin Encarnacion (.246, 32, 107), 3B Josh Donaldson (.246, 8, 23 with Blue Jays and Indians), 1B Yonder Alonso (.250, 23, 83), RF Melky Cabrera (.280, 6, 39 in 78 games), C Yan Gomes (.266, 16, 48), CF Jason Kipnis (.230, 18, 75).Astros: CF George Springer (.265, 22, 71), 2B Jose Altuve (.315, 13, 61), 3B Alex Bregman (.286, 31, 103, AL-best 51 doubles, 84 walks, 82 Ks), SS Carlos Correa (.239, 15, 65), 1B... [More]