NEW YORK (AP) — Washington pitcher Max Scherzer took over from Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout as baseball's highest-paid player at $37.4 million and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox remained the sport's bigger spender for the second straight year, according to a study of major league salaries by The Associated Press.Baseball's average salary dropped for an unprecedented second straight year on opening day, falling about $36,000 to approximately $4,375,000. But the drop was due to signing bonuses in new contracts for Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and a few others. Baseball's accounting rules allocate signing bonuses in equal portions over each guaranteed year of a contract, and the signing bonuses of nine players caused an $82,000 drop in the opening-day average.Trout was the highest-paid last season at $34.08 million but his new deal dropped his salary for this year in exchange for a $20 million signing bonus. Scherzer's salary is discounted because... [More]

Jose Ramirez is expected to be in the Cleveland Indians' opening day lineup Thursday, four days after fouling a pitch off the area below his left knee.Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Ramirez should be ready to go for the opener at Minnesota. The All-Star third baseman worked out Monday and Tuesday in Arizona, testing his bruised left knee while Cleveland finished its exhibition schedule with games against the Rangers in Texas. Ramirez will join the team for a workout Wednesday in Minnesota.Ramirez left the field on a cart Sunday in an alarming scene for the Indians, who will already be without star shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis. Both players are working back from right calf strains.Ramirez had 39 home runs and 105 RBIs last season, finishing third in AL MVP voting for the second straight year.Cleveland lost to Texas 5-4 on Tuesday in its final spring training game. Mike Clevinger allowed four runs (two earned) in three innings. He walked two, struck... [More]

Jose Ramirez is expected to be in the Cleveland Indians' opening day lineup Thursday, four days after fouling a pitch off the area below his left knee.Manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Ramirez should be ready to go for the opener at Minnesota. The All-Star third baseman worked out Monday and Tuesday in Arizona, testing his bruised left knee while Cleveland finished its exhibition schedule with games against the Rangers in Texas. Ramirez will join the team for a workout Wednesday in Minnesota.Ramirez left the field on a cart Sunday in an alarming scene for the Indians, who will already be without star shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis. Both players are working back from right calf strains.Ramirez had 39 home runs and 105 RBIs last season, finishing third in AL MVP voting for the second straight year.Cleveland lost to Texas 5-4 on Tuesday in its final spring training game. Mike Clevinger allowed four runs (two earned) in three innings. He walked two, struck... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — David Price is set to be the No. 5 starter in the Boston Red Sox rotation, but the left-hander isn't ruling out a relief appearance during the season's opening weekend.Price pitched four innings Tuesday in Boston's final exhibition game, a 16-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs, then said he's interested in pitching an inning or two during a season-opening series at Seattle that begins Thursday.The 33-year-old Price was slowed this spring because of a norovirus, and Tuesday was his first game since March 12. Boston decided to slot Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Eduardo Rodriguez and Rick Porcello ahead of him in the rotation, with an eye on potentially getting Price some work during one of the first two regular season games."I don't know if he wants a tune-up, but we could do a cool thing in game one or two in Seattle just to get his feet wet," manager Alex Cora said."It's just another rep," Price said. "It's just getting out there in a real game, one that counts. You can kind of... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett injured his right leg while fielding a grounder against Milwaukee and was helped off the field.Gennett ranged to his left for a ball off the bat of Yasmani Grandal leading off the second inning Friday. Gennett slid to make the stop and threw to pitcher Robert Stephenson covering first for the out. Gennett went to his knees and was helped off by Reds head athletic trainer Steve Baumann and manager David Bell."I don't know exactly if it was when he fell or when he made the throw," Bell said. "He felt something in his groin.Cincinnati says Gennett was to have an MRI.The 28-year-old Gennett reached the majors with the Brewers in 2013 and was claimed off waivers by his hometown Reds near the end of spring training two years ago. He made his first All-Star team last season, hitting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs.Top prospect Nick Senzel could be a candidate to replace Gennett. Senzel was reassigned to minor league camp earlier... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Cincinnati Reds All-Star second baseman Scooter Gennett injured his right leg while fielding a grounder against Milwaukee and was helped off the field.Gennett ranged to his left for a ball off the bat of Yasmani Grandal leading off the second inning Friday. Gennett slid to make the stop and threw to pitcher Robert Stephenson covering first for the out. Gennett went to his knees and was helped off by Reds head athletic trainer Steve Baumann and manager David Bell."I don't know exactly if it was when he fell or when he made the throw," Bell said. "He felt something in his groin.Cincinnati says Gennett was to have an MRI.The 28-year-old Gennett reached the majors with the Brewers in 2013 and was claimed off waivers by his hometown Reds near the end of spring training two years ago. He made his first All-Star team last season, hitting .310 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs.Top prospect Nick Senzel could be a candidate to replace Gennett. Senzel was reassigned to minor league camp earlier... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — It does not take Javier Baez long to show off his magic tricks, even in a spring training game.The Chicago Cubs star singled in the first inning on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies and stole second, escaping a tag by shortstop Garrett Hampson with a deft swim move."I wasn't planning on doing it — I just reacted to it," Baez said. "I got a good jump but I took forever to be full speed and the ball beat me. I saw it and just reacted to it. That's my first attempt to steal a bag in spring training. I just did it. We'll see how it goes."It was just Javy being Javy. Last season, the infielder known as "El Mago" — Spanish for 'The Magician' — set career highs with a .290 batting average, 34 home runs, 40 doubles, 21 stolen bases and a league-leading 111 RBIs."I had a great year," Baez said. "I still think I can have a better year."Baez, 26, finished second in the NL MVP voting behind the Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich last season. Baez ranked among the top 20 NL hitters... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning sign... [More]

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is headed for Tommy John surgery and out for the season. New York Yankees ace Luis Severino is shut down, too — at least through opening day.Hours after Severino stopped warming up in the bullpen because of an inflamed right shoulder, the Royals announced more damaging news Tuesday: Perez would have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow, keeping the six-time All-Star off the field for the entire year.Perez hurt the elbow during a workout last week and said over the weekend that he was harboring a slim hope that he might be able to play through it. Instead, he is expected to undergo surgery on Wednesday."There was nothing that can prepare us for this. There was no information we had that led us this direction," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "Salvy was having no issues. He's asymptomatic. He has wear and tear, just like any 28-year-old catcher who's been squatting and catching since he was 12 years old. There was no warning... [More]

New York Yankees ace Luis Severino will miss opening day because of an inflamed right shoulder that acted up while he was getting loose for his first spring training start.Severino felt something wrong when he threw his first slider in the bullpen and was immediately scratched. He won't throw for two weeks, manager Aaron Boone said after a 5-1 win over Atlanta."Obviously, anytime a starting pitcher and a guy like Sevie walks off while he's warming up to start a game, you always get worried and concerned about that," Boone said. "But it sounds like the shoulder is pretty clean, it's just the inflammation issue. So if that's the case, then hopefully two weeks is something that will do the trick, then he can start ramping back up with his throwing program, but we'll re-evaluate it also at the same time."Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton, CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ are also projected to be in the Yankees' rotation. Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German are possible short-term replacements... [More]

Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, raising the possibility the 2015 World Series MVP may need Tommy John surgery and miss the season.Perez was hurt during a workout Wednesday, and the team said an MRI on Thursday revealed the damage. Perez will travel next week to California for a second opinion from Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.The 28-year-old has been an All-Star for six straight seasons and won Gold Gloves in five of the last six years. He hit .235 last year and had 27 home runs and 80 RBIs for the second straight season. He has a $10 million salary this year and is owed $13 million in each of the following two seasons.Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria are the other catchers on Kansas City's 40-man roster. Gallagher, who appeared in 35 games during the past two years, has a .218 career average with two home runs and 12 RBIs.Viloria, 22, was a September call-up last season and has... [More]

Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, raising the possibility the 2015 World Series MVP may need Tommy John surgery and miss the season.Perez was hurt during a workout Wednesday, and the team said a MRI on Thursday revealed the damage. Perez will travel next week to California for a second opinion from Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.The 28-year-old has been an All-Star for six straight seasons and won Gold Gloves in five of the last six years. He hit .235 last year and had 27 home runs and 80 RBIs for the second straight season. He has a $10 million salary this year and is owed $13 million in each of the following two seasons.Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria are the other catchers on Kansas City's 40-man roster. Gallagher, who appeared in 35 games during the past two years, has a .218 career average with two home runs and 12 RBIs.Viloria, 22, was a September callup last season and has appeared... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts apologized to the team's players and coaching staff at spring training on Monday for any distraction caused by offensive racist emails written by his father."The emails that were in there were unacceptable and had no place. My father has no direct role or economic interest in the team. That doesn't represent what this organization is," Tom Ricketts said after addressing the team. "I also said: 'Look, I'm sorry for the distraction this may have created the last couple days. We need to focus on baseball. We need to get back to our winning ways. We need to get off to a fast start.' The last thing the organization needs is more off-the-field distractions.'"Joe Ricketts' emails were published by Splinter News and included Islamophobic comments, such as "Islam is a cult and not a religion." Other emails discussed conspiracies about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and education.Tom Ricketts said he was surprised by the emails because... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell apologized Friday for the "hurt" and "pain" he caused his ex-wife but didn't detail what prompted a 40-game suspension under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy."My past behaviors were wrong and unacceptable," he said.Russell met with the media Friday for the first time since being suspended last fall, a penalty that he accepted without appeal. Russell spoke for nearly 20 minutes at Cubs camp, ahead of position players joining spring training workouts early next week.The suspension followed allegations made by ex-wife Melisa Reidy. Russell missed the final 11 regular-season games plus a wild-card playoff loss to Colorado. He will be eligible to return in early May, barring postponements."I don't want to get into any specifics, but what I do want to say is I am accountable for my past actions," Russell said. "I'm not proud of the person I was, but I do want to own this issue and take responsibility for the hurt and the... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell says he's sorry for the "hurt and the pain" he caused his ex-wife but didn't detail what prompted a 40-game suspension under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy.Russell met with the media Friday for the first time since being suspended last fall, a penalty that he accepted without appeal. Russell spoke for nearly 20 minutes at Cubs camp, ahead of position players joining spring training workouts early next week.The suspension followed allegations made by ex-wife Melisa Reidy. Russell missed the final 11 regular-season games plus a wild-card playoff loss to Colorado. He will be eligible to return in early May, barring postponements.Russell said his "past behaviors were wrong and unacceptable."The 25-year-old Russell said, "I don't want to get into any specifics, but what I do want to say is I am accountable for my past actions. I'm not proud of the person I was, but I do want to own this issue and take responsibility... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein criticized emails from the patriarch of the family that owns the team and said Addison Russell won't play for Chicago again unless he meets the team's high expectations while completing his domestic violence suspension.Splinter News published emails last week that included Joe Ricketts making Islamophobic comments, such as "Islam is a cult and not a religion." Others included conspiracies about former President Barack Obama's birthplace and education.Ricketts, who founded TD Ameritrade, apologized for the emails. Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts last week said in statement that his father's emails don't reflect the values of the Cubs."The emails were upsetting to read, and especially upsetting to think that some of our fans were put into a position where they had to consider their favorite team and some of those types of views," Epstein said Tuesday ahead of the start of spring training.Epstein said the emails were filled with... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Addison Russell's future with the Chicago Cubs is a tentative proposition.President of baseball operations Theo Epstein says Russell is getting a "conditional second chance" with the Cubs after he was suspended for 40 games last October for violating Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy. Even the slightest misstep likely would mean the end of his time with the team."We are going to take it one day at a time," Epstein said Friday on the first day of the Cubs' annual fan convention. "If he continues to meet the high standards we've laid out for him, put the work in, he will be eligible to return to the Cubs after serving his full suspension."Russell, who turns 25 on Wednesday, isn't allowed to attend this weekend's festivities because of his punishment, but he is expected to be with the team for spring training. The troubled shortstop is eligible to return on May 3 against St. Louis, barring any postponements.Russell was disciplined after his ex-wife Melisa Reidy... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Suspended shortstop Addison Russell and the Chicago Cubs agreed Friday to a $3.4 million, one-year contract, a relatively small $200,000 raise for a player whose relationship with the team appeared strained after a domestic violence suspension.Russell accepted a 40-game suspension last October for violating baseball's domestic violence policy following allegations made by his ex-wife. He missed the final 11 regular-season games plus the wild-card playoff loss and will be eligible to return May 3, barring postponements.Russell will lose pay during the suspension. He can earn an additional $600,000 in roster bonuses based on days on the active roster: $100,000 each for 30, 60, 90 and 120, and $200,000 for 150.Kris Bryant agreed to a $12.9 million, one-year deal, a raise from $10.85 million. Also agreeing to one-year deals were Javier Baez ($5.2 million), Kyle Schwarber ($3.39 million) and pitchers Kyle Hendricks ($7.405 million), Carl Edwards Jr. ($1.5 million) and Mike Montgomery... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — AL MVP Mookie Betts, NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and major league home run champion Khris Davis reached high-priced one-year deals to avoid salary arbitration, while slugger Nolan Arenado and pitchers Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino and Aaron Nola were among 15 players still on track for hearings.Betts and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox agreed to a $20 million, one-year contract on Friday, a $9.5 million raise that topped pitcher Max Scherzer's $8.8 million hike from Detroit in 2014.Betts' standard didn't last the day, broken when deGrom and the New York Mets agreed at $17 million, a $9.6 million increase.Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, eligible for the first time, got an even bigger raise. His salary went up more than $9.9 million, from $643,200 to $10.55 million.Davis and the Oakland Athletics reached a $16.5 million deal, a $6 million raise after he hit 48 home runs with a career-high 123 RBIs.Arenado asked for a record $30 million in arbitration... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — AL MVP Mookie Betts, NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and major league home run champion Khris Davis reached high-priced one-year deals to avoid salary arbitration, while slugger Nolan Arenado and pitchers Gerrit Cole, Luis Severino and Aaron Nola were among 15 players still on track for hearings.Betts and the World Series champion Boston Red Sox agreed to a $20 million, one-year contract on Friday, a record $9.5 million raise for a player in arbitration more than one time that topped pitcher Max Scherzer's $8.8 million hike from Detroit in 2014.Betts' standard didn't last the day, broken when deGrom and the New York Mets agreed at $17 million, a $9.6 million increase.Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor, eligible for the first time, got an even bigger raise. His salary went up more than $9.9 million, from $643,200 to $10.55 million.Davis and the Oakland Athletics reached a $16.5 million deal, a $6 million raise after he hit 48 home runs with a career-high 123 RBIs.Arenado... [More]