NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander Aaron Loup finalized a $3 million, one-year contract with the New York Mets on Saturday. Loup can earn $250,000 in performance bonuses for games pitched: $50,000 each of 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. The 33-year-old was 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings over 24 games for AL champion Tampa Bay last season, allowing 17 hits while striking out 22 and walking four. Once considered a lefty specialist, he held right-handed batters to a .192 average with three home runs in 58 plate appearances and left-handed batters to a .212 average with no home runs in 38 plate appearances. Loup did not allow a run in eight of nine postseason appearances. Leading 5-4 in the seventh inning of World Series Game 4, he gave up a single to Corey Seager and a double to Justin Turner, then struck out Max Muncy. Joc Pederson hit a two-run single off Nick Anderson with two outs, but the Rays rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-7, tying the Series at two games apiece. He... [More]

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — The Baseball Hall of Fame has opened an exhibit honoring the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2020 World Series championship, including game-used items from several players. The Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to win the franchise’s first Series title in 32 years. Among the items donated by the team are: the ball used by Clayton Kershaw for the opening pitch of Game 1 in the first neutral-site World Series in history; a bat used by World Series MVP Corey Seager in Game 6; and a road jersey worn by Mookie Betts in Games 3, 4 and 5. Other items are Max Muncy’s batting helmet and manager Dave Roberts’ jacket and face mask worn throughout the Series played during the coronavirus pandemic. Items from Rays players Randy Arozarena, Ji-Man Choi and Brett Phillips also are included. The “Autumn Glory” exhibit will be on display at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, through the 2021 postseason. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets added a left-hander to their bullpen, agreeing to a one-year contract with Aaron Loup, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Loup, 33, was 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings over 24 games for AL champion Tampa Bay last season, allowing 17 hits while striking out 22 and walking four. Once considered a lefty specialist, he held right-handed batters to a .192 average with three home runs in 58 plate appearances and left-handed batters to a .212 average with no home runs in 38 plate appearances. Loup did not allow a run in eight of nine postseason appearances. Leading 5-4 in the seventh inning of World Series Game 4, he gave up a single to Corey Seager and a double to Justin Turner, then struck out Max Muncy. Joc Pederson hit a two-run single off Nick Anderson with two outs, but the Rays rallied in the ninth inning to beat the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets added a left-hander to their bullpen, agreeing to a one-year contract with Aaron Loup, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Loup, 33, was 3-2 with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings over 24 games for AL champion Tampa Bay last season, allowing 17 hits while striking out 22 and walking four. Once considered a lefty specialist, he held right-handed batters to a .192 average with three home runs in 58 plate appearances and left-handed batters to a .212 average with no home runs in 38 plate appearances. Loup did not allow a run in eight of nine postseason appearances. Leading 5-4 in the seventh inning of World Series Game 4, he gave up a single to Corey Seager and a double to Justin Turner, then struck out Max Muncy. Joc Pederson hit a two-run single off Nick Anderson with two outs, but the Rays rallied in the ninth inning to beat the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager were among 112 players who agreed to one-year contracts Friday, leaving just 13 to swap salary arbitration figures during a slow offseason in the aftermath of the financial carnage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deals came on the deadline day for eligible players and teams to exchange proposed 2021 salaries. Lindor, the star shortstop acquired last week by the New York Mets from Cleveland, got the largest of the deals at $22.3 million. The Mets hope to sign him to a long-term contract that would prevent him from becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Lindor says he does not want to extend talks past when he starts spring training next month. Lindor's deal is the fourth-largest one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible player, trailing Mookie Betts ($27 million with Boston last year), Nolan Arenado ($26 million with Colorado in 2019) and Josh Donaldson ($23 million with Toronto in 2018).... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager were among 112 players who agreed to one-year contracts Friday, leaving just 13 to swap salary arbitration figures during a slow offseason in the aftermath of the financial carnage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deals came on the deadline day for players and teams to exchange proposed 2021 salaries. Lindor, the star shortstop acquired last week by the New York Mets from Cleveland, got the largest of the deals at $22.3 million. The Mets hope to sign him to a long-term contract that would prevent him from becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Lindor says he does not want to extend talks past when he starts spring training next month. Lindor's deal is the fourth-highest one-year contract for an arbitration-eligible player, trailing Mookie Betts ($27 million with Boston last year), Nolan Arenado ($26 million with Colorado in 2019) and Josh Donaldson ($23 million with Toronto in 2018). Bryant agreed... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager were among 112 players who agreed to one-year contracts Friday, leaving just 13 to swap salary arbitration figures during a slow offseason in the aftermath of the financial carnage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deals came on the deadline day for players and teams to exchange proposed 2021 salaries. Lindor, the star shortstop acquired last week by the New York Mets from Cleveland, got the largest of the deals at $22.3 million. The Mets hope to sign him to a long-term contract that would prevent him from becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Lindor says he does not want to extend talks past when he starts spring training next month. Bryant agreed to $19.5 million with the Chicago Cubs. He, too, can become a free agent after the season, falling one day shy of eligibility at the end of the 2020 season. The third baseman lost a grievance last offseason that claimed the Cubs delayed his call-up... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager were among 112 players who agreed to one-year contracts Friday, leaving just 13 to swap salary arbitration figures during a slow offseason in the aftermath of the financial carnage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The deals came on the deadline day for players and teams to exchange proposed 2021 salaries. Lindor, the star shortstop acquired last week by the New York Mets from Cleveland, got the largest of the deals at $22.3 million. The Mets hope to sign him to a long-term contract that would prevent him from becoming a free agent at the end of the season. Lindor says he does not want to extend talks past when he starts spring training next month. Bryant agreed to $19.5 million with the Chicago Cubs. He, too, can become a free agent after the season, falling one day shy of eligibility at the end of the 2020 season. The third baseman lost a grievance last offseason that claimed the Cubs delayed his call-up... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers star Cody Bellinger agreed to a $16.1 million, one-year contract Friday with the World Series champions that avoided salary arbitration. Los Angeles also agreed to one-year deals with shortstop Corey Seager for $13.75 million and left-hander Julio Urías for $3.6 million, but couldn't come to terms with ace Walker Buehler or catcher Austin Barnes. Bellinger, an outfielder and first baseman, was the 2019 NL MVP and 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. He hit a career-low .239 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in the shortened season, down from a .305 average with 47 homers and 115 RBIs, all career bests. He slumped to a .136 average (3 for 22) with one homer and three RBIs in the World Series against Tampa Bay as the Dodgers won their first title since 1988. A two-time-All Star, Bellinger earned $4,259,259 in prorated pay last year from an $11.5 million salary. He is eligible for free agency after the 2023 season. Seager won MVP honors in the NL Championship Series and World Series,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers star Cody Bellinger agreed to a $16.1 million, one-year contract Friday with the World Series champions that avoided salary arbitration. Los Angeles also agreed to one-year deals with shortstop Corey Seager for $13.75 million and left-hander Julio Urías for $3.6 million. Bellinger, an outfielder and first baseman, was the 2019 NL MVP and 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. He hit a career-low .239 with 12 homers and 30 RBIs in the shortened season, down from a .305 average with 47 homers and 115 RBIs, all career bests. He slumped to a .136 average (3 for 22) with one homer and three RBIs in the World Series against Tampa Bay as the Dodgers won their first title since 1988. A two-time-All Star, Bellinger earned $4,259,259 in prorated pay last year from an $11.5 million salary. He is eligible for free agency after the 2023 season. Seager won MVP honors in the NL Championship Series and World Series, batting .400 with two homers and five RBIs in the Dodgers' six-game defeat... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract on Thursday that avoided salary arbitration, and pitcher Dylan Floro agreed to $975,000. The 29-year-old Knebel was acquired from Milwaukee on Dec. 2 ahead of the deadline for teams to offer 2021 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. He earned $1,898,148 in prorated pay last year from a $5,125,000 salary. Knebel was an All-Star in 2017 and a key part of the Brewers’ bullpen during their run to the 2018 NL Championship Series. The right-hander missed the 2019 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and struggled after returning last season. Knebel’s best season came in 2017, when he went 1-4 with 39 saves and a 1.78 ERA in 76 appearances. He had a 6.08 ERA in 15 games last season. The 2013 first-round draft pick has a career ERA of 3.31 with 57 saves in 239 relief appearances. He pitched eight games for Detroit in 2014 and had been with... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — New Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract on Thursday that avoided salary arbitration. The 29-year-old was acquired from Milwaukee on Dec. 2 ahead of the deadline for teams to offer 2021 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. He earned $1,898,148 in prorated pay last year from a $5,125,000 salary. Knebel was an All-Star in 2017 and a key part of the Brewers’ bullpen during their run to the 2018 NL Championship Series. The right-hander missed the 2019 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and struggled after returning last season. Knebel’s best season came in 2017, when he went 1-4 with 39 saves and a 1.78 ERA in 76 appearances. He had a 6.08 ERA in 15 games last season. The 2013 first-round draft pick has a career ERA of 3.31 with 57 saves in 239 relief appearances. He pitched eight games for Detroit in 2014 and had been with Milwaukee ever since. Six players remain eligible to exchange proposed arbitration salaries with the World Series champion Dodgers on Friday: outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, shortstop Corey Seager, right-hander Walker Buehler, catcher Austin Barnes, right-hander Dylan Floro and left-hander Julio Urías. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Voting for the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player Award, with first-, second- and third-place votes and total points based on a 14-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis: Player1st2nd3rdTotalFreddie Freeman, Braves282-410Mookie Betts, Dodgers2215268Manny Machado, Padres-216221Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres-25201Juan Soto, Nationals-32172Marcell Ozuna, Braves--2167Trea Turner, Nationals---83Mike Yastrzemski, Giants---81Corey Seager, Dodgers---43Trevor Bauer, Reds---32Trevor Story, Rockies---23Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves---21Dominic Smith, Mets---16Yu Darvish, Cubs---14Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals---9Brandon Belt, Giants---2Wil Myers, Padres---2Max Fried, Braves---1Ian Happ, Cubs---1Dansby Swanson, Braves---1Ryan Tepera, Cubs---1Devin Williams, Brewers---1

NEW YORK (AP) — Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena won the Babe Ruth award as postseason MVP in voting by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Arozarena hit .377 with 10 homers, 14 RBIs and a 1.273 OPS in 20 postseason games and received 64.3% of the votes Friday in balloting announced Monday to edge Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw and shortstop Corey Seager. Seager was selected MVP of the NL Championship Series and the World Series win over the Rays. Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu was voted the Sid Mercer/Dick Young New York Player of the Year after batting a major league-leading .364 in the pandemic-shortened season, and New York Mets outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith earned the Joe DiMaggio Toast of the Town Award after hitting .316 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. Yankees reliever Zack Britton received the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy Award, and Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton the Joan Payson/Shannon Forde Award for... [More]

Oct. 31 1961 — A federal judge ruled that Birmingham, Ala. laws against integrated playing fields were illegal. This ruling eliminated the last barrier against integrating the Southern Association. 1967 — San Francisco’s Mike McCormick won the National League Cy Young award. Mike McCormick led the league with with 22 victories. It was the first year in which pitchers are honored in both leagues. 1972 — Gaylord Perry, a 24-game winner with the fifth-place Cleveland Indians, won the American League Cy Young award. Perry won by a 64-58 margin over Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox. 1973 — Tom Seaver of the New York Mets became the first pitcher to win the National League Cy Young award with less than 20 wins. Seaver went 19-10 and led the league in ERA (2.08) and strikeouts (251). 2001 — Derek Jeter hit a game-winning home run off Byung-Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift New York over Arizona 4-3 and tie the World Series at 2-2. The Yankees’ Tino Martinez hit a dramatic two-run... [More]

Well, at least the contact tracing should be easy. The Dodger postseason roster would be a good place to start. So would the team picture on the field after winning the World Series. You know, the one with Justin Turner sitting front and center among all his teammates, unmasked in his full red-bearded glory. Turner’s quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 during the clinching win over Tampa Bay ended up lasting just two innings. The repercussions from his ill-advised decision to celebrate the World Series with his teammates figure to last a whole lot longer. No, it’s not Turner’s fault he contracted the virus like millions of others. But it is his fault that his appearance on the field afterward overshadowed the feel-good story of the last three decades in Los Angeles. This should have been about a team that persevered through a season like no other to win for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president. The players on the Dodgers deserved that, manager Dave Roberts deserved... [More]

Well, at least the contact tracing should be easy. The Dodger postseason roster would be a good place to start. So would the team picture on the field after winning the World Series. You know, the one with Justin Turner sitting front and center among all his teammates, unmasked in his full red-bearded glory. Turner’s quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 during the clinching win over Tampa Bay ended up lasting just two innings. The repercussions from his ill-advised decision to celebrate the World Series with his teammates figure to last a whole lot longer. No, it’s not Turner’s fault he contracted the virus like millions of others. But it is his fault that his appearance on the field afterward overshadowed the feel-good story of the last three decades in Los Angeles. This should have been about a team that persevered through a season like no other to win for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president. The players on the Dodgers deserved that, manager Dave Roberts deserved... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Corey Seager hit a rare October double, becoming Most Valuable Player of the World Series after earning the honor for the League Championship Series. Just as Orel Hershiser did when the Los Angeles Dodgers won their previous World Series title in 1988. Seager batted .400 with two homers, five RBIs and six walks against the Tampa Bay Rays, including a sixth-inning grounder that allowed Mookie Betts to speed home from third base with the go-ahead run Tuesday night in Game 6. The star shortstop jumped into the arms of second baseman Kiké Hernández after Julio Urías struck out Willy Adames to end a 3-1 victory that clinched the championship. “To be able to win and to be able to do it with a team like this, it means everything,” Seager said. Especially after losing Game 7 to Houston three years ago and missing the entire 2018 postseason while injured. “It hurt, obviously,” he said. “This core has been around for a couple of years now, and to know what it feels like to... [More]

Mookie Betts was a difference-maker for the Dodgers in his first season in Los Angeles. The speedy outfielder bolted from third for the go-ahead run on Corey Seager’s infield grounder in the sixth and led off the eighth with a punctuating homer Tuesday night, helping the Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to claim their first World Series championship since 1988. Betts’ 3.2-second sprint was just enough to beat the throw by first baseman Ji-Man Choi, pushing Los Angeles ahead 2-1 moments after Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled ace left-hander Blake Snell despite a dominant performance over 5 1/3 innings. It is Betts’ second World Series title. He starred for the Boston Red Sox when they beat the Dodgers for the title in 2018. “You don’t win a World Series without any of those 28 guys in there, but obviously, he made a huge impact on our team, huge impact on our postseason and tonight a huge impact on the game,” ace Clayton Kershaw said. Betts will be around to help the Dodgers for years to... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Blake Snell turned away from his manager and yelled an expletive as Kevin Cash headed to the mound. In control all night, the Tampa Bay ace no longer had the ball in his potent left hand. Soon, the Rays no longer had a grip on the lead, either. The team that reached the World Series leaning largely on analytics was undone by the data — and a decision sure to become part of October lore. With Snell still seething, wobbly reliever Nick Anderson was on the mound when Mookie Betts' double started a sequence that led to two quick runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a championship-clinching 3-1 victory in Game 6 on Tuesday night. “I guess I regret it because it didn’t work out,” Cash said, later adding, “personally, I thought Blake had done his job and then some.” Said Snell: “At the end of the day, I see both sides.” “The hardest thing for me is I was rolling, I was in a groove. I felt like I had them guessing. It’s just tough for me. It’s going to be tough for... [More]