LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Washington Nationals have traded Tanner Roark to the Reds for another right-hander named Tanner, less proven Tanner Rainey.There have been only a handful of big league players over the years with the first name of Tanner, and this was the first time two of them got traded for each other.The 32-year-old Roark led the National League in losses last season, going 9-15 with a 4.34 ERA. He is 64-54 in six years, all with Washington.Washington boosted its rotation last week by signing All-Star Patrick Corbin to a $140 million, six-year contract. He will join a star-studded rotation featuring Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg on a team that 82-80 and finished second in the NL East behind Atlanta.Roark made $6,475,000 last year and is eligible for arbitration. He can become a free agent after next season.Rainey, who turns 26 on Christmas Day, made his big league debut last season. He didn't have a decision and posted a 24.43 ERA in eight relief outings for the Reds.Rainey spent most of the season at Triple-A Louisville, going 7-2 with a 2.65 ERA and three saves in 44 appearances.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera might play only a game or two each week at the start of spring training as he returns from season-ending biceps surgery.Manager Ron Gardenhire plans to check in regularly with Cabrera to determine his availability when Grapefruit League exhibition games begin in February. There's no plan yet as to how much action the two-time AL MVP might see at first base."He's going to play one day a week, two days," Gardenhire said Wednesday at the winter meetings. "We're just going to let it all play out and see how he feels when he gets there and see how healthy he is. He's doing good right now, which is a good sign for us."Cabrera ruptured his left biceps tendon in mid-June. Gardenhire has no plans of rushing back Cabrera, even if the rebuilding Tigers could use his powerful bat in the middle of the order.The plan as of now? There isn't one — just constant communication between Gardenhire, Cabrera and certainly the medical staff to evaluate what... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):4:27 p.m.The Nationals and Reds have swapped right-handed pitchers named Tanner. Washington sent Tanner Roark to Cincinnati for Tanner Rainey.Roark has pitched six seasons in the majors, all for the Nationals. He went 9-15 last season with a 4.34 ERA.Rainey spent most of the season with Triple-A Louisville, going 7-2 with a 2.65 ERA and three saves in 44 appearances. He didn't have a decision and posted a 24.43 ERA in eight outings for the Reds.Roark made $6,475,000 last year and is eligible for arbitration. He can be a free agent after next season. The Nationals signed free All-Star Patrick Corbin to a $140 million, six-year deal last week.___3:25 p.m.Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera might play only a game or two each week at the start of spring training as he returns from season-ending biceps surgery.Manager Ron Gardenhire says he'll go day by day with Cabrera when the exhibition season begins.... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are perfectly comfortable putting relief pitchers on the mound to begin games. But the chance to add an All-Star to their patchwork rotation, that was too good to pass up.Coming off a career-high 30 starts, Charlie Morton reached a $30 million, two-year contract with the Rays, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced.The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for Houston.Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief."He's a good pitcher," Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "You never like to have good pitching come into the division, prefer they... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):3:25 p.m.Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera might play only a game or two each week at the start of spring training as he returns from season-ending biceps surgery.Manager Ron Gardenhire says he'll go day by day with Cabrera when the exhibition season begins. There's no plan yet as to how much action the two-time AL MVP might see at first base."We'll figure it out as we go along," Gardenhire said.Cabrera turns 36 in April. He hit three home runs in 38 games and didn't play after June 12 because of the problem in his left biceps.___2:02 p.m.All-Star pitcher Charlie Morton has reached a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.A person familiar with the agreement tells The Associated Press the contract is for two years and $30 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been officially announced.The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 for Houston.... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are perfectly comfortable putting relief pitchers on the mound to begin games. But the chance to add an All-Star to their patchwork rotation, that was too good to pass up.Coming off a career-high 30 starts, Charlie Morton reached a $30 million, two-year contract with the Rays, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been officially announced.The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 with a 3.13 ERA for Houston.Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.Morton's success with the Astros came after a career that had been beset by injuries and inconsistency. He'd undergone Tommy John surgery and was just 46-71 with... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A person familiar with the agreement tells The Associated Press that All-Star pitcher Charlie Morton and the Tampa Bay Rays have reached a $30 million, two-year deal.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the contract has not been officially announced.The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 for Houston. He had a 3.13 ERA in a career-high 30 starts.Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.The right-hander joins a Rays staff led by AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Tampa Bay rotation was beset by injuries this year, and the team often used relief pitchers as starters in their "opener" strategy on the way to 90 wins.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):2:02 p.m.All-Star pitcher Charlie Morton has reached a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.A person familiar with the agreement tells The Associated Press the contract is for two years and $30 million. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been officially announced.The 35-year-old Morton was a first-time All-Star last season when he went 15-3 for Houston. He had a 3.13 ERA in a career-high 30 starts.Morton helped the Astros win their first championship in 2017. He started and won Game 7 of the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, then was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers with four innings of relief.The right-hander joins a Rays staff led by AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Tampa Bay rotation was beset by injuries this year, and the team often used relief pitchers as starters in their "opener" strategy on their way to 90 wins.___1:34... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):1:34 p.m.Agent Scott Boras says there are teams ready to move right now on Bryce Harper.But still no word on where the free agent slugger might end up — or when.Boras was at the winter meetings before noon, holding court for the media in what's become an annual tradition at this gathering.Harper was the prime topic. Boras represents the star, who lives here in Las Vegas."Bryce is open to a lot of different venues, so it's really about what a lot of owners have said to him about their commitments and what they want to do long term," Boras said.And it could be a swift process, although not all Boras clients wind up signing quickly."So, we're really at a point where you could be meetings away from a deal," Boras said. "And then again, you could be in the situation where it's just further meetings and conversation."The 26-year-old Harper had a career-high 100 RBIs while hitting 34 home runs and batting... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Free agent outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and the Boston Red Sox have reached agreement on a minor league contract.The deal Wednesday includes a spring training invite to big league camp with the World Series champions.The 31-year-old Hernandez hit 15 home runs last season while batting .234 with 40 RBIs in 142 games for San Francisco. In 2017, he didn't hit a homer in 310 at-bats.The Giants recently opted not to offer Hernandez a contract for 2019. New Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said earlier this week at the winter meetings that his club was looking for an improved combination of on-base percentage and power in the outfield positions.Hernandez has previously played for Pittsburgh and Miami.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Latest on Major League Baseball's winter meetings (all times local):12:51 p.m.The Boston Red Sox have reached agreement with free agent outfielder Gorkys Hernandez on a minor league deal.The 31-year-old Hernandez hit 15 home runs while batting .234 with 40 RBIs in 142 games for San Francisco last season. In 2017, he didn't hit a home run in 310 at-bats.The Giants recently opted not to offer Hernandez a contract for next year. He got a spring training invite to big league camp with the World Series champion Red Sox.___12:20 p.m.A person familiar with the negotiations says shortstop Jordy Mercer and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Mercer had spent his entire seven-season big league career with Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old hit .251 with six homers and 39 RBIs, down from 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 2017.His agreement was first reported by Fancred.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations says shortstop Jordy Mercer and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $5.25 million, one-year contract.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Mercer had spent his entire seven-season big league career with Pittsburgh. The 32-year-old hit .251 with six homers and 39 RBIs, down from 14 homers and 58 RBIs in 2017.His agreement was first reported by Fancred.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen moving into Philadelphia's outfield, more talk about a megadeal involving Noah Syndergaard and J.T. Realmuto and veteran pitcher Ivan Nova on the go.The winter meetings picked up a bit Tuesday, but any big deals for the likes of Corey Kluber, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper remained on deck.There were reports the Baltimore Orioles were close to hiring a manager in Chicago Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde. But the O's said those stories were premature and they wouldn't make a decision before leaving Las Vegas."We don't have a manager," newly hired general manager Mike Elias said.The World Series champion Red Sox made a move, too — with their lineup. AL MVP Mookie Betts will shift out of the leadoff spot and bat behind Andrew Benintendi, manager Alex Cora said."I think we're going to maximize Mookie in a different spot. Flip-flop them, Beni leading off and Mookie hitting second. Talked to him, it makes sense," Cora said."And I know Beni's OK with it. But if you... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ask baseball managers what they think about the dreaded shift, and most of them have the same answer.It's not a problem if the hitters don't make it one."There's an easy way to combat that," Oakland's Bob Melvin said. "Just hit the ball the other way."It's a simple enough solution, though certainly an obvious one. Who among us, after all, hasn't screamed at a batter to push the ball the other way or even bunt for a sure hit when the defense is loaded up on one side of the infield?The guys in the dugout surely have, even if job security dictates they do their screaming silently."If a guy can use the whole field, they're not going to shift you," the Marlins' Don Mattingly said.Unfortunately, guys don't use the whole field anymore. They haven't for some time because they play baseball to make money and the players who make the most money try to hit the ball as hard as they can to the place they're most comfortable hitting it.Hitters aren't going to adapt. There's no real incentive... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Ask baseball managers what they think about the dreaded shift, and most of them have the same answer.It's not a problem if the hitters don't make it one."There's an easy way to combat that," Oakland's Bob Melvin said. "Just hit the ball the other way."It's a simple enough solution, though certainly an obvious one. Who among us, after all, hasn't screamed at a batter to push the ball the other way or even bunt for a sure hit when the defense is loaded up on one side of the infield.The guys in the dugout surely have, even if job security dictates they do their screaming silently."If a guy can use the whole field they're not going to shift you," the Marlins' Don Mattingly said.Unfortunately, guys don't use the whole field anymore. They haven't for some time because they play baseball to make money and the players who make the most money try to hit the ball as hard as they can to the place they're most comfortable hitting it.Hitters aren't going to adapt. There's no real incentive... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt's move from Arizona to St. Louis made Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts so happy, he was smelling roses.Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, not so much.St. Louis acquired the six-time All-Star first baseman from the Diamondbacks last week for pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly, minor league infielder Andy Young and a 2019 draft pick."I don't like the Diamondbacks right now at all, I really don't," Maddon said Tuesday, knowing the NL Central rival Cardinals had strengthened their batting order. "When he sashays into the clubhouse and everybody sees him walking in there, they all become better. That definitely makes them much more difficult to beat next year."Roberts' Dodgers will face Goldschmidt a lot less frequently in the NL West."Goldy, he can stay in the Central as long as he wants. I'm trying to work getting him in the American League next," Roberts said. "I hope he's happy. I got to send him flowers."Goldschmidt can become a free agent... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Here along the Strip, the Boston Red Sox are placing their bets on a new leadoff man.AL MVP Mookie Betts will hit second next year, a season after he led the big leagues in batting average and slugging percentage from the top spot.Andrew Benintendi will move up a slot and hit first for the majors' highest-scoring team, manager Alex Cora said Tuesday at the winter meetings."I think we're going to maximize Mookie in a different spot. Flip-flop them, Beni leading off and Mookie hitting second. Talked to him, it makes sense," Cora said."You guys saw what happened towards the end of the season, he became very passive again," he said. "And it's not that I don't like that, I know what type of hitter he is. But I think doing that, Beni can be aggressive. ... He's a good runner. He gets on base, and I put it this way to Mookie. And I know Beni's OK with it. But if you play 162 games, you're going to come up 162 at-bats with nobody on."Betts topped the majors in batting (.346) and... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals and speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton finalized a $5.25 million contract Tuesday that includes up to $1 million in performance bonuses and a mutual option for 2020.The Royals hope that spacious Kauffman Stadium will allow Hamilton to better use his speed than the bandbox of Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, where he spent his first six seasons with the Reds."Speed, athleticism, defensive ability. He brings a sense of trepidation when he steps on the field, not only as a defender but as an offensive player, too," manager Ned Yost said at the winter meetings in Las Vegas. "I've talked to a lot of Cincinnati people about him and they absolutely loved him. But we've been spoiled for years with Lorenzo Cain in center field, a tremendous defender in a big ballpark and having Billy roaming that ground from gap to gap out there."Hamilton's deal, announced Tuesday, calls for a $4.25 million salary next year and a $7.5 million mutual option with... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Los Angeles Angels slugger Albert Pujols has been cleared to do extensive upper body work and also has begun low-impact lower body exercises as he recovers from surgery on his left knee and right elbow.Pujols isn't yet ready to swing a bat but continues to progress as he works with a strength coach, general manager Billy Eppler said. The first baseman and designated hitter had season-ending knee surgery in August followed by the elbow procedure in September to remove bone spurs."I know that he's getting a lot of his work in," Eppler said. "We all know the work ethic of him."Pujols, who turns 39 next month, batted .245 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs playing 117 games in his 18th season. He has 633 career home runs.Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is back home in Japan continuing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery Oct. 1. The AL Rookie of the Year's range of motion "is in very good shape," according to Eppler, and he has full extension and flexion of the right arm."That's a... [More]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Angels slugger Albert Pujols has been cleared to do extensive upper body work and also has begun low-impact lower body exercises as he recovers from surgery on his left knee and right elbow.Pujols isn't yet ready to swing a bat but continues to progress as he works with a strength coach, general manager Billy Eppler said. The first baseman and designated hitter had season-ending knee surgery in August followed by the elbow procedure in September to remove bone spurs.Pujols, who turns 39 next month, batted .245 with 19 homers and 64 RBIs playing 117 games in his 18th season. He has 633 career home runs.Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is back home in Japan continuing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery Oct. 1. The AL Rookie of the Year's range of motion "is in very good shape," according to Eppler, and he has full extension and flexion of the right arm.Ohtani went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts as a pitcher. He played 104 games overall as a rookie, hitting .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports