FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The unusually slow free-agent market took Lance Lynn's wait to find a team through the winter and well into spring training.The offer he settled on from the Minnesota Twins also came with the expectation of pennant race and perhaps postseason pitching."I wanted to go somewhere where they had a chance to win no matter what," Lynn said on Tuesday at his introductory news conference. "It seemed like the perfect fit, and I look forward to doing what I have to do, which is take the ball when it is my turn."Lynn agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract that includes bonuses of $1 million each for 170 and 180 innings. He was given a turn right away and struck out five batters in three hitless innings of an exhibition against Baltimore. He walked one."Other than that, everything went about as smooth as it possibly could," Lynn said. "Get ready for the next and kind of keep the buildup for opening day."Twins manager Paul Molitor said Lynn will make another start on Sunday."We're... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — CC Sabathia was upbeat after allowing one run and four hits over four innings Thursday in the New York Yankees' 2-2, nine-inning tie against the Detroit Tigers."I felt great," the 37-year-old left-hander said. "If I feel like I felt today all year. I feel like I'll be pretty good. That's encouraging."Sabathia, who wears a brace on his surgically repaired right knee, was 14-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 29 starts last season in his best season since 2012. He has adjusted to decreased velocity."I feel pretty comfortable with the stuff that I have," Sabathia said.Sabathia walked one and struck out one during his 64-pitch outing, his second spring training appearance."Felt great about what I saw," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "I thought he commanded his pitches. A real nice step forward for him on his way.Sabathia likely will make his first regular-season start during the opening four-game series at Toronto."There's no doubt he's made that transition, and I think you're seeing... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Ivan Nova will be the Pirates' opening-day starting pitcher at Detroit in March 29. It is unclear whether he will remain with Pittsburgh through the entire season.Following the offseason trades 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and former 19-game winner Gerrit Cole, Nova is a veteran on a team that has turned toward youth. Nova is owed $8.5 million in each of the next two seasons as part of a $26 million, three-year contract."I said it when I signed here, and I still feel this way — this is place I want to be," Nova explained. "I love playing for the Pirates."Acquired from the New York Yankees on July 31, 2016, Nova is 16-16 with a 3.82 ERA in 42 starts with Pittsburgh. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle calls the 31-year-old right-hander "the dean" of the rotation. Nova is four years older than all of the other projected starters, and his 69 wins in eight seasons are 24 more than the combined total of rotation mates Chad Kuhl, Jameson Taillon (13 each), Joe Musgrove (11) and... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The unusually slow free-agent market took Lance Lynn's wait to find a team through the winter and well into spring training.The offer he settled on from the Minnesota Twins also came with the expectation of pennant race and perhaps postseason pitching."I wanted to go somewhere where they had a chance to win no matter what," Lynn said on Tuesday at his introductory news conference. "It seemed like the perfect fit, and I look forward to doing what I have to do, which is take the ball when it is my turn."Lynn agreed to a $12 million, one-year contract that includes bonuses of $1 million each for 170 and 180 innings. He was given a turn right away and struck out five batters in three hitless innings of an exhibition against Baltimore. He walked just one.The Twins are banking on more performances like that when the wins and losses actually count, stretched out over a full game."When you talk about a competitor and the makeup every time he takes the mound, this is somebody... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Caleb Joseph has gone from being a punchline in 2016 to being the Baltimore Orioles No. 1 catcher — at least for now.Joseph went through the entire season in 2016 — during which he had 132 at-bats — without a single RBI.He rebounded last season, driving in 28 runs, and has swung a hot bat this spring.Entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota, Joseph was batting a cool .444 (8-for-18) with a home run and 5 RBIs, and at least for now, Joseph is the Orioles' starting catcher."It's spring training. That sums it up," Joseph said. "There's been springs when you didn't get any hits. There's been springs where you've gotten a ton of hits. I wish it mattered."The 31-year-old catcher endured years of minor league ball — including five seasons at Double-A Bowie, where he set an unwanted franchise record for most games played.Joseph finally made it to the big leagues in 2014, and after sitting behind Matt Wieters and Welington Castillo, he's inherited — or earned — Baltimore's catching... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Correa skipped the Houston Astros' visit to the White House to help arrange for more relief supplies for shipment to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, where he grew up.Correa and closer Ken Giles did not attend Monday's ceremony in Washington, D.C., that honored the Astros' 2017 World Series title. The Astros said Giles had a family commitment."It was not politics or anything," Correa said Tuesday. "It was just that the day off was perfect to be able to provide some help for the people in Puerto Rico in need."Puerto Rico was damaged in September by Hurricane Maria. With the assistance of Astros, Jim Crane, Correa helped send a plane of supplies to Puerto Rico in October."I don't only represent the Houston Astros, I don't only represent my family, but I also represent the American citizens that are living in Puerto Rico," Correa said. "I just want to bring some awareness to what is going on."Correa's family and his fiance, Daniella Rodriguez, joined him on... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Caleb Joseph has gone from being a punchline in 2016 to being the Baltimore Orioles No. 1 catcher — at least for now.Joseph went through the entire season in 2016 — during which he had 132 at-bats — without a single RBI.He rebounded last season, driving in 28 runs, and has swung a hot bat this spring.Entering Tuesday's game at Minnesota, Joseph was batting a cool .444 (8-for-18) with a home run and 5 RBIs, and at least for now, Joseph is the Orioles' starting catcher."It's spring training. That sums it up," Joseph said. "There's been springs when you didn't get any hits. There's been springs where you've gotten a ton of hits. I wish it mattered."The 31-year-old catcher endured years of minor league ball — including five seasons at Double-A Bowie, where he set an unwanted franchise record for most games played.Joseph finally made it to the big leagues in 2014, and after sitting behind Matt Wieters and Welington Castillo, he's inherited — or earned — Baltimore's catching... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Carlos Gonzalez says he has no regrets about his first voyage into free agency."I'm glad I'm back. I'm wearing the same uniform I've been wearing for the last nine seasons, which is special," the outfielder said Tuesday, a day after his $5 million, one-year deal to stay with the Colorado Rockies was finalized. "Not a lot of guys can say (they) played 10 years with one organization, with one uniform. That's something that makes me feel very proud."The three-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner made $20 million in 2017 in the final season of an $80 million, seven-year contract. But as was the case with several prominent free agents, the big contracts didn't materialize and Gonzalez settled for the familiar surroundings of right field at Coors Field."I never had that opportunity before," Gonzalez said of free agency." I signed my seven-year deal when I was in my second year in the big leagues, so I never went through arbitration or free agency. I wanted to... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Correa skipped the Houston Astros' visit to the White House to help arrange for more relief supplies for shipment to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, where he grew up.Correa and closer Ken Giles did not attempt Monday's ceremony in Washington, D.C., that honored the Astros' 2017 World Series title. The Astros said Giles had a family commitment."It was not politics or anything," Correa said Tuesday. "It was just that the day off was perfect to be able to provide some help for the people in Puerto Rico in need."Puerto Rico was damaged in September by Hurricane Maria. With the assistance of Astros, Jim Crane, Correa helped send a plane of supplies to Puerto Rico in October."I don't only represent the Houston Astros, I don't only represent my family, but I also represent the American citizens that are living in Puerto Rico," Correa said. "I just want to bring some awareness to what is going on."Correa's family and his fiance, Daniella Rodriguez, joined him... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Adrian Beltre is long past going to spring training trying to make the team. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman with more than 3,000 career hits is quite a rarity.Going into his 21st big-league season, Beltre is one of only two current players who have played at least 20 MLB seasons.The other is his new teammate with the Texas Rangers, 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon."One, they're extremely durable," San Diego Padres pitcher Clayton Richard said. "And two, they have to be super talented, because to have that long of a career, you have to start really early and that means from an early age you're talented enough to play with the best people in the world. So to combine those two things and play that long is one of the most impressive things in professional athletics."Of the 19,183 players listed by baseballreference.com as appearing in a big league game, only 156 have played at least 20 seasons . That is about one-thousandth of 1 percent of all players.Carlos... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Carlos Correa skipped the Houston Astros' visit to the White House to help arrange for more relief supplies for shipment to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, where he grew up.Correa and closer Ken Giles did not attempt Monday's ceremony in Washington, D.C., that honored the Astros' 2017 World Series title. The Astros said Giles had a family commitment."It was not politics or anything," Correa said Tuesday. "It was just that the day off was perfect to be able to provide some help for the people in Puerto Rico in need."Puerto Rico was damaged in September by Hurricane Maria. With the assistance of Astros, Jim Crane, Correa helped send a plane of supplies to Puerto Rico in October."I don't only represent the Houston Astros, I don't only represent my family, but I also represent the American citizens that are living in Puerto Rico," Correa said. "I just want to bring some awareness to what is going on."Correa's family and his fiance, Daniella Rodriguez, joined him... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Adrian Beltre is long past going to spring training trying to make the team. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman with more than 3,000 career hits is quite a rarity.Going into his 21st big-league season, Beltre is one of only two current players who have played at least 20 MLB seasons.The other is his new teammate with the Texas Rangers, 44-year-old pitcher Bartolo Colon."One, they're extremely durable," San Diego Padres pitcher Clayton Richard said. "And two, they have to be super talented, because to have that long of a career, you have to start really early and that means from an early age you're talented enough to play with the best people in the world. So to combine those two things and play that long is one of the most impressive things in professional athletics."Of the 19,183 players listed by baseballreference.com as appearing in a big league game, only 156 have played at least 20 seasons . That is about one-thousandth of 1 percent of all players.Carlos... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Mets captain David Wright won't participate in baseball activities for two months because of back and shoulder issues, another setback in his attempt to return from injuries that have sidelined him for two years, and New York star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is sidelined after hurting a wrist.New York made the announcements Tuesday, a day after Wright was examined by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles.The 35-year-old Wright has been limited to 75 regular-season games during the past three years. He was on the disabled list from April 15 to Aug. 24, 2015, when he strained his right hamstring and then developed spinal stenosis.He returned as the Mets won their first NL pennant since 2000 but has not played for them since May 27, 2016. Watkins operated that June 16 to repair a herniated disk in Wright's neck. After Wright's minor league rehabilitation assignment was ended after three games last year due to shoulder pain, he had surgery Sept. 5 to repair his right... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Mets captain David Wright won't participate in baseball activities for two months because of back and shoulder issues, another setback in his attempt to return from injuries that have sidelined him for two years, and New York star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is sidelined after hurting a wrist.New York made the announcements Tuesday, a day after Wright was examined by Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles.The 35-year-old Wright has been limited to 75 regular-season games during the past three years. He was on the disabled list from April 15 to Aug. 24, 2015, when he strained his right hamstring and then developed spinal stenosis.He returned as the Mets won their first NL pennant since 2000 but has not played for them since May 27, 2016. Watkins operated that June 16 to repair a herniated disk in Wright's neck. After Wright's minor league rehabilitation assignment was ended after three games last year due to shoulder pain, he had surgery Sept. 5 to repair his right... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Jake Arrieta put on a red No. 49 Philadelphia Phillies jersey for the first time and sent a message to his new teammates and fans."We're going to promise a fight," Arrieta said Tuesday, a day after the ace righty finalized a $75 million, three-year contract that could be worth up to $135 million over five seasons. "We're going to have conviction and we're going to fight and we're going to win."The Phillies haven't had a winning season since 2011, when they won their fifth straight NL East title. But the addition of Arrieta signals the end of a long, arduous rebuilding process."We're serious about winning and we're going to do what it takes to win," co-owner John Middleton said.Arrieta is confident a team that won only 66 games last year is poised to contend under first-year manager Gabe Kapler. The Phillies spent big in free agency, signing slugger Carlos Santana and relievers Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek. They have a solid core of young hitters and their rotation... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge will earn $622,300 in the major leagues as part of his one-year contract with the New York Yankees.Judge, who led the AL with 52 home runs, is not eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2019 season. He agreed to a split contract in which his salary would drop to $272,250 in the unlikely event he is sent back to the minors.New York uses a scale based on service time for its players not eligible for arbitration.Yankees pitcher Luis Severino will make $604,975 after he went 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA. His agreement calls for a minor league salary of $275,488.New York also reached agreements with first baseman Greg Bird ($582,000/$272,500), pitcher Jordan Montgomery ($580,450/$228,413) and infielder/outfielder Tyler Austin ($558,600/$230,814).With an influx of young players not yet eligible for arbitration, the Yankees are on track to get their payroll under the luxury tax threshold for the first time since the current tax began in 2003.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Neil Walker became the latest free agent to take a big pay cut as opening day approaches, joining the New York Yankees on Monday with a one-year deal for $4 million.The veteran infielder made $17.2 million last season while playing for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers. He can earn $1 million in performance bonuses this year.The 32-year-old Walker hit .265 with 14 home runs and 49 RBIs last season, then became a free agent. He will likely start at second base, giving prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar more time to mature in the minor leagues."It's certainly a crazy offseason, but more than anything my hope was that I'd land somewhere that's going to be competitive and have a chance to win," Walker said. "I'm happy to be here, happy to be on a contending team."Starting pitcher Lance Lynn got right to work with Minnesota after finalizing his $12 million, one-year deal. He turned down a $17.4 million offer to stay with St. Louis, and looked for a richer contract in free agency.Lynn... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Joining the New York Yankees caused Neil Walker to smile, despite a hefty drop in salary.The free agent infielder agreed Monday to a $4 million, one-year contract, a 77 percent pay cut in a deal that allows New York prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar more time to mature in the minor leagues.Walker earned $17.2 million last season, when he accepted a qualifying offer from the New York Mets."It's certainly a crazy offseason, but more than anything my hope was that I'd land somewhere that's going to be competitive and have a chance to win," Walker said. "I'm happy to be here, happy to be on a contending team."Walker, a switch-hitter, likely will start at second base and Brandon Drury, acquired from Arizona last month, will play third. Walker can make $500,000 in performance bonuses: $125,000 each for 425, 450, 475 and 500 plate appearances."It's just another choice for the manager," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "If he takes something from somebody... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Patiently monitoring baseball's slow-moving market, the Minnesota Twins made several significant improvements to the team that made a surprise run last season to the AL wild card game.Right-hander Lance Lynn became the latest addition when the Twins finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Monday, another low-risk move to strengthen a pitching staff that ranked 19th in the major leagues last year with a 4.59 ERA."I think there was at least, my take on it, a real interest of the player to make this a marriage and I think that helped our cause," Twins manager Paul Molitor said.Lynn, who joined his new teammates on the field for an afternoon workout in Fort Myers, will be introduced at a news conference on Tuesday before taking the mound for an exhibition against Baltimore.Molitor thinks there's a chance that Lynn could be ready to pitch the first time through the regular-season rotation."I told him this is different circumstances, if you're not ready to throw 100 pitches... [More]

The Colorado Rockies added another charismatic leader to their 2018 clubhouse.They certainly didn't have to look very far.Colorado finalized a $5 million, one-year contract with three-time All-Star Carlos Gonzalez , the longtime Rockies outfielder who has always been popular with his teammates in part because he rarely loses his sense of humor or perspective.Not even last season, when he was in the midst of a prolonged slump. His agreement announced Monday includes another $3 million in bonuses based on days on the active roster.Gonzalez had a $20 million salary last year in the final season of an $80 million, seven-year contract and became a free agent after nine seasons with the Rockies. The three-time Gold Glove winner struggled for most of the year as the Rockies returned to the postseason for the first time since 2009. He showed signs of breaking out of his funk down the stretch, hitting six of his 14 homers in September.His reawakening bat happened to coincide with his ability to... [More]