FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Don't expect AL MVP Mookie Betts to agree to a long-term contract with the Boston Red Sox before he can become a free agent in late 2020.Despite Mike Trout's pending $432 million, 12-year agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, Nolan Arenado's $260 million, eight-year deal with the Colorado Rockies and Alex Bregman's pending $100 million, six-year contract with the Houston Astros, Betts is content to remain on track for testing the market."That's exactly what I expect," he said Wednesday, the day after Trout's deal became widely known. "Didn't expect anything to happen until I'm a free agent. So, it's just one of those things where you just got to go out and play. Can't worry about the economics of the game right now. They have to take care of what they have to take care of. I'm going to take care of what I have to take care of. But the common thing is to win a World Series, and I think that's definitely what we both want to do."Manny Machado joined the San Diego... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper finally got his first spring training hit with the Philadelphia Phillies after a 0-for-9 start.The slugger lined a 97-mph fastball to center on a 2-1 pitch from Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game. He jokingly gestured toward the dugout that he wanted to keep the ball.It was Harper's 16th plate appearance over six exhibition games. Turnbull struck him out swinging in the first.In his final at-bat, Harper walked against Reed Garrett to lead off the seventh. Harper has struck out six times and drawn five walks."Took great swings on pitches that he just missed and fouled back," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said after the 3-1 loss to the Tigers. "And one swing, a foul ball (down the third-base side) that was a real near-miss. You could see with just a little bit better timing that ball is in the seats in left field. So, a lot to get excited about there with Bryce."Harper played seven innings in right field.Kapler... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper finally got his first spring training hit with the Philadelphia Phillies after a 0-for-9 start.The slugger lined a 97-mph fastball to center on a 2-1 pitch from Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull in the fourth inning of Wednesday's game. He jokingly gestured toward the dugout that he wanted to keep the ball.It was Harper's 16th plate appearance over six exhibition games. He has struck out six times and drawn four walks. Turnbull struck him out swinging in the first.Harper agreed to a $330 million, 13-year contract in late February, almost two weeks after spring training began. He missed one game after getting hit by a pitch in the ankle on Friday.Phillies infielder Rhys Hoskins didn't play against the Tigers because of mild left shoulder soreness.Philadelphia opens the season on March 28 at home against Atlanta.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.comMLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Hours later, news broke that Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros have agreed on a $100 million, six-year deal that keeps the All-Star third baseman under contract with the team through 2024, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would... [More]

Mike Trout is on the verge of becoming baseball's first half-billion dollar man.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017"I'm pretty sure I ain't paying one more dinner for him," said fellow Angels star Albert Pujols, in the midst of a $240 million, 10-year deal. "It's well deserved. I don't think there's anybody in baseball besides him who deserves that."Trout's... [More]

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016. The contract... [More]

Mike Trout is about to cash in.Big time.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016. The contract... [More]

Mike Trout is on the verge of becoming baseball's first half-billion dollar man.Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.Trout's latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with... [More]

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized and had not been announced. The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.Trout's total would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016. The contract also would best Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez's $356 million deal with sports-streaming service DAZN.Progress toward an agreement was first reported by ESPN.Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings... [More]

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history.The deal was disclosed Tuesday by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been finalized and had not been announced.Trout would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies, and his $36 million average annual value would surpass Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016.Progress toward an agreement was first reported by ESPN.Trout's deal includes a signing bonus and would supersede the $144.5 million, six-year contract that had been set to pay him $66.5 million over the next two seasons.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez have won starting jobs in the infield with the Pittsburgh Pirates.General manager Neal Huntington said Monday that Kang has beaten out Colin Moran at third base and Erik Gonzalez has won the shortstop competition over Kevin Newman."It was not an easy decision because all four guys, in their own way, had legitimate claims to be the regular," Huntington said.Kang is just 5 for 28 (.185) with 13 strikeouts this spring but all five hits have been solo home runs. Moran was 6 for 28 (.214) with a double and a homer through the weekend.Moran, however, had committed four errors while Kang had two."The power has been real," manager Clint Hurdle said of Kang. "It's spring training, but it's five homers. We don't have anybody else that's hit five homers."Kang missed the entire 2017 season and the beginning of 2018 because he was unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following a third DUI arrest. He then underwent wrist... [More]

Bryce, Manny and Ichiro. London calling, and Cleveland rocks. Lots of intrigue on the baseball schedule this summer.Here are a handful of dates to mark on the calendar:WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics: Ichiro Suzuki returns to his native Japan when Seattle and Oakland open the season with a two-game set at the Tokyo Dome. The 45-year-old Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star, is nearing the end of his storied career after he hit .205 in 15 games last year before moving into Seattle's front office. But the lure of playing another game or two in his home country helped draw him back to the field this spring. The Mariners and Athletics also faced each other in the last opening series at Tokyo, splitting two games in 2012.TUESDAY, APRIL 2Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals: Bryce Harper doesn't have to wait very long to get his first game against Washington out of the way. Harper played for the Nationals for seven seasons, winning the NL MVP award in 2015 and making the... [More]

TOKYO (AP) — This is the Ichiro effect.Richard Snitzer had never been to Japan. What finally drove the Japanese-American to travel here from his home in Hayward, California, was Ichiro Suzuki; not family ties, not pure wanderlust, but a chance to see a player he called "simply the best."And get this. He's not even a Mariners fan, which he's advertised by wearing his A's jersey around the Tokyo Dome.He'll be there Wednesday when Major League Baseball opens the 2019 season with Seattle facing Oakland to start a two-game series. The 45-year-old Ichiro is expected to play in both. What happens next? Ichiro isn't saying.One thing is sure. It will be great theater."I'll have my phone ready to go, and I'll shoot and stand up and applaud when he bats," Snitzer said. "I just hope he doesn't get the winning hit against the A's. If he hits a home run that doesn't affect the game, I'll be thrilled."A's pitcher Liam Hendriks probably spoke for both teams."We're just happy to be along for the ride,"... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Atlanta Braves right-hander Julio Teheran is set to make his sixth straight start on opening day.The Braves said Monday that Teheran will face the Phillies on March 28 in Philadelphia.Teheran's run ties Hall of Famer Warren Spahn (1957-62) for the longest in Braves' franchise history during the modern era. Teheran is 1-1 with a 2.73 ERA on opening day.Earlier this spring, it had been thought Mike Foltynewicz might start on opening day for the Braves. But he's likely to be out until at least mid-April with a sore right elbow.New Phillies slugger Bryce Harper is expected to make his debut in the opener. He's had a lot of career success against Teheran, going 18 for 40 (.450) with eight homers and 19 RBIs.Teheran went 9-9 last season with a 3.94 ERA in 31 starts.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals are counting on Tony Sipp to give them something their bullpen lacked: a lefty reliever to go after lefty hitters in late-game situations.A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Sipp and the Nationals agreed in principle on a one-year contract for 2019 that guarantees $1.25 million and includes a mutual option for 2020.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending the successful completion of a physical exam.Sipp would get a $1 million salary this year, and the contract includes a $2.5 million mutual option for next year, with a $250,000 buyout. There are not any performance bonuses.This move gives Washington's rebuilt bullpen someone to use in a key spot against left-handed batters — such as Bryce Harper, the former Nationals slugger who joined the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent for $330 million over 13 seasons. Solis and Harper have never faced each... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and the Washington Nationals have agreed in principle on a one-year contract that guarantees $1.25 million and includes a mutual option for 2020.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal was pending the successful completion of a physical exam.Sipp would get a $1 million salary this year, and the deal includes a $2.5 million mutual option with a $250,000 buyout. There are not any performance bonuses.This move gives Washington's bullpen someone to use in a key spot against lefty hitters — such as Bryce Harper, the former Nationals slugger who joined NL East rival Philadelphia as a free agent.The 35-year-old Sipp is entering his 11th season. He has a 25-20 career record with a 3.67 ERA and 513 strikeouts in 482 2/3 innings spanning 580 appearances for Cleveland, Arizona and Houston, all in relief.Last season with the Astros, Sipp was 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA, holding lefty hitters to a .191 batting average.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia threw 20 pitches Tuesday during his first batting practice session since a heart procedure in December.Sabathia, expected to miss his first two or three regular-season starts, is slated to throw a simulated game Saturday.The 38-year-old, who is retiring after the season, had a stent inserted Dec. 11 after a blockage was found in an artery from his heart. He has had chronic right knee problems that required several operations."He's really responded well to everything," Yankee manager Aaron Boone said. "He's doing well."Sabathia also is suspended for five games for hitting Tampa Bay's catcher Jesus Sucre with a pitch on Sept. 27.The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner with Cleveland, Sabathia is 246-153 with a 3.70 ERA and 2,986 strikeouts in 18 major league seasons. He was 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last season. This will be his 11th year with the Yankees.Center fielder Aaron Hicks, who hurt his back during batting practice March 1, got... [More]

Kyle Seager will be absent next week when the Seattle Mariners play the major league opener in Japan. Mike Foltynewicz will miss opening day for Atlanta, too.Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, meanwhile, is on the mend.The Mariners said Monday that Seager needs surgery on his left hand, sidelining the third baseman through at least April. The former All-Star and Gold Glove winner rolled his glove going for a grounder in a spring training game last week.Seattle is likely to move first baseman Ryon Healy across the diamond to third. The Mariners and Oakland begin the regular season on March 20 in Tokyo.The Braves had hoped Foltynewicz could start on March 28 when the NL East champions open at Philadelphia, but a sore elbow has slowed the All-Star righty.Foltynewicz has yet to make an appearance in an exhibition game because of discomfort that began about two weeks ago."We're just trying to figure out at what point do we get him up to five innings?" general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "He's not... [More]

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell is focused on pitching and not his minuscule salary increase.The AL Cy Young Award winner threw a called third strike past Bryce Harper with a 96 mph fastball in the first inning of the Tampa Bay Rays' 8-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.Snell's contract was renewed Sunday for a salary while in the majors of $573,700, a raise of $15,500 and a figure $18,700 above the major league minimum, which rose $10,000 to $555,000. His deal calls for a $291,000 salary in the unlikely event he is in the minors.The 26-year-old left-hander likely will be eligible for salary arbitration next winter. He declined to discuss his contract.Snell struck out two over two perfect innings."Their lineup is nasty," Snell said. "I really don't key in on a guy. It's a lefty, it's righty, it's what I focus on. I've got to attack the zone. They're going to do what they do. I'm going to do what I do."Snell is slated to start Tampa Bay's March 28 against Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros.Tampa Bay also renewed the contracts of reliever Ryne Stanek ($564,200 in majors, $223,978 in minors) and infielder Joey Wendle ($570,400 in majors and $273,450 in minors).___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports