Mega deal: Indians trade star Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco to Mets
CLEVELAND — Francisco Lindor’s moving to a new city and a new team that is willing to meet his salary demands. The four-time All-Star shortstop was traded Thursday along with pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets, who have a new owner willing to spend at baseball’s highest levels....
Spring training could be delayed for Double-A, Class A baseball teams
NEW YORK — Spring training could be delayed for Double-A and Class A players if major leaguers are not vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the time big league practice is scheduled to start in mid-February. Major League Baseball, which has taken over operation of the minors, gave notice to...
AP source: Padres have deal in place to get Blake Snell from Rays
Two months ago, Blake Snell got yanked off the mound with a two-hit shutout going in the final game of the World Series. Now, the Tampa Bay Rays are ready to ship him out of town. The San Diego Padres are close to completing a blockbuster trade to acquire Snell...
Baseball Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro dies at 81
ATLANTA — Baseball Hall of Famer Phil Niekro, who pitched well into his 40s with a knuckleball that baffled big league hitters for more than two decades, mostly with the Atlanta Braves, has died after a long fight with cancer, the team announced Sunday. He was 81. The Braves said...
White Sox manager Tony La Russa resolves DUI case, feels ‘remorse and regret’Video
CHICAGO — White Sox manager Tony La Russa said he doesn’t have a drinking problem. He also said he has to prove it with his behavior. The 76-year-old La Russa pleaded guilty Monday to a lesser charge to resolve misdemeanor drunken driving charges stemming from his arrest nearly 10 months...
AP: MLB payrolls drop nearly $2.5B in pandemicVideo
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion during the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion, and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers led with $98.6 million — the smallest for the top spender in 20 years. Base wages for 40-man rosters tumbled to $1.54 billion, according...
Cleveland manager Francona says team’s name change ‘correct’Video
CLEVELAND — Manager Terry Francona praised the Cleveland Indians for trying to “do the right thing” with a name change that was inevitable — and necessary. On Friday, Francona, a New Brighton native, complimented the team’s decision to drop its name after 105 years, a switch that came after months...
MLB recognition of Negro Leagues records ‘quite significant,’ says museum presidentVideo
On Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced that it will finally recognize Negro Leagues records and statistics between the years 1920 and 1948, the year after Jackie Robinson broke the big league color barrier. It means Negro Leagues star and Hall-of-Famer Josh Gibson, who played for the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh...
MLB reclassifies Negro Leagues as major league
NEW YORK (AP) — Willie Mays will add some hits to his record, Monte Irvin’s big league batting average should climb over .300 and Satchel Paige may add nearly 150 victories to his total. Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, might just wind up with a major...
Report: Cleveland Indians to change team nameVideo
The Indians will change the name of their franchise, the New York Times reported Sunday night. The Indians had announced in July that a “thorough review” would take place regarding the franchise name. They did not commit to a name change at that time, though it was always very likely...
Dave Dombrowski hired as Phillies’ president of baseball operationsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Whether rebuilding or reloading, small market or large, Dave Dombrowski has been a big success at every major league stop. His next challenging project: a Philadelphia Phillies team that has gone nine years without a winning record. Dombrowski joined the Phillies as president of baseball operations Friday. “This...
Rare Babe Ruth card found by Altoona-area woman sells for $342,000
A collection of very old baseball cards turned out to be a treasure trove for an Altoona-area woman who works on the front lines of the pandemic. The woman, who did not want to be identified, was going through her late grandfather’s belongings when she found a rare 1916 Babe...
Dick Allen, fearsome hitter and 7-time All-Star, dies at 78Video
Dick Allen, a fearsome hitter who was a seven-time All-Star, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1972 AL MVP, has died. He was 78. The Philadelphia Phillies, the team Allen started out with, announced his death on Monday. Allen’s No. 15 was retired by the Phillies in...
Adam Wainwright wins MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award
NEW YORK — Longtime St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has won the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually by Major League Baseball for community involvement and philanthropy. Wainwright’s Big League Impact foundation and recording artist Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation teamed for a Home Plate Project with Texas pitcher...
Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer tops list of MLB free agentsVideo
The free agent market received a small boost this week, although it remains to be seen whether teams will be eager to take advantage. A record 59 players became free agents when their teams declined to offer them contracts by Wednesday night’s tender deadline. That group included a few well-known...
MLB launches league for draft prospects with teams in Morgantown, State College
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is creating a minor league for top eligible prospects leading to the summer draft. The wood-bat MLB Draft League is launching with five teams and could add a sixth, MLB said Monday. Teams will play a 68-game regular season that includes an All-Star break...
Charlie Morton signs with Braves for 1 year at $15 million
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves added another veteran arm to their rotation Tuesday, signing two-time All-Star Charlie Morton to a $15 million, one-year deal. The 37-year-old right-hander and former Pittsburgh Pirate is returning to the Braves after helping Tampa Bay reach the World Series this season. The announcement comes after...
Mets 2B Canó suspended 162 games by MLB after drug test
NEW YORK — Mets second baseman Robinson Canó was suspended for 162 games by Major League Baseball on Wednesday after his positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. The 38-year-old Canó will miss the entire 2021 season and lose $24 million in salary. The eight-time All-Star hit a robust .316 with...
Theo Epstein steps down after 9 seasons leading Cubs
CHICAGO — Theo Epstein, who transformed the long-suffering Chicago Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016, is stepping down after nine seasons as the club’s president of baseball operations. The team announced Tuesday that Epstein is leaving the organization, and general manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted...
Schilling, Clemens, Bonds leading candidates on Hall of Fame ballot; former Pirates Aramis Ramirez, A.J. Burnett among newcomers
NEW YORK — Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are the leading candidates returning to baseball’s Hall of Fame ballot in a year without any favorites among the new names. Schilling was third behind Derek Jeter and Larry Walker with 278 of 397 votes last year, finishing at 70%...
Mark Madden’s hot take: Criticism of new Marlins GM will be frowned upon
Kim Ng is the new Miami Marlins’ GM. She is the first woman and first Asian American to hold that position in MLB. Ng is a fine hire. Her credentials are impeccable. She also has an advantage no GM in history has ever had: She is above criticism. Given her...
Breakthrough for women: Miami Marlins hire Kim Ng as GM
MIAMI — Kim Ng became the highest-ranking woman in baseball operations in the major leagues when she was hired Friday as general manager of the Miami Marlins. Ng is believed to be the first female general manager for a men’s team in a major professional sport in North America, the...
Sluggers Freddie Freeman, Jose Abreu win MLB MVP awardsVideo
NEW YORK — Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman easily won the NL MVP award Thursday, topping off a trying year that saw him become so ill with covid-19 he prayed “please don’t take me.” Chicago White Sox slugger José Abreu earned the AL MVP, a reward for powering his...
Cleveland’s Shane Bieber unanimously wins AL Cy Young AwardVideo
Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber was the unanimous winner of the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, and Trevor Bauer became the first player to take home the NL honor for the Cincinnati Reds. Using a versatile repertoire that includes a looping curveball and a wipeout slider, Bieber went...
Miami’s Don Mattingly, Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash win MLB Manager of the Year awardsVideo
Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash won the AL Manager of the Year award Tuesday night, and Miami’s Don Mattingly took home the NL honor. Long regarded as one of baseball’s bright young minds, Cash guided Tampa Bay to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized...
