MLB category, Page 103

The marquee storyline(s) of the NL East and West divisions differ now than from when spring training began. A pair of $300 million-plus contracts sure can change things. The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres might or might not be great teams this season, but many eyes will be on...

It might seem as if the Chicago Cubs have been dominating the NL Central in recent years, but is it really a dynasty when they’ve won the division just twice? The Cubs have averaged 97 wins per season over the past four years but twice had to settle for wild...

TOKYO — At times, it seemed as if he’d go on hitting forever. But Thursday night, a player who defined baseball at its very best on two continents for a generation, took his final swing. The great Ichiro has said “sayonara.” Now 45, Ichiro Suzuki left the Tokyo Dome field...

TOKYO — Ichiro Suzuki has said “sayonara.” The 45-year-old Seattle Mariners star announced his retirement Thursday night, shortly after waving goodbye at the Tokyo Dome during a 5-4 win over Oakland in 12 innings. Ichiro went 0 for 4 and was pulled from right field in the eighth, saluting his...

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night announced their 12-year contract, a record deal that ties baseball’s top player to the Orange County club for what likely will be the rest of his career. A person with knowledge of the contract told The Associated...

TOKYO — Ichiro drew all the cheers. Most everyone else on the Seattle Mariners did all the hitting. A crowd that came to salute Ichiro Suzuki in his homeland saw Domingo Santana deliver the biggest hit at the Tokyo Dome, a grand slam that sent Seattle over the Oakland Athletics,...

Mike Trout’s nearly completed 12-year, roughly $430 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Angels, which when finalized would set a new benchmark for North American sports, will undoubtedly spark a new round of complaints and criticism, not exactly unfounded, that athletes are egregiously overpaid relative to their contributions to...

The climax of an offseason spent contemplating and debating the value of some of baseball’s biggest stars, as it turns out, was not the record-setting free agent contracts signed last month by Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but what reportedly came Tuesday: a massive extension for Los Angeles Angels center...

NEW YORK — Major League Baseball and its players’ union reached an unprecedented agreement to discuss renegotiating their labor contract that has three seasons remaining, part of a deal that includes modest rule changes for 2020 and drops pitch clocks until 2022 at the earliest. Players have been furious at...

HENDERSON, Nev. — Julia Ruth Stevens, the last surviving daughter of Hall of Fame baseball slugger Babe Ruth and a decades-long champion of his legacy, has died at age 102, her family has announced. Tom Stevens said Sunday that his mother died Saturday morning at an assisted living facility in...

NEW YORK — Major leagues teams this season must notify the commissioner’s office of their starting lineups before they are announced at stadiums. The decision Thursday comes in response to the Supreme Court ruling that has led to more widespread legal gambling. Through last season, clubs announced lineups as they...

NEW YORK — Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, the star of the Miracle Mets 1969 World Series championship team, has been diagnosed with dementia at age 74. His family made the announcement Thursday through the Hall and said Seaver has retired from public life and will continue to work...

At his introductory news conference Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, after he signed a 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Bryce Harper said that his relatively low annual salary of approximately $25.4 million would allow his new team “to bring some other guys in.” He mentioned at the time “another guy...

NEW YORK — Jessica Mendoza was hired as a baseball operations adviser for the New York Mets on Tuesday while remaining a broadcaster for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” part of an increasing number of TV commentators who also work for teams. She will be involved in player evaluation, roster construction,...

PEORIA, Ariz. — Manny Machado’s debut in a San Diego Padres uniform was a lot less eventful than his free agency. The four-time All-Star spent the offseason being courted by every club with money to burn, and he wound up signing a $300 million, 10-year deal with San Diego late...

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper sounded like a typical Philadelphian talking about a goal every Phillies fan will endorse. “I want to be on Broad Street on a frickin’ boat or bus or whatever it is and hold a (World Series) trophy over my head,” the six-time All-Star said Saturday...

DENVER — Nolan Arenado likes where he’s at and the direction the Colorado Rockies are headed. So he’s staying put. For possibly a long, long time. And for a chance to finish what this team has been brewing. The All-Star third baseman and Rockies agreed to an eight-year contract Tuesday,...

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Baseball is on the clock. The traditionally timeless sport implemented a pitch clock in major league spring training for the first time Saturday in an attempt to hurry up pitchers and hitters and keep the modern fan from tuning out the increasingly lengthy games. Sixteen games...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw was shut down indefinitely after telling manager Dave Roberts that he “didn’t feel right” after two discouraging outings on the mound. Kershaw worked out indoors at Camelback Ranch on Friday but didn’t play catch. Roberts wouldn’t speculate on the left-hander’s next bullpen session....

PEORIA, Ariz. — After adding Manny Machado, the San Diego Padres didn’t shoot down the notion that another big news conference could be ahead. With Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel still free agents, could the Padres make another surprising signing? “We’re always open-minded to looking at improving our...

DETROIT — Former Pittsburgh Pirates utilityman Josh Harrison agreed to a one-year deal with the Detroit Tigers, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the deal was subject to a successful physical. The 31-year-old Harrison spent his first eight major...

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Andrew McCutchen is ready to boost the Philadelphia Phillies with his bat, glove and brain. Signed to a $50 million, three-year contract, McCutchen said he enjoys his role as the veteran in the outfield and likes what he has seen from his younger teammates. The 32-year-old McCutchen...

SAN DIEGO — The Padres did far more than change the narrative for a team and a city when news leaked Tuesday about the drying ink on infielder Manny Machado’s reported $300 million deal. Once complete, the seismic, unprecedented undertaking will amount to the richest free-agent deal in the history...