Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to have Tommy John surgery, out for seasonVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will have season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Tuesday. The Yankees said the 34-year-old right-hander was examined Monday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ head team physician, will operate. Cole, a former...
Former OF Tyler Naquin says comeback as pitcher started last year
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As he begins his attempted comeback at a new position, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tyler Naquin says his transition from playing outfield to pitching was more than a year in the making. Naquin, who played the outfield for four major-league teams from 2016-23, signed a minor-league contract with...
Outfielder Lawrence Butler agrees to $65.5 million, 7-year deal with A’s, AP source says
Outfielder Lawrence Butler agreed to a $65.5 million, seven-year contract with the Athletics, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Thursday night, the latest big-money deal for a team suddenly spending as it prepares to play three seasons in a minor league ballpark. The agreement, first reported by...
Mets spent more in 4 years than Pirates, Marlins and Rays over past 21
NEW YORK — The New York Mets led the major leagues in spending for the third straight season in 2024 and have totaled $1.36 billion in payroll and luxury tax over four years under owner Steve Cohen, exceeding what the Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays each have...
Vagabond A’s enter Sacramento era with playoff expectations
MESA, Ariz. — The Athletics have moved about an hour east from Oakland to the Sacramento area, where they will be based in a minor-league ballpark for the next three seasons while hoping a more permanent home in Las Vegas will be ready in 2028. If this doesn’t sound like...
Cleveland Guardians owner Lawrence Dolan dies at 94Video
CLEVELAND — Lawrence J. Dolan, owner of Cleveland’s major league baseball team since 2000, has died at age 94. The Cleveland Guardians put out a statement Monday saying Dolan died Sunday night of natural causes. “Mr. Dolan invested his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community on so...
Juan Soto hits a 426-foot home run in 1st at-bat for New York MetsVideo
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Juan Soto wasted little time in showing off his power for his new team. Again. Soto homered in his first spring training at-bat for the New York Mets, hitting a solo shot to left-center field in the first inning against Houston on Saturday. The Mets...
Eddie Fisher, an All-Star reliever with the Chicago White Sox in 1965, dies at age 88
ALTUS, Okla. — Eddie Fisher, the right-hander whose 15-year major league career included an All-Star selection for the Chicago White Sox and a World Series title with Baltimore, has died. He was 88. The Lowell-Tims Funeral Home & Crematory in Altus says Fisher died Monday after a brief illness. Born...
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner might support a salary cap proposal tied to payroll minimum
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner might support a salary cap proposal as long as it contains a provision mandating minimum payrolls. “I have been on the record already saying that I would consider supporting a cap depending on what the cap is and contingent on the...
New York Yankees drop ban on beards, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George SteinbrennerVideo
TAMPA. Fla. — The New York Yankees dropped their ban on beards Friday, 49 years after it was imposed by owner George Steinbrenner, in a move aimed to improve player recruitment as the team tries to win its first World Series title since 2009. Current owner Hal Steinbrenner, son of...
ESPN, Major League Baseball will end their national television deal after 2025 season
ESPN’s coverage of Major League Baseball games — at least in its current form — will conclude at the end of the 2025 season. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro informed baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Thursday morning that the network was opting out of the final three years of its contract,...
Robot umpires are getting their first MLB test during spring trainingVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — A computerized system that calls balls and strikes is being tested during Major League Baseball spring training exhibition games starting Thursday after four years of experiments in the minor leagues. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an advocate of the Automated Ball-Strike System, which potentially as early as...
Rob Manfred calls A’s new park in Sacramento charming but still expects to be in Vegas by 2028Video
PHOENIX — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called the Athletics temporary home charming but reiterated he expects the franchise will open its new stadium in Las Vegas in 2028. Manfred recently visited the 14,000-seat minor league stadium in West Sacramento, Calif., and said the owners of the Triple-A River Cats and...
Guerrero plans to become free agent after season, fails to reach long-term deal with Blue JaysVideo
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plans to become a free agent after the season following the passing of his deadline Tuesday to reach a long-term agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays. “Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my...
Justin Turner agrees to $6 million, 1-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, AP source saysVideo
MESA, Ariz. — Justin Turner has agreed to a $6 million, one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, giving the team additional infield depth. Turner can earn an additional $2.5 million in bonuses, according to the person who spoke to the...
Aaron Judge disagrees with Juan Soto saying Mets have better chance for titles than YankeesVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge naturally takes issue with Juan Soto’s conclusion that the New York Mets have a better chance to win World Series titles than the Yankees. Soto left the Yankees as a free agent in December for a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, turning...
Yankees’ Stanton hasn’t swung bat in 3 or 4 weeks and is unsure of whether he can play in opener
TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t swung a bat in three or four weeks and isn’t sure whether he will be ready for opening day because of painful tendinitis in both elbows. Speaking Monday before the team’s first full-squad workout, the five-time All-Star revealed he played...
Marcus Stroman returns to Yankees, insists ‘I’m a starter’ and ‘won’t pitch in the bullpen’
TAMPA, Fla. — Marcus Stroman returned to Yankees camp on Friday. The righty reported on time for a mandatory physical Tuesday but did not participate in official, on-field workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Wednesday and Thursday. While the collective bargaining agreement states players don’t have to participate in...
Reports: Alex Bregman, Red Sox agree to $120M, 3-year contractVideo
Alex Bregman and the Boston Red Sox agreed to a $120 million, three-year contract, according to multiple reports Wednesday. Bregman can opt out after the 2026 and 2027 seasons to become a free agent again. A two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion during nine years with Houston, the 30-year-old...
After brief opt out, Gerrit Cole says he always intended to stay with Yankees
TAMPA, Fla. — Gerrit Cole says he always intended to remain with the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander exercised his right to opt out of his contract on the third day after the World Series, giving up $144 million over four years and starting a two-day...
Former Pirates OF Michael A. Taylor agrees to 1-year deal with White SoxVideo
CHICAGO — Center fielder Michael A. Taylor and the Chicago White Sox have agreed to a $1.95 million, one-year contract. Chicago announced the agreement Wednesday. Taylor spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .193 with five home runs, 21 RBIs and a .543 OPS in 113 games. He struck...
Reds will wear No. 14 patch on jersey sleeve to honor Pete Rose, who died last year
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds will wear a No. 14 patch on the sleeve of their jersey this season to honor hometown star and career hits leader Pete Rose, the team announced Monday. The Reds posted a photo of the patch on X with the message “14 on our side...
Brewers unveil patch they will wear on their uniforms to honor Bob Uecker
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers have unveiled a patch they will wear on their uniform this season to honor longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died last month. The patch will appear on the sleeve of the Brewers’ uniforms. It features Uecker’s signature over a gold-and-navy plaid print to honor the...
Spring training preview: Dodgers favored to be MLB’s 1st repeat champ in 25 years
Miguel Rojas gladly gave up his No. 11 to Roki Sasaki and went back to 72, his jersey as a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie in 2014. “I’m not asking for anything. I have everything that I want in life,” the 35-year-old infielder said. “All I ask for him is trying...
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to nearly 5 years in sports betting case
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between...