Wisconsin governor signs off on $500 million plan to fund repairs and upgrades at Brewers stadium
MILWAUKEE — After months of backroom wrangling, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill Tuesday that spends half-a-billion dollars in taxpayer money over the next three decades to help the Milwaukee Brewers repair their baseball stadium. The governor signed the bipartisan package at American Family Field, calling the legislation a...
Waiting for Shohei: MLB free-agent market slow as Ohtani mulls big money
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Baseball is waiting for Shohei. Big-name free agents appear in no hurry to strike deals at the winter meetings, biding time until Shohei Ohtani potentially breaks the record for richest contract set 4 1/2 years ago by Mike Trout. And Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be...
NBA, NHL and MLB unveil a 30-second ad promoting responsible sports bettingVideo
NEW YORK — The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball have joined forces to produce a 30-second ad promoting responsible sports betting. The “Never Know What’s Next” commercial unveiled Tuesday is a coordination of the three leagues, sportsbook operators DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel, PENN Entertainment and the National Council on Problem...
Padres give Mike Shildt another chance to manage 2 years after his Cardinals exit
SAN DIEGO — Mike Shildt has been hired as manager of the San Diego Padres, returning to the dugout two years after he was suddenly fired by the St. Louis Cardinals following a third straight playoff appearance. The Padres announced Tuesday that Shildt had been given a two-year contract. Shildt...
Aaron Nola staying with Phillies after signing 7-year deal
Aaron Nola is staying in Philadelphia, after all. The right-hander signed a seven-year contract to remain with the Phillies after testing the free-agent market, the team said Sunday. ESPN and others reported the 30-year-old’s contract is worth $172 million. “At the outset of this offseason, we made signing Aaron our...
Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. unanimous NL Most Valuable Player
NEW YORK — Ronald Acuña Jr. had been waiting for this moment. “From the day I got to the league, right away I always knew I wanted to be the MVP,” the Atlanta Braves right fielder said through a translator. “It’s always been a dream of mine, and I’m living...
Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s 2-way star, becomes first 2-time unanimous MVPVideo
NEW YORK — Shohei Ohtani, who has captivated baseball with his unprecedented combination of high-level hitting and premium pitching, became the first two-time unanimous MVP when he won the American League honor Thursday. Ohtani, a free agent after finishing his contract with the Los Angeles Angels, received all 30 first-place...
Gerrit Cole unanimous winner of his 1st AL Cy Young Award; Blake Snell takes NL prizeVideo
NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole was a unanimous winner of his first American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, and Blake Snell took the National League honor to become the seventh hurler to earn baseball’s top pitching prize in both leagues. After coming close several times before, Cole finally finished...
Brewers promote bench coach Pat Murphy to take over as manager after Craig Counsell’s departure
MILWAUKEE — After spending the last eight seasons as Craig Counsell’s bench coach, Pat Murphy is taking over for his former boss as the Milwaukee Brewers manager. The Brewers announced they were promoting Murphy on Wednesday, a little over a week after the Chicago Cubs announced they had hired Counsell...
Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde, Miami’s Skip Schumaker win Manager of the Year honorsVideo
Brandon Hyde was voted American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday night after guiding the Baltimore Orioles to an AL-best 101 victories just two years after a 110-loss season. Miami’s Skip Schumaker won the National League award in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Hyde led Baltimore...
San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent big in pursuit of a World Series title, dies at 63Video
SAN DIEGO — Padres owner Peter Seidler, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to bring a long-elusive World Series championship to San Diego, died Tuesday, the team announced. He was 63. A cause of death wasn’t disclosed. Seidler, a third-generation member of the O’Malley family that used to...
Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Arizona’s Corbin Carroll unanimous Rookie of the Year winners
PHOENIX — Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll were unanimous selections for Rookies of the Year on Monday night, with Henderson winning the American League honor and Carroll earning the National League award. The well-rounded stars used power, speed and defense to help their respective...
The designated hitter hasn’t always lived up to its title after 2 full MLB seasons in both leagues
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The universal designated hitter has been part of Major League Baseball for two full seasons and, much to the chagrin of some National League traditionalists, the sport has survived and even thrived. In a somewhat surprising development, though, many teams are struggling to get much production from...
Shohei Ohtani free agency sweepstakes off to a clandestine start
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The race to add two-way baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani in a blockbuster free agency deal is off to a clandestine start. “Special player, that’s all I’ll say,” said Chris Young, general manager of the World Series champion Texas Rangers. “We’re going to be interested in looking at...
Angels hire Ron Washington as manager to replace Phil Nevin
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels hired Ron Washington to be their new manager Wednesday, turning to a veteran baseball mind in an attempt to end nearly a decade of losing. The 71-year-old Washington became the majors’ oldest current manager and only the second active Black manager, joining the...
Steinbrenner consulted with players over whether Boone should return as Yankees manager
NEW YORK — Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner questioned current and former players along with staff on whether to keep Aaron Boone before deciding the New York manager will return next year. New York faded from contention by mid-August and finished 82-80, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016....
New York Mets hiring Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as manager
NEW YORK — The New York Mets are hiring New York Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza as their manager, according to a person familiar with the decision. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the move had not been announced. Mendoza spent the past...
Guardians hire former MLB catcher Stephen Vogt as manager to replace Terry FranconaVideo
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians hired Stephen Vogt, a journeyman catcher with no managerial experience, as their new manager to replace Terry Francona, the team announced Monday. Vogt was Seattle’s bullpen coach last season. Although the 39-year-old Vogt has never been a manager, he checked every other box for the...
Cubs hire manager Craig Counsell away from Milwaukee in surprising move, AP sources say
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs hired manager Craig Counsell away from Milwaukee on Monday in a surprising move, replacing David Ross after the team slipped out of a playoff spot in the last part of the season. Two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the move to The Associated...
Justin Turner turns down option with Red Sox; Boston declines option with Corey Kluber
BOSTON — Justin Turner declined his $13.4 million player option with Boston, and the Red Sox turned down their $11 million option on right-hander Corey Kluber. Both players became free agents. Turner gets a $6.7 million buyout, completing a contract he agreed to in January that paid $16 million, including...
Chicago White Sox decline their $14 million option on star shortstop Tim Anderson
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox declined their $14-million option for next season on two-time All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson and bought him out for $1 million on Saturday. The bat-flipping face of the franchise, Anderson led the majors with a .335 batting average in 2019 and made All-Star teams in...
Tigers acquire outfielder Mark Canha in trade with Brewers
DETROIT — If you are going to preach a certain approach to hitting throughout your organization, it would probably be quite useful to have a model of that approach playing nearly every day at the big-league level, right? Veteran outfielder Mark Canha, whom the Tigers acquired in a trade from...
Bruce Bochy adds to legacy with 4th World Series title, 1st for RangersVideo
Bruce Bochy was enjoying himself in retirement last fall at home in Tennessee, spending time with his three grandchildren, fishing and doing just about whatever he wanted, really. Still, the longer he was away from the big leagues, the more he missed the game. And he missed winning. A year...
Corey Seager earns 2nd World Series MVP, joining Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson
PHOENIX — Corey Seager knows the illustrious names he’s next to: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson. “I don’t think you can ever fathom that,” he said. “It’s a pretty special group to be part of. “ Seager joined those three Hall of Famers as a two-time World Series...
Texas Rangers win 1st World Series title with 5-0 win over Diamondbacks in Game 5Video
PHOENIX — Corey Seager took a mighty hack and barely connected, sending a dribbler through an open area on the left side of the infield for his team’s first hit in the seventh inning. The Texas Rangers shortstop and World Series MVP provided plenty of power throughout a stellar October...
