1:30 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball revamped its spring training exhibition schedule because of the pandemic, cutting travel for Florida-based teams in an effort to minimize coronavirus risks. College baseball teams, which often play big league clubs but are not subject to major league testing protocols, were dropped from the
MLB
12:07 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has reorganized its minor leagues in a 120-team regional alignment. MLB released a plan Friday for two Triple-A divisions, and three divisions each for Double-A, high-A and low-A. Forty affiliates were dropped from 2019, the last season under the old minor league system, and
1:41 PM ET ESPN News Services Infielder Joe Panik and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a minor league deal, a source tells ESPN’s Jeff Passan. If Panik makes the team, he’ll have a base salary of $1.85 million and can make another $400,000 in incentives, the source said. The 30-year-old hit .225
12:37 PM ET Associated Press COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Baseball’s Hall of Fame has canceled its traditional outdoor induction ceremony for the second straight summer because of the pandemic and plans an indoor, televised event for Derek Jeter and others being honored. Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and late players’ association executive director Marvin Miller were
7:00 AM ET One day after ranking the top 100 individual prospects in baseball heading into the 2021 MLB season, it’s time to turn our attention to each team’s farm system as a whole. These rankings of all 30 organizations were done, for the most part, the same way last year’s were. In short, while
8:35 PM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ landmark agreement with Trevor Bauer has been met with clear reservation, and in some instances disdain, by some of the team’s fans — although their concerns aren’t about his projected on-field performance. Bauer’s boundless social media activity includes instances that have prompted accusations of online bullying, two of
9:18 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Speedy free-agent outfielder Billy Hamilton has agreed to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday night. Hamilton, who spent last season with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, will also receive an invitation to
8:45 PM ET Free-agent infielder Marwin Gonzalez has agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Boston Red Sox, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Thursday. Gonzalez, 31, spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Twins. He hit .211 with five home runs and 22 RBIs last year in a pandemic-shortened schedule.
4:59 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Seven Negro Leagues have been recommended for major league status by a task force of the Society for American Baseball Research. The announcement Thursday followed Major League Baseball’s decision on Dec. 16 that it was reclassifying the Negro Leagues to majors. They had been excluded in 1969
4:53 PM ET Wendy’s is becoming almost as well-known for its Twitter barbs as its hamburgers these days, and the fast-food chain landed a sharp jab on the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, referencing the controversial move by manager Kevin Cash in pulling starter Blake Snell in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series against
4:26 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — – The Colorado Rockies agreed to a minor league contract with first baseman Greg Bird that includes and invite to major league spring training. The 28-year-old didn’t appear in the majors in 2020 after signing with the Texas Rangers last offseason. Bird was a fifth-round pick by the
10:13 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Walker Buehler and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Thursday, agreeing to an $8 million, two-year contract that would escalate to more than $12.12 million if he starts regularly this year and wins a Cy Young Award. Buehler gets a $2
7:00 AM ET This year’s top 100 MLB prospects list is unlike any other, and it’s for the reason you’re probably thinking of — there wasn’t a minor league season. Players certainly improved from last year, and there were trades, a draft and an international signing period, but there isn’t as much movement because there
12:09 AM ET The evident way to view the three-way trade between the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets that sends outfielder Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City is that the Red Sox don’t believe Benintendi will return to the heights he reached in 2018, while the Royals are willing to spend
9:31 PM ET The Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets have agreed to a three-way trade that will send outfielder Andrew Benintendi from Fenway to K.C., sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday night. Royals outfield prospect Khalil Lee will go to the Mets, while Royals outfielder Franchy Cordero will go
8:27 PM ET Associated Press OAKLAND, Calif. — Jed Lowrie is returning to the Oakland Athletics for a third stint, with the infielder reaching agreement on a minor league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to big league spring training. Lowrie has played five seasons total for Oakland, in 2013-14 as starting shortstop on playoff
6:19 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Billy Conigliaro, the first-ever Red Sox draft pick who started out in the Boston outfield with star-crossed brother Tony and later spent years taking care of him after a heart attack, died Wednesday. He was 73. Conigliaro’s family told the team he died at home in Beverly, Massachusetts.
5:52 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — After re-upping with the Minnesota Twins for what will be his 17th major league season, Nelson Cruz clearly was not ready to entertain the idea of a farewell tour. His bat sure hasn’t shown any quit, either. “To be able to go where we want to go, I