8:03 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Craig Counsell is confident former MVP Christian Yelich‘s 2020 hitting struggles won’t carry over to next season. After winning consecutive National League batting titles in 2018 and 2019 during his first two years with the Brewers, Yelich hit just .205 with 12 homers and 22 RBIs
MLB
5:47 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Alex Cora is expecting to see the J.D. Martinez of old again in 2021. And the Red Sox manager wouldn’t be surprised if Andrew Benintendi and Eduardo Rodríguez bounce back with him. Cora predicted better things from some of the Boston players who had an off year during
4:12 PM ET Add Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly to the growing list of voices who think Major League Baseball needs more action. If that means continuing to change the playing rules, the reigning National League Manager of the Year is all for it. “As far as rules go in general, we have to continue
11:49 AM ET Throughout the summer, each completed game signified hope that pandemic baseball could succeed, and each COVID-19 positive, seven-inning doubleheader and protocol breach reflected institutional recklessness. At a safe distance from the clamor, the referendum on the 2020 Major League Baseball season was not whether it was a success or an abomination —
9:25 AM ET Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander hopes to pitch at some point during the 2021 season despite his recent Tommy John surgery, according to general manager James Click. Click said during an interview Wednesday with MLB Network that Verlander “has every intention of trying to come back next year” but admitted he thinks
7:00 AM ET Free agents on the whole tend to be a little older than the average player. The requirement of six or nearly seven big league seasons after some time in the minors puts most free agents around 30 years old or older. With most teams already slowing down the past few seasons when
5:24 PM ET ESPN News Services The San Francisco Giants added a veteran option for the rotation alongside ace Johnny Cueto by signing right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to a one-year contract, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is worth $6 million in salary, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Giants still will look to
8:32 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Bud Black hears the Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story trade rumors, and he is entertained. It’s just that time of year, the Colorado Rockies manager contended Wednesday in a Zoom call. “My expectation is that they’ll be with us come Opening Day,” Black said of his star players.
8:25 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Big league managers say Major League Baseball instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus. Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that commissioner Rob Manfred had a meeting with managers Tuesday and expressed optimism
2:21 PM ET The decision by Kevin Cash to take out Blake Snell in a 1-0 game in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers sparked controversy around baseball regarding the balance of analytics and traditional baseball savvy. More than a month after the final out, the Rays manager
1:56 PM ET Veteran catcher Mike Zunino is returning to the Tampa Bay Rays on a one-year deal worth $3 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal includes a club option for 2022 worth up to $7 million based on playing time, the sources said. Zunino will make $2 million in salary for
12:49 PM ET ESPN News Services Major League Baseball has reclassified the Negro Leagues as a major league and will count the statistics and records of its 3,400 players as part of MLB history. MLB said Wednesday it was “correcting a longtime oversight in the game’s history” by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial
12:38 PM ET The Los Angeles Angels, actively rebuilding their bullpen under first-year general manager Perry Minasian, signed left-handed reliever Alex Claudio to a one-year, $1.125 million contract, the organization announced on Wednesday. Claudio, 28, had a 3.44 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in 311 appearances with the Texas Rangers and the Milwaukee Brewers from
9:50 AM ET Omar Vizquel has been accused of domestic abuse by his wife, Blanca, who alleged multiple instances of physical violence from the former star shortstop in a report published Wednesday by The Athletic. Blanca Vizquel told The Athletic that her husband physically abused her in 2011 — before they were married in 2014
7:00 AM ET The last time we saw Blake Snell in a baseball uniform was Game 6 of the World Series and the Hook Heard ‘Round the World, when Kevin Cash removed him after 73 pitches despite Snell dominating the Dodgers. The next time we see him he could be wearing a new jersey if
12:45 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Manny Ramirez — yes, that Manny Ramirez — is back in baseball Down Under. The now 48-year-old former Boston Red Sox legend and 12-time Major League Baseball All-Star is scheduled to begin the season on Thursday for the Sydney Blue Sox in the Australian Baseball League. Sydney manager
7:49 PM ET Buster Posey will remain the San Francisco Giants‘ “primary catcher” in 2021 and will get “the lion’s share of the reps” behind the plate despite the presence of top prospect Joey Bart, second-year manager Gabe Kapler said during his session with the media Tuesday. Posey, a six-time All-Star who is owed $21.4
6:57 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — – Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was discussing the state of his roster in baseball’s so-far quiet offseason, making no secret of the team’s desire to re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Baldelli pushed his interest in the 40-year-old free agent a step further, taking a few seconds out