SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Texas Rangers pitcher Ariel Jurado did not have many Panamanian ballplayers to watch when he was growing up.So he became a fan of Cliff Lee."He's a lefty but I liked him," Jurado said Tuesday through an interpreter. "His pitches were incredible, the way he dominated on the mound."The 23-year-old Jurado studied Lee's games on television. But he has a long way to go to approach the accomplished career of Lee, who pitched 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.Right now, Jurado is fighting for a spot in Texas' rotation. He made his major league debut with the Rangers last year, going 5-5 with a 5.93 ERA in 12 games, eight starts.Jurado is hoping to build on his final outing last season, when he tossed six innings of two-hit ball in a 2-0 victory at Seattle on Sept. 27."That outing, I was throwing a good slider and it helped me get through the last few innings," Jurado said. "It was a good sign for me. If something... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Adam Jones had been climbing Camelback Mountain and hitting at Grand Canyon University for the past two weeks, waiting for a major league team to give him a job. On Tuesday, he officially joined the Arizona Diamondbacks, the only team that Jones says showed any real interest in the 33-year-old outfielder.A free agent after playing the last 11 seasons with the Orioles, Jones signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the D-backs."I was in San Diego and a lot of the baseball players I trained with, they all came to spring training," Jones said. "I'm sitting there looking around at the stars. It made sense to come here and be with my friends who are unsigned. I've been out here working out with the guys who are still looking for jobs."Other players voiced their support of Jones on social media, including Arizona outfielder Steven Souza Jr., who posted on Twitter: "How does Adam Jones not have a job right now, you can't tell me this man doesn't help anyone's ball club?!""It... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Outfielder Adam Jones and the Arizona Diamondbacks have finalized a $3 million, one-year contract.Jones is likely to start in center field between Steven Souza Jr. in right and David Peralta in left, pushing Ketel Marte into a utility infield and outfield role.Jones can earn $2 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $250,000 for 250 and each additional 50 through 600. He would get a $250,000 assignment bonus the first time he is traded.To clear a roster spot Monday, Arizona put right-hander Silvino Bracho on the 60-day injured list because of a torn elbow ligament that will require Tommy John surgery.A 33-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Jones spent the last 11 big league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles after making his debut in 2006 with Seattle.Jones was an All-Star annually from 2012-15 and hit .265 with 29 homers and 83 RBIs in 2016. He batted .285 the following year but slipped to 26 homers and 73 RBIs, then dropped... [More]

Outfielder Adam Jones and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Jones is likely to start in center field between Steven Souza Jr. in right and David Peralta in left, pushing Ketel Marte into a utility infield and outfield role.Jones can earn $2 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $250,000 for 250 and each additional 50 through 600. He would get a $250,000 assignment bonus the first time he is traded.A 33-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Jones spent his first 13 big league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.Jones was an All-Star annually from 2012-15 and hit .265 with 29 homers and 83 RBIs in 2016. He batted .285 the following year but slipped to 26 homers and 73 RBIs, then dropped to .281 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs last year for an Orioles... [More]

Outfielder Adam Jones and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Jones is likely to start in center field between Steven Souza Jr. in right and David Peralta in left, pushing Ketel Marte into a utility infield and outfield role.A 33-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Jones spent his first 13 big league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.Jones was an All-Star annually from 2012-15 and hit .265 with 29 homers and 83 RBIs in 2016. He batted .285 the following year but slipped to 26 homers and 73 RBIs, then dropped to .281 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs last year for an Orioles team that shed most veterans went a big league-worst 47-115. His streak of seven straight years of 20 or more homers ended last year.He used his contractual right to block a proposed trade... [More]

Outfielder Adam Jones and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.Jones is likely to start in center field between Steven Souza Jr. in right and David Peralta in left, pushing Ketel Marte into a utility infield and outfield role.A 33-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Jones spent his first 13 big league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.Jones was an All-Star annually from 2012-15 and hit .265 with 29 homers and 83 RBIs in 2016. He batted .285 the following year but slipped to 26 homers and 73 RBIs, then dropped to .281 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs last year for an Orioles team that shed most veterans went a big league-worst 47-115. His streak of seven straight years of 20 or more homers ended last year.He used his contractual right to block a proposed trade to Philadelphia... [More]

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that outfielder Adam Jones and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.A 33-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner, Jones spent his first 13 big league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.His run production has dropped in each of the last two seasons, and he hit .281 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs last year.Jones is likely to start in center field between Steven Souza Jr. in right and David Peralta in left, pushing Ketel Marte into a utility role.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman left Wednesday's 11-5 victory over the Miami Marlins because of back stiffness.Bregman walked in the first inning and was replaced after the second. He was playing his third spring training game following arthroscopic elbow surgery on Jan. 11.Astros manager A.J. Hinch said Bregman probably will be held out a day and return to the lineup on Friday.AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESBLUE JAYS 9, PHILLIES 7Cavan Biggio, the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, and Anthony Alford both homered for the first time for the Blue Jays. Dalton Pompey hit two doubles and drove in three runs for Toronto. Aaron Sanchez made his second start, allowing a hit and two walks in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.Vince Velasquez made his first start for Philadelphia, allowing one run, one hit and two walks in one inning. Aaron Althier went 0 for 3, striking out twice and lowering his average to .143.ORIOLES 9, RAYS 6Mike Yastrzemski, a grandson... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — As a rule five draft selection, Brad Keller was a surprising success with Kansas City last season.The rebuilding Royals are hoping to do it again with Chris Ellis and Sam McWilliams.Kansas City plucked Keller from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the right-hander rewarded them with a stellar rookie season, going 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA while making 20 starts. He was named the organization's pitcher of the year, and he's going into 2019 as the team's No. 2 starter behind Danny Duffy.Ellis and McWilliams are hoping to join them on that pitching staff. Rule five picks rarely make the kind of impact Keller did in 2018, but if the Royals can hit big in the draft once, their newest rule-five righties are hoping it may happen again."It would be great if I could have a season like that," Ellis said of Keller. "I was at the Royals' FanFest when he got the award for pitcher of year for last year. It was pretty cool seeing that. I'm happy to see that worked out for him. I hope it works... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with nine of their 10 arbitration-eligible players, leaving only left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland without a deal.Among those reaching agreements Friday were shortstop Nick Ahmed, outfielder David Peralta, third baseman Jake Lamb and starting pitcher Robbie Ray.Ahmed, coming off a Gold Glove season that included greatly improved offensive numbers, gets $3,662,500, a hefty increase from last year's $1,275,000. Peralta receives an even bigger raise to $7 million, up from $3.3 million last seasonRay gets $6.05 million, a raise of $2.1 million, and Lamb receives $4,825,000, a raise of $550,000.Also reaching one-year agreements were outfielder Steven Souza Jr., ($4,125,000), right-handed starter Taijuan Walker ($5,025,000), right-handed relievers Archie Bradley ($1.83 million) and Matt Andriese ($920,000) and lefty reliever Andrew Chafin ($1,945,000).Catcher John Ryan Murphy agreed Thursday at $900,000.McFarland asked for a raise... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with nine of their 10 arbitration-eligible players, leaving only was left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland without a deal.Among those reaching agreements were shortstop Nick Ahmed, outfielder David Peralta, third baseman Jake Lamb and starting pitcher Robbie Ray.Ahmed, coming off a Gold Glove season that included greatly improved offensive numbers, gets $3,662,500, a hefty increase from last year's $1,275,000. Peralta receives an even bigger raise to $7 million, up from $3.3 million last seasonRay gets $6.05 million, a raise of $2.1 million, and Lamb receives $4,825,000, a raise of $550,000.Also reaching one-year agreements were outfielder Steven Souza Jr., ($4,125,000), right-handed starter Taijuan Walker ($5,025,000), right-handed relievers Archie Bradley ($1.83 million) and Matt Andriesen ($920,000) and lefty reliever Andrew Chafin ($1,945,000).The Diamondbacks also reached one-year deals with outfielder Steven Souza Jr.... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with nine of their 10 arbitration-eligible players, leaving only was left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland without a deal.Among those reaching agreements were shortstop Nick Ahmed, outfielder David Peralta, third baseman Jake Lamb and starting pitcher Robbie Ray.Ahmed, coming off a Gold Glove season that included greatly improved offensive numbers, gets $3,662,500, a hefty increase from last year's $1,275,000. Peralta receives an even bigger raise to $7 million, up from $3.3 million last seasonRay gets $6.05 million, a raise of $2.1 million, and Lamb receives $4,825,000, a raise of $550,000.Also reaching one-year agreements were outfielder Steven Souza Jr., ($4,125,000), right-handed starter Taijuan Walker ($5,025,000), and right-handed relievers Archie Bradley and Matt Andriesen.The Diamondbacks also reached one-year deals with outfielder Steven Souza Jr. ($4,125,000) and right-handed starter Taijuan Walker ($5,025,000). Catcher... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with six players, including starting pitcher Robbie Ray and third baseman Jake Lamb.Ray gets $6.05 million, a raise of $2.1 million, and Lamb receives $4,825,000, a raise of $550,000. Reliever Andrew Chafin will get $1,945,000, a raise of $750,000.The Diamondbacks also reached one-year deals with outfielder Steven Souza Jr. ($4,125,000), right-handed starter Taijuan Walker ($5,025,000) and right-handed reliever Matt Andriese.Ray was a 15-game winner two seasons ago but went just 6-2 in 24 starts last season. He has 739 strikeouts in four-plus major league seasons, including 218 in 2016 and 2017. He struck out 165 last season.Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs but was sidelined with season-ending shoulder surgery last August. He appeared in just 56 games, hitting .222 with six homers and 31 RBIs.Chafin was the primarily left-hander out of the bullpen for Arizona, compiling a 3.10 ERA last year. Chafin... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have avoided arbitration with six players, including starting pitcher Robbie Ray and third baseman Jake Lamb.Ray gets $6.05 million, a raise of $2.1 million, and Lamb receives $4,825,000, a raise of $550,000. Reliever Andrew Chafin will get $1,945,000, a raise of $750,000.The Diamondbacks also reached one-year deals with outfielder Steven Souza Jr., right-handed starter Taijuan Walker and right-handed reliever Matt Andriese.Ray was a 15-game winner two seasons ago but went just 6-2 in 24 starts last season. He has 739 strikeouts in four-plus major league seasons, including 218 in 2016 and 2017. He struck out 165 last season.Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs but was sidelined with season-ending shoulder surgery last August. He appeared in just 56 games, hitting .222 with six homers and 31 RBIs.Chafin was the primarily left-hander out of the bullpen for Arizona, compiling a 3.10 ERA last year.Chafin was 1-6 last season, appearing... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Catcher John Ryan Murphy and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a $900,000, one-year contract, a raise from his $558,000 salary last year.The 27-year-old set career bests with nine homers and 24 RBIs in 223 plate appearances, hitting .202. He split time behind the plate with Alex Avila and Jeff Mathis, who left for Texas.Ten Diamondbacks remain eligible for Friday's exchange of proposed arbitration salaries: outfielders David Peralta and Steven Souza; shortstop Nick Amed; third baseman Jake Lamb; right-handers Matt Andriese and Archie Bradley; and left-handers Andrew Chafin, T.J. McFarland and Robbie Ray.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays, who won more games than any American League team that didn't make the playoffs, have rewarded manager Kevin Cash with a contract extension that runs through 2024, plus a club option for 2025.The 40-year-old Cash had one year remaining on a five-year, $5 million deal he signed when he replaced Joe Maddon after the 2014 season.Financial terms were not disclosed. Both Cash, who had no previous managerial experience when he was hired, and management said it was an easy decision to continue their relationship after a bounce-back season."Kevin has a long list of positives. ... It's been a joy to see him blossom," general manager Erik Neander said Tuesday. "He's very deserving of this extension. We're excited for the years ahead."The budget-minded Rays surprisingly won 90 games, finishing third in the AL East behind the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, despite trimming payroll last winter and purging the roster again in July to transform themselves... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Thanks to an infusion of young talent, the Tampa Bay Rays overcame a slow start to win 90 games and spawn lofty expectations for next season.What was supposed to a rebuilding year for the Rays, who trimmed payroll in the winter and purged the roster again, might have been even more special if not for the success of AL East rivals Boston and New York.The Red Sox repeated as division champion with 108 victories and the Yankees won 100 to earn AL's top wild-card berth.The Rays finished 18 games behind Boston and 10 behind New York, but weren't eliminated from post-season contention until Sept. 24."I hope we don't have two 100-win teams in our division next year," manager Kevin Cash said. "But if we do, we're one of them."First-time All-Star Blake Snell led the major leagues with 21 wins and an AL-leading 1.89 ERA, rookie Joey Wendle played solid defense while hitting .300 in 139 games, and C.J. Cron had 30 homers and 74 RBIs after being acquired during a trade in... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks opened the season with the NL's best record in April and stayed near the top of the NL West most of the season, leading the division at the beginning of every month.A September swoon knocked them quickly out of contention.Plagued by bullpen blowups, untimely hitting slumps and a bit of trying too hard, the Diamondbacks finished a once-promising season 82-80. Arizona had a winning record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007-08, but finishing nine games back in the NL West was not what the Diamondbacks had in mind after ending a five-year playoff-less streak last season."We're not where we need to be right now, clearly," Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said Monday. "There were certainly some good things that happened this season, but it wasn't what we envisioned in terms of what our goals were. Our goal was to go out and compete for a World Series championship and we didn't do that."Despite a string of injuries to key players and a couple... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:ON THE CUSPJose Ramirez and the Cleveland Indians can clinch their third consecutive AL Central crown with a victory at home over Detroit and a Minnesota loss at last-place Kansas City. Josh Tomlin (1-5) pitches for the Indians against Matthew Boyd (9-12) and the Tigers. All-Star right-hander Jose Berrios (11-11) and the Twins face rookie Jorge Lopez (2-4), who took a perfect game into the ninth inning last Saturday at Minnesota.STROP STOPPEDThe NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs probably won't have their closer when they open a three-game series against Cincinnati. Pedro Strop injured a hamstring while running to first on a double-play grounder Thursday in just his second at-bat of the season. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Strop will have an MRI on Friday. Strop has served as Chicago's closer since Brandon Morrow was placed on the disabled list July 18. Strop has converted 11 of 13 save opportunities in that span and has a 2.26 ERA on the... [More]