NEW YORK (AP) — Houston outfielder George Springer, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto were among just six free agents who received $18.9 million qualifying offers on Sunday from their former teams. Three right-handed pitchers also received the offers, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and San Francisco's Kevin Gausman. Those six players have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 to accept the offers or press ahead as free agents, who could start negotiating contracts with all teams on Sunday night. They are the only ones subject to compensation among the 181 players who became free agents in a market that also includes pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, shortstop Didi Gregorius and designated hitter Nelson Cruz. A brutal market is expected, with many teams likely to cut payrolls following a regular season played with no fans in the seats due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. If a team makes a qualifying offer... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston outfielder George Springer, New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu and Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto were among just six free agents who received $18.9 million qualifying offers on Sunday from their former teams. Three right-handed pitchers also received the offers, Cincinnati’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Marcus Stroman and San Francisco's Kevin Gausman. Those six players have until 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 to accept the offers or press ahead as free agents, who could start negotiating contracts with all teams on Sunday night. They are the only ones subject to compensation among the 181 players who became free agents in a market that also includes pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, shortstop Didi Gregorius and designated hitter Nelson Cruz. A brutal market is expected, with many teams likely to cut payrolls following a regular season played with no fans in the seats due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. If a team makes a qualifying offer... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — What figures to be a down and perhaps brutal market for baseball free agents in the offseason following the pandemic began Wednesday when a dozen players were told their contract options had been declined, among them St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season, helping the Cardinals make the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated by San Diego in the first round. “STL will always have a special place in my heart and I will never forget all the amazing people who impacted me along the way! Much love,” Wong said Wednesday in an Instagram post. Many teams are cutting costs following a shortened regular season played with no fans in attendance due to the novel coronavirus.... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — What figures to be a down and perhaps brutal market for baseball free agents in the offseason following the pandemic began Wednesday when a dozen players were told their contract options had been declined, among them St. Louis Cardinals Gold Glove second baseman Kolten Wong. The 30-year-old Wong will receive a $1 million buyout. Wong, a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2013 and spent his first eight seasons with St. Louis. Wong hit. 265 with a homer and 16 RBIs in 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season, helping the Cardinals make the playoffs for the second straight year. They were eliminated by San Diego in the first round. “STL will always have a special place in my heart and I will never forget all the amazing people who impacted me along the way! Much love,” Wong said Wednesday in an Instagram post. Many teams are cutting costs following a shortened regular season played with no fans in attendance due to the novel coronavirus.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Not much is wrong with the New York Yankees in the view of manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman. While stung by a five-game loss to Tampa Bay in the AL Division Series, the Yankees leadership does not appear to anticipate large-scale changes for 2021. Catcher Gary Sánchez’s job could be in danger after a third straight down season, but Gleyber Torres’ hold on shortstop is solid despite shaky defense. Starting pitching will be a focus for improvement. “As much as we constantly are going to try to improve here, and there’s going to be tweaks to the roster as a result of that, I think it’s also important to note just how still close we are to being the last team standing,” Boone said Wednesday. “I understand the frustrations of the fan base, but I think if you really look at it, it’s razor thin, the difference between us and say the team that’s going to win the World Series this year.” New York had its second straight injury-filled season but was mostly healthy... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ HELLO AGAIN Houston and Tampa Bay are set to open their AL Championship Series in San Diego, with Astros left-hander Framber Valdez opposing 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. The Rays are seeking revenge after Houston beat them in five games in the AL Division Series last year. The Astros are in the ALCS for the fourth straight year, looking for a third trip to the World Series in that span. After going 29-31 during the regular season, Houston is 5-1 in the playoffs after eliminating AL West champion Oakland in four games in the ALDS at Dodger Stadium. The Rays are trying to get to their second World Series after losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. They went the distance in their ALDS against the Yankees, advancing with a 2-1 victory Friday night on Mike Brosseau’s dramatic eighth-inning home run off Aroldis Chapman. CLOSED OUT In a season that’s gone exceedingly well for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a late problem that... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luke Voit, backwards cap atop his head, was disgusted and dismayed. Eyes downcast, he summed up the New York Yankees’ 11th straight season without a title, the team’s widest expanse of failure since the desert between the Reggie Jackson era and the Derek Jeter renaissance. “I hate this feeling. It sucks, the third year in a row going through it,” the major league home run champion said. “So I’m going to use it in every workout, every BP session, cage session I have and be ready for spring training this year.” The 2020 season was so different, with the novel coronavirus pandemic cutting the schedule from 162 games to 60, sparking a summer camp of training part two and causing Yankee Stadium’s stands to fill with echoes on game nights rather than the usual boisterous fans. But the denouement was similar to 2019's. Aroldis Chapman gave up a home run that eliminated New York from the playoffs, this time Mike Brosseau’s eighth-inning drive in Division Series Game 5 against Tampa... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of qualifying offers for Major League Baseball free agents rose by $1.1 million to a record $18.9 million. Determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year, the figure announced Thursday is based on full salaries, not the prorated pay that players received in the pandemic-shorted season. The price had dropped last offseason for the first time, by $100,000 to $17.8 million. Among the top players eligible for free agency are pitchers Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman, Liam Hendriks, Blake Treinen, Masahiro Tanaka, José Quintana and Alex Colomé; catcher J.T. Realmuto; outfielders George Springer and Marcell Ozuna; infielder DJ LeMahieu; designated hitter Nelson Cruz; and shortstops Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons. A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Slumping catcher Gary Sánchez was benched by the Yankees for the third time in four games, with New York facing elimination from the postseason in Game 4 of the AL Division Series against Tampa Bay, Kyle Higashioka was behind the plate to catch left-hander Jordan Montgomery on Thursday night. Higashioka, batting ninth, entered 2 for 7 in the series with a solo homer in New York's Game 1 win and 3 for 12 with one RBI in the postseason. Sánchez, a 27-year-old who is a two-time All-Star, hit .147 this season, which would have been lowest in the majors by far if he had enough at-bats to qualify. He was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in Game 2, dropping to 1 for 9 in the postseason. Higashioka caught ace Gerrit Cole in the opener as the Yankees won 9-3 and Masahiro Tanaka in Game 3 as New York lost 8-4. Higashioka hit .250 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 48 at-bats during the regular season and is a better defender than Sánchez. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Randy Arozarena homered for the third straight game and Kevin Kiermaier and Michael Perez also went deep for the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the New York Yankees 8-4 Wednesday night to move within one victory of reaching the AL Championship Series for the first time in 12 years. New York slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run shot in the eighth inning to become the first player with a homer in each of his team’s first five games of a single postseason. Stanton has six homers and 13 RBIs in those five games. The Rays took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five Division Series. Game 4 is Thursday night at Petco Park, which has yielded 16 home runs in three games — nine by Tampa Bay. The Rays are looking to advance out of the ALDS for just the second time. They reached the 2008 World Series before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies. Arozarena, a 25-year-old rookie from Havana who’s nicknamed “The Cuban Rocket,” is having a breakout postseason. He homered leading off the fifth to chase... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The final pitch of Masahiro Tanaka's seven years with the New York Yankees might have been a slider down the middle that Randy Arozarena crushed for another Rays homer in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. Although Tanaka and the Yankees aren't officially done with the playoffs or each other, they're on the brink after Tampa Bay's 8-4 victory Wednesday night at Petco Park to put the Rays up 2-1 in the best-of-five series. That errant slider was far from the only mistake made by the Yankees' pitching staff during back-to-back losses to the Rays, who have forced their bitter AL East rivals into two must-win games in San Diego. New York has yielded 15 runs and 21 hits in its two losses to Tampa Bay, including an outburst of impressive power from a team that ranked 14th in the majors in homers during the regular season. Michael Perez’s two-run shot off Chad Green in the sixth was the seventh homer given up by the Yankees’ pitching staff in a 15-inning stretch. What's more, the... [More]

A capsule look at the best-of-five playoff series between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in San Diego beginning Monday: ___ Season Series: Rays won 8-2. ___ NEW YORK YANKEES Record: 33-27. Playoff Entry: second place, AL East. Playoff Seed: No. 5. Manager: Aaron Boone (third season). Projected Rotation: RHP Gerrit Cole (7-3, 2.84 ERA, 94 Ks), RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-3, 3.56, 44 Ks), LHP J.A. Happ (2-2, 3.47, 42 Ks), RHP Deivi Garc�a (3-2, 4.98, 33 Ks in 34 1/3 IP as rookie). Top Hitters: 1B Luke Voit (.277, major league-leading 22 HRs, 52 RBIs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (major league-leading .364, 10, 27, 41 runs, 10 doubles, 1.011 OPS). Top Relievers: LHP Aroldis Chapman (1-1, 3.09 ERA, 3 saves), LHP Zack Britton (1-2, 1.89, 8 saves). RHP Chad Green (3-3, 3.51, 1 save, 32 K in 25 2/3 IP). Series Summary: The Yankees are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year but still looking for their first pennant since winning the 2009 World Series. ... Favored to win the AL East, the Yankees alternated... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Stable vs. The Savages. Just another way to say top-seeded Tampa Bay and the No. 5 Yankees meet in the best-of-five AL Division Series starting Monday at neutral site San Diego. Tampa Bay players wear blue T-shirts with four horses lined up behind a fence, a reference to Rays manager Kevin Cash declaring “I’ve got a whole damn stable full of guys that throw 98 miles an hour” in response to Aroldis Chapman throwing a 101 mph pitch near Mike Brosseau’s head on Sept. 1. New York sold “Savages in the Box” shirts for $29.99 each last year, memorializing manager Aaron Boone’s infamous comment on his batters during a profane rant at rookie umpire Brennan Miller in a July 18 doubleheader opener against the Rays. “That’s the entertainment business of it. At the end of the day, it’s series like this that make the statement, not anything else,” Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton said Thursday. Tampa Bay swept two games from Toronto in the first round for its first postseason series... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ CRAZY EIGHT How’s this for wild: MLB is set to stage eight postseason games on the same day for the first time. National League clubs will open their best-of-three wild-card series, while four American League teams are already facing elimination after starting Tuesday. The Reds and Braves open things with a dynamite pitching matchup between Trevor Bauer and Max Fried at noon ET, and baseball will be on TV until the Brewers and Dodgers wrap their 10 p.m. ET tilt. With the expansion of the first round from a pair of wild-card games to eight best-of-three series, there are a maximum 65 possible postseason games this year. In the 1960s, there were 66 postseason games in the entire decade, with league championship series starting in 1969. The day starts with a showdown between NL Cy Young Award contenders. Bauer (5-4, 1.73 ERA) was at his best down the stretch for Cincinnati, including a 12-strikeout performance against Milwaukee in his... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Miguel Andújar was left off the New York Yankees' roster Tuesday for their first-round playoff series against Cleveland. First baseman Mike Ford made the 28-man roster, as did left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Andújar hurt a shoulder last year and lost the third-base job to Gio Urshela, then returned from surgery and hit .242 with one homer and five RBIs in 62 at-bats. He last played Sept. 13 and was optioned to the alternate training site two days later. He batted .297 in 2018 with 27 homers and 92 RBIs. Montgomery is not expected to start against the Indians and will be a bullpen option, likely as a long reliever. New York's rotation includes Gerrit Cole, Masahiro Tanaka and either J.A. Happ or rookie Deivi García. Ford is a left-handed option off the bench for the heavily right-handed Yankees' lineup and a backup at first to Luke Voit, who has played through a foot injury, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said left-hander James Paxton could be a possibility late in the postseason. Paxton has not pitched in a game since Aug. 20 because of a strained flexor tendon in his pitching arm and was transferred to the 45-day injured list Sept. 16. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

A capsule look at the best-of-three playoff series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians in Cleveland beginning Tuesday night: ___ NEW YORK YANKEES Record: 33-27. Playoff Entry: second place, AL East. Playoff Seed: No. 5. Manager: Aaron Boone (third season). Projected Rotation: RHP Gerrit Cole (7-3, 2.84 ERA, 94 Ks), RHP Masahiro Tanaka (3-3, 3.56, 44 Ks), LHP J.A. Happ (2-2, 3.47, 42 Ks). Top Hitters: 1B Luke Voit (.277, major league-leading 22 HRs, 52 RBIs), 2B DJ LeMahieu (major league-leading .364, 10, 27, 41 runs, 10 doubles, 1.011 OPS). Top Relievers: LHP Aroldis Chapman (1-1, 3.09 ERA, 3 saves), LHP Zack Britton (1-2, 1.89, 8 saves). Series Summary: The Yankees are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year but still looking for their first pennant since winning the 2009 World Series. ... Favored to win the AL East, the Yankees alternated hot and cold spurts: a 16-6 start following by a 5-15 slide, a 10-game winning streak and six losses in their last eight games.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Miami Marlins ended a streak of 10 straight losing seasons, beating the New York Yankees 5-0 Sunday behind a home run and three RBIs from rookie Jazz Chisholm. Miami (31-29) finished third in the NL East and earned the NL's sixth seed and a matchup at the Chicago Cubs in the first round. This will be the Marlins' first postseason appearance since beating the Yankees in the 2003 World Series. Miami lost an NL-worst 105 games last year. Chisholm hit a two-run double in Miami’s three-run second off rookie Clark Schmidt (0-1), who made his first big league start, and homered off Nick Nelson in the eighth. Brian Anderson homered against Jonathan Holder, and Corey Dickerson hit an RBI single for Miami. . Daniel Castano (1-2) pitched 6 1/3 innings for his first career win. Schmidt allowed three runs and four hits in four innings. The Marlins lost outfielder Starling Marté and right-hander José Ureña to injuries in the first three innings. Marte left with a bruised left ear... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Randy Arozarena homered twice and the Tampa Bay Rays clinched their first AL East title in 10 years Wednesday night with an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets. Joey Wendle and Brandon Lowe also went deep to help Tyler Glasnow (5-1) win his fifth straight decision. Tampa Bay will be home at quirky Tropicana Field for a best-of-three first-round playoff series beginning next Tuesday. It is the third division crown for the thrifty Rays, who also won the AL East in 2008 and 2010. Their inaugural season was 1998. After missing a chance to clinch Tuesday, the Rays went into Wednesday again needing just a win or a New York Yankees loss against Toronto to lock up the division championship. The Rays (37-20) broke a 2-all tie in the sixth on Arozarena’s two-run homer off Michael Wacha (1-4) and pulled away. As has become customary during this pandemic-shortened season, the celebration was muted. After Nick Anderson fanned Andres Gimenez for the final out, the closer exchanged a hug... [More]

The Chicago White Sox clinched their first postseason berth since 2008, beating the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Thursday as Eloy Jim�nez hit a tiebreaking double that capped a two-run, seventh-inning rally. Chicago (33-17) opened a three-game lead over the second-place Twins (31-21) in the AL Central. The White Sox assured themselves of no worse than a wild-card berth. Jos� Abreu homered and drove in two runs and Edwin Encarnaci�n also homered for Chicago, which won three of four in the series. Chicago trailed 3-2 in the seventh when Abreu beat out an infield hit on a slow grounder that drove in Jarrod Dyson from third base. Jim�nez followed with a go-ahead double. Codi Heuer (3-0) pitched a scoreless 1 2/3 innings, and Alex Colom� got four outs for his 12th save in 13 chances. Tyler Clippard (1-1) gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Byron Buxton homered twice, giving him seven in his last nine games and 12 this season. Josh Donaldson also went deep for Minnesota and was ejected for kicking... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Nate Lowe hit two homers and drove in four runs as Tampa Bay fielded a lineup of all lefties, Blake Snell worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings and the AL East-leading Rays routed the cellar-dwelling Boston Red Sox 11-1 on Friday night.Tampa Bay became the first major league team since at least 1900 to use a batting order with only left-handed batters, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.Snell (4-1) gave up five hits and two walks. He struck out five.Yoshi Tsutsugo also homered for the Rays, who stopped a three-game skid. Boston rookie Bobby Dalbec had his five-game home run streak end but had an RBI double in the ninth.Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties against right-hander Andrew Triggs, who made his second start with Boston.Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke quickly countered by removing Triggs after he allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless first. However, Tsutsugo started the second with a homer off lefty Matt Hall (0-3).Kevin Kiermaier had an RBI... [More]