BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Ivan Nova will be the Pirates' opening-day starting pitcher at Detroit in March 29. It is unclear whether he will remain with Pittsburgh through the entire season.Following the offseason trades 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen and former 19-game winner Gerrit Cole, Nova is a veteran on a team that has turned toward youth. Nova is owed $8.5 million in each of the next two seasons as part of a $26 million, three-year contract."I said it when I signed here, and I still feel this way — this is place I want to be," Nova explained. "I love playing for the Pirates."Acquired from the New York Yankees on July 31, 2016, Nova is 16-16 with a 3.82 ERA in 42 starts with Pittsburgh. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle calls the 31-year-old right-hander "the dean" of the rotation. Nova is four years older than all of the other projected starters, and his 69 wins in eight seasons are 24 more than the combined total of rotation mates Chad Kuhl, Jameson Taillon (13 each), Joe Musgrove (11) and... [More]

On the day the Kansas City Royals welcomed back Mike Moustakas, they found out Jorge Bonifacio will miss half the season.Bonifacio was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball on Saturday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.The outfielder was banned after a positive test for Boldenone. The ban will begin on opening day."It really kind of made me sick to my stomach," Royals manager Ned Yost said.The 24-year-old Bonifacio made his major league debut last season, hitting .255 with 17 home runs and 40 RBIs in 113 games.Bonifacio's suspension cleared a roster spot for Moustakas, who re-signed with the Royals this week after becoming a free agent last fall.Moustakas set a Royals record with 38 home runs last season, then rejected a $17.4 million offer from the team. But the third baseman never received the multiyear, mega-million dollar contract he and his agent Scott Boras anticipated.The Royals signed Moustakas to a one-year $6.5 million contract with a mutual option... [More]

Houston Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel will have to wait even longer before playing this season.Gurriel had surgery on his left hand Wednesday and the normal recovery time is six weeks.Opening day for the World Series champions is March 29, when the Astros visit Texas. When Gurriel returns, he will serve a five-game suspension imposed by Major League Baseball for making an inappropriate gesture toward Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish during the World Series.Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Gurriel's hand was broken before he came to camp. Luhnow said he did not know the original cause of the fracture."It was non-symptomatic until recently and he started to feel something," Luhnow said. "Once you start feeling something, the right course of action is to just remove it because it's a pretty reliable surgery, and we know what the outcome is going to be."The 33-year-old Gurriel hit .299 with 18 homers and 75 RBIs last year in his first full season in the majors. He played in one exhibition... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Jameson Taillon never allowed himself much time to think about his bout with testicular cancer last season.The Pittsburgh pitcher's focus from nearly the moment he received the diagnosis in early May was to return to the mound as quickly as possible. Just five weeks later, he was activated from the disabled list and pitched five scoreless innings to beat the visiting Colorado Rockies."The best-case scenario is that it happened during the season," Taillon said. "I had my teammates for support, and I had a goal of returning to help the team to serve as a distraction."Taillon stayed busy in the offseason. He played golf with teammates Daniel Hudson and A.J. Schugel in Arizona, attended the Florida-Florida State and Central Florida-South Florida college football games with his brother and went Christmas shopping in New York.However, the winter months also gave Taillon time to stop and ponder the good fortune of recovering so quickly after surgery."I'm a different person,... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Joe Musgrove started in the All-Star Futures Games two years ago when he was a Houston Astros' prospect. Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates hope the right-hander can be a big part of their future.Musgrove was the centerpiece of a four-player package the Pirates acquired from the defending World Series champion Astros on Jan. 13 in a trade for right-hander Gerrit Cole.Three of those players are expected to be on Pittsburgh's opening-day roster — Musgrove, right-handed reliever Michael Feliz and third baseman Colin Moran — while outfielder Jason Martin is slated to begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis."It was hard to leave the Astros," Musgrove said. "From a career standpoint, though, this is a really good move for me. I feel like I fit in with what the Pirates are doing."The Pirates are going out of their way not to use the word "rebuild" as they prepare for the 2018 season. They are, however, are at the very least retooling on the heels of back-to-back losing season... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League Central entering spring training, including key players each club acquired and lost, and dates of the first workout for pitchers and catchers, and the full squad:___Chicago CubsManager: Joe Maddon (fourth season).2017: 92-70, first place, lost to Dodgers in NLCS.Training Town: Mesa, Arizona.Park: Sloan Park.First Workout: Feb. 14/19.He's Here: RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Steve Cishek, LHP Drew Smyly.He's Outta Here: RHP Wade Davis, C Alex Avila, C Rene Rivera.Going campin': Chicago is coming off three consecutive NLCS appearances, and it looked a little tired when its title defense came to an end with a lopsided playoff loss to Los Angeles last year. The bullpen was hit hard by the Dodgers in the NLCS, and the Cubs batted just .168 in 10 postseason games. The roster returns mostly intact, but the bullpen and coaching staff each has a new look. Morrow replaces Davis at closer after agreeing to a $21 million, two-year contract. Jim... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Neal Huntington has a problem with the word "rebuild." To the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager, the connotation hints at raising a white flag on the present."Rebuild implies you're looking five years down the road," Huntington said.Which, Huntington insists, his team is not doing. Even after a three-day span in January in which the Pirates sent pitcher Gerrit Cole to Houston and franchise cornerstone Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco for younger, less proven and less expensive players. Even after an offseason in which Pittsburgh spent nothing on the open market in an effort to close the gap on NL Central rivals St. Louis and Chicago (and Milwaukee for that matter)."We lot of young talented players that are going to be entertaining," Huntington said. "We scratch our heads at times but they're going to be entertaining."Will they be competitive in one of baseball's most challenging divisions is another matter. Manager Clint Hurdle begins his eighth season very much like... [More]

The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled rookie right-hander Chad Kuhl from Triple-A Indianapolis to make the start against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Kuhl will be making his fifth career start and first since July 17, when he blanked the Washington Nationals on one hit and struck out five over six innings.A ninth-round draft pick out of Delaware in 2013, Kuhl is 1-0 with a 4.19 in four starts with the Pirates. Kuhl, 23, was dealing with biceps tightness at Indianapolis, but he tossed six scoreless innings of four-hit ball there on Aug. 1.To clear a roster spot for Kuhl, the Pirates optioned right-hander Curtis Partch to the Triple-A affiliate.