NEW YORK (AP) — The 116 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (3) — Signed Freddy Galvis, ss, Cincinnati, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract; re-signed Wade LeBlanc, lhp, to a minor league contract; signed Matt Harvey, rhp, Kansas City, to a minor league contract ($1 million). BOSTON (3) — Signed Kiké Hernández, of-inf, Los Angeles Dodgers to a $14 million, two-year contract; signed Garrett Richards, rhp, San Diego, to a $10 million, one-year contract; re-signed Martin Pérez, lhp, to a $5 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland, to a $54 million, four-year contract. CLEVELAND (3) — Re-signed César Hernández,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The 110 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUEBALTIMORE (3) — Signed Freddy Galvis, ss, Cincinnati, to a $1.5 million, one-year contract; re-signed Wade LeBlanc, lhp, to a minor league contract; signed Matt Harvey, rhp, Kansas City, to a minor league contract ($1 million). BOSTON (3) — Signed Kiké Hernández, of-inf, Los Angeles Dodgers to a $14 million, two-year contract; signed Garrett Richards, rhp, San Diego, to a $10 million, one-year contract; re-signed Martin Pérez, lhp, to a $5 million, one-year contract. CHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland, to a $54 million, four-year contract. CLEVELAND (2) — Re-signed César Hernández,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees start spring training this week without Brett Gardner for the first time since 2006, and manager Aaron Boone isn’t certain whether New York will try to re-sign the last remaining player from the team’s last World Series title. The 37-year-old outfielder became a free agent after the Yankees declined a $10 million option, triggering a $2.5 million buyout. “Obviously, he’s been a great Yankee, but we’ll just see how things unfold here,” Boone said Wednesday at camp in Tampa, Florida, a day ahead of the first workout. Boone said Clint Frazier is projected as his starting left fielder after making great strides last year in his fourth season with the Yankees. The 26-year-old hit .267 with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 131 at-bats during the pandemic-shortened season, after batting .267 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs over 225 at-bats in 2019. “Last year I think really proved that he was ready to grab an everyday role on this team, and especially the improvements really... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander Justin Wilson is set to return to the New York Yankees after two seasons across town with the Mets, agreeing Monday to a one-year contract that includes player and club options for 2022, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Wilson joins a bullpen headed by closer Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton, both left-handers. Hard-throwing right-hander Chad Green is joined by side-arming right-hander Darren O’Day, who was signed after the Yankees dealt Adam Ottovino to Boston in a cost-cutting move. The 33-year-old Wilson was 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA in 74 appearances for the Yankees in 2015, then moved on to Detroit and the Chicago Cubs before spending 2019 and 2020 with the Mets. He was 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in 19 2/3 innings over 23 appearances last season. He struck out 23 and walked nine. Wilson averaged 95 mph with his fastball, throwing it slightly more... [More]

A team-by-team look at the National League East 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: ___ Atlanta Braves Manager: Brian Snitker (sixth season). 2020: 35-25, first place, lost to Dodgers in NL Championship Series. Training Town: North Port, Florida. Park: CoolToday Park. First Workout: Feb. 18/23. He’s Here: RHP Charlie Morton, LHP Drew Smyly, RHP Carl Edwards, SS Ehire Adrianza, RHP Victor Arano. He’s Outta Here: OF Nick Markakis, OF Adam Duvall, INF Charlie Culberson, RHP Mike Foltynewicz, RHP Mark Melancon, C Tyler Flowers, RHP Shane Greene, RHP Darren O’Day, RHP Jhoulys Chacin, INF Adeiny Hechavarria, LHP Cole Hamels. Going campin’: The key offseason move was re-signing left fielder Marcell Ozuna to a four-year, $65 million deal. Morton and Smyly add experience to the rotation. The team can take a cautious approach with 2020 opening day starter Mike Soroka’s return from... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann signed a $40.6 million, four-year contract with the New York Mets on Tuesday, joining a team now ready to spend big to build a winner. The 30-year-old McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 and this season set career highs in batting average (.289), on-base percentage (.360) and slugging percentage (.536). “James has established himself as one of the best dual-threat catchers in the game,” Mets President Sandy Alderson said. “His leadership and presence in the clubhouse were instrumental in guiding a young pitching staff into the postseason in 2020.” McCann gets a $600,000 signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, salaries of $8 million in each of the first two seasons and $12 million in each of the final two years. Steve Cohen bought the Mets last month for $2.42 billion last month and his first move was to hire Alderson. McCann’s signing was announced a day after Jared Porter was officially introduced as the Mets’ new general manager.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann signed a $40.6 million, four-year contract with the New York Mets on Tuesday, joining a team now ready to spend big to build a winner. The 30-year-old McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 and this season set career highs in batting average (.289), on-base percentage (.360) and slugging percentage (.536). “James has established himself as one of the best dual-threat catchers in the game,” Mets President Sandy Alderson said. “His leadership and presence in the clubhouse were instrumental in guiding a young pitching staff into the postseason in 2020.” Steve Cohen bought the Mets last month for $2.42 billion last month and his first move was to hire Alderson. McCann’s signing was announced a day after Jared Porter was officially introduced as the Mets’ new general manager. Cohen has said he would consider it disappointing if the Mets don’t win the World Series in the next three to five years. The Mets haven’t reached the playoffs... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann and the New York Mets were close to completing a $40 million, four-year contract Saturday as the team continues to upgrade its roster under new owner Steve Cohen. A person close to the deal confirmed the details to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Other news outlets reported the terms earlier in the day. McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 when he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. He batted .289 with seven homers and 15 RBIs for Chicago this year in 31 games while splitting time with Yasmani Grandal during the pandemic-shortened season. Last week, the Mets signed free agent reliever Trevor May to a $15.5 million, two-year deal. That was the first major move by the team since Cohen bought the club for $2.42 billion last month. The Mets haven't reached the playoffs since losing the 2016 NL wild-card game. New York went 26-34 this season with Wilson Ramos and Robinson... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Free agent catcher James McCann and the New York Mets were close to completing a $40 million, four-year contract Saturday as the team continues to upgrade its roster under new owner Steve Cohen. A person close to the deal confirmed the details to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Other news outlets reported the terms earlier in the day. McCann was an All-Star with the White Sox in 2019 when he hit .273 with 18 home runs and 60 RBIs. He batted .289 with seven homers and 15 RBIs for Chicago this year in 31 games while splitting time with Yasmani Grandal during the pandemic-shortened season. Last week, the Mets signed free agent reliever Trevor May to a $15.5 million, two-year deal. That was the first major move by the team since Cohen bought the club for $2.42 billion last month. The Mets haven't reached the playoffs since losing the 2016 NL wild-card game. New York went 26-34 this season with Wilson Ramos and Robinson... [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) — The Mets declined 2021 options Wednesday on catchers Wilson Ramos and Robinson Chirinos and on infielder Todd Frazier, allowing all three to become eligible for free agency. Ramos gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $10 million salary for next year, completing a contract that guaranteed him $19 million for two seasons. Chirinos gets a $1 million buyout rather than a $6.5 million salary for next year, completing contract he originally signed with Texas that guaranteed him $6.75 million. Frazier gets a $1.5 million buyout rather than a $5.75 million salary for next year, completing a contract he originally signed with Texas that guaranteed him $5 million. Ramos, 33, hit .239 for his lowest average since 2015 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the pandemic-shortened season. The two-time All-Star signed with the Mets in 2018. Chirinos was acquired Aug. 31 from Texas and the 36-year-old batted .162 with one homer and seven RBIs this year, including .219 with one homer and five RBIs for the Mets. Frazier also was obtained Aug. 31 from the Rangers after spending 2018 and 2019 with the Mets. The former two-time All-Star batted .236 with four homers and 12 RBIs, including .224 with two homers and five RBIs for the Mets. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets aren't playing well at the moment, and they're five games under .500 with about a month left in the regular season.In 2020, that means they're still very much in the postseason hunt, so they went ahead and added some help at the trade deadline.The Mets acquired infielder Todd Frazier and catcher Robinson Chirinos from the Texas Rangers on Monday, and they also made a trade with Baltimore for right-hander Miguel Castro. Texas receives two players to be named, and New York also will get $358,209 in the deal involving Texas plus $1 million if Frazier's $5,575,000 option for 2021 is declined, which would cover the cost of his $1 million buyout. The cash is due Jan. 10.The Orioles acquired minor league left-hander Kevin Smith and a player to be named or cash from the Mets.“We're not playing great baseball right now and we need to boost ourselves,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “So hopefully these players can give us that opportunity.”The Rangers... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — San Diego acted boldly once again. Miami actually strengthened its roster. Mike Clevinger, Starling Marte, Archie Bradley and Todd Frazier were on the move. Lance Lynn and Dylan Bundy stayed put.Baseball's pandemic-delayed trade deadline was quite a day.The contending Padres got Clevinger in a multiplayer trade with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation Monday in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The surprising Marlins reeled in the dynamic Marte for their outfield. There was a lot of talk about pitchers Lynn and Bundy, but Lynn stayed in Texas and the Angels held onto Bundy.The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus. With the shortened season and financial uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, there was talk that it might be an unusually quiet day. But there was plenty of activity instead, spurred in part by the expanded playoff format for this year.“It felt like a normal deadline... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets acquired infielder Todd Frazier and catcher Robinson Chirinos from the Texas Rangers.The teams announced the trades Monday. Texas receives two players to be named. New York also receives cash in the deal involving Chirinos.The Mets also announced a deal with Baltimore in which they acquired right-hander Miguel Castro for minor league left-hander Kevin Smith and a player to be named or cash.The Rangers (12-21) and Mets (15-20) are both under .500, but the postseason race looks more forgiving in the National League. New York is bringing Frazier back after he hit 39 home runs for the Mets over two seasons in 2018 and 2019. He hit .241 with two homers in 31 games for Texas this year after signing with the Rangers in January.Chirinos has hit .119 in 14 games this season and recently spent time on the injured list because of a sprained ankle.The 25-year-old Castro has a strong fastball but has long struggled with his control. Castro is 1-0 with a 4.02 ERA in 16 games this season. His career record is 7-16 over 220 games, with all but two of those appearances out of the bullpen.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Pinch-hitter Michael Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning on his 28th birthday, six Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a two-hitter and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the AL East-leading New York Yankees 1-0 on Friday night.Yoshi Tsutsugo drew a leadoff walk from Adam Ottavino (2-1) in the eighth and went to second with one out when Kevin Kiermaier walked. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch before Perez put the Rays up 1-0 on his fly to center.Chaz Roe (2-0) went the final two innings for the win.Masahiro Tanaka allowed one hit and struck out five over five innings, retiring his final 13 batters after giving up a first-inning single to Yandy Diaz. The Yankees’ right-hander needed just 59 pitches in his second start after beginning the season on the concussion list after being struck in the head by Giancarlo Stanton’s liner during a July 4th summer camp simulated game.Three New York pitchers also limited the Rays to just two hits.MARLINS 4, METS 3NEW... [More]

Just like his strong arm and limber legs, Joe Girardi made good use of his mouth over 15 seasons as a big league catcher. So much so that slugger Chili Davis once told him to shut it.“He was like, ‘You’re bothering me, I’m trying to hit,’” recalled Girardi, now manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. “I said, ‘Well, I’m trying to bother you, Chili.’”Girardi doesn’t think that kind of chatter will happen as much this season amid the coronavirus pandemic.There’s some concern that home plate could become a hot spot for transmission as baseball attempts to play a shortened 60-game season starting Thursday. Social distancing elsewhere around the diamond is fairly easy. But with the batter, catcher and umpire gathered within a few feet of each other around home plate, it might not be possible for all parties to follow government guidance to avoid 10 to 15 minutes of close exposure to others.“It’s been a little weird. Just from being back there for so long, you get used to having people around,”... [More]

Opening day rosters gained clarity on Tuesday when the Atlanta Braves reached an agreement with Yasiel Puig, and Tampa Bay pitcher Tyler Glasnow provided hopes for teams awaiting players to be cleared following positive tests for the coronavirus.Puig agreed to a one-year deal pending a physical, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement is not official until Puig passes the physical.The 29-year-old Puig, who began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hit a combined .267 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs for Cincinnati and Cleveland in 2019. He also stole 19 bases.Puig was the last big-name free agent from the offseason who had not signed with a team. He helps the Braves fill a void left when Nick Markakis opted out for the season.Glasnow rejoined the Rays after missing the first 11 days of summer camp following his positive test. The right-hander immediately jumped into a simulated game at Tropicana... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos could miss the start of the season because of an injured right ankle sustained in an intrasquad game.Manager Chris Woodward said Tuesday night that Chirinos was probably better than anticipated a day after getting hurt, but that it was still unclear how long the catcher would be out. The season opener is July 24 at home against Colorado.“Encouraging to see him walking around. Not a lot of swelling," Woodward said. “I guess we’ll take it day by day, but there is a slight chance he may be ready for the start of the season, or maybe down for the beginning of the year. But it is encouraging. It could have been a lot worse.”Chirinos was hurt Monday night when taking a throw at the plate, rolling his ankle when Scott Heineman hit it while sliding into the plate. Chirinos stayed seated on the ground for a few minutes before walking gingerly to the dugout.Chirinos returned to the Rangers as a free agent after one season away, spending... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — If Major League Baseball can't play in front of fans at a team's home ballpark because of the virus outbreak, the sport's first preference likely would be to switch games to the visiting team's stadium if possible, a person familiar with the deliberations told The Associated Press.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because no decisions have been made.MLB starts its season on March 26. Among the games on opening day is Texas at Seattle — the Seattle area has been hit hard by the virus, with 24 deaths.MLB anticipates government officials will decide whether it is safe to play in front of fans in each city. If changes to the schedule are necessary, MLB would make determinations at the point when a ballpark has been ruled out.Washington Gov. Jay Inslee plans to ban gatherings and events of more than 250 people in virtually the entire Seattle area, a person familiar with the decision told the AP on Tuesday night. The person was not authorized to disclose the decision... [More]