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 Cubs Manager: David Ross (second season). 2020: 34-26, first place, lost to Marlins in first round of playoffs. Training Town: Mesa, Arizona. Park: Sloan Park. First Workout: Feb. 17/22. He’s Here: OF Joc Pederson, RHP Zach Davies, RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Kohl Stewart, C Austin Romine, OF Phillip Ervin, RHP Jonathan Holder, RHP Robert Stock, INF Sergio Alcántara. He’s Outta Here: RHP Yu Darvish, OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Jon Lester, LHP José Quintana, OF Albert Almora, Jr., C Victor Caratini, 2B Jason Kipnis, RHP Tyler Chatwood, RHP Jeremy Jeffress, OF Cameron Maybin, OF Billy Hamilton, OF José Martínez. Going campin’: Ross was impressive in his first year as manager, guiding Chicago to the NL Central title during the pandemic-shortened season. But it doesn’t get any easier... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — When David Ross became the Chicago Cubs manager prior to last season, he knew he might not work with president of baseball operations Theo Epstein for too long. So it wasn't a big surprise when Epstein stepped aside last month and general manger Jed Hoyer took over. “It was definitely something that was on the radar,” Ross said Wednesday. “Both those guys were very open about the possibility of some change and what that might look like. Obviously, it's a little faster than was expected. And Theo's laid out his reasons for that. ... I have a ton of respect for Theo for, literally, making the decision a little earlier than I think he anticipated." More big changes could be coming. The Cubs won the NL Central in Ross's first season, only to get swept by Miami in the first round of the playoffs. They have not advanced in the postseason since 2017. For now, Ross said he's assuming star slugger Kris Bryant will be with the team next season. He hopes starter Jon Lester will be,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Theo Epstein, who transformed the long-suffering Chicago Cubs and helped bring home a drought-busting championship in 2016, is stepping down after nine seasons as the club's president of baseball operations. The team announced Tuesday that Epstein is leaving the organization, and general manager Jed Hoyer is being promoted to take his place. Epstein said after the season he anticipated remaining on the job for at least one more year, with his contract set to expire in 2021. He had said repeatedly he thinks executives have about a 10-year shelf life in a job, and next year would have marked a decade since he left the Boston Red Sox for Chicago. Epstein said in a statement he will “cherish” his time with the Cubs and said it was simply time to make a change. “The organization faces a number of decisions this winter that carry long-term consequences; those types of decisions are best made by someone who will be here for a long period rather than just one more year,” he said.... [More]

By the time Kevin Cash pulled Tampa Bay ace Blake Snell from the last game of the World Series, he had already been voted Manager of the Year in the American League. Even if he ended up losing the biggest prize. It was a Sunshine State sweep for skippers Tuesday night, with Miami’s Don Mattingly winning NL Manager of the Year and Cash receiving the AL award. Long regarded as one of baseball’s brightest young minds, Cash guided the thrifty Rays to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized for pulling a dominant Snell in the sixth inning of the decisive Game 6 of the Fall Classic against the champion Los Angeles Dodgers. “Have I reflected on it? There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on it,” Cash said. “Being in this position we owe it to ourselves and more importantly our players to continue to reflect on those decisions.” After Snell exited, the Dodgers rallied against Nick Anderson and went on to a 3-1 victory. Cash said he... [More]

By the time Kevin Cash pulled Tampa Bay ace Blake Snell from the last game of the World Series, he had already been voted Manager of the Year in the American League. Even if he ended up losing the biggest prize. It was a Sunshine State sweep for skippers Tuesday night, with Miami’s Don Mattingly winning NL Manager of the Year and Cash receiving the AL award. Long regarded as one of baseball’s bright young minds, Cash guided the thrifty Rays to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized for pulling a dominant Snell in the sixth inning of the decisive Game 6 of the Fall Classic against the champion Los Angeles Dodgers. “Have I reflected on it? There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t reflect on it,” Cash said. “Being in this position we owe it to ourselves and more importantly our players to continue to reflect on those decisions.” After Snell exited, the Dodgers rallied against Nick Anderson and went on to a 3-1 victory. Cash said he has... [More]

Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash won the AL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night, and Miami’s Don Mattingly took home the NL honor. Long regarded as one of baseball’s bright young minds, Cash guided Tampa Bay to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized for pulling ace left-hander Blake Snell in the sixth inning of the decisive Game 6 in the World Series against the champion Dodgers. Voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America concluded before the beginning of the playoffs. Rick Renteria, who was let go by the White Sox after the team made the postseason for the first time since 2008, finished second, followed by Toronto’s Charlie Montoyo. Mattingly guided the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003 despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused their season and ravaged the roster. The Marlins’ 31-29 record was Mattingly’s first winning season in his fifth year with the club. The former big league first baseman... [More]

Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash won the AL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night, and Miami’s Don Mattingly took home the NL honor. Long regarded as one of baseball’s bright young minds, Cash guided Tampa Bay to an AL-best 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. But he was roundly criticized for pulling ace left-hander Blake Snell in the sixth inning of the decisive Game 6 in the World Series against the champion Dodgers. Voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America concluded before the beginning of the playoffs. Rick Renteria, who was let go by the White Sox after the team made the postseason for the first time since 2008, finished second, followed by Toronto’s Charlie Montoyo. Mattingly guided the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003 despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused their season and ravaged the roster. The Marlins’ 31-29 record was Mattingly’s first winning season in his fifth year with the club. The former big league first baseman... [More]

As selected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America: (Tabulated on a 5-3-1 basis) Manager, Team1st2nd3rdTotDon Mattingly, Marlins208-124Jayce Tingler, Padres613271David Ross, Cubs121445Brian Snitker, Braves12516Dave Roberts, Dodgers12213Mike Shildt, Cardinals-3110Craig Counsell, Brewers1-16Gabe Kapler, Giants--33David Bell, Reds--22

Miami’s Don Mattingly won the NL Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night. Mattingly guided the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003 despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused their season and ravaged the roster. The Marlins’ 31-29 record was Mattingly’s first winning season in his fifth year with the club. The former big league first baseman and AL MVP had a winning record in each of his five seasons as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mattingly is the first Manager of the Year winner for the Marlins since Joe Girardi in 2006. San Diego’s Jayce Tingler finished second in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, followed by David Ross of the Chicago Cubs. Tingler and Ross led their teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as a big league manager. The Cy Young Awards will be announced by the BBWAA on Wednesday night, followed by the MVPs on Thursday. After losing 105 games a year ago, Miami’s 2020 season was nearly derailed by a coronavirus... [More]

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league, and New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is in the running for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award. The competition, of course, is tough. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the top finishers for NL MVP in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the finalists in the NL Cy Young race. The three highest vote-getters for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series last week for the first time since 1988. Frank Robinson is the only player to win the MVP award in both leagues, accomplishing the feat in 1961 with Cincinnati and 1966 for Baltimore. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Finalists for the 2020 Baseball Writers' Association of America awards, with date of announcement of winners (announcements during hour following 6 p.m. EST): Monday, Nov. 9AL Rookie of the Year: Cristian Javier (Houston), Kyle Lewis (Seattle), Luis Robert (Chicago) NL Rookie of the Year: Alec Bohm (Philadelphia), Jake Cronenworth (San Diego), Devin Williams (Milwaukee) Tuesday, Nov. 10AL Manager of the Year: Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay), Charlie Montoyo (Toronto), Rick Renteria (Chicago) NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly (Miami), David Ross (Chicago), Jayce Tingler (San Diego) Wednesday, Nov. 11AL Cy Young Award: Shane Bieber (Cleveland), Kenta Maeda (Minnesota), Hyun Jin Ryu (Toronto) NL Cy Young Award: Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati), Yu Darvish (Chicago), Jacob deGrom (New York) Thursday, Nov. 12AL Most Valuable Player: José Abreu (Chicago), DJ LeMahieu (New York), José Ramírez (Cleveland) NL Most Valuable Player: Mookie Betts (Los Angeles), Freddie Freeman (Atlanta), Manny Machado (San Diego)

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is going for his third consecutive NL Cy Young Award, and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts could become the second player to win the MVP award in each league. The competition, of course, is tough. DeGrom, Trevor Bauer and Yu Darvish are the top finishers for the NL Cy Young Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Betts, Freddie Freeman and Manny Machado are the finalists for NL MVP. The top three finishers for each BBWAA award were revealed on Monday. The winners will be announced next week. DeGrom could join Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux as the only pitchers to win at least three consecutive Cy Young Awards. But Bauer had an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 11 starts for Cincinnati, and Darvish went 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Chicago Cubs, matching Cleveland Indians ace Shane Bieber for the major league lead in wins. Betts, who won the 2018 AL MVP award with Boston, helped the Dodgers win the World Series for the first... [More]

Oct. 28 1958 — Construction began on the new ballpark for the Giants in San Francisco. The rocks in the area resembled candlesticks. 1968 — Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals won his first Cy Young Award. Gibson was a unanimous choice after dominating hitters with a 22-9 record and an ERA of 1.12. 1981 — Behind the solid pitching of Burt Hooton and Steve Howe and the bat of Pedro Guerrero, the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a comeback from 0-2 to win the World Series in six games with a 9-2 win over the New York Yankees. Hooton pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing two runs for the win, and second-year relief ace Steve Howe got the final 11 outs for the save. Guerrero hit a two-run triple in the fifth inning and added a two-run single in a four-run sixth inning that put the game away He hit a home run in the eighth inning to close out the scoring. 1989 — The Oakland Athletics, behind the pitching and hitting of Mike Moore and the bat of Rickey Henderson, beat the San Francisco Ginats 9-6 and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Theo Epstein appears to be gearing up for one more go-round as the Chicago Cubs' president of baseball operations. Epstein said Monday his expectation is the “status quo” when it comes to the team's leadership and he anticipates remaining on the job for at least one more season, with his contract set to expire in 2021. “I'm a Cub,” Epstein said during an hourlong conference call. “I think the status quo right now is the most likely outcome." Epstein's future figures to be a big point of discussion when he meets with chairman Tom Ricketts. He has said repeatedly he thinks executives have about a 10-year shelf life in a job. Next year will mark a decade for Epstein with the Cubs, and a contract extension seems like a long shot. “For me, as an individual, I think there’s benefit to change after a significant amount of time on the job, I guess at about a decade,” Epstein said. “I have to keep that in mind without making any definitive statements. We will be definitive. We will... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Manager David Ross had few words for his team after the Chicago Cubs got swept out of the playoffs. There really wasn't much to say, other than this. “Just remember how this feels when you’re working in the offseason,” the rookie skipper said. “This is a terrible feeling. I’m proud of them. I’m very proud of this group. This is a season like no other. As a mamager, I’m very proud of this group.” The Cubs won the NL Central at 34-26 in Ross' first year and returned to the playoffs after missing out last year. Yu Darvish built on a strong second half last year and thrust himself into the Cy Young Award conversation. But the Cubs stalled after winning 13 of their first 16 games in the pandemic-shortened season. They got swept at home by Miami in their wild-card series, managing just one run in two games. They haven't advanced in the postseason since reaching the 2017 NL Championship Series. And they're facing some big decisions about a core that in 2016 helped bring the long-suffering... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs put catcher Josh Phegley and infielder Ildemaro Vargas on their roster for their NL wild-card series against the Miami Marlins. First-year manager David Ross had Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini in his starting lineup for Game 1 on Wednesday, so the addition of Phegley gives him a third catcher in case of injury. Left-hander Josh Osich was designated for assignment to make room for Phegley on the 40-man roster. Vargas, who was claimed off waivers from Minnesota on Sept. 5, was activated from the 10-day injured list after missing the last part of the season with a right hamstring strain. The Marlins had infielder Lewin Díaz, left-hander Braxton Garrett and right-hander Nick Neidert on their roster for their first playoff appearance since they won the World Series in 2003. Pitchers José Ureña, Nick Vincent and Dan Castrano were transferred to the team's taxi squad. Ureña broke his right forearm when he was hit by a line drive Sunday against the New York Yankees. ___ 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 Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs beginning Wednesday. All games in Chicago: ___ MIAMI MARLINS Record: 31-29. Playoff Entry: second place, NL East. Playoff Seed: No. 6. Manager: Don Mattingly (fifth season). Projected Rotation: RHP Pablo Lopez (6-4, 3.61 ERA, 59 Ks), RHP Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.00), RHP Sixto Sanchez (3-2, 3.46). Top Hitters: 1B Jesus Aguilar (.277, 8 HRs, 34 RBIs), SS Miguel Rojas (.304, 4, 20, .888 OPS). Top Relievers: RHP Brandon Kintzler (2-3, 2.22 ERA, 12 saves), RHP Brad Boxberger (1-0, 3.00). Series Summary: The Marlins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2003, when they rallied past the Cubs in an NL Championship Series famous for the Steve Bartman episode at Wrigley Field. Then the Marlins beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. ... After losing 105 games last year, Miami finished with a winning record for the first time since 2009. The club overcame a coronavirus outbreak at the start... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors on Wednesday: RAYS THE BANNER Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow (4-1, 4.21 ERA) gets his final tuneup for the postseason when he faces Robinson Canó and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Glasnow and the playoff-bound Rays hope to make it a special night -- they can clinch their first AL East title with a win, or a loss by the Yankees to Toronto. “I go into it with maybe a little bit more confidence than I did last year,” Glasnow said. “Just an exciting time.” Glasnow is pegged to start the second game of Tampa Bay’s best-of-three, first-round playoff series next week, manager Kevin Cash said. Blake Snell is lined up for the opener, and Charlie Morton would pitch a potential Game 3. All three would have two extra days of rest. “I feel good,” Glasnow said. “It definitely is starting to feel more like, in a rhythm.” Glasnow is 4-0 in his last five starts. TUNEUP TIME Cleveland ace Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.74 ERA) had his start pushed back a day, lining... [More]

PITTSBURGH (AP) — José Quintana is back in time to help the Chicago Cubs' playoff push. The NL Central-leading Cubs plan to activate the left-hander on Tuesday and start him against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Injuries have dogged Quintana for much of the season. He's appeared in just two games, both out of the bullpen, thanks to issues with his left thumb and a lat problem. Quintana recently completed a 35-pitch session off the mound and Cubs manager David Ross said he plans to give Quintana “a little bit of a leash” in his first start since last Sept. 26. There's a chance Quintana could get another opportunity to pitch when the Cubs wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at the rival Chicago White Sox this weekend. The 31-year-old Quintana is 83-77 with a 3.73 ERA, including a 33-23 record with a 4.26 ERA since being traded from the White Sox to the Cubs in July 2017. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports