CHICAGO (AP) — Kris Bryant put up another big number on Friday.Bryant agreed to a $10.85 million, one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, a record for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time."I guess for some players it might be stressful, but I really enjoyed the whole process of it," Bryant said before the start of the team's annual fan convention. "You play to get to this point in your career, and I've put in so much hard work behind the scenes to get to this point. It just feels so rewarding."The previous mark was held by former Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard, who was awarded $10 million by a three-person panel in 2008. The Cubs and Bryant avoided arbitration, and the 26-year-old third baseman receives a hefty raise after making $1.05 million last year."I don't look at money records," Bryant said. "I guess the records on the field are way more important, because when you're doing that, you know, you're helping the team. But it really is a cherry on top when you get paid... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The hot corner figures to be sizzling Friday when players and team swap proposed salaries in arbitration.Toronto's Josh Donaldson, Baltimore's Manny Machado, Washington's Anthony Rendon and the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant were among the more than 170 players headed to the exchange. But most are likely to reach agreement Friday, the busiest day of the offseason.Machado and Donaldson can become free agents after this season and are expected to command one-year deals approaching or exceeding $20 million. A three-time All-Star, the 25-year-old Machado hit. 259 with 33 homers and 95 RBIs last year, when he made $11.5 million. He has been mentioned in persistent trade rumors.Donaldson, 32, is a three-time All-Star and the 2015 AL MVP. He rebounded from an injury-slowed 2016 to hit .270 last season with 33 homers and 78 RBIs. Donaldson earned $17 million last year in the final season of a $28.65 million, two-year deal.Rendon set career bests with a .301 average, 25 homers and 100... [More]

1B Ryan Howard, 37, was signed by the Rockies to a minor-league contract. Howard, who twice led the majors in homers, had been out of baseball since being released by the Atlanta Braves on May 8.

1B Ryan Howard and the Braves entered an unexpected marriage Thursday, when the 37-year-old signed a minor league contract. Howard dominated the Braves, against whom he had 52 homers and 155 RBIs, during his first 13 seasons, all of which he spent with the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies. But the Braves, in need of a power bat off the bench, were in touch with Howard for weeks before Thursday's agreement. Howard will go to the Braves' extended spring training facility in Florida before being assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves hope Howard can maintain the pace he set in the second half of last season, when he hit .262 with 13 homers in just 142 plate appearances after the All-Star Break. Howard, who won the 2006 National League MVP award, is a .258 lifetime hitter with 382 homers and 1,194 RBIs.

The Atlanta Braves signed former Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard to a minor league contract, the team announced Thursday.The Braves said Howard will report to extended spring training next week at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., before likely joining Triple-A Gwinnett.Howard spent 13 seasons with the Phillies before the club used a $10 million buyout on his contract in the offseason. The 37-year-old shared the team lead in homers with 25 last season, but also batted a career-worst .196.Howard enjoyed his best season in the City of Brotherly Love in 2006, when he set career highs in homers (58), RBIs (149) and batting average (.313) en route to being named the National League Most Valuable Player.Howard also set the tone in the 2008 World Series, launching three homers as Philadelphia dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.His 382 homers rank second on the Phillies' all-time list, behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. Howard has also collected 1,194 RBIs and batted .258 with Philadelphia.Howard hit 30 or more homers and drove in more than 100 runs in six straight seasons from 2006-11.

1B Ryan Howard is no longer a memeber of the Philadelphia Phillies after the club declined the veteran slugger's option for the 2017 season. Philadelphia elected to pay the first baseman a $10 million buyout instead of picking up the option, which was worth $23 million. Howard, who will turn 37 on Nov. 19, belted a team high-tying 25 homers, but his .196 batting average was the worst of his 13-year career with the Phillies. Howard enjoyed his best season in the City of Brotherly Love in 2006, when he set career highs in homers (58), RBIs (149) and batting average (.313) en route to being named the National League Most Valuable Player.

The Philadelphia Phillies declined veteran slugger Ryan Howard's option for the 2017 season on Thursday.Philadelphia elected to pay the first baseman a $10 million buyout instead of picking up the option, which was worth $23 million.Howard, who will turn 37 on Nov. 19, belted a team high-tying 25 homers, but his .196 batting average was the worst of his 13-year career with the Phillies.Howard enjoyed his best season in the City of Brotherly Love in 2006, when he set career highs in homers (58), RBIs (149) and batting average (.313) en route to being named the National League Most Valuable Player.Howard also set the tone in the 2008 World Series, launching three homers as Philadelphia dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.His 382 homers rank second on the Phillies' all-time list, behind Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. Howard has also collected 1,194 RBIs and batted .258 with Philadelphia.Howard hit 30 or more homers and drove in more than 100 runs in six straight seasons from 2006-11.

1B Ryan Howard is the last link to the 2008 championship team and is not expected to return. The Phillies have a $23 million club option and it will not be picked up. Instead, Howard will get a $10 million buyout. Howard joined the Phillies late in 2004, became the starting first baseman in 2005, and finished his time with Philadelphia by hitting .258 with 382 home runs in 1572 games. His numbers were a tale of two different eras. From 2004 through 2011, Howard batted .275 with 286 home runs and since then he hit .226 with a 96 home runs.

Five years ago, the Phillies won 102 games, seemed headed for their third World Series title and even had a book published about their standout rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.Then Ryan Howard injured his Achilles, other injuries followed and with each passing year, the memorable era of 2007 to 2011 faded in the distance. The losses piled up and eventually the core was traded away and only Howard remained.Howard will be somewhere else as he has a club option and the Phillies won't pick it up. If last year's trades of Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins were the reminders that the era is over, Howard's last appearances were the official confirmation.That era had its roots in the early 2000s when Rollins was a rookie in 2001 followed by Utley in 2003.Now the question for the Phillies: Is there another core group of players ready to get the Phillies back to those heights?The answer is inconclusive.The Phillies improved by eight wins and finished 71-91, though they... [More]

1B Ryan Howard was 0-for-4 in what likely was his final game in a Philadelphia uniform. Howard was honored with a pregame ceremony by the Phillies and left in the ninth inning to a standing ovation. "Getting out there, seeing the people, seeing the different videos, everything just came in and hit me all at once," Howard said.

1B Ryan Howard played in what was likely his penultimate game in a Phillies uniform. The slugger hit a game-tying two-run homer off of Bartolo Colon in the fifth inning. It was career homer No. 382, tying him for 67th all-time with Jim Rice and Frank Howard.

1B Ryan Howard is playing what is likely his final weekend in a Phillies uniform. Each at-bat Friday he received a loud ovation from the home crowd, something that is expected to continue through the weekend. The longtime Phillies slugger was 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts.

1B Ryan Howard was out of the lineup Thursday against the Braves, but will start the Phillies' final three games against the Mets in Philadelphia, where he will be honored Sunday. He hit a grand slam on Tuesday against the Braves and his 23 homers at Turner Field were the most for a visiting player. Howard, 36, is in the final year of his contract with the Phillies.

1B Ryan Howard returned to the Phillies' lineup Thursday, when he went 1-for-2 with a solo homer in a 9-8, 11-inning loss to the Mets. Howard missed the previous four games due to swelling in his left knee. The homer was Howard's 47th against the Mets, most among active players and the fifth-most ever against the Mets, one behind Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. Howard, who is likely in his final season with the Phillies, is batting .195 with 23 homers and 52 RBIs in 107 games.

1B Ryan Howard was a late scratch on Saturday because of knee soreness. Howard was also not in the lineup on Sunday. After the game, manager Pete Mackanin revealed that Howard had fluid in his knee and that it had been drained.

1B Ryan Howard was a late scratch for the Phillies. It was diagnosed as left knee soreness. Howard hit a solo home run in the sixth inning of Friday's contest, which marked his 41st career homer against the Marlins -- the most ever by an opposing player.

1B Ryan Howard moved into a tie for 70th on Major League Baseball's career list with his 379th career home run on Friday night, equaling Hall of Famers Orlando Cepeda and Tony Perez. The solo shot, his 22nd of the season, was part of a 1-for-2 outing that also saw him draw two walks for just the third time this season. It was the 31st time in his career that he has hit a home run and drawn multiple walks in the same game, and the first time since May 2, 2013, against Miami.

1B Ryan Howard will likely get more playing time during the final weeks of the season, manager Pete Mackanin said. Howard is playing out what his likely the final month of his time in Philadelphia, where he has spent his whole career. The first baseman was 0-for-3 with a RBI in a 5-3 Phillies loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. His average dropped to a paltry .191.

1B Ryan Howard made another start Friday but manager Pete Mackanin said he plans to use Tommy Joseph at first base on Saturday and maybe Sunday. Howard went 1-for-4 and is hitting .196.

1B Ryan Howard hit a three-run homer in the third inning Thursday. It was the 21st of the season and put him into a tie for 72nd on the all-time list with former Washington manager Matt Williams at 387.