PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of baseball's big surprises a year ago. The surprise this year would be if they don't keep winning."Last year we kind of snuck up on people and had to earn their respect," said Torey Lovullo, the National League manager of the year in his first season in the desert. "I think we've done that, which I'm very proud of."Nearly everyone is back from the team that went 93-69 — 24 more wins than the previous year — and earned the National League's No. 1 wild card spot. Optimism abounds in the clubhouse."We learned from last year," outfielder David Peralta said, "and that's why we're going to be better this year."Not quite everybody returns. The glaring omission is outfielder J.D. Martinez, whose torrid performance after he came in a mid-season trade with Detroit (29 home runs, 65 RBIs in 62 games), carried the Diamondbacks down the stretch. Arizona couldn't afford to keep the free agent Martinez but tried to make up for some of that lost offense... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona manager Torey Lovullo says outfielder Steven Souza Jr. likely will open the season on the disabled list after straining his right pectoral muscle while diving for a baseball in a spring training game Wednesday night.Lovullo says Souza will be out "a couple of weeks at least."The extent of the injury was discovered in an MRI on Thursday, and it was a relief to all concerned, especially to Souza, that it wasn't worse."After last night I was obviously in a little bit of pain and you never know what to think in those situations," he said. "But after this morning we got some good news that I won't be gone too long."Souza was acquired from Tampa Bay in a three-team trade to add another big bat to help make up for the loss of J.D. Martinez from last year's team. Souza batted .239 with 30 home runs and 78 RBIs last season."He's a tough player. He tried to make a great play," Lovullo said, "left it all out there and he's just going to need to recuperate a little... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona manager Torey Lovullo says outfielder Steven Souza Jr. likely will open the season on the disabled list after straining his right pectoral muscle while diving for a baseball in a spring training game Wednesday night.Lovullo says Souza will be out "a couple of weeks at least."The extent of the injury was discovered in an MRI on Thursday.Souza was acquired from Tampa Bay in a three-team trade to add another big bat to help make up for the loss of J.D. Martinez from last year's team. Souza batted .239 with 30 home runs and 78 RBIs last season.Lovullo said the top two internal candidates to replace Souza in right field are Chris Owings and Jarrod Dyson. Owings, originally a shortstop, has played in the outfield as well as at third and second. The speedy Dyson was signed as a free agent.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks were one of baseball's big surprises a year ago. The surprise this year would be if they don't keep winning."Last year we kind of snuck up on people and had to earn their respect," said Torey Lovullo, the National League manager of the year in his first season in the desert. "I think we've done that, which I'm very proud of."Nearly everyone is back from the team that went 93-69 — 24 more wins than the previous year — and earned the National League's No. 1 wild card spot. Optimism abounds in the clubhouse."We learned from last year," outfielder David Peralta said, "and that's why we're going to be better this year."Not quite everybody returns. The glaring omission is outfielder J.D. Martinez, whose torrid performance after he came in a mid-season trade with Detroit (29 home runs, 65 RBIs in 62 games), carried the Diamondbacks down the stretch. Arizona couldn't afford to keep the free agent Martinez but tried to make up for some of that lost offense... [More]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The young Tampa Bay Rays feel they have a chance to be more competitive than an offseason of trimming salary might suggest.Proving it in the rugged AL East figures to be difficult, however manager Kevin Cash likes the idea that some people are already counting his team out."I think it's great," Cash said of the general reaction to a winter of change that's included the departure of Evan Longoria, the face of the franchise for nearly a decade."But the expectations are not any lower from my point of view, or the players, who have taken time to sit down and think about what's gone on," Cash added. "Yes, there have been subtractions, but there's also been some really good additions."In addition to trading Longoria to the San Francisco Giants in December, the Rays lost pitcher Alex Cobb to free agency before unloading a second starting pitcher, Jake Odorizzi, and sluggers Corey Dickerson and Steven Souza, Jr., during spring training.Outside of acquiring veteran outfielder... [More]

Capsules of National League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Los Angeles Dodgers2017: 104-58, first place, lost to Houston in World Series.Manager: Dave Roberts (third season).He's Here: OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tom Koehler, LHP Scott Alexander, LHP Henry Owens.He's Outta Here: 1B Adrian Gonzalez, RHP Yu Darvish, RHP Brandon Morrow, RHP Brandon McCarthy, LHP Tony Watson, LHP Luis Avilan, LHP Scott Kazmir, LHP Adam Liberatore, OF Andre Ethier, INF Charlie Culberson, OF Curtis Granderson, LHP Grant Dayton, OF Franklin Gutierrez, RHP Josh Ravin.Projected Lineup: CF Chris Taylor (.288, 21 HRs, 72 RBIs, 17 SBs), SS Corey Seager (.295, 22, 77), 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, will start season on DL with broken left wrist), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97, 10 SBs), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74), LF Matt Kemp (.276, 19, 64 in 115 games with Braves) or Joc Pederson (.212, 11, 35 in 102 games), C Austin Barnes (.289, 8, 38) or Yasmani Grandal (.247, 22, 58), 2B Logan Forsythe (.224, 6,... [More]

Capsules of American League East teams, listed in order of finish last year:___Boston Red Sox2017: 93-69, first place, lost to Houston in ALDS.Manager: Alex Cora (first season).He's Here: DH J.D. Martinez.He's Outta Here: Manager John Farrell, RHP Doug Fister, OF Chris Young, RHP Addison Reed, OF Rajai Davis, LHP Henry Owens, LHP Fernando Abad.Projected Lineup: RF Mookie Betts (.264, 24 HRs, 102 RBIs), LF Andrew Benintendi (.271, 20, 90), 1B Hanley Ramirez (.242, 23, 62) or Mitch Moreland (.246, 22, 79), DH J.D. Martinez (.303, 45, 104 with Tigers and Diamondbacks), 3B Rafael Devers (.284, 10, 30 in 58 games), SS Xander Bogaerts (.273, 10, 62), CF Jackie Bradley Jr. (.245, 17, 63), C Christian Vazquez (.290, 5, 32) or Sandy Leon (.225, 7, 39), 2B Eduardo Nunez (.313, 12, 58, 24 SBs with Giants and Red Sox) or Dustin Pedroia (.293, 7, 62, .369 OBP in 105 games, expected to be out until late May following knee surgery).Rotation: LH Chris Sale (17-8, 2.90 ERA, MLB-best 308 Ks, MLB-high 214... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. will get an MRI on Thursday after straining his right shoulder during a spring training game Wednesday night.The team announced Souza's diagnosis following a 14-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Souza left the game in the fourth inning after diving for a ball and missing in right-center field. He kicked his legs in apparent pain while waiting for a team trainer, then walked off the field holding his arm.Souza was acquired from Tampa Bay as part of a three-team trade last month. The 28-year-old batted .239 with 30 home runs, 76 RBIs and 16 stolen bases last season with the Rays.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

The Baltimore Orioles figured Alex Cobb would be a fine fit.Cobb stayed in the division he knew best, finalizing a $57 million, four-year contract on Wednesday."They used the AL East and the success I've had in it to their advantage," the 30-year-old right-hander said. "They kept challenging me with it and I love the challenge of pitching in this division and they know that over the times we talked. They did a really good job of making me feel like this is where I need to be."Cobb had spent his entire six-season big league career with Tampa Bay and was the last top starting pitcher available in a slow-moving free agent market.Cobb joined Andrew Cashner and Chris Tillman, who were signed last month, in a revamped rotation that includes holdovers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman.The Orioles are coming off a last-place finish and 75-87 record.Cobb was 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts last season. He pitched 179 1/3 innings in his first full year back after missing nearly two seasons because... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — With two weeks left of spring training, the Arizona Diamondbacks still are grappling with a pair of significant unresolved issues.One, who is the closer? Two, how to sort out the crowd at middle infield?There is still plenty of time to work things out, manager Torey Lovullo said."I feel like it's still a little bit too early," he said, "but everybody is paying a lot of attention to some very key spots and you hit on a couple of them."The closer competition a three-way competition with Archie Bradley, Brad Boxberger and Yoshihisa Hirano.Bradley, the bearded fan favorite, was one of the game's best setup men last season with a 1.73 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched. Boxberger had an AL-leading 41 saves in 2015 but battled injuries the past two seasons. Hirano arrived from Japan a 33-year-old seasoned closer.Bradley insists he doesn't want the job."Really not at all, and not in a bad way. I'm not scared of it," he said. "I just want to win. I found so much... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had four singles in his spring training debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, a 9-3 win at the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday.The 18-year-old third baseman, whose father Vladimir will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer, signed with Toronto in July 2015 for a $3.9 million bonus.He was the designated hitter and had hits in the second inning off Nestor Cortes Jr., in the sixth and seventh against Tim Melville and in the ninth versus Asher Wojciechowski. He also flied out in the fourth against Darren O'Day. He hit .323 with 13 homers and 76 RBIs at a pair of Class A teams last year with a .910 OPS."Good looking hitter," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He looks like he has fun playing."Bo Bichette, a son of former major leaguer Dante Bichette, had two hits and drove in two runs for Toronto. The Blue Jays' Anthony Alford had two doubles and his second triple. Aaron Sanchez allowed one run in three innings and struck out five.ELSEWHERE AROUND... [More]

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — A month before opening day, the Tampa Bay Rays reject the notion they're tanking this season.Minus Evan Longoria and other familiar names, the budget-minded team likely will have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball again this year. But club management insists its concerted effort to trim salary and bolster a talent-rich farm system are not a sign of giving up on 2018.Nor does it send mixed signals to fans, local businesses and government officials at a time when the club is seeking support to build a new stadium, principal owner Stuart Sternberg said during a visit to spring training this week.The franchise has played home games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg since the team's inception in 1998.Earlier this month, the team identified a site in Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood as the preferred location for a new home."I don't tie the two together. We're going to do what's in the best interest of the organization. That means we're going to give this team... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Surprised to be traded, Steven Souza Jr. heads to Arizona for what promises to be a key role on a Diamondbacks team that expects to be good.The 28-year-old outfielder knew the Tampa Bay Rays were making some big changes but felt assured by management that he still figured in their plans."As much as people were flying off the shelf, it seemed like I was not going to be one of those people," Souza said Wednesday in a conference call from the airport before boarding a plane to Arizona. "It definitely caught me off-guard a little bit. I was definitely preparing for the role that I had there."Souza came to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in a three-team trade that sent infielder Brandon Drury from Arizona to the New York Yankees and left-hander Anthony Banda, a top Arizona pitching prospect, to Tampa Bay.Souza batted just .239, but hit 30 homers, drove in 78 runs and walked 84 times, all three career highs.He will wear the same No. 28 that J.D. Martinez wore in his torrid... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Newly acquired Brandon Drury is the now the favorite to be the starting third baseman for the New York Yankees.The Yankees acquired Drury from Arizona on Tuesday night in a three-team deal that also involved Tampa Bay. Drury played mostly second base for Arizona, but came up through the minors at third."Nothing is going to be given to anybody, but going into the process he's going to have a leg up given the fact that he's had two years of major league experience that he can fall back on plus postseason experience," Yankees general manager Cashman said Wednesday. "I think all those things will serve him well."Prospect Miguel Andujar was a leading candidate at third before the trade for Drury was completed."Andujar is a high-end skilled player that we think is going to have a very long and successful career in the big leagues, and we believe it's going to be here with us," Cashman said. "His hitting abilities are ahead currently of his defensive abilities because he moved... [More]

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (AP) — Denard Span concedes he's hesitant to get comfortable with the idea of playing for his hometown team.The Tampa Bay Rays acquired the veteran outfielder this winter, but are trimming payroll and building for the future.That leaves the 33-year-old Span, who's due to make $11 million this summer, uncertain what uniform he'll be wearing on opening day."I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I can't control that," said Span, acquired along with infielder Christian Arroyo and two minor leaguers in a trade that sent Evan Longoria to the San Francisco Giants.A native of Washington, D.C., Span moved to Tampa when he was 3 years old. He's maintained his offseason home in Florida throughout a 10-year major league career that includes stints with the Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals."It's really surreal to be able to put this uniform on and live in my own house and stay in my own bed. I drive familiar streets that I've driven on... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks sent infielder Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees and received outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade Tuesday that included five players plus two to be named later.The deal was announced one day after former Diamondbacks slugger J.D. Martinez agreed to a $110 million, five-year contract with Boston, pending a physical. Arizona has moved quickly to fill that hole in the outfield, signing speedy Jarrod Dyson to a $7.5 million, two-year contract on Monday before trading for Souza.Souza will be the starter at one corner outfield position, with Dyson subbing at all three spots.Drury gives the Yankees a new option at third base or second base, where New York was projected to start a pair of rookies.Top pitching prospect Anthony Banda goes from Arizona to the Rays, who also get minor league second baseman Nick Solak from the Yankees and two players to be named from the Diamondbacks. Minor league right-hander... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks sent infielder Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees and received outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade Tuesday that included five players.The deal was announced one day after former Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez agreed to a $110 million, five-year contract with Boston, pending a physical.Drury gives the Yankees a new option at third base and second base, where New York was projected to start a pair of rookies.Arizona pitching prospect Anthony Banda goes to the Rays, who also get minor league second baseman Nick Solak from the Yankees and two players to be named from the Diamondbacks. Minor league right-hander Taylor Widener goes from New York to Arizona.Drury played mostly second base for Arizona but came through the minors as a third baseman and could fill that spot for the Yankees, who have top prospect Gleyber Torres penciled in at second. Another prospect, Miguel Andujar, was a leading candidate... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have sent infielder Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees and received outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade that includes five players.The deal was announced Tuesday, one day after former Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez agreed to a $110 million, five-year contract with Boston, pending a physical.Drury gives the Yankees a new option at third base or second, where New York was projected to start a pair of rookies.Arizona pitching prospect Anthony Banda goes to the Rays, who also get minor league second baseman Nick Solak from the Yankees. Minor league right-hander Taylor Widener goes from New York to the Diamondbacks.Drury played mostly second base for Arizona but came through the minors as a third baseman and could fill that spot for the Yankees, who have top prospect Gleyber Torres penciled in at second. Another prospect, Miguel Andujar, was a leading candidate at third.Souza helps fill the outfield power void left in the Diamondbacks' lineup by Martinez's departure.Drury hit .267 with 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 135 games with Arizona last season. Souza batted .239 with a career-high 30 home runs and 78 RBIs last year.__More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball