WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper is focusing on his immediate future. But don't bother asking him about plans beyond this year."If you guys do talk anything about that, I'll be walking right out the door," he said Monday.Everyone around baseball knows the Washington Nationals slugger could be part of a huge free agent class after the coming season. But if teams are saving money by passing on currently available players in hopes of signing a big star next year, that doesn't sound like the best way to impress Harper."I think if I'm an organization or a team I want the best players on my team," Harper said. "My fans deserve that, the players deserve that."Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Charlie Blackmon and potentially Clayton Kershaw could be free agents next offseason.Some within the industry suggest this market is slow because teams have their eyes on 2019 — pitchers Jake Arrieta and Alex Cobb and third baseman Mike Moustakas are among the players looking for work with spring... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper is focusing on his immediate future. But don't bother asking him about plans beyond this year."If you guys do talk anything about that, I'll be walking right out the door," he said Monday.Everyone around baseball knows the Washington Nationals slugger could be part of a huge free agent class after the coming season. But if teams are saving money by passing on currently available players in hopes of signing a big star next year, that doesn't sound like the best way to impress Harper."I think if I'm an organization or a team I want the best players on my team," Harper said. "My fans deserve that, the players deserve that."Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Charlie Blackmon and potentially Clayton Kershaw could be free agents next offseason. Some within the industry suggest this market is slow because teams have their eyes on 2019 — pitchers Jake Arrieta and Alex Cobb and position players J.D. Martinez and Mike Moustakas are among the players looking... [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:___Washington NationalsManager: Dave Martinez (first season).2017: 97-65, first place, lost to Chicago Cubs in NLDS.Training Town: West Palm Beach, Florida.Park: The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.First Workout: Feb. 16/21.He's Here: 1B-OF Matt Adams, C Miguel Montero.He's Outta Here: Manager Dusty Baker, LF Jayson Werth, C Jose Lobaton, 1B-LF Adam Lind, RHP Matt Albers.Going campin': It's become an all-too-familiar story for the Nationals and their fans: terrific regular season, followed by quick playoff exit, followed by a managerial change. Martinez will be the latest skipper to try to lead the club to postseason success — and GM Mike Rizzo has made it clear that ownership expects nothing less than a World Series championship. Martinez has been Joe Maddon's right-hand man with the Chicago... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — There will be one very important question hovering over Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals throughout spring training and the entire 2018 season: Will this be his last year with the club?Sure, there are plenty of other story lines to keep an eye on, from Dave Martinez's debut as a manager in the majors, to the pursuit of a third consecutive NL East title, to Max Scherzer's bid for a fourth Cy Young Award.Nothing will generate as much interest, or will have as profound an effect on the team, as what happens with Harper, who can become a free agent after the coming season.The 25-year-old Harper's representative, Scott Boras, already has been talking about his guy as an iconic player with iconic value , and it's hard to argue. Which is why, after making a little more than $13.5 million last year and a little more than $21.5 million this year, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year, 2015 NL MVP and five-time All-Star is sparking conversation about deals worth a half-billion... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon more than doubled his salary going into 2018, reaching agreement on a $12.3 million contract Friday to avoid salary arbitration.Rendon made $5.8 million last season, his first year of arbitration eligibility. He finished sixth in NL MVP voting last season and ranked seventh in WAR among the league's position players, helping carry an injury-depleted Washington team to a second consecutive NL East title by batting .301 with 25 homers, 100 RBIs, 41 doubles, a .403 on-base percentage and .533 slugging percentage.At third base, he made seven errors and had a .979 fielding percentage. Asked at the Nationals' fan festival in December whether he would be open to staying with the team for the long term under a multiyear contract, he replied: "Yeah, for sure. Why not stay with one organization?"As for whether he expects his agents, Scott Boras and Co., to negotiate this offseason with the Nationals about a long-term contract, Rendon joked:... [More]

RHP Max Scherzer had an awful inning out of the bullpen Thursday in Game 5 of the NL Division Series. After starting Game 3 on Monday, he came in with a 4-3 lead and gave up three hits and four runs (two earned) and was tagged with the loss as the Cubs advanced to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. "I've never seen anything like that from Max," manager Dusty Baker said. "He had two quick outs followed by an infield hit and a blooper. That's when (Addison) Russell hit the ball down the line, and that was a big turning point in the game."

RHP Max Scherzer threw 6 1/3 innings of no-hit ball until Ben Zobrist broke it up with a double. Scherzer, who struck out seven and walked three, became the first pitcher to allow one hit or less over six innings in a postseason game since Detroit's Anibal Sanchez in Game 1 of the 2013 ALCS against Boston.

RHP Max Scherzer (hamstring) is slated to start Game 3 on Monday in Chicago. "He had a very good bullpen," manager Dusty Baker said. "We'll see, you know, how deep he can go. That's the question on anybody that's kind of semi-injured is, you know, when they fatigue, are they strong enough to battle through whatever is bothering them." He is 3-1 in six career starts against the Cubs with a 2.92 ERA. He first faced them in 2008 and in his only outing against Chicago this year he got the win as he allowed just two hits and one run in six innings. Scherzer had to leave his last regular-season start at home with a hamstring injury in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 30.

RHP Max Scherzer (hamstring) is slated to start Game 3 in Chicago on Monday, manager Dusty Baker said Friday. He was 16-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 31 starts this season. He had to leave his last regular-season start Sept. 30 with a hamstring issue against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cy Young winner last year, Scherzer ideally would have started Game 1 if he was healthy but the Nationals couldn't complain about using RHP Stephen Strasburg on Friday and if needed in Game 5.

RHP Max Scherzer (hamstring) said Sunday he can't be certain he will be ready for the playoffs. He left his start on Saturday night in the fourth inning after he landed strangely on a pitch to Josh Bell. Scherzer went 3-1 in September, but with a 4.05 ERA.

There may not be two American League players who differ more standing side-by-side than the Houston Astros' Jose Altuve and the New York Yankees' Aaron Judge.Altuve is a diminutive 5-foot-6. Judge is a giant at 6-7. But when it comes to the AL Most Valuable Player Award, the difference could be measured in angstroms.The members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America are sending in their votes right now for all of the major 2017 awards. There are some that will be, or should be, unanimous picks.How do you not give Judge the AL Rookie of the Year? Same goes in the National League for Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both were by far at the top of their classes when all was said and done.Below is our take on the deserving winners in each race. AL MVP isn't the only white-knuckler. In the AL, the Cy Young Award race between Boston's Chris Sale and Cleveland's Corey Kluber is tight, too. In the National League, the MVP, Cy Young and Manager of the Year are all worthy of great... [More]

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox clinched their second consecutive American League East title with a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.Mitch Moreland had a pair of RBIs, Mookie Betts hit a solo home run, and Hanley Ramirez, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi each drove in one run for the Red Sox, who needed a win or a New York Yankees loss to clinch. It marked the first time since division play began in 1969 that the Red Sox have won back-to-back AL East crowns.Boston's Drew Pomeranz (17-6) bounced back from a short start last Monday to toss six-plus innings, allowing one run, striking out three and giving up two hits and two walks.Brian McCann launched a solo home run, his 18th, and Evan Gattis and Yuli Gurriel each had RBI singles for AL West champion Houston (100-61), which will finish with the second-best record in the league behind the Cleveland Indians and is set to face the Red Sox in the AL Division Series. Game 1 of the series is Thursday in Houston.Yankees... [More]

RHP Max Scherzer had a precautionary MRI on his right hamstring after he left the game in the fourth inning Saturday. He landed on his leg in a string way while throwing to Josh Bell of the Pirates. Scherzer threw a no-hitter at home against the Pirates on June 20, 2015. "Max had a right hamstring cramp. We took him out for precaution. We gotta make it to the playoffs healthy. So we thought it was better that we make that move, the precautionary move, to get him ready," manager Dusty Baker said.

RHP Max Scherzer will start Saturday against the Pirates as he tunes up for the playoffs. Scherzer is 16-6 with a 2.55 ERA this year. He threw a no-hitter at home against the Pirates in 2015.

MILWAUKEE -- Jose Quintana struck out 10 in a three-hitter game as the Chicago Cubs moved closer to clinching the National League Central by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Sunday.Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer for the defending World Series champions, who have a magic number of two to clinch.Milwaukee starter Chase Anderson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.Diamondbacks 3, Marlins 2PHOENIX -- J.D. Martinez singled with two outs in the ninth inning and Arizona edged Miami to clinch its first playoff spot since 2011.Chris Herrmann homered for Arizona, which holds the first National League wild-card spot.Giancarlo Stanton increased his RBI total to 126, moving into a tie with Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the major league lead.Angels 7, Astros 5HOUSTON -- Brandon Phillips and Justin Upton homered and drove in two runs apiece, and Luis Valbuena also had two RBIs in Los Angeles win over Houston.The Angels remain 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second American... [More]

RHP Max Scherzer continued to burnish his credentials for a second straight Cy Young Award on Sunday, when he earned the win after allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 10 over six innings as the Nationals beat the Mets, 3-2. The 10 strikeouts increased Scherzer's National League-leading total to 263 He lowered his ERA to 2.55, the second-best mark in the NL, while earning his 16th win, which is the fourth-most. The double-digit strikeout game was the 15th of the season for Scherzer, the most in the NL and the second-most in the majors behind Boston Red Sox LHP Chris Sale (18). Scherzer, who trails Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw in both ERA and wins, will make one more start, likely on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MILWAUKEE -- Jose Quintana struck out 10 in a three-hitter game as the Chicago Cubs moved closer to clinching the National League Central by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Sunday.Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer for the defending World Series champions, who have a magic number of two to clinch.Milwaukee starter Chase Anderson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.Diamondbacks 3, Marlins 2PHOENIX -- J.D. Martinez singled with two outs in the ninth inning and Arizona edged Miami to clinch its first playoff spot since 2011.Chris Herrmann homered for Arizona, which holds the first National League wild-card spot.Giancarlo Stanton increased his RBI total to 126, moving into a tie with Colorado's Nolan Arenado for the major league lead.Angels 7, Astros 5HOUSTON -- Brandon Phillips and Justin Upton homered and drove in two runs apiece, and Luis Valbuena also had two RBIs in Los Angeles win over Houston.The Angels remain 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second American... [More]

MILWAUKEE -- Jose Quintana struck out 10 in a three-hitter game as the Chicago Cubs moved closer to clinching the National League Central Division by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Sunday.Ben Zobrist hit a two-run homer for the defending World Series champions, who have a magic number of two to clinch.Milwaukee starter Chase Anderson allowed three runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Twins 10, Tigers 4DETROIT -- Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs as Minnesota rolled over Detroit. Jorge Polanco also homered and Joe Mauer drove in two runs as Minnesota moved to within four games behind the New York Yankees for the first wild card spot.Ian Kinsler hit a two-run homer for Detroit, which dropped its seventh straight. Red Sox 5, Reds 4 CINCINNATI -- Mookie Betts hit a three-run double in the eighth inning and scored on a single by Rafael Devers as Boston beat Cincinnati.Betts helped the Red Sox lower their magic number for clinching the American League East to... [More]

RHP Max Scherzer will look to continue bolstering his case for a second straight National League Cy Young Award on Sunday afternoon, when he takes the mound for the Nationals in the finale of a three-game series against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Scherzer earned the win in his most recent start Tuesday, when he gave up two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over seven innings as the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 4-2. Entering Saturday, Scherzer led the NL in strikeouts (253) and WHIP (0.92) while ranking among the top 10 in ERA (second at 2.59), wins (tied for fourth with 15) and innings (eighth with 191 1/3). Scherzer is 7-4 with a 2.27 ERA in 14 career appearances (13 starts) against the Mets, whom he no-hit Oct. 3, 2015.

RHP Max Scherzer rebounded nicely from his last start, when he allowed seven runs over five innings. He was sharp from the beginning Tuesday, retiring the first 11 batters he faced, and gave up two runs on five hits and one walk over seven innings. Scherzer struck out seven, giving him 253 and making him the first since Randy Johnson (1997-2002) to surpass 250 in four straight seasons.