SAN DIEGO (AP) — Gerrit Cole and agent Scott Boras are ready for baseball's version of "Can you top this?"A day after completing a $245 million, seven-year contract for Stephen Strasburg with Washington that set a record for pitchers, Boras said Cole will command even more.Strasburg set a record for total dollars and average salary for pitchers. Citing that Cole is two years younger than the 31-year-old Strasburg and has been more durable, Boras said seeking a higher amount "would be a logical path to take.""There have been numerous offers made by clubs, and so we're actively in the middle of it," Boras said Tuesday, surrounded by a swarm of media in the hotel lobby at the winter meetings. "Normally when you have this many people involved and you're that far along, it's probable something can be done in a very short term."The New York Yankees are trying to land Cole to join a young core group that includes Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sánchez. The Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers,... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Gerrit Cole and agent Scott Boras are ready for baseball's version of "Can you top this?"A day after completing a $245 million, seven-year contract for Stephen Strasburg with Washington that set a record for pitchers, Boras said Cole will command even more.Strasburg set a record for total dollars and average salary for pitchers. Citing that Cole is two years younger than the 31-year-old Strasburg and has been more durable, Boras said seeking a higher amount "would be a logical path to take.""There have been numerous offers made by clubs, and so we're actively in the middle of it," Boras said Tuesday, surrounded by a swarm of media in the hotel lobby at the winter meetings. "Normally when you have this many people involved and you're that far along, it's probable something can be done in a very short term."The New York Yankees are trying to land Cole to join a young core group that includes Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and Gary Sánchez. The Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers,... [More]

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — While Brian Cashman was descending the outside of a building Friday, the New York Yankees’ general manager came across a message taped to a 10th-floor window from a fan: Please sign Gerrit Cole.Cashman, whose rappelling adventure has become a holiday tradition, confirmed he met with Cole in California on Tuesday and spoke with free-agent pitcher Stephen Strasburg the following day.“It was a great opportunity, clearly it was very public, that we met with Gerrit Cole and Strasburg while I was on the West Coast,” Cashman said. “At least, that’s who you all are aware of so far. Who knows who I met with?Cole and Strasburg are the top pitchers on the free-agent market. The Yankees would like to add an ace to a rotation that already includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ.Along with Cashman, assistant general manager Mike Fischman, manager Aaron Boone, new Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and former Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte made the trip... [More]

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — While Brian Cashman was descending the Landmark Building on Friday in preparation for a holiday celebration this weekend, the New York Yankees’ general manager came across a message taped to a 10th-floor window from a fan: Please sign Gerrit Cole.Cashman confirmed he met with Cole in California on Tuesday and spoke with free-agent pitcher Stephen Strasburg the following day.“It was a great opportunity, clearly it was very public, that we met with Gerrit Cole and Strasburg while I was on the West Coast,” Cashman said. “At least, that’s who you all are aware of so far. Who knows who I met with?Cole and Strasburg are the top pitchers on the free-agent market. The Yankees would like to add an ace to a rotation that already includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ.Along with Cashman, assistant GM Mike Fischman, manager Aaron Boone, new Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and former Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte made the trip to speak with both pitchers,... [More]

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — While Brian Cashman was descending the Landmark Building on Friday in preparation for a holiday celebration this weekend, the New York Yankees’ general manager came across a message taped to a 10th-floor window from a fan: Please sign Gerrit Cole.Cashman confirmed he met with Cole in California on Tuesday and spoke with free-agent pitcher Stephen Strasburg the following day.“It was a great opportunity, clearly it was very public, that we met with Gerrit Cole and Strasburg while I was on the West Coast,” Cashman said. “At least, that’s who you all are aware of so far. Who knows who I met with?Cole and Strasburg are the top pitchers on the free-agent market. The Yankees would like to add an ace to a rotation that already includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ.Along with Cashman, assistant GM Mike Fischman, manager Aaron Boone, new Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and former Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte made the trip to speak with both pitchers,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole, the top pitcher on the free-agent market, was set to meet with New York Yankees officials in California on Tuesday.General manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and new Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake made the trip to speak with the 29-year-old right-hander, a person familiar with the planning said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not announced.New York is expected to meet Wednesday with free-agent right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the person said. Strasburg and Cole both are represented by Scott Boras.New York selected Cole with the 28th overall pick of the 2008 amateur draft, but he decided not to sign and attended UCLA instead. Pittsburgh took him with the first overall pick in 2011 and agreed to an $8 million signing bonus.Cole was 20-5 with an AL-best 2.50 ERA and a big league-high 326 strikeouts this year for the AL champion Houston Astros, who acquired him from the Pirates before the 2018... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — After falling short of reaching the World Series for the 10th straight year, the New York Yankees intend to have conversations with top free agent pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg."It's a good time to be them," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Monday as the general managers meeting began. "Certainly we'll have conversations from our perspective. And they'll either lead to further ones or lesser ones."During a moonlit availability in a courtyard surrounded by palm trees, Cashman confirmed changes in the team's staff, led by Matt Blake replacing Larry Rothschild as pitching coach. He said New York has had conversations with the agents for several of its players who became free agents, including outfielder Brett Gardner, shortstop Didi Gregorius and reliever Dellin Betances.Starting pitching is the Yankees' biggest need following their loss to Houston in a six-game AL Championship Series. Manager Aaron Boone's rotation could use a premier arm to... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Gerrit Cole could be seeing a lot more of the New York Yankees real soon.While there was no Game 7 for the Astros' ace to face the Yankees in the AL Championship Series, could he start New York's opener at Baltimore on March 26?"The work never ends," New York manager Aaron Boone said after Saturday night's season-ending Game 6 loss. "We'll continue to try and I guess close that gap or put ourselves in a position to get over the hump. I know everyone in our room believes we will, and we'll have a lot of battle scars when we do finally get to the top of that mountain."Boone memorably called his team Savages in the Box during a midsummer tirade at an umpire. While that may be true, he lacked Marauders on the Mound.Specifically in his rotation.New York starters had a 4.51 ERA, 15th in the major leagues, well behind the elite staffs of Los Angeles Dodgers (3.11) and pennant-winning Washington (3.53) and Houston (3.61). Yankees starters were just 26th among the 30 teams in innings,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch blew his own whistle Thursday on sign stealing and pitch tipping: He's had enough of allegations about Houston hitters going out of bounds to decipher what's coming at the plate.Hinch eagerly weighed in again on an issue that won't seem to go away this postseason. He was asked before Game 4 of the AL Championship Series about reports that indicated the New York Yankees suspected the Astros of whistling from their dugout during the opener to communicate pitch selection to their batters.Major League Baseball looked into it and concluded Houston didn't break any rules, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly."Man, I'm glad you asked that question, and I thought it would come up today," Hinch said at the start of his Yankee Stadium news conference. "In reality, it's a joke. But Major League Baseball does a lot to ensure the fairness... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch blew his own whistle Thursday on sign stealing and pitch tipping: He's had enough of allegations about Houston hitters going out of bounds to decipher what's coming at the plate.Hinch eagerly weighed in again on an issue that won't seem to go away this postseason. He was asked before Game 4 of the AL Championship Series about reports that indicated the New York Yankees suspected the Astros of whistling from their dugout during the opener to communicate pitch selection to their batters.Major League Baseball looked into it and concluded Houston didn't break any rules, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly."Man, I'm glad you asked that question, and I thought it would come up today," Hinch said at the start of his Yankee Stadium news conference. "In reality, it's a joke. But Major League Baseball does a lot to ensure the fairness... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch blew his own whistle Thursday on sign stealing and pitch tipping: He's had enough of allegations about Houston hitters going out of bounds to decipher what's coming at the plate.Hinch eagerly weighed in again on an issue that won't seem to go away this postseason. He was asked before Game 4 of the AL Championship Series about reports that indicated the New York Yankees suspected the Astros of whistling from their dugout during the opener to communicate pitch selection to their batters.Major League Baseball looked into it and concluded Houston didn't break any rules, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly."Man, I'm glad you asked that question, and I thought it would come up today," Hinch said at the start of his Yankee Stadium news conference. "In reality, it's a joke. But Major League Baseball does a lot to ensure the fairness... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton remained out of the New York Yankees lineup for the third straight game and Aaron Hicks was moved up to third in the batting order for Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros on Thursday night.Limited by injuries to 18 games during the regular season, Stanton homered in the series opener and missed the next two games because of a strained right quadriceps.Stanton ran on the field before Thursday's game, but Boone already had made up his mind to keep Stanton out of the starting lineup."Probably for the first time saw some improvement today," Boone said. "Whether he's running at 60% or whatever, don't feel like he's ready to be an option in the field for us. I think there's a possibility of that kind of DH role now. So it's a little bit of a decision for me."Boone said Stanton was available to pinch hit and could be New York's designated hitter for Game 5 on Friday night, a move that would cause him to either bench Edwin Encarnación... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton remained out of the New York Yankees lineup for the third straight game and Aaron Hicks was moved up to third in the batting order for Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.Limited by injuries to 18 games during the regular season, Stanton homered in the series opener and missed the next two games because of a strained right quadriceps.Stanton ran on the field before Thursday's game, and manager Aaron Boone said he felt better for the first time since the injury. Boone said Stanton was available to pinch hit and could be New York's designated hitter for Game 5 on Friday night.Hicks was 0 for 2 with two walks in Game 3 on Tuesday, his first start since he injured his right elbow on Aug. 3.New York trailed 2-1 in the best-of-seven series going into Game 4 on Thursday, a day after rain forced a postponement.First baseman DJ LeMahieu was leading off, followed by right fielder Aaron Judge and Hicks in center. Second baseman Gleyber Torres hit cleanup, followed by designated hitter Edwin Encarnación, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Gary Sánchez, third baseman Gio Urshela and shortstop Didi Gregorius. Masahiro Tanaka was on the mound.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Giancarlo Stanton remained out of the New York Yankees lineup for the third straight game and Aaron Hicks was moved up to third in the batting order for Game 4 of the AL Championship Series against the Houston Astros.Limited by injuries to 18 games during the regular season, Stanton homered in the series opener and missed the next two games because of a strained right quadriceps.Hicks was 0 for 2 with two walks in Game 3 on Tuesday, his first start since he injured his right elbow on Aug. 3.New York trailed 2-1 in the best-of-seven series going into Game 4 on Thursday, a day after rain forced a postponement.First baseman DJ LeMahieu was leading off, followed by right fielder Aaron Judge and Hicks in center. Second baseman Gleyber Torres hit cleanup, followed by designated hitter Edwin Encarnación, left fielder Brett Gardner, catcher Gary Sánchez, third baseman Gio Urshela and shortstop Didi Gregorius. Masahiro Tanaka was on the mound.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — A rainy day in the Bronx has left a most daunting October test for the New York Yankees vaunted bullpen: four games, four days and already a deficit to overcome against the Houston Astros in their AL Championship Series.Game 4 of the ALCS scheduled for Wednesday night was postponed a day because of poor weather, with Game 5 pushed to Friday night at Yankee Stadium and Games 6 and 7 in Houston on Saturday and Sunday, if necessary. The Astros beat New York 4-1 on Tuesday to take a 2-1 series lead.The winner will face Washington and its well-rested, talented rotation starting in the AL city on Tuesday night.With New York relying so heavily on its relievers this month, the starter-driven Astros may be at an advantage."If we're going to win this series, our bullpen will still play a huge role, obviously," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "But we've got to be able to get a little bit of distance out of our starters."Houston will pitch Zack Greinke on Thursday against the Yankees'... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Game 4 of the AL Championship Series scheduled for Wednesday night has been postponed because of rain in the forecast.The Houston Astros and New York Yankees will play Game 4 on Thursday night instead, with Game 5 on Friday at Yankee Stadium and Game 6 in Houston on Saturday if necessary. Houston beat New York 4-1 in the Bronx on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 series lead.It's expected that Houston will start Zack Greinke against the Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka in a rematch of Game 1. Tanaka pitched six sterling innings as New York won the opener 7-0.Both clubs had planned to use bullpen openers Wednesday, and the day off will be welcome for New York after manager Aaron Boone used five relievers to cover 4 2/3 innings Tuesday. Starter Luis Severino threw 36 pitches in the first inning and was pulled in the fifth. Boone deployed key arms Chad Green, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton in the loss, although none threw more than 11 pitches.Of course, now the teams might... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Didi Gregorius turned on a first-pitch fastball from Gerrit Cole with two on and two outs in the fifth inning and sent it soaring toward the right-field seats. The crowd at Yankee Stadium rose and roared, hoping for a go-ahead drive."I think every flyball in 2019 is a homer," Houston manager AJ Hinch said. "It's kind of been conditioned that way."Gregorius stood at the plate, watching, then took some tentative steps toward first base as Josh Reddick gloved the ball a step in front of the right-field wall, 343 feet away."I missed it," Gregorius said. "I know I didn't have all of it."New York stranded nine during a 4-1 loss to Houston on Tuesday night that put the Yankees in a 2-1 AL Championship Series deficit, going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.Gregorius, who hit a grand slam against Minnesota in the previous playoff round, left the bases loaded in the first when he hit an inning-ending groundout — also on the first pitch. He went 0 for 4 and saw just six pitches... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees and Astros plan all-bullpen games from the start in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series in a sign of the times.With the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, New York's Luis Severino starts Game 3 on Tuesday against Gerrit Cole. Masahiro Tanaka began the opener for the Yankees and James Paxton was on the mound for Game 2.Neither team had a starting pitcher it wanted to use for Game 4 on Wednesday."J.A. Happ could very much be in the mix, as well as I picture our bullpen being unleashed on that day," New York manager Aaron Boone said Monday as the series shifted to Yankee Stadium.A starter during the regular season, Happ has relieved during the playoffs. The 36-year-old left-hander entered in the 10th inning of Game 2, escaped a two-out jam, then allowed Carlos Correa's home run leading off the 11th that gave the Astros a 3-2 win.Houston manager A.J. Hinch started Zack Greinke in the opener followed by Justin Verlander in Game 2. Hinch anticipates rookie right-hander... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees and Astros plan all-bullpen games from the start in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series in a sign of the times.With the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, New York's Luis Severino starts Game 3 on Tuesday against Gerrit Cole. Masahiro Tanaka began the opener for the Yankees and James Paxton was on the mound for Game 2.Neither team had a starting pitcher it wanted to use for Game 4 on Wednesday."J.A. Happ could very much be in the mix, as well as I picture our bullpen being unleashed on that day," New York manager Aaron Boone said Monday as the series shifted to Yankee Stadium.A starter during the regular season, Happ has relieved during the playoffs. The 36-year-old left-hander entered in the 10th inning of Game 2, escaped a two-out jam, then allowed Carlos Correa's home run leading off the 11th that gave the Astros a 3-2 win.Houston manager A.J. Hinch started Zack Greinke in the opener followed by Justin Verlander in Game 2. Hinch anticipates rookie right-hander... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees plan to use their bullpen against Houston from the start in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series.With the best-of-seven series tied 1-1, Luis Severino starts Game 3 on Tuesday against Gerrit Cole. Masahiro Tanaka started the opener and James Paxton was on the mound for Game 2. Manager Aaron Boone plans to use pitchers who have been in the bullpen in the postseason during the fourth game on Wednesday night."J.A. Happ could very much be in the mix, as well as I picture our bullpen being unleashed on that day," Boone said Monday as the series shifted to New York.A starter during the regular season, Happ has relieved during the playoffs. The 36-year-old left-hander entered in the 10th inning of Game 2, escaped a two-outs jam, then allowed Carlos Correa's home run leading off the 11th that gave the Astros a 3-2 win.Weather could cause New York to alter its plans. Heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday, and if Game 4 is postponed, the Yankees would be able to bring back... [More]