NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Beltrán is out as manager of the New York Mets before a single game, the latest fallout from the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball. The Mets announced the decision Thursday in a news release, saying Beltrán and the team “agreed to mutually part ways.” The move came two days after Boston cut ties with manager Alex Cora, who was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 when Beltrán played for the Astros. A day before that, manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired by Houston soon after they were suspended for the 2020 season by Commissioner Rob Manfred for their roles in the cheating scheme. Next to fall was Beltrán, the only Astros player mentioned by name Monday when MLB issued its findings from an investigation into the club’s conduct. No players were disciplined, but the nine-page report said Beltrán was among the group involved in the team's illicit use of electronics to pilfer signs during Houston's run to the 2017... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Beltrán is out as manager of the New York Mets before a single game, the latest fallout from the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball. The Mets announced the decision Thursday in a news release, saying Beltrán and the team “agreed to mutually part ways.” The move came two days after Boston cut ties with manager Alex Cora, who was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 when Beltrán played for the Astros. A day before that, manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired by Houston soon after they were suspended for the 2020 season by Commissioner Rob Manfred for their roles in the cheating scheme. Next to fall was Beltrán, the only Astros player mentioned by name Monday when MLB issued its findings from an investigation into the club’s conduct. No players were disciplined, but the nine-page report said Beltrán was among the group involved in the team's illicit use of electronics to pilfer signs during Houston's run to the 2017... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Left-hander Alex Wood has agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers.The seven-time defending NL West champions announced the deal Wednesday night with Wood, who spent last season with Cincinnati after the Dodgers traded him away in December 2018.The contract is laden with performance incentives for the 29-year-old veteran. Wood gets a $4 million base salary, but he can earn up to $3.5 million more on a points system.He gets one point for each start, or any relief appearance in which he gets 10 outs or more, and he will receive $250,000 each for earning 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 points. After that, he would get $500,000 apiece for earning 22, 24, 26 and 28 points.He also could earn $2.5 million in innings incentives. He will get $500,000 apiece for pitching 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150 innings.Wood made just seven starts for the Reds last season while struggling to overcome a back injury. He didn't make his season debut until July 28.But... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Left-hander Alex Wood has agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers.The seven-time defending NL West champions announced the deal Wednesday night with Wood, who spent last season with Cincinnati after the Dodgers traded him away in December 2018.The contract is laden with performance incentives for the 29-year-old veteran. Wood gets a $4 million base salary, but he can earn up to $3.5 million more on a points system.He gets one point for a game in which he gets 10 outs or more, and he will receive $250,000 each for earning 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 points. After that, he would get $500,000 apiece for earning 22, 24, 26 and 28 points.He also could earn $2.5 million in innings incentives. He will get $500,000 apiece for pitching 110, 120, 130, 140 and 150 innings.Wood made just seven starts for the Reds last season while struggling to overcome a back injury. He didn't make his season debut until July 28.But Wood was a solid starter and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Texas Rangers have formally reunited with catcher Robinson Chirinos and added third baseman Todd Frazier after completing one-year deals with the free agents.Chirinos and Frazier both got contracts that included club options for 2021. The deals were announced by the team Wednesday. Left-handed pitchers Kyle Bird and Jeffrey Springs were designated for assignment to clear spots on the 40-man roster. The Rangers have seven days to trade, release, or outright the players to the minor leagues. The 35-year-old Chirinos gets a $5.5 million salary this season, and his deal includes a $6.5 million club option for 2021 that includes a $1 million buyout. Frazier will make $3.5 million, and the Rangers have a $5.75 million option on the two-time All-Star for 2021 with a $1.5 million buyout. After Chirinos played 442 games with the Rangers from 2013-18, the team declined a $4.5 million option and he became a free agent. He spent last season on a $5.75 million deal with AL... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme.“They have to fire Carlos Beltrán,” a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme.“They have to fire Carlos Beltrán,” a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox took decisive action in jettisoning their managers after Major League Baseball concluded they were involved in nefarious sign stealing, the New York Mets have stayed silent on Carlos Beltrán's future.Houston fired AJ Hinch one hour after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings Monday. Boston's management took 29 1/2 hours to announce Alex Cora's departure on Tuesday.Beltrán remains in limbo, with the Mets refusing to say whether their new manager stays or goes. In Manfred's nine-page statement, Beltrán was the only player identified as a participant in the cheating scheme."They have to fire Carlos Beltrán," a former New York Yankees teammate, Mark Teixeira, said Wednesday on ESPN, where he works as an analyst. "There's no way that Carlos Beltrán, especially in the pressure cooker of New York, there's no way he can be the manager of the Mets. ... You cannot have that guy lead your team. The New York papers, the Daily... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Cora has already been identified as a ringleader in an illegal system of sign stealing when he was with the Houston Astros.The Red Sox didn't wait to see what punishment Major League Baseball might give him for possibly bringing a similar scheme with him to Boston.Cora was fired by the team he led to the 2018 World Series title on Tuesday night, one day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “an active participant” in the Astros' cheating when he was a bench coach in Houston.Manfred mentioned Cora by name 11 times in a nine-page report, saying he "originated and executed" the scheme in which Houston used a center field camera to decode catchers' signals to pitchers, then banged on a trash can to relay the signs to batters so they would know what type of pitch was coming. The Astros fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, making that announcement an hour after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season for their roles in the cheating scheme.... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson have agreed to a $92 million, four-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal had not been announced. The contract includes a club option for a fifth season that would bring the total value to $100 million.The 34-year-old third baseman returned after an injury-spoiled 2018 split between Toronto and Cleveland to bat .259 with 37 homers, 94 RBIs and a .900 OPS for Atlanta last year. He earned $23 million on a one-year deal with the Braves, his lone season in the NL in a decade-long major league career. Donaldson, a three-time All-Star who broke in with Oakland as a catcher in 2010, averaged 37 home runs and 100 RBIs over his three full seasons with the Blue Jays from 2015-17. They traded him to the Indians for a minor league player in a rental deal at the deadline on Aug. 31, 2018.So after striking out on the... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson have agreed to a $92 million, four-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal had not been announced. The contract includes an $8 million club option for 2024.The 34-year-old third baseman returned after an injury-spoiled 2018 split between Toronto and Cleveland to bat .259 with 37 homers, 94 RBIs and a .900 OPS for Atlanta last year. He earned $23 million on a one-year deal with the Braves, his lone season in the NL in a decade-long major league career. Donaldson, a three-time All-Star who broke in with Oakland as a catcher in 2010, averaged 37 home runs and 100 RBIs over his three full seasons with the Blue Jays from 2015-17. They traded him to the Indians for a minor league player in a rental deal at the deadline on Aug. 31, 2018.So after striking out on the top-tier starting pitchers on the market, settling... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora could be next.Hinch and Luhnow were fired Monday after being suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.In U.S. sports' largest scandal since the New England Patriots' “Spygate,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for stealing signs in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series.Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution, as punishment. The Astros will also forfeit their next two first- and second-round... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's use of electronics for sign-stealing during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.In U.S. sports' largest scandal since the New England Patriots' “Spygate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign-stealing in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series.Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution, as punishment. The Astros will forfeit their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.The investigation found that the Astros used the video feed from a center field... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's use of electronics for sign-stealing during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season.In U.S. sports' largest scandal since the New England Patriots' “Spygate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline Monday and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign-stealing in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series.Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution. The Astros will forfeit their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.The investigation found that the Astros used the video feed from the center-field camera... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's use of electronics for sign stealing during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season.In U.S. sports' largest scandal since the New England Patriots' “Spygate,” Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline Monday and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign-stealing in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series.Houston was fined $5 million for sign stealing, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution. The Astros will forfeit their next two first- and second-round draft picks.Houston was found guilty of using a television camera in center field to relay... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's sign-stealing during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season.In the sport's largest scandal since the Biogenesis drug suspensions in 2013, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline Monday and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora— the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign stealing in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when the Red Sox won the World Series.Houston was fined $5 million for sign-stealing by the team during its run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season — the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution. The Astros will forfeit their next two first- and second-round draft picks.In addition,... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers and pitcher Alex Wood agreed to a $4 million, one-year deal Sunday, a person familiar with the agreement said.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.“We back,” Wood tweeted on Sunday, his 29th birthday.Wood returns to Los Angeles after spending last season with the Cincinnati Reds. He was part of a deal in which the Dodgers sent Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Reds last offseason. Wood's time in Cincinnati was plagued by injury. His back flared up in spring training and then he began last season on the injured list. The left-hander was activated in July and made just seven starts before his season ended early in September. He was 1-3 with a 5.80 ERA.Wood's best year in Los Angeles was 2017 when he was a National League All-Star and had a 16-3 record with a 2.72 ERA. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Houston in Game 4 of the World Series that fall.He returns with a chance to join the Dodgers' starting rotation, which he was part of at various times during four seasons.___AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Veteran infielder Todd Frazier and the Texas Rangers have reached an agreement on a $5 million, one-year contract, filling a significant need for the team. A person familiar with the deal said the agreement was pending a successful physical. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. Frazier will make $3.5 million in 2020, and the deal includes a 2021 club option with a $1.5 million buyout. Third base is one of the primary needs for the Rangers, who lost out in their pursuit of free agent Anthony Rendon this offseason when he signed with the division rival Los Angeles Angels. Frazier also gives the Rangers another right-handed hitter in their left-leaning lineup, and could also play first base. Frazier, a month shy of his 34th birthday, spent the past two seasons with the New York Mets. He hit .251 with 21 homers and 67 RBIs in 133 games last year. He has also played for the Cincinnati Reds (2011-15), Chicago White Sox (2016-17) and Yankees (2017) in his nine big league seasons.___AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CINCINNATI (AP) — Trevor Bauer agreed to a $17.5 million, one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, bypassing salary arbitration after the All-Star pitcher had a contentious hearing with Cleveland last offseason.Bauer, acquired from the Indians in July, relished beating Cleveland in arbitration the past two offseasons but complained after last winter's hearing that Major League Baseball labor relations staff attempted “character assassination” against him.The right-hander was awarded $13 million over the Indians' $11 million offer in 2019, a year after winning a raise to $6,525,000 against Cleveland's $5.3 million offer. Bauer donated his extra winnings in 2018 to charity in what he called “69 days of giving” — an online campaign that leaned on sexual innuendo and a reference to marijuana to raise awareness. Bauer said MLB labor relations department representatives attempted to use the operation to “demean my character” in the 2019 hearing."That kind of put a black mark on what... [More]

CINCINNATI (AP) — Trevor Bauer agreed to a $17.5 million, one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, avoiding salary arbitration after the All-Star pitcher had a contentious hearing with Cleveland last offseason.Bauer, acquired from the Indians in July, relished beating Cleveland in arbitration the past two offseasons but complained after last winter's hearing that Major League Baseball labor relations staff attempted “character assassination” against him.The right-hander was awarded $13 million over the Indians' $11 million offer in 2019, a year after winning a raise to $6,525,000 against Cleveland's $5.3 million offer. Bauer donated his extra winnings in 2018 to charity in what he called “69 days of giving” — an online campaign that leaned on sexual innuendo and a reference to marijuana to raise awareness. Bauer said MLB labor relations department representatives attempted to use the operation to “demean my character” in the 2019 hearing."That kind of put a black mark on what I... [More]