Mike Moustakas and the Brewers are nearing a deal that would keep the third baseman in Milwaukee for a guarantee of $10 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke Sunday on condition of anonymity because the agreement will be subject to a successful physical. The sides were negotiating a deal that includes a mutual option for 2020, the person said.Talks toward a deal were first reported by The Athletic.Moustakas' deal would be his second in a row for one guaranteed year on the free-agent market. He rejected a $17.4 million qualifying offer from Kansas City after the 2017 season and returned to the Royals in mid-March for a one-year contract that included a guaranteed $6.5 million: a $5.5 million salary and $1 million option buyout. Moustakas earned an additional $2.2 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances, raising his total earnings in the deal to $8.7 million.Moustakas hit .256 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 54 games... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The ink was hardly dry on his $18.25 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee when Yasmani Grandal started working the phone, reaching out to as many new teammates as possible from his offseason home in Peoria. The Brewers' new backstop wanted to get a running start when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.He scheduled bullpen sessions with pitchers ready to work off the mound, and sat down to talk strategy with those that weren't. He studied video of his new battery mates and even met with members of Milwaukee's coaching staff.When Grandal showed up to camp in Phoenix last week, he was ready to work."I didn't want to spend a lot of time at spring training getting to know them," Grandal said. "By the time we started, we'd already spoken, I had an idea of what guys wanted to do and different things like that."Grandal, 30, was a surprising signing for a team that appeared set at the catcher position with a combination of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz. Both are regarded... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The ink was hardly dry on his $18.25 million, one-year contract with Milwaukee when Yasmani Grandal started working the phone, reaching out to as many new teammates as possible from his offseason home in Peoria. The Brewers' new backstop wanted to get a running start when pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.He scheduled bullpen sessions with pitchers ready to work off the mound, and sat down to talk strategy with those that weren't. He studied video of his new battery mates and even met with members of Milwaukee's coaching staff.When Grandal showed up to camp in Phoenix last week, he was ready to work."I didn't want to spend a lot of time at spring training getting to know them," Grandal said. "By the time we started, we'd already spoken, I had an idea of what guys wanted to do and different things like that."Grandal, 30, was a surprising signing for a team that appeared set at the catcher position with a combination of Manny Pina and Erik Kratz. Both are regarded... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Forget about this bullpen obsession for a moment. Believe it or not, plenty of big league teams are still anchored by well-armed rotations.In this age of openers and closers, with relievers starting games and starters rarely finishing them, it might seem starting pitchers have been devalued by executives all over baseball.Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner, is a 31-year-old free agent still looking for a job. Same for fellow lefty Gio Gonzalez, a two-time All-Star one season removed from going 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA in 201 innings.Meanwhile, short relievers like Zack Britton ($39 million), Jeurys Familia ($30 million), Kelvin Herrera ($18 million) and Joakim Soria ($15 million) had no trouble getting multiyear deals this winter.Doesn't anyone remember what Koufax and Drysdale did for the Dodgers?Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz with the Braves?"At the end of the day, your starting staff is the backbone of your team," Washington ace Max Scherzer said.... [More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Before the Los Angeles Dodgers pulled the trigger on their January trade to bring back catcher Russell Martin, they watched enough video to convince themselves he would bounce back from career lows in batting average and slugging percentage.On the first official day of pitcher and catcher workouts Wednesday, they couldn't be more pleased with the four-time All-Star."Bringing Martin back, just him getting up to speed with our guys, the early returns have been unbelievable," said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. "Not surprising just how much he's already invested into our guys, the questions he's asking. All he wants to do is win and you can see it in everything he does."As a replacement for Yasmani Grandal, who signed as a free agent with Milwaukee, Martin is connecting with returning catcher Austin Barnes and eliminating concerns about the possibility of splitting time."As far as Barnes, he looks like he's a tremendous athlete, a good catcher,... [More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — With Corey Seager's expected return by opening day and the acquisition of right-handed hitting center fielder A.J. Pollock, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not expected to be platooning.Seager was limited to 26 games last season and did not play after April 29. He had Tommy John surgery on May 4 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip on Aug. 7."There is a certain narrative on us platooning last year, and I think that was kind of for survival," manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday during his first spring training availability.The two-time NL champions traded Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Cincinnati Reds and allowed Manny Machado and Yasmani Grandal to leave as free agents. The Dodgers' major addition was to sign Pollock as a free agent."I think that we're not as susceptible against left-handed pitching," Roberts said. "Offensively, we're much more balanced, one through eight. Whoever those eight might be on a particular... [More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Cory Seager is running at nearly 100 percent and Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hopes his recovering shortstop can get 50 to 60 at-bats during spring training.Roberts held his first spring training press briefing Tuesday ahead of the start of workouts for the two-time NL champions. Seager was limited to 26 games last season and did not play after April 29. He had Tommy John surgery on May 4 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament and had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip on Aug. 7.Roberts said Seager is throwing at 90 feet.Beginning his fourth season as manager, Roberts said left-hander Clayton Kershaw is healthy and his ace would like to regain some velocity. Kershaw's average fastball velocity dropped from 93 mph in 2017 to 91 mph last season, when he dealt with a back injury.Closer Kenley Jansen is expected to have a more aggressive spring training routine following surgery Nov. 26 to correct an irregular heartbeat.Roberts also says he expects reacquired catcher Russell Martin and Austin Barnes will compete for time behind the plate.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander had just 10 victories, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.The AL prize also reflected a change in voters' values, with Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beating out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first Cy Young. Snell pitched just 180 2/3 innings, fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. Over full seasons, Snell is the second starter to win the award with fewer than 200 innings after Clayton Kershaw logged 198 1/3 in 2014."I definitely think the game has changed in that aspect," deGrom said."I feel like it's just turning more into quality of work and what did you accomplish in those innings," Snell said. "I think that's just the way it's going."DeGrom easily beat out Washington's Max Scherzer,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — After a season marred by narrow defeats, Jacob deGrom became a runaway winner.The New York Mets ace easily won the National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday night, a reward for a historically fruitless season in Flushing. The right-hander had just 10 victories, the fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter.The AL prize also reflected a change in voters' values, with Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays narrowly beating out past winners Justin Verlander and Corey Kluber for his first Cy Young. Snell pitched just 180 2/3 innings, fewest ever by a Cy Young-winning starter. Over full seasons, Snell is the second starter to win the award with fewer than 200 innings after Clayton Kershaw logged 198 1/3 in 2014."I definitely think the game has changed in that aspect," deGrom said."I feel like it's just turning more into quality of work and what did you accomplish in those innings," Snell said. "I think that's just the way it's going."DeGrom easily beat out Washington's Max Scherzer,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington outfielder Bryce Harper and Boston closer Craig Kimbrel were among just seven free agents who received $17.9 million qualifying offers from their former clubs Friday, when Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw agreed to a $93 million, three-year contract rather than test the market.Left-handers Patrick Corbin (Arizona), Dallas Keuchel (Houston) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (Los Angeles Dodgers) also received qualifying offers as did outfielder A.J. Pollock (Diamondbacks) and catcher Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers).Players have until Nov. 12 to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the June amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round.Only five of 73 players given qualifying offers have accepted since the process began in 2012.The Chicago Cubs exercised their $20 million option on left-hander Cole Hamels, who went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Washington outfielder Bryce Harper and Boston closer Craig Kimbrel were among just seven free agents who received $17.9 million qualifying offers from their former clubs Friday, when Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw agreed to a $93 million, three-year contract rather than test the market.Left-handers Patrick Corbin (Arizona) Dallas Keuchel (Houston) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (Los Angeles Dodgers) also received offers as did outfielder A.J. Pollock (Diamondbacks) and catcher Yasmani Grandal (Dodgers).Players have until Nov. 12 to accept. If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the June amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round.Just five of 73 players given qualifying offers have accepted since the process began in 2012.The Chicago Cubs exercised their $20 million option on left-hander Cole Hamels, who went 4-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 12 starts after... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreeing to a $93 million, three-year contract after he initially opted out and chose free agency.The agreement was reached Friday, when Kershaw opted out of a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million.The left-hander gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses, in four $1 million increments for 24, 26, 28 and 30 games started, which could raise the deal's value to $105 million over three years.He also can earn award bonuses of $1.5 million for winning the NL Cy Young Award or $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting.Also Friday, the Dodgers made $17.9 million qualifying offers to two of their other free agents: pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu and catcher Yasmani Grandal.Winner of the NL Cy Young in 2011, '13 and '14, Kershaw was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreeing to a $93 million, three-year contract after he initially opted out and chose free agency.The agreement was reached Friday, when Kershaw opted out of his previous deal, a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million.The left-hander gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses based on starts, in four $1 million increments. He also can earn award bonuses.Winner of the NL Cy Young Award in 2011, '13 and '14, the seven-time All-Star was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA while striking out 155. The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight season, with Kershaw taking the loss in Sunday's season-ending Game 5 defeat to Boston.Kershaw signed his $215 million deal in January 2014, and it called for salaries of $32 million next... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreeing to a $93 million, three-year contract that avoids free agency.The agreement was reached Friday, the deadline for Kershaw to opt out of his previous deal, a $215 million, seven-year contract that had two seasons remaining at a total of $65 million.The left-hander gets an additional $28 million in guaranteed money. The new agreement includes $4 million annually in performance bonuses based on starts, in four $1 million increments. He also can earn award bonuses.Winner of the NL Cy Young Award in 2011, '13 and '14, the seven-time All-Star was limited to 26 starts this year because of a back injury and went 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA while striking out 155. The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight season, with Kershaw taking the loss in Sunday's season-ending Game 5 defeat to Boston.Kershaw signed his $215 million deal in January 2014. It called for salaries of $32 million next year and $33 million... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers are in ongoing negotiations with ace Clayton Kershaw, and they still need to resolve the future of manager Dave Roberts, too.According to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the talks with Kershaw's camp are "ongoingly pleasant."The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the team agreed to extend the deadline on Kershaw's opt-out decision by 40 hours until 1 p.m. PDT Friday.Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agent for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers.If he chooses free agency, Kershaw could negotiate with any team, including the Dodgers."He's made as much of an impact as you can on an organization in terms of the success we've had," Friedman said Thursday. "Not just on the field but from a culture standpoint in terms of bringing up young pitchers and emulating the work ethic, the drive."Kershaw signed a $215 million, seven-year contract in January... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Dodgers are in ongoing negotiations with ace Clayton Kershaw, and they still need to resolve the future of manager Dave Roberts, too.According to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the talks with Kershaw's camp are "ongoingly pleasant."The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the team agreed to extend the deadline on Kershaw's opt-out decision by 40 hours until 1 p.m. PDT Friday.Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agent for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers.If he chooses free agency, Kershaw could negotiate with any team, including the Dodgers."He's made as much of an impact as you can on an organization in terms of the success we've had," Friedman said Thursday. "Not just on the field but from a culture standpoint in terms of bringing up young pitchers and emulating the work ethic, the drive."Kershaw signed a $215 million, seven-year contract in January... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers want some more time to consider their possible future together.The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the team agreed to extend the deadline on his opt-out decision by 40 hours until 1 p.m. PDT Friday.The team made the announcement a couple hours before the initial 9 p.m. PDT deadline Thursday.Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agent for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers. They drafted him in 2006.If he opts out, he could negotiate with any team, including the Dodgers.He signed a $215 million, seven-year contract in January 2014 that calls for salaries of $32 million next year and $33 million in 2020.Kershaw was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA this season.At 30, he remains one of baseball's premier pitchers. But the left-handed ace had two separate stints on the disabled list for the fourth time in five years this season, and his fastball... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers want some more time to consider their possible future together.The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner and the team have agreed to extend the deadline on his option decision by 40 hours until 1 p.m. PDT Friday.The team made the announcement a couple hours before the initial 9 p.m. PDT deadline Thursday.Kershaw can opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract to become a free agenct for the first time in an 11-year big league career spent entirely with the Dodgers.He was 9-5 with a 2.73 ERA this season. The left-handed ace spent time on the disabled list for the fourth time in five years, too.The Dodgers lost in the World Series for the second straight year, falling 4-1 to Boston on Sunday.___More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Having lost in the World Series for the second straight year, the Dodgers enter an offseason filled with decisions about some of the franchise's biggest names, including Clayton Kershaw, Manny Machado and manager Dave Roberts.First up is Kershaw, who has until Wednesday to decide whether to opt out of the last two years and $65 million of his contract.If he does, the 30-year-old pitcher who has spent his entire 11-season career in Los Angeles can become a free agent. The front office has made it clear it wants Kershaw to remain the face of the franchise."I just hope they do the right thing," pitcher Rich Hill said about management retaining his fellow left-hander.Kershaw wasn't able to rewrite his postseason legacy of struggles, giving up three home runs Sunday in the Dodgers' loss to the Red Sox in the deciding Game 5 .The three-time NL Cy Young Award winner is 9-10 with a 4.32 ERA in the postseason. In two straight World Series, he's 1-2 with an ERA of 5.40. Four of... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The World Series was baseball 2018 in a microcosm.Half the 44 runs scored by the champion Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers came across the plate on home runs. That's the second-highest percentage in baseball history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, behind only last year's 57.4 percent.There were 109 strikeouts and 76 hits, a 1.43 ratio that was the second-highest behind 1.48 in 2012. That followed the first regular season in major league history with more strikeouts than hits and with the lowest overall batting average since 1972 — the year before the start of the designated hitter.Discussion of possible rule changes to increase action will dominate the offseason, along with speculation about a free agent market that includes Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson, and possibly David Price and Clayton Kershaw if they opt out of their contracts."What we try to do is pay attention over the course of the season," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said last... [More]