KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Already a World Series MVP, six-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove catcher, Salvador Pérez became something else when he stepped onto the main stage at the Kansas City Royals' annual FanFest: a U.S. citizen.Pérez took his oath of citizenship on Friday, the completion of a five-year process that he described as long and difficult, but well worth it.“I would rather be in the World Series, bases loaded, two outs, 3-2, hitting than go through that again,” he said. “I was shaking and my eyes were super big. But it was fun.”“Becoming a U.S. citizen is great," said Pérez, who was born and raised in Venezuela.Pérez missed all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery during spring training. He’s healthy and hopes to regain his old form, which include 162-game averages of 24 home runs, 87 RBIs and a .266 average.“My elbow is great,” he said, noting that he lost 22 pounds this offseason. “If everything goes well, I’ll be in the lineup on opening day."The Royals will... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Luis Rojas never expected to be the man behind the microphone.Eleven days earlier, he was preparing for his second spring training as the Mets' relatively anonymous quality control coach. Now he was a major league manager, just like his dad, tasked with lifting New York's perennial No. 2 team to its first World Series title since 1986.“I will lead this team into success,” he promised.Carlos Beltrán's news conference at Citi Field on Nov. 4 was a coronation, held in the spacious Foxwoods Club high above the diamond. Beltrán's tenure lasted just 84 days, cut short by his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Rojas' introduction in the more Spartan news conference room near the clubhouse felt like the hastily arranged handover it was.Rojas' mother, Lucie, sat in the front row.“Thank you for raising us right, for teaching us what was right and wrong since early,” he told her, repeating his words in Spanish.Then he turned his attention to Felipe Alou, his 84-year-old... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Dallas Keuchel has become the first member of the 2017 Houston Astros to offer a public apology for the team's sign-stealing scheme during their run to the World Series championship.Speaking Friday at the fan convention for the Chicago White Sox, who signed the left-hander to a $55.5 million, three-year contract in December, Keuchel said he felt what happened was blown out of proportion, but he was sorry.“I'm not going to go into specific detail, but during the course of the playoffs in ‘17, everybody was using multiple signs," Keuchel said, “I mean, for factual purposes, when there’s nobody on base, when in the history of major league baseball has there been multiple signs?“It's just what the state of baseball was at that point and time," the former AL Cy Young Award winner said. “Was it against the rules? Yes it was, and I personally am sorry for what's come about, the whole situation."An investigation by Major League Baseball found the Astros used the video feed from a... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Dallas Keuchel has become the first member of the 2017 Houston Astros to offer a public apology for the team's sign-stealing scheme during their run to the World Series championship.Speaking Friday at the fan convention for the Chicago White Sox, who signed the left-hander to a $55.5 million, three-year contract in December, Keuchel said he felt what happened was blown out of proportion, but he was sorry.“I'm not going to go into specific detail, but during the course of the playoffs in ‘17, everybody was using multiple signs," Keuchel said, “I mean, for factual purposes, when there’s nobody on base, when in the history of major league baseball has there been multiple signs?“It's just what the state of baseball was at that point and time," the former AL Cy Young Award winner said. “Was it against the rules? Yes it was, and I personally am sorry for what's come about, the whole situation."An investigation by Major League Baseball found the Astros used the video feed from a... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon agreed to consent to a trade by the Kansas City Royals starting June 16, an unusual provision in his new $4 million, one-year contract.Gordon has spent his entire career with the Royals and has the right to block trades under baseball's collective bargaining agreement because his has at least 10 years of major league service, including five or more with his current team. The Royals lost more than 100 games in each of the last two seasons and are not projected to contend.If the 35-year-old outfielder is traded, he would receive a $500,000 assignment bonus each time he is dealt, payable by the receiving team. In addition, if he is traded he would be eligible for $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances starting after the initial swap: $100,000 each for 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250.A three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, Gordon has an array of award bonuses: $100,000 for MVP and $50,000 for second through fifth in the voting,... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Gordon agreed to consent to a trade by the Kansas City Royals starting June 16, an unusual provision in his new $4 million, one-year contract.Gordon has spent his entire career with the Royals and has the right to block trades under baseball's collective bargaining agreement because his has at least 10 years of major league service, including five or more with his current team. The Royals lost more than 100 games in each of the last two seasons and are not projected to contend.If the 35-year-old outfielder is traded, he would receive a $500,000 assignment bonus each time he is dealt, payable by the receiving team. In addition, if he is traded he would be eligible for $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances starting after the initial swap: $100,000 each for 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250.A three-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glove winner, Gordon has an array of award bonuses: $100,000 for MVP and $50,000 for second through fifth in the voting,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets made it official, hiring Luis Rojas as their manager to replace Carlos Beltrán.New York announced the move Thursday, a week after Beltrán departed without managing a game. Rojas, who had been the Mets' quality control coach, was given a multiyear contract.“I will work tirelessly to help this team win,” Rojas said in a statement. “I believe this team and coaching staff can do special things, and I look forward to working together with everyone to reach our goals.” Rojas became New York's fourth manager in the past 2 1/2 years — and third in four months. He is to be introduced Friday at a Citi Field news conference."He has a good finger on the pulse of this particular team. He was part of it last year,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday. "He knows these guys, and he knows how to communicate to them. Every returning player on the roster has a relationship with him, and that’s valuable to us at this time.” Beltrán was let go last week as part of the... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox are still hoping to have a manager in place by spring training, but chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Thursday it's possible they won't hire someone before pitchers and catchers report Feb. 12.“It would certainly be ideal” to have replaced Alex Cora by then — but not at the cost of rushing the process, Bloom said. “Nobody wants to be at this point in a year without a manager, obviously, so that would become even more important once we get to spring training.”The Red Sox let Cora go last week after Commissioner Rob Manfred identified him as the ringleader in a sign-stealing scheme when he was the bench coach with the World Series champion Houston Astros in 2017. Major League Baseball is also looking into whether Cora engaged in similar shenanigans after taking over the Red Sox in 2018; the team has declined comment pending the results of the investigation.The Astros fired manager AJ Hinch, and the Mets fired new manager Carlos Beltrán — before he managed... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — This was already going to be a year where the Seattle Mariners would be relying heavily on young players and some of their top prospects right from the beginning of the season. Now the Mariners expect to be without one of their few veterans — likely for the first month. Outfielder Mitch Haniger is expected to miss the start of the regular season and likely needs to undergo core muscle surgery, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Thursday. Haniger suffered the injury during one of his offseason workouts earlier this week. Dipoto said the latest setback is tied to Haniger's injury issues from last season. “I was expecting him to show up for the first day of spring training ready to go but that does not appear to be the case,” Dipoto said. Haniger missed the final 3 1/2 months of the season after suffering a ruptured testicle and then experiencing back and core issues during his recovery. Haniger was limited to 63 games and batted .220 with 15 homers and 32 RBIs. A year earlier,... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — It could be another long season for the Detroit Tigers, but fans in the Motor City may not have to look far for signs of hope.About 60 miles down Interstate 75.“We've got some pretty good ones going to Triple-A Toledo," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "They ought to be pretty happy down there. They're going to see some pretty good pitchers.”Gardenhire and general manager Al Avila indicated Thursday that some of Detroit's top prospects will likely spend time at Toledo this season. The Tigers are hoping to improve after losing 114 games in 2019, but they're also leery of rushing young players too quickly.Avila was asked about right-handers Casey Mize and Matt Manning, two of the game's top 20 prospects according to Baseball America. Although Avila didn't say anything certain about the organization's plans, it does not sound like those two will be joining the Tigers right away in the big leagues.“I think it would be our preference for them to start in Toledo — have a great... [More]

SEATTLE (AP) — Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger is expected to miss the start of the regular season and likely needs to undergo core muscle surgery, general manager Jerry Dipoto said Thursday. Haniger suffered the injury during one of his offseason workouts earlier this week. Dipoto said the latest setback is tied to Haniger's injury issues from last season. Haniger missed the final 3 1/2 months of the season after suffering a ruptured testicle and then experiencing back issues during his recovery. Haniger was limited to 63 games and batted .220 with 15 homers and 32 RBIs. A year earlier, Haniger was an All-Star after hitting .285 with 26 homers and 93 RBIs and an OPS of .859. Dipoto said the hope is that Haniger's recovery will take about six to eight weeks following the surgery. He could be ready to join the major league club sometime in late April. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals star catcher Salvador Perez is about to become a U.S. citizen.Perez passed his citizenship exam earlier this month and will be be joined by Chief U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on the Royals FanFest main stage Friday at the Kansas City Convention Center to take the oath of allegiance, the Royals said in a news release. “I am grateful to this country for the many opportunities I have been given; including the ability to play professional baseball," Perez said in the release. “I thank God, my mother, my family, the Royals, and all those who have supported me during this process towards becoming a United States citizen."Perez signed with the Royals as a 16-year-old prospect from Venezuela, but shot through the minor league system. He made his big league debut in 2011 and was named the Most Valuable Player in the Royals' five-game World Series win over the New York Mets in 2015.Perez was sidelined last season by Tommy John surgery but is preparing to return to the roster this year. Royals general manager Dayton Moore said the “entire organization and the community of Kansas City look forward to celebrating this historic and special moment."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Royals star catcher Salvador Perez is about to become a U.S. citizen.Perez passed his citizenship exam earlier this month and will be be joined by Chief U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips on the Royals FanFest main stage Friday to take the oath of allegiance, the Royals said in a news release. “I am grateful to this country for the many opportunities I have been given; including the ability to play professional baseball," Perez said in the release. “I thank God, my mother, my family, the Royals, and all those who have supported me during this process towards becoming a United States citizen."Perez signed with the Royals as a 16-year-old prospect from Venezuela, but shot through the minor league system. He made his big league debut in 2011 and was named the Most Valuable Player in the Royals' five-game World Series win over the New York Mets in 2015. Perez was sidelined last season by Tommy John surgery but is preparing to return to the roster this year. Royals general manager Dayton Moore said the “entire organization and the community of Kansas City look forward to celebrating this historic and special moment."

NEW YORK (AP) — Caught off guard in a quick split with Carlos Beltrán, the New York Mets want some continuity for a change. So with spring training only three weeks away, they picked his replacement from their very own bench. The club was working Wednesday to complete a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas that would make him New York's fourth manager in the past 2 1/2 years — and third in four months."He has a good finger on the pulse of this particular team. He was part of it last year,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. "He knows these guys, and he knows how to communicate to them. Every returning player on the roster has a relationship with him, and that’s valuable to us at this time.” Rojas would take over for Beltrán, let go by the Mets last week before managing a single game as part of the fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.The 38-year-old Rojas is the son of former Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou and the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Caught off guard in a quick split with Carlos Beltrán, the New York Mets want some continuity for a change. So with spring training only three weeks away, they picked his replacement from their very own bench. The club was working Wednesday to complete a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas that would make him New York's fourth manager in the past 2 1/2 years — and third in four months."He has a good finger on the pulse of this particular team. He was part of it last year,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. "He knows these guys, and he knows how to communicate to them. Every returning player on the roster has a relationship with him, and that’s valuable to us at this time.” Rojas would take over for Beltrán, let go by the Mets last week before managing a single game as part of the fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.The 38-year-old Rojas is the son of former Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou and the... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Matt Wieters finalized a $2 million, one-year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, a deal that brought back the 33-year-old to again back up Yadier Molina.Wieters can earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses based on starts as part of the deal, which was agreed to last weekend. He would get $100,000 each for 40 starts and each additional five through 75, and $200,000 for 80.Wieters was a four-time All-Star with Baltimore before spending two seasons with Washington and then joining the Cardinals. He was a non-roster invitee who wound up starting 54 games and appearing in 67 last season, hitting .214 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs while helping St. Louis win the NL Central.Selected fifth overall by the Orioles in the 2007 amateur draft, Wieters also showed off the defensive ability that won him a pair of Gold Gloves: He threw out eight of 19 runners attempting to steal. Wieters had a $1.5 million base salary and earned $300,000 in bonuses.He is a career .250 hitter with 146 homers and 546 RBIs. He needs 11 hits to reach 1,000 for his career.The deal raises the offseason total of agreements for agent Scott Boras and his staff to $1,136,250,000, with a deal still to be reached for free agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed left-hander Francisco Liriano, right-handers Bud Norris and Drew Storen and infielder Neil Walker to minor league contracts with invitations to attend major league spring training.Liriano was 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 69 relief appearances for Pittsburgh last season. The 36-year-old Liriano is 112-114 with a 4.15 ERA and has averaged 9.01 strikeouts per nine innings over 419 career games.Norris hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018 when he had a 3.59 ERA with 28 saves in 33 opportunities for St. Louis. Norris, who turns 35 on March 2, attended major league spring training with Toronto last year. He is 67-90 with 47 saves and a 4.45 ERA in 355 career games, including 188 starts.Storen last pitched in the majors in 2017 for Cincinnati, posting a 4.45 ERA over 58 games. He made nine relief appearances for Kansas City's Double-A affiliate in 2019. The 32-year-old Storen is 29-18 with 99 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 470 career relief appearances.Walker batted .261 with a .344 on-base percentage, eight homers and 38 RBIs in 115 games for Miami last season. The 34-year-old switch-hitter has a .267 average, 149 homers and 606 RBIs in 1,288 career games. ___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals signed catcher Matt Wieters to a contract for the 2020 season on Wednesday, bringing back the 33-year-old veteran to fill the same role behind Yadier Molina as last season.Wieters was a four-time All-Star with Baltimore before spending two seasons with Washington and then joining the Cardinals. He was a non-roster invitee who wound up starting 54 games and appearing in 67 last season, hitting .214 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs while helping St. Louis win the NL Central.The former fifth overall pick of the Orioles also showed off the defensive chops that won him a pair of Gold Gloves, throwing out 8 of 19 runners attempting to steal.Wieters is a career .250 hitter with 146 homers and 546 RBIs. He needs 11 more hits to reach 1,000 for his career.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Cardinals signed catcher Matt Wieters to a contract for the 2020 season on Wednesday, bringing back the 33-year-old veteran to fill the same role behind Yadier Molina as last season.Wieters was a four-time All-Star with Baltimore before spending two seasons with Washington and then joining the Cardinals. He was a non-roster invitee who wound up starting 54 games and appearing in 67 last season, hitting .214 with 11 homers and 27 RBIs while helping St. Louis win the NL Central.The former fifth overall pick of the Orioles also showed off the defensive chops that won him a pair of Gold Gloves, throwing out 8 of 19 runners attempting to steal.Wieters is a career .250 hitter with 146 homers and 546 RBIs. He needs 11 more hits to reach 1,000 for his career.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and third baseman Josh Donaldson finalized their four-year, $92 million contract Wednesday that is the richest in team history for a free agent.Donaldson agreed last week to the deal that includes a club option for a fifth season. The 34-year-old will make $21 million per season. For 2024, the Twins can either retain him for $16 million or buy him out for $8 million.The deal far surpassed the previous high-dollar mark for Minnesota on the open market, a four-year, $55 million deal for starting pitcher Ervin Santana that began in 2015. The Twins gave then-catcher Joe Mauer an eight-year, $184 million contract in 2010, but that was an in-house extension that kicked in the following season.Donaldson batted .259 with 33 doubles, 37 home runs, 96 runs, 94 RBIs and 100 walks in 155 games for Atlanta in 2019. The 2015 American League MVP award winner with Toronto, Donaldson brings 219 career homers to a lineup that was already one of the deepest in baseball. The Twins set the all-time major league record with 307 homers in 2019.The Twins also pursued Donaldson for his ability to upgrade the infield defense that was a relative weakness last year. His arrival will move Miguel Sanó across the diamond to first base.___More AP MLB coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports