LAS VEGAS (AP) — Pete Rose was taking a break from signing autographs at the MGM Grand hotel when asked a question he’s uniquely qualified to address.What’s worse, betting on baseball or cheating at baseball?“I don’t know,’’ Rose tells The Associated Press. “All I know is I’ve been suspended for 30 years now. I don’t know anybody that’s been suspended for 30 years."It’s a fair point, especially when compared to the punishments handed out so far in the worst scandal to hit baseball since the steroid era. What Rose did was wrong — according to baseball rules — but there’s still a lot of people who believe he should be adding a Hall of Fame designation when he signs memorabilia in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas.Still, 30 years away from the game he was so great at seems like an awful long time, especially when Major League Baseball and other sports leagues have made their peace — and are doing business — with the bookies who post lines on their games.And face it. If you believe Rose on... [More]

AJ Hinch won’t be managing in the big leagues any time soon, if at all. Alex Cora joined him Tuesday in the unemployment line, and it’s hard to believe anyone will ever give him another job that involves being a leader of men.The punishments fit the crime, and for that baseball commissioner Rob Manfred deserves a pat on the back. Give another one to Astros owner Jim Crane, who did his part to clean up an increasingly smelly mess in Houston by immediately firing both his manager and general manager.But that doesn’t bring real justice. It can’t.Not to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are now at 32 years and counting without a World Series title.Not to Clayton Kershaw, whose postseason failings were magnified in Game 5 at Minute Maid Park when the Dodgers ace was raked for six runs and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.And certainly not to Yu Darvish, whose reputation — and nearly his career — got trashed when he was routed by the Astros in two games of the 2017 World Series.Yes, the official... [More]

AJ Hinch won’t be managing in the big leagues any time soon, if at all. Alex Cora will soon join him in the unemployment line, and it’s hard to believe anyone will ever give him another job that involves being a leader of men.The punishments — technically Cora’s is still to come — fit the crime, and for that baseball commissioner Rob Manfred deserves a pat on the back. Give another one to Astros owner Jim Crane, who did his part to clean up an increasingly smelly mess in Houston by immediately firing both his manager and general manager.But that doesn’t bring real justice. It can’t.Not to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are now at 32 years and counting without a World Series titleNot to Clayton Kershaw, whose postseason failings were magnified in game 5 at Minute Maid Park when the Dodgers ace was raked for six runs and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.And certainly not to Yu Darvish, whose reputation — and nearly his career — got trashed when he was routed by the Astros in two games... [More]

AJ Hinch won’t be managing in the big leagues any time soon, if at all. Alex Cora will soon join him in the unemployment line, and it’s hard to believe anyone will ever give him another job that involves being a leader of men.The punishments — technically Cora’s is still to come — fit the crime, and for that baseball commissioner Rob Manfred deserves a pat on the back. Give another one to Astros owner Jim Crane, who did his part to clean up an increasingly smelly mess in Houston by immediately firing both his manager and general manager.But that doesn’t bring real justice. It can’t.Not to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are now at 32 years and counting without a World Series titleNot to Clayton Kershaw, whose postseason failings were magnified in game 5 at Minute Maid Park when the Dodgers ace was raked for six runs and didn’t make it out of the fifth inning.And certainly not to Yu Darvish, whose reputation — and nearly his career — got trashed when he was routed by the Astros in two games... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed Friday to an $11.5 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest salary for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time.Shortstop Corey Seager agreed to a $7.6 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, also skipping arbitration.Los Angeles is headed toward arbitration with four players. Outfielder Joc Pederson requested a $9.5 million salary while the Dodgers offered $7.75 million, outfielder Chris Taylor is seeking $5.8 million and was offered $5.25 million, infielder Max Muncy wants $4,675,000 and was offered $4 million, and reliever Pedro Báez faces a gap of $4 million versus $3.5 million.The Dodgers also reached one-year deals with right-hander Ross Stripling ($2.1 million), left-hander Julio Urías ($1 million) and infielder-outfielder Enrique Hernández ($5.9 million). They were all eligible for arbitration.Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .305 with a career-high 47 homers and 115 RBIs, a bargain... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed Friday to an $11.5 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest salary for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time.Shortstop Corey Seager agreed to a $7.6 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, also skipping arbitration.Los Angeles is headed toward arbitration with four players. Outfielder Joc Pederson requested a $9.5 million salary while the Dodgers offered $7.75 million, outfielder Chris Taylor is seeking $5.8 million and was offered $5.25 million, infielder Max Muncy wants $4,675,000 and was offered $4 million, and reliever Pedro Báez faces a gap of $4 million versus $3.5 million.The Dodgers also reached one-year deals with right-hander Ross Stripling, left-hander Julio Urías ($1 million) and infielder-outfielder Enrique Hernández ($5.9 million). They were all eligible for arbitration.Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .305 with a career-high 47 homers and 115 RBIs, a bargain at $605,000.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Mookie Betts agreed Friday to a $27 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, the largest one-year salary for an arbitration-eligible player, while Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an $18.6 million, one-year deal.Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer struck a $17.5 million agreement after winning hearings against Cleveland the previous two winters, and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor also agreed to $17.5 million.NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed at $11.5 million, the largest amount for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, also eligible for the first time, received an $8.5 million deal.Among 155 players eligible for arbitration at the start of the day, just 20 remained headed for hearings next month after exchanging proposed arbitration salaries with teams. Houston outfielder George Springer asked for a raise from $12.15 million to $22.5 million and was offered $17.5 million in the biggest gap. Philadelphia... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed Friday to an $11.5 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest salary for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time.Shortstop Corey Seager agreed to a $7.6 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, also skipping arbitration.Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .305 with a career-high 47 homers and 115 RBIs, a bargain at $605,000. He also won a Gold Glove Award for his outfield play. With 2 years, 160 days of major league service, Bellinger is eligible for arbitration three more times and can become a free agent after the 2023 season.Bellinger's deal tops the old mark of $10.85 million on a one-year deal for Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs in January 2018.Seager, the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, missed most of the 2018 season following Tommy John surgery. He hit .272 with 19 homers and 87 RBIs this year, tying for the NL lead with 44 doubles. He earned a raise from a $4 million salary last year.The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Outfielder Mookie Betts agreed Friday to a $27 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, the largest one-year salary for an arbitration-eligible player, while Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an $18.6 million, one-year deal.Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer struck a $17.5 million agreement after winning hearings against Cleveland the previous two winters, and Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor also agreed to $17.5 million.NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed at $11.5 million, the largest amount for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, also eligible for the first time, received an $8.5 million deal.Among 155 players eligible for arbitration at the start of the day, just 20 remained headed for hearings next month after exchanging proposed arbitration salaries with teams. Houston outfielder George Springer asked for a raise from $12.15 million to $22.5 million and was offered $17.5 million in the biggest gap.Just 10 cases... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — NL MVP Cody Bellinger agreed Friday to an $11.5 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the largest salary for a player eligible for arbitration for the first time.Shortstop Corey Seager agreed to a $7.6 million, one-year deal with the Dodgers, also skipping arbitration.Bellinger, the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year, hit .305 with 47 homers and 115 RBIs, a bargain at $605,000. With 2 years, 160 days of major league service, Bellinger is eligible for arbitration three more times and can become a free agent after the 2023 season.Seager, the 2016 NL Rookie of the Year, missed most of the 2018 season following Tommy John surgery. He hit .272 with 19 homers and 87 RBIs this year, tying for the NL lead with 44 doubles. He earned a raise from a $4 million salary last year.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Catcher Austin Barnes agreed to a $1.1 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who also reached an $875,000 deal with left-hander Scott Alexander on Monday.Los Angeles failed to offer a 2020 contract to Yimi García, allowing the right-hander to become a free agent.Barnes, who turns 30 on Dec. 28, hit .203 with five homers and 25 RBIs in 242 plate appearances. His 64 games behind the plate led the team as he shared time with Russell Martin and Will Smith. Barnes is a veteran of five major league seasons, all with Los Angeles. He also spent time at Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, where he was used occasionally at second base.Alexander, 30, was 3-2 with a 3.63 ERA over 28 relief appearances in his second season with the Dodgers.García, a 29-year-old right-hander, was 1-4 with a 3.61 ERA in 64 relief appearances.Los Angeles has nine players still eligible for arbitration, including NL MVP Cody Bellinger, shortstop Corey Seager, infielder Max Muncy and outfielder Joc Pederson.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — It had never been so difficult for Mike Trout to arrive at the ballpark, get his mind and body ready, and perform at the level baseball fans have come to expect.And still, nobody did it better in the American League.Trout overcame injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP award Thursday night, getting 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was second, and that duo combined for all the first- and second-place votes. Trout also won the award in 2014 and ’16.“This year was probably the toughest year,” Trout said.Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger made it a Southern California sweep, beating out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes, Yelich got 10, and Washington’s Anthony Rendon got one while finishing third. Yelich won the award last year.Trout had season-ending foot surgery in September while the Angels languished to a fourth-place... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has overcome injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP award.Trout got 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was second with the other 13 first-place votes. That duo combined for all the first- and second-place votes.Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger made it an LA sweep, beating out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes, Yelich got 10, and Washington’s Anthony Rendon got one while finishing third. Yelich won the award last year.Trout had season-ending foot surgery in September. The outfielder played just 134 games but still set a career high with 45 homers. He batted .291, led the majors with a .438 on-base percentage and drove in 104 runs. It was just enough to avoid another second-place finish — he’s tied for the record with four runner-ups.The 28-year-old shined even... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has overcome injury and tragedy to win his third AL MVP Award.Trout got 17 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Alex Bregman of the Houston Astros was second with the other 13 first-place votes. That duo combined for all the first- and second-place votes.Trout had season-ending foot surgery in September. The outfielder played just 134 games but still set a career high with 45 homers. He batted .291, led the majors with a .438 on-base percentage and drove in 104 runs.The 28-year-old shined even following the death of close friend and teammate Tyler Skaggs on July 1. Trout smashed a 454-foot homer wearing Skaggs’ No. 45 in the team’s first game back, when LA pitchers threw a combined no-hitter.Trout is the 10th three-time MVP and joins an elite group: Barry Bonds, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Schmidt. Bonds is the only player with more than three MVPs — he won seven.Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger beat out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich for the NL prize. Yelich won the award last year.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger has beaten out the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich to win NL MVP.Bellinger got 19 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Thursday night. Yelich got 10 first-place votes, and Washington’s Anthony Rendon got one while finishing third.The 24-year-old Bellinger and his loose, left-handed swing launched 47 home runs with a .305 average, 115 RBIs and a 1.035 OPS.He was the best player on the NL’s top team in the regular season, propelling Los Angeles to 106 wins. He’s the 10th different Dodgers player to win MVP and first since Clayton Kershaw in 2014.Bellinger teared up after learning he’d been chosen, getting emotional especially after hugging his father — former big leaguer Clay Bellinger.The AL prize was set to be awarded later Thursday.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Alex Bregman will try to give the Houston Astros an unprecedented sweep.If the All-Star slugger is selected the American League’s Most Valuable Player when voting results are announced Thursday, the Astros will become the first team to have an MVP, Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year in the same season. Justin Verlander took Cy Young honors, and Yordan Álvarez was a unanimous pick as the AL’s top rookie.Mike Trout is probably Bregman’s top competition, and the National League MVP figures to come down to Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers or Christian Yelich of the Brewers, with Anthony Rendon of the Nationals also a worthy finalist.Both MVP races were impacted by injuries. Trout was having another spectacular year for the Los Angeles Angels when right foot problems ended his season early. He did not play after Sept. 7 and was limited to 134 games.Trout still finished with a career-high 45 home runs, along with a .291 batting average, 104 RBIs, 110 runs and a 1.083 OPS. Trout won MVP... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out Houston Astros teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America revealed Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The 36-year-old Verlander won his first Cy Young in 2011 with Detroit, when he was also named MVP. Since then, he’d been a runner-up three times.“The adversity I went through puts a new perspective on everything,” he said. “I mean, still would’ve liked to have won a couple of them.”Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Verlander has a second AL Cy Young Award — and a clear path paved toward Cooperstown.Verlander beat out teammate Gerrit Cole in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Wednesday night. Verlander got 17 first-place votes compared to 13 for Cole, who became a free agent after the season.Mets ace Jacob deGrom won the NL prize for the second straight year. He received 29 of 30 first-place votes, becoming the 11th pitcher to win Cy Youngs in consecutive years. He and Verlander are the 20th and 21st players to win the award multiple times.The previous repeat winner was Washington’s Max Scherzer in 2016 and ’17. Scherzer finished third this season, a slot behind the Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu.Verlander continued a marvelous second act to his career since a 2017 trade from Detroit to Houston. He led the majors with 21 victories and padded his Hall of Fame resume by getting his 3,000th strikeout in his final start of the regular season. He also reached... [More]