NEW YORK (AP) — James Paxton spent the first two months of the 2016 season in the minor leagues after an awful spring training caused his demotion.When he returned to the majors, he quickly emerged as the Mariners' ace, and now the Yankees hope he can bolster the thin rotation that contributed to New York's loss to Boston in the AL Division Series. New York acquired the 30-year-old left-hander from the rebuilding Seattle Mariners on Monday for top prospect Justus Sheffield and two other minor leaguers."I think I'll be a great fit. They seem very committed to winning, and so am I," Paxton said.New York sent the left-handed Sheffield to the Mariners along with right-hander Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.Paxton turned 30 on Nov. 6 and went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts last season, including a 16-strikeout start against Oakland on May 2 and a no-hitter at Toronto six days later. He struck out 208 and walked 42 in a career-high 160 1/3 innings, allowing 23 home runs.Paxton... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander James Paxton was acquired by the Yankees from the Seattle Mariners for a trio of prospects Monday, bolstering the thin starting rotation that contributed to New York's loss to Boston in the AL Division Series.New York sent left-hander Justus Sheffield to the Mariners along with right-hander Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.Paxton turned 30 on Nov. 6 and went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts last season, including a no-hitter at Toronto on May 8. Paxton, a proud Canadian, is also known for keeping his composure as a bald eagle mistakenly landed on his shoulder prior to a start at Minnesota in April.He joins a rotation projected to include right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka and left-hander CC Sabathia.Paxton made $4.9 million last season and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can become a free agent after the 2020 season.Sheffield is rated among the top minor league prospects, made his big league debut in September and pitched... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Brewers have rounded out manager Craig Counsell's staff, bringing in Steve Karsay as bullpen coach to work with new pitching coach Chris Hook.Hook was promoted from pitching coordinator following 11 seasons in Milwaukee's minor league system as an instructor. He'll be joined by Karsay, an 11-year major league veteran who spent the past three seasons as pitching coach at Triple-A Columbus in Cleveland's system. Karsay worked with Indians starters Michael Clevinger and Shane Bieber.Milwaukee also added Andy Haines as hitting coach. Haines spent one season as assistant hitting coach for the NL Central-rival Chicago Cubs. He was the Cubs' minor league hitting coordinator from 2016-17.Haines also spent eight seasons with the Marlins organization, where he managed Brewers outfielder and NL MVP Christian Yelich in the minors.General manager David Stearns also announced Jason Lane would return as assistant hitting coach. Scott Barringer was named head athletic trainer.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the New York Yankees have agreed to acquire left-hander James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners for left-hander Justus Sheffield and two other prospects.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the trade had not yet been announced.Paxton turned 30 on Nov. 6 and went 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 28 starts last season, including a no-hitter at Toronto on May 8. He joins a rotation projected to include right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka and left-hander CC Sabathia.Paxton made $4.9 million last season and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can become a free agent after the 2020 season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — World Series MVP Steve Pearce says it was a "no-brainer" to return to the Red Sox for another year."This was the place that I wanted to be," he said on a conference call Monday, three days after agreeing to a $6.5 million, one-year deal with the defending champions. "The chemistry we had on and off the field, wanting to defend a title, that's a big deal."A 35-year-old journeyman who has played for seven teams — including the entire AL East — in a 12-year career, Pearce arrived in Boston at the end of June and spent most of this time with the Red Sox platooning at first base with Mitch Moreland.Pearce batted .279 in 50 games for Boston in the regular season, hitting seven homers — five of them against the New York Yankees, including three on Aug. 2. In five World Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he batted .333 with three homers, two of them in the Game 5 clincher, to earn MVP honors."The team I was on, everything that was done there, bringing everybody back, it... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Catcher Kurt Suzuki is heading back to the Washington Nationals after agreeing to a $10 million, two-year contract, a deal pending a successful physical.The deal was disclosed to The Associated Press on Monday by a person familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was not yet official.The 35-year-old Suzuki would get $4 million next year and $6 million in 2020, up from $3.5 million last season, his second with the Atlanta Braves.He became a free agent after batting .271 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 2018 as Atlanta won the NL East ahead of the second-place Nationals.Suzuki played for Washington in 2012 and 2013, part of a 12-year major league career in which he has been with four clubs and batted .258 with 114 home runs and 619 RBIs.He made the AL All-Star team in 2014 while with the Minnesota Twins.A right-handed hitter, Suzuki could wind up as part of a platoon at catcher for the Nationals, who have been in the market for help... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Catcher Kurt Suzuki is heading back to the Washington Nationals after agreeing to a $10 million, two-year contract, a deal pending a successful physical.The deal was disclosed to The Associated Press on Monday by a person familiar with the agreement who spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract was not yet official.The 35-year-old Suzuki would get $4 million next year and $6 million in 2020, up from $3.5 million last season, his second with the Atlanta Braves.He became a free agent after batting .271 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 2018 as Atlanta won the NL East ahead of the second-place Nationals.Suzuki played for Washington in 2012 and 2013.___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

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have acquired right-hander Chih-Wei Hu (chee-way-hoo) in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for infielder Gionti Turner.The trade was announced Monday. The 25-year-old Hu made just five relief appearances with the Rays in 2018. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Durham, where he went 5-7 with a 4.66 ERA in 24 games, including 19 starts.With Tampa Bay, Hue struck out 12 in 13 innings. He was acquired by the Rays in 2015 from Minnesota in the non-waiver deadline deal for right-hander Kevin Jepsen. Hu had the lowest ERA (2.59) in the Southern League in 2016.The 18-year-old Turner hit .296 (50 for 169) in the rookie-level Arizona League last season. He was a 27th-round draft pick this year.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astros have acquired infielder Aledmys Diaz from the Toronto Blue Jays for minor league pitcher Trent Thornton.The trade was announced by both teams Saturday.The 28-year-old Diaz hit .263 with 26 doubles and a career-high 18 home runs in 130 games with the Blue Jays.Thornton is a 25-year-old right-hander who went 9-8 with a 4.42 ERA in 24 games at Triple-A Fresno last season.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will undergo heart surgery Nov. 26 and expects to be fully recovered by spring training.The All-Star has twice experienced an atrial fibrillation episode, otherwise known as an irregular heartbeat, while the Dodgers were in the high altitude of Colorado. It most recently occurred in August, when his heart had to be shocked back into a regular rhythm. He didn't travel with the team back to Colorado in September as a precaution.Jansen underwent a heart procedure in 2012 to help the issue.He said Friday while distributing holiday turkeys that if all goes well, he would be cleared in two weeks. But if doctors find anything abnormal, Jansen said he would be down for eight weeks although he could still do his offseason work to be ready for opening day.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — World Series MVP Steve Pearce is staying with the Red Sox.The journeyman first baseman agreed to a $6.25 million, one-year contract with Boston on Friday.The 35-year-old Pearce was a free agent after completing a $12.5 million, two-year deal that he got from Toronto in December 2016. He earned an additional $150,000 bonus for his selection as World Series MVP. His new deal also includes award bonuses."We're thrilled to have Steve back with us for another year as we think he's a great fit for our club," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement. "Obviously, we all saw what kind of impact he can have on the field, especially with the postseason that he had. He also provides good depth and balance from the right side for us."A major league nomad of 12 teams, Pearce was traded to Boston in late June. He played 50 games for the Red Sox, hitting five home runs against the New York Yankees, including three on Aug. 2.He made his biggest impact in... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias was hired Friday to rebuild the Baltimore Orioles, who traded many of their star players last season before finishing with the worst record in the majors.Elias will carry the title of executive vice president and general manager. He will "oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters," the Orioles said in a statement.Elias will be introduced at a news conference in Baltimore on Monday.The 35-year-old Elias comes to the Orioles after working as scouting director and assistant GM in Houston, where he helped transform a last-place team into 2017 World Series champions.Elias replaces executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, who was fired with manager Buck Showalter in October after Baltimore's dreadful 47-115 season.One of Elias' first tasks will be to find a new manager. He can then turn his attention toward reconstructing a team... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias has been hired to rebuild the Baltimore Orioles, who traded many of their star players last season before finishing with the worst record in the majors.Elias will carry the title of executive vice president and general manager. He will "oversee all baseball operations for the club and have full autonomy to build his staff and make decisions on all baseball matters," according to the Orioles, who made the announcement Friday in a press release.Elias will be introduced at a news conference in Baltimore on Monday.The 35-year-old Elias comes to the Orioles after working as scouting director and assistant GM in Houston, where he helped transform a last-place team into 2017 World Series champions.Elias replaces executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette, who was fired with manager Buck Showalter in October after Baltimore's dreadful 47-115 season.One of Elias' first tasks will be to find a new manager. He can then... [More]

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Coming off a strong showing against a team of Major League Baseball All-Stars, Japan manager Atsunori Inaba has every reason to be confident about his team's chances of winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.Japan won the six-game exhibition series 5-1 against an MLB squad featuring National League Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr., fellow nominee Juan Soto and veteran catcher and nine-time gold glove winner Yadier Molina.The tour was a chance for Inaba to gauge the progress of his young players ahead of the Olympics their capital will be hosting in less than two years. Players like 23-year-old Seiji Uebayashi and Sosuke Genda stepped up against the major leaguers and performed well."I told my players to play this series with Tokyo 2020 in mind," Inaba said. "We used a lot of young players and it was a valuable experience for them. I hope they continue making progress."The host country has set an ambitious target of 30 gold medals at the 2020 Games and few... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Marlins are in the midst of a rebranding campaign, and it's unclear whether the effort will include keeping National League Most Valuable Players for a change.As of now, the Marlins are merely making cosmetic tweaks, unveiling a new logo and color scheme for Derek Jeter's year-old ownership regime.The downtrodden franchise celebrated its new look at a red-carpet event Thursday night just as Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was being named the NL MVP. That makes it two consecutive winners of the award traded by the Marlins last offseason, with Yelich joining 2017 MVP Giancarlo Stanton, now with the New York Yankees.The trades were part of a payroll purge and rebuilding effort under the ownership, and Jeter said he understands why the deals might make the franchise a target of derision."I get it. It's a complicated history," he said. "I understand that sometimes we take the blame for what has happened here in the past. We have to prove that wrong."We want... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Mookie Betts is ready to become an ambassador for baseball, now that he's won a batting title, World Series and Most Valuable Player award with Boston."I enjoy being kind of a face around the game. I've kind of used this pedestal or whatever you want to say to spread knowledge that the game is fun," he said Thursday after his runaway victory for the AL MVP award.Milwaukee's Christian Yelich was close to a unanimous pick for the NL honor. A 26-year-old outfielder just like Betts, Yelich also won a batting championship and led his team to a division title. But while Betts has been with the Red Sox since he signed after the 2011 amateur draft, Yelich didn't join the Brewers until he was dealt to Milwaukee last January by the payroll-paring Miami Marlins."I'm thankful it all worked out because being traded, you never know how it's going to be," Yelich said. "Luckily for myself, it all went amazing."Yelich is signed through 2021 and his deal includes a team option for the following... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston's Mookie Betts and Milwaukee's Christian Yelich were runaway winners of the Most Valuable Player awards after the 26-year-old outfielders each led their teams to first-place finishes with dominant seasons that included batting titles.Betts received 28 first-place votes and 410 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Thursday.Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, a two-time MVP, followed with one first-place vote and 265 points. Trout tied the record of four second-place finishes shared by Stan Musial, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols. Trout won in 2014 and 2016; was finished second in '12, '13 and '15; and was fourth in 2017.Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez was third with 208 points, and Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez was next with one first and 198 points.Betts hit a major league-leading .346 with 32 homers, 80 RBIs and 30 stolen bases as the leadoff hitter for the Red Sox, who won a team-record 108 games and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Milwaukee outfielder Christian Yelich was a runaway winner for the National League Most Valuable Player award after helping the Brewers return to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.Yelich received 29 first-place votes and 415 points from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Thursday.Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez was next with 250 points, followed by Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado with 203. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman finished fourth with 174, and the other first-place vote went to New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, the NL Cy Young Award winner, who finished fifth.Acquired from the payroll-paring Miami Marlins about a month before spring training, the 26-year-old Yelich won his first NL batting title — and the first in Brewers history — with a .326 average. He set career highs with 36 homers and 110 RBIs and had a 1.000 OPS.Yelich nearly became the NL's first Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937, finishing... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Peace in baseball is at hand — well, at feet.Major League Baseball and the players' association ended a footwear flap Thursday, agreeing to loosen restrictions on the colors of spikes that may be used.Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber and Steve Cishek of the Chicago Cubs wore black spikes in May despite a warning from the commissioner's office that they were violating a regulation requiring that at least 51 percent of the exterior of a player's shoes be the club's designated primary shoe color. For the Cubs, that color is blue.The majority requirement was eliminated under the new agreement. Players may now wear shows with black, white, any colors on the team's uniform and additional colors approved by the team.Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says "we believe that this agreement strikes the appropriate balance between the shared goal of permitting players to express their individuality while maintaining reasonable restrictions on shoe colors and designs."The new rules take effect for next season."Players welcome the expanded opportunity to express themselves and engage with fans through innovative design," union head Tony Clark says.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob deGrom says he has not yet chosen a new agent after Brodie Van Wagenen left his agency to become Mets general manager, and the NL Cy Young Award winner is open to discussing a contract extension with New York.Speaking on Wednesday night after being awarded his first Cy Young, deGrom said he is still "trying to figure everything out" after Van Wagenen gave up his career as an agent to deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Todd Frazier and others to become the Mets' general manager last month.The 30-year-old right-hander is under contractual control with New York through the 2020 season. He says he is open to signing an extension with the Mets, but says no discussions have begun. He says his "goal is to continue to keep an open dialogue and just see where things go."Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon has said there are provisions in Van Wagenen's contract "to deal with any conflicts of interest." Some players and rival agents have expressed concerns about Van Wagenen flipping labor-relations roles.___Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports