ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Free agent right-hander Juan Nicasio has signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers and will go to spring training as a non-roster invitee. Nicasio has played for six big league teams in his nine major league seasons, and was on an opening day roster each of the past eight years. The 33-year-old reliever made 47 appearances for Philadelphia last season, when he spent time on the injured list because of a left groin strain and right shoulder tendinitis.The Rangers also Wednesday assigned left-hander Kyle Bird outright to Triple-A Nashville. He had been designated for assignment a week earlier, and will also go to spring training as a non-roster player.A former starter, Nicasio has made at least at lest 45 appearances in each of the past five seasons. He has a 40-46 career record and 4.64 ERA in 362 games (82 starts) with Colorado (2011-14), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2015), Pittsburgh (2016-17), Philadelphia (2017, 2019), St. Louis (2017) and Seattle (2018).___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are finalizing a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas to make him the team’s manager, staying in-house to replace the ousted Carlos Beltrán, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.“I think it’s the fit. It’s where the team is. I think it’s the culture we’re trying to create,” Van Wagenen said.Rojas would take over for Beltrán, who left 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 brother of ex-big leaguer Moises Alou. The former minor league manager has been with the organization since 2007 but had never coached in the majors before joining Mickey Callaway's staff last season.“He has a good finger on the pulse of this team," Van Wagenen said.Callaway was fired after the season, and Rojas interviewed for the vacancy in November before New York... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Alex Gordon to a $4 million contract for next season, giving the rebuilding club a veteran presence in what is expected to be a young lineup under new manager Mike Matheny.The Royals designated right-hander Heath Fillmyer for assignment Wednesday in a corresponding roster move.The 35-year-old Gordon, a three-time All-Star, won his seventh Gold Glove last season to move within one of Frank White for the most in franchise history. He committed just one error in 146 games played in the outfield. His seven outfield assists tied him for third among big league left fielders, and his .266 batting average was his best since the 2015 season.Gordon was even called upon to pitch twice in games that got out of hand.One of the club's most popular players, Gordon said late last season that he was leaning toward returning in 2020 but wanted to spend some time discussing his future with his family. The move also had to make financial sense... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are finalizing a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas to make him the team’s manager, staying in-house to replace the ousted Carlos Beltrán, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.“I think it’s the fit. It’s where the team is. I think it’s the culture we’re trying to create,” Van Wagenen said.Rojas would take over for Beltrán, who left 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 brother of former big leaguer Moises Alou. The former minor league manager has been with the organization since 2007 but had never coached in the majors before joining Mickey Callaway's staff last season.“He has a good finger on the pulse of this team," Van Wagenen said.Callaway was fired after the season, and Rojas interviewed for the vacancy in November before New... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna doesn't have to match his career-best numbers of 2017 or even meet the standards set by Josh Donaldson last season to make the Atlanta Braves feel good about their investment in the outfielder.Ozuna only needs an average season as Atlanta's new cleanup hitter to help the Braves' offense enjoy another productive season.Still, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos dares to dream that Ozuna's 2020 season will be far more than average.“We'd be happy with what he did the last few years, but we think there's that upside in him to be even better,” Anthopoulos said Tuesday night after the Braves signed Ozuna, one of the top remaining free agents, to the $18 million, one-year deal.With Donaldson hitting cleanup in 2019, the Braves ranked third in the NL and seventh in the majors in runs scored. The Braves made a late bid to re-sign Donaldson, who instead signed a $92 million, four-year deal with Minnesota.Donaldson hit .259 with 37 homers and 94 RBIs in his one season... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets are finalizing a multiyear agreement with quality control coach Luis Rojas to make him the team’s manager, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Wednesday.“I think it’s the fit. It’s where the team is. I think it’s the culture we’re trying to create,” Van Wagenen said.Rojas would replace Carlos Beltrán, who left the team 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 brother of former big leaguer Moises Alou. The former minor league manager has been with the organization since 2007 but had never coached in the majors before joining Mickey Callaway's staff last season.“He has a good finger on the pulse of this team," Van Wagenen said.Callaway was fired after the season, and Rojas interviewed for the vacancy in November before New York hired Beltrán.Beltrán’s tenure lasted 2½ months... [More]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Alex Gordon to a $4 million contract for next season, giving the rebuilding club a veteran presence in what is expected to be a young lineup under new manager Mike Matheny.The Royals designated right-hander Heath Fillmyer for assignment Wednesday in a corresponding roster move.The 35-year-old Gordon, a three-time All-Star, won his seventh Gold Glove last season to move within one of Frank White for the most in franchise history. He committed just one error in 146 games played in the outfield. His seven outfield assists tied him for third among big league left fielders, and his .266 batting average was his best since the 2015 season.Gordon was even called upon to pitch twice in games that got out of hand.The former Nebraska standout is among the most popular players in Kansas City. He already ranks in the top 10 on several franchise lists, including fourth in homers with 186 and sixth in hits with 1,609 in his 13 seasons.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TOKYO (AP) — If anyone thought that using technology to steal catchers' signs had only blemished Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros — or it's something new — think again. Japan went through a similar scandal just over 20 years ago. The Japanese revere baseball as much as Americans and have straddled the same thin line between gamesmanship and cheating.In a widely covered scandal in 1998, a camera in the Fukuoka Dome was discovered to be focused on the catcher. Officials of the Daiei Hawks — now the SoftBank Hawks — reportedly monitored the signs and relayed them by walkie-talkie to fans in the stands, who then used signals to batters to indicated the coming pitch.There was no trash-can banging, as the Astros did. Instead, a fan would hold up a megaphone in front of their body to indicate, say, a fastball. Holding it to the right meant curve. On the left was, say, a change up.A Japanese baseball investigation found no wrongdoing by the Hawks, who were managed then by all-time home... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves found their new cleanup hitter when then reached an agreement with free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna on an $18 million, one-year deal Tuesday.Ozuna joins the team he helped beat in the playoffs last October. He hit .429 with two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their five-game win over the Braves in the NL Division Series.“We just focused on the player we thought was the best fit here,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “We were looking for a middle of the order bat.”The 29-year-old Ozuna hit .241 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs last season. His low batting average was something on an oddity because he ranked among the major league leaders in the highest percentage of hard-hit balls, according to Statcast.Ozuna will be the probable choice to fill the fourth spot in the Braves lineup that was left vacant when third baseman Josh Donaldson signed a $92 million, four-year deal with Minnesota.“The projection is he will bat cleanup for us,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves reached an $18 million, one-year deal Tuesday that puts him on the team he helped beat in the playoffs last October.Ozuna hit .429 with two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their five-game win over the Braves in the NL Division Series.The 29-year-old Ozuna hit .241 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs last season. His low batting average was something on an oddity because he ranked among the major league leaders in the highest percentage of hard-hit balls, according to Statcast.Ozuna is a two-time All-Star who spent his first five seasons with the Marlins, then was traded and played two years in St. Louis.Ozuna's signing leaves infielder-outfielder Nicholas Castellanos as the last remaining major free agent with spring training set to start in about three weeks.The two-time NL East champion Braves have been busy this offseason. On Monday, they signed former AL Cy Young Award winner and longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernández to a minor league with an invite to big league spring training.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ATLANTA (AP) — Free agent outfielder Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves reached an $18 million, one-year deal Tuesday that puts him on the team he helped beat in the playoffs last October.Ozuna hit .429 with two home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their five-game win over the Braves in the NL Division Series.The 29-year-old Ozuna hit .241 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs last season. His low batting average was something on an oddity because he ranked among the major league leaders in the highest percentage of hard-hit balls, according to Statcast.Ozuna is a two-time All-Star who spent his first five seasons with the Marlins, then was traded and played two years in St. Louis.Ozuna's signing leaves infielder-outfielder Nicholas Castellanos as the last remaining major free agent with spring training set to start in about three weeks.The two-time NL East champion Braves have been busy this offseason. On Monday, they signed former AL Cy Young Award winner and longtime Seattle ace Felix Hernández to a minor league with an invite to big league spring training.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs acquired reliever Travis Lakins from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named or cash on Tuesday.The 25-year-old right-hander debuted with Boston last season and posted a 3.86 ERA in 16 games. He was 3-4 with six saves and a 4.60 ERA in 40 appearances for Triple-A Pawtucket.The Cubs finished third in the NL Central at 84-78 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia had what the team called a "significant setback” while rehabbing his left knee, the latest blow to the four-time All-Star's attempt to return to the field. Boston spokesman Kevin Gregg confirmed the development Tuesday, which was first reported by The Boston Globe. It has left Pedroia's status for spring training uncertain. The Globe reported that he was meeting with his family, team and agents to decide his future. The 2008 American League MVP, the 36-year-old has been struggling since Baltimore's Manny Machado slid into the surgically repaired knee at second base on April 21, 2017. Pedroia had surgery that Oct. 25, followed by a procedure to remove scar tissue the following July 20. He had another operation last Aug. 6 to remove bone spurs and preserve the knee joint.A four-time All-Star, Pedroia has been limited to nine games over the past two seasons, three in May 2018 and six last April. Pedroia's contract includes salaries of $13... [More]