HOUSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Houston Astros have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent outfielder Michael Brantley.The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Monday night because the club has not yet announced the move.The 31-year-old Brantley has spent his entire 10-year career with the Cleveland Indians, where he was a three-time All-Star.Brantley is a career .295 hitter and gives Houston an upgrade to an outfield anchored by center fielder George Springer.Brantley hit .309 with 17 homers, 36 doubles and 76 RBIs last season in 143 games, with 134 starts in left field. Brantley's best season came in 2014 when he finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting 20 homers with 97 RBIs — both career-highs.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the Houston Astros have agreed to a two-year deal with free agent outfielder Michael Brantley.The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Monday night because the club has not yet announced the move.The 31-year-old Brantley has spent his entire 10-year career with the Cleveland Indians, where he was a three-time All-Star.Brantley is a career .295 hitter and gives Houston an upgrade to an outfield anchored by center fielder George Springer.Brantley hit .309 with 17 homers, 36 doubles and 76 RBIs last season in 143 games, with 134 starts in left field. Brantley's best season came in 2014 when he finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting 20 homers with 97 RBIs — both career-highs.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Plunking an opponent paid off for CC Sabathia.The New York Yankees gave Sabathia a $500,000 performance bonus, even though the 38-year-old left-hander was ejected from his final regular-season start six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.Sabathia hit Tampa Bay's Jesus Sucre starting the sixth inning on Sept. 27 with his 55th pitch of the night, retaliation for Andrew Kittredge throwing a pitch behind Austin Romine in the top half."We thought it was a very nice gesture by the Yankees," Sabathia's agent, Kyle Thousand of Roc Nation Sports, told The Associated Press on Monday. "CC was very appreciative and is really excited to come back next year and, hopefully, win a championship."Neither side announced the decision, which became evident when the $500,000 was included in the Yankees' final luxury tax payroll."It was something that we did very private and weren't looking to publicize, and I'll just leave it at that," Yankees general manager... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jeurys Familia would rather be a setup man for the New York Mets than close for another team.Familia had 123 saves for the Mets, who traded him to Oakland last July. He instructed agents Sam and Seth Levinson to pursue any possibility to return to the Mets."Honestly, that was my goal, be back with the Mets," Familia said during a conference call Monday, three says after his $30 million, three-year contract was finalized.New York recently acquired 2018 big league saves leader Edwin Diaz from Seattle along with All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano. Because of that, Familia will return in a different role."I want to pitch whatever innings they want to put me in the game," Familia said. "He's one of the best relievers in the game, the best closer. It's going to be fun."Familia gets a $2 million signing bonus payable on equal installments on July 1 and Dec. 10 next year. He has salaries of $6 million in 2019 and $11 million in each of the final two seasons. The Mets will defer... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians have acquired infielder Andruw Monasterio from Washington to complete the trade that sent All-Star catcher Yan Gomes to the Nationals.Cleveland dealt Gomes last month for a package that included right-hander Jefry Rodriguez, outfielder Daniel Johnston and a player to be named, who turned to be Monasterio.The 21-year-old began last season in the Chicago Cubs organization before he was traded to the Nationals on July 31. He batted a combined .267 with three homers and 36 RBIs in 122 games.He played second base, shortstop and third base. Monasterio signed with the Cubs as a 17-year-old in 2014.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander J.A. Happ and the New York Yankees have finalized a $34 million, two-year contract.Happ gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal includes a $17 million option for 2021 that could become guaranteed is he has either 27 or more starts as a pitcher in 2020 or 165 or more innings that year.He is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and James Paxton, acquired from Seattle in a trade.A first-time All-Star, Happ was acquired from Toronto on July 26 as a summer rental and went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for New York, leaving him 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA for the season. He lost lose at Boston in the AL Division Series opener, allowing five runs in two innings.Right-hander Parker Bridwell was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot Monday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Left-hander J.A. Happ and the New York Yankees have finalized a $34 million, two-year contract.Happ gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal includes a $17 million option for 2021 that could become guaranteed based on starts and innings in 2020.He is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and James Paxton, acquired from Seattle in a trade.A first-time All-Star, Happ was acquired from Toronto on July 26 as a summer rental and went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for New York, leaving him 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA for the season. He lost lose at Boston in the AL Division Series opener, allowing five runs in two innings.Right-hander Parker Bridwell was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot Monday.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have agreed to a $19 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.The agreement signals an end to the Mets' pursuit of Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Instead, New York turned to a two-time All-Star coming off a strong year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the deal has not been announced and is pending a physical.He would get $8.25 million next year and $9.25 in 2020, and the Mets would have a $10 million option with a $1.5 million buyout.The 31-year-old Ramos batted .306 with 15 home runs and an .845 OPS last season, ranking fifth among catchers in Wins Above Replacement at 2.4, via Fangraphs.New York officials met last week with Ramos at the winter meetings in Las Vegas and with Yasmani Grandal, another free agent catcher, in Arizona. Ramos became the priority for the Mets, partly because... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have agreed to a $19 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.The agreement signals an end to the Mets' pursuit of Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Instead, New York turned to a two-time All-Star coming off a strong year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the deal has not been announced and is pending a physical.The 31-year-old Ramos batted .306 with 15 home runs and an .845 OPS last season, ranking fifth among catchers in Wins Above Replacement at 2.4, via Fangraphs.New York officials met last week with Ramos at the winter meetings in Las Vegas and with Yasmani Grandal, another free agent catcher, in Arizona. Ramos became the priority for the Mets, partly because of compensation required for signing Grandal, who turned down a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers.... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have agreed to a $19.5 million, two-year contract with free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.The deal likely signals an end to the Mets' pursuit of Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto. Instead, New York will turn to a two-time All-Star in Ramos who is coming off a strong year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Sunday because the deal has not been announced and is still pending a physical.The 31-year-old Ramos batted .306 with 15 home runs and an .845 OPS last season, ranking fifth among catchers in Wins Above Replacement at 2.4, via Fangraphs.New York officials met last week with Ramos at the winter meetings in Las Vegas and with Yasmani Grandal, another free agent catcher, in Arizona. Ramos became the priority for the Mets, partly because of compensation required for signing Grandal, who turned down a $17.9 million qualifying offer... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — In a story Dec. 15 about Yonder Alonso's trade to the Chicago White Sox, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Alonso is married to the sister of star slugger Manny Machado. Machado is married to Alonso's sister.A corrected version of the story is below:Indians send 1B Alonso to White Sox for outfielder Alex CallIndians' offseason makeover keeps going with trade of 1st baseman Yonder Alonso to White SoxCLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — In a story Dec. 15 about Yonder Alonso's trade to the Chicago White Sox, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Alonso is married to the sister of star slugger Manny Machado. Machado is married to Alonso's sister.A corrected version of the story is below:AP source: White Sox acquire 1B Alonso in trade with IndiansAP source: Chicago White Sox acquire first baseman Yonder Alonso in trade with Cleveland IndiansBy JAY COHENAP Sports WriterCHICAGO (AP) — First baseman Yonder Alonso was traded to the Chicago White Sox by the Cleveland Indians on Friday in a deal between AL Central rivals that could have broad implications for both teams the rest of the offseason.A person familiar with the trade confirmed it on condition of anonymity because the clubs had not yet announced the swap. Stadium first reported Alonso was headed to the White Sox.Chicago sent minor league outfielder Alex Call to Cleveland for Alonso, who hit .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in 145 games this year... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Free agent first baseman Matt Adams has an agreement to return to the Washington Nationals, pending a successful physical exam.A person familiar with the deal confirmed to The Associated Press that Adams and the Nationals agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract with a mutual option for 2020. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the club had not made an announcement.Adams was traded by Washington to St. Louis in August for $50,000. He hit .158 with three home runs and nine RBIs in 27 games with the Cardinals.The 30-year-old Adams is expected to split time at first base again with Ryan Zimmerman. The agreement was first reported by the Athletic.Getting Adams is the latest move this offseason for Washington, which signed left-handed starter Patrick Corbin and catcher Kurt Suzuki, traded for catcher Yan Gomes and is waiting to see what happens with star outfielder Bryce Harper.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — First baseman Justin Bour and the Angels have finalized a $2.5 million, one-year contract, giving Los Angeles depth while Albert Pujols recovers from surgery.Bour can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances under the deal announced Saturday: $125,000 each for 350, 400, 450 and 500.The 30-year-old hit 20 homers and drove in 59 runs with the Marlins and Phillies last season. He played 112 of his 141 games with Miami before an August trade to Philadelphia.Bour didn't find a regular spot with Philadelphia down the stretch. The Phillies wouldn't have a spot for him this year, either, after moving Rhys Hoskins back to first base and signing corner outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a $50 million, three-year contract during the winter meetings.Bour batted .227, missing time late with an oblique strain. He's hit 83 home runs over the last four years.He earned $3.4 million last season after beating Miami in salary arbitration, and then became a free agent last month when Philadelphia didn't offer a 2019 contract.Pujols, who turns 39 next month, is working back from surgery on his left knee and right elbow and hasn't yet swung a bat. He had season-ending knee surgery in August followed by the elbow procedure in September to remove bone spurs.He's likely to see more games at designated hitter while two-way star Shohei Ohtani recovers from Tommy John surgery.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas."We've had a couple of goals going into the offseason and that's foremost trying to make sure we have a team that's capable of winning the American League Central in 2019 but also position the organization for sustained success beyond that," Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "There are a couple ways to do that. One is to infuse young, controllable talent into the organization. The second... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas."We've had a couple of goals going into the offseason and that's foremost trying to make sure we have a team that's capable of winning the American League Central in 2019 but also position the organization for sustained success beyond that," Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "There are a couple ways to do that. One is to infuse young, controllable talent into the organization. The second... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have made another offseason move, trading first baseman Yonder Alonso to the Chicago White Sox.Cleveland gets 24-year-old outfielder Alex Call in a deal made official Saturday. Call has yet to make his major league debut. The Indians also rid themselves of Alonso's entire $8 million salary for 2019.It's been a busy week for the three-time AL Central champions, who traded slugger Edwin Encarnacion and infielder Yandy Diaz and re-acquired first baseman Carlos Santana in a three-team trade on the final day of the winter meetings in Las Vegas.Cleveland may not be done. The club has considered trading either ace Corey Kluber or All-Star Trevor Bauer. The Indians have outfield needs and are looking to rebuild their bullpen.Alonso batted .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in his only season with the Indians, who signed him as a free agent last December.This deal between AL Central rivals could have broad implications for both teams the rest of the offseason.Chicago... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — First baseman Yonder Alonso was traded to the Chicago White Sox by the Cleveland Indians on Friday in a deal between AL Central rivals that could have broad implications for both teams the rest of the offseason.A person familiar with the trade confirmed it on condition of anonymity because the clubs had not yet announced the swap. Stadium first reported Alonso was headed to the White Sox.Chicago sent minor league outfielder Alex Call to Cleveland for Alonso, who hit .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in 145 games this year during his only season with the Indians.Cleveland reacquired first baseman and designated hitter Carlos Santana from Philadelphia in a three-team trade on Thursday, making Alonso expendable. The White Sox deal moves Alonso's $8 million salary for 2019 off the Indians' payroll, giving them more flexibility if they want to keep their deep rotation intact.Chicago already has Jose Abreu at first base, but he played in just 128 games last season due to injuries... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Chicago White Sox have acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.Chicago sent minor league outfielder Alex Call to Cleveland for Alonso, who hit .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in 145 games this year during his only season with the Indians.The person spoke Friday night on condition of anonymity because the teams had not announced the swap. Stadium first reported Alonso was headed to the White Sox.Cleveland reacquired first baseman and designated hitter Carlos Santana from Philadelphia in a three-team trade on Thursday, making Alonso expendable. The trade saves the Indians money, perhaps giving them a better chance to keep their deep rotation together.Chicago already has Jose Abreu at first base, but he played in just 128 games last season due to injuries and could see more time at DH with the addition of Alonso. The 31-year-old Alonso also is married to the sister of star slugger Manny Machado, a rumored target for the White Sox in free agency.___AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Chicago White Sox have acquired first baseman Yonder Alonso in a trade with the Cleveland Indians.Chicago sent minor league outfielder Alex Call to Cleveland for Alonso, who hit .250 with 23 homers and 83 RBIs in 145 games this year during his only season with the Indians.The person spoke Friday night on condition of anonymity because the teams had not announced the swap. Stadium first reported Alonso was headed to the White Sox.Cleveland reacquired first baseman and designated hitter Carlos Santana from Philadelphia in a three-team trade on Thursday, making Alonso expendable. The trade likely saves the Indians some money, perhaps giving them a better chance to keep their deep rotation together.Chicago already has Jose Abreu at first base, but he played in just 128 games last season due to injuries and could see more time at DH with the addition of Alonso. The 31-year-old Alonso also is married to the sister of star slugger Manny Machado, a rumored target for the White Sox in free agency.___AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports