Paul Goldschmidt and Robinson Cano have already switched teams this offseason, going to the Cardinals and Mets in major trades.As for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper — the jewels of the free agent market — they're still waiting.Patrick Corbin and Josh Donaldson are already signed, but there are plenty of significant free agents still available heading into the winter meetings this week. The market appears less sluggish than a year ago, and Machado and Harper will remain focal points.Here's a look at the top free agents — broken down by position — who are still available. Players are listed with their most recent teams, with their ages in parentheses:LEFT-HANDED STARTERDallas Keuchel, Astros (30)With Corbin off the board , Keuchel may be the top remaining starter on the market. He slipped a bit after his Cy Young-winning performance of 2015, but this past season was encouraging from a health standpoint. He made a career-high 34 starts and posted a 3.74 ERA.Other options: J.A. Happ hasn't... [More]

Paul Goldschmidt and Robinson Cano have already switched teams this offseason, going to the Cardinals and Mets in major trades.As for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper — the jewels of the free agent market — they're still waiting.Patrick Corbin and Josh Donaldson are already signed, but there are plenty of significant free agents still available heading into the winter meetings this week. The market appears less sluggish than a year ago, and Machado and Harper will remain focal points.Here's a look at the top free agents — broken down by position — who are still available. Players are listed with their most recent teams, with their ages in parentheses:LEFT-HANDED STARTERDallas Keuchel, Astros (30)With Corbin off the board , Keuchel may be the top remaining starter on the market. He slipped a bit after his Cy Young-winning performance of 2015, but this past season was encouraging from a health standpoint. He made a career-high 34 starts and posted a 3.74 ERA.Other options: J.A. Happ hasn't... [More]

Mike Napoli has announced his retirement after 12 years in the majors that included three trips to the World Series.The 37-year-old Napoli, who did not play last season because of a knee injury, announced his decision Saturday on Twitter .Napoli batted .246 with 267 homers and 744 RBIs over 1,392 games with the Los Angeles Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. He entered the majors as a catcher before switching to first base.He had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.He helped Boston win the Series in 2013 and reached the Fall Classic with the Rangers in 2011. Napoli was an All-Star in 2012.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela (AP) — Dozens of Venezuelans waited in line outside a chapel in the state of Lara on Saturday, hoping to bid farewell to former major league baseball player Luis Valbuena, who was killed in a car accident along with teammate Jose Castillo.The corpse of Castillo was moved earlier in the morning to a different central-west state.The 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo were both former players for the Houston Astros.They died late Thursday when their SUV crashed as it tried to veer around an object put on the road. Officials said some bandits place or throw objects on highways to force vehicles to stop so they can rob the occupants.Yaracuy state Gov. Julio Leon Heredia said four people were detained after being found with property of the athletes.Valbuena and Castillo were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara team in the Venezuelan winter league and were returning from a game in the capital when the crash occurred en route to the city of Barquisimeto in Lara.No... [More]

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela (AP) — Dozens of Venezuelans waited in lines outside a chapel in the state of Lara on Saturday, hoping to bid farewell to former major league baseball player Luis Valbuena, who was killed in a car accident along with teammate Jose Castillo.The corpse of Castillo was moved earlier in the morning to a different central-west state.The 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo were both former players for the Houston Astros.They died late Thursday when their SUV crashed as it tried to veer around an object put on the road. Officials said some bandits place or throw objects on highways to force vehicles to stop so they can rob the occupants.Yaracuy state Gov. Julio Leon Heredia said four people were detained after being found with property of the athletes.Valbuena and Castillo were teammates on the Cardenales de Lara team in the Venezuelan winter league and were returning from a game in the capital when the crash occurred en route to the city of Barquisimeto in Lara.No others details about the incident were available.On Saturday, their deaths caused an outpouring of grief as fellow teammates, family members and fans wore shirts from the winter league and lined up to say goodbye.Retired Cardenales player Robert Perez and Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera were both in attendance.Cardenales third baseman Carlos Rivero, who survived the crash, visited the chapel wearing dark sunglasses and bore a small bruise on his forehead.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner appear to be available for teams looking to bolster starting rotations.Hometown star Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, the two top free agents, remain unsigned heading into the traditional high-point of the offseason.Catcher J.T. Realmuto, third baseman Kyle Seager could be among the position players dangled as trade bait in the suites of Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay, where executives and agents gather next week for the annual swap session, which in an age of complicated finances and medical records serves as a midpoint for talks as much as a place to finish deals.Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein predicted the week will be "really active.""It seems like there is plenty of trade talk, and there are still a lot of good free agents out there," he said. "A couple of moves have already occurred that sort of always set the stage for increased activity in the next week or so."First baseman Paul Goldschmidt... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Free agent pitcher Garrett Richards and the San Diego Padres have finalized a $15.5 million, two-year contract.Richards will earn $7 million next year and $8.5 million in 2020 as part of the deal announced Friday. He can earn an additional $2.5 million annually in performance bonuses: $250,000 for each start from 21 through 30.Richards was 5-4 with a 3.66 ERA last season for the Los Angeles Angels before reconstructive surgery in July. The 30-year-old right-hander was 45-38 with a 3.54 ERA with the Angels since 2011.Infielder Carlos Asuaje was designated for assignment to clear a roster spot.___More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

WASHINGTON (AP) — As with most things involving the Washington Nationals' offseason, a day that was supposed to be all about introducing Patrick Corbin morphed into a day about Bryce Harper.Washington announced its six-year contract with Corbin, a heavily back-loaded deal worth $140 million, and the All-Star lefty starter donned a No. 46 Nationals jersey as rotation-mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on from the front row Friday. After the news conference, general manager Mike Rizzo was asked a key question:How might the big bucks he used to outbid the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of Washington's own big-deal free agent, right fielder Harper?"I think they're independent of each other. I really do. We've gone about this business of creating a roster for 2019, and at the end of the day, we'll figure out whether that includes 'Harp' or not," Rizzo said. "We thought it was good business — we had to fix the things we needed to fix. 'Harp'... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Now that he is with the St. Louis Cardinals, Paul Goldschmidt is not thinking beyond the 2019 season.The six-time All-Star was acquired from Arizona this week and will earn $14.5 million in the final season of a seven-year deal that will pay $46 million, including a $1 million assignment bonus for the trade. If he doesn't sign a new contract, he would be among the top free agents next offseason."Try not to have any distractions, so anything like that won't be on my mind," Goldschmidt said at his introductory news conference Friday. "I think the biggest thing is I'm excited to be here, excited to be part of this team and organization and just focused on getting ready for spring training and opening day and the season and trying to help us win."St. Louis has a history of acquiring sluggers and signing them to long-term contracts, such as Mark McGwire and Matt Holliday."It's always hard to pencil out these types of deals when you only have one year of control," president of... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — As with most things involving the Washington Nationals' offseason, a day that was supposed to be all about introducing Patrick Corbin morphed into a day about Bryce Harper.Washington announced its six-year contract with Corbin, a deal worth $140 million, and the All-Star lefty starter donned a No. 46 Nationals jersey as rotation-mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on from the front row Friday. After the news conference, general manager Mike Rizzo was asked a key question:How might the big bucks he used to outbid the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of Washington's own big-deal free agent, right fielder Harper?"I think they're independent of each other. I really do. We've gone about this business of creating a roster for 2019, and at the end of the day, we'll figure out whether that includes 'Harp' or not," Rizzo said. "We thought it was good business — we had to fix the things we needed to fix. 'Harp' is a big part of... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — As with most things involving the Washington Nationals' offseason, a day that was supposed to be all about introducing Patrick Corbin morphed into a day about Bryce Harper.Washington announced its six-year contract with Corbin, a deal worth $140 million, and the All-Star lefty starter donned a No. 46 Nationals jersey as rotation-mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on from the front row Friday. After the news conference, general manager Mike Rizzo was asked a key question:How might the big bucks he used to outbid the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies for Corbin affect the pursuit of Washington's own big-deal free agent, right fielder Harper?"I think they're independent of each other. I really do. We've gone about this business of creating a roster for 2019, and at the end of the day, we'll figure out whether that includes 'Harp' or not," Rizzo said. "We thought it was good business — we had to fix the things we needed to fix. 'Harp' is a big part of... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrick Corbin put on his No. 46 Washington Nationals jersey as rotation-mates Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg looked on from the front row at the news conference to introduce the lefty starter with the $140 million, six-year contract.The Nationals announced the addition of free-agent Corbin on Friday, the latest in a flurry of offseason moves by general manager Mike Rizzo.One of the team's other recent acquisitions, catcher Yan Gomes, and long-time first baseman Ryan Zimmerman were also at Nationals Park for the announcement.Rizzo said the deal with Corbin, 11-7 with a 3.15 ERA for Arizona in 2018, is "independent" of what might happen with right fielder Bryce Harper, who has played his entire career for the Nationals and is a free agent.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi's marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.Boston rewarded him with a $68 million, four-year contract."We're very happy to have Nathan back with us," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. "He did a tremendous job for us last season, playing a significant role in helping us win the division and the World Series. His performance in the postseason was outstanding, both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever."A 28-year-old right-hander who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries, Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25. He went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch. He made four starts against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA, and beat the New York in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, when he gave up one run in seven innings.In six postseason appearances, including two starts, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a... [More]

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former Major League Baseball players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo have been killed in a car crash in Venezuela.MLB tweeted late Thursday the 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo died. Both were playing for Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan league.The team said their vehicle overturned as they were heading to the city of Barquisimeto after a game in the capital, Caracas.Valbuena played 96 games for the Los Angeles Angels this year before being released in August. He hit .226 with 114 home runs over 11 big league seasons with the Angels, Seattle, Cleveland, the Chicago Cubs and Houston.Castillo played five seasons with Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Houston. He had a .254 average with 39 home runs.

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Former Major League Baseball players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo have been killed in a car crash in Venezuela.MLB tweeted late Thursday the 33-year-old Valbuena and 37-year-old Castillo died. Both were playing for Cardenales de Lara in the Venezuelan league.The team said their vehicle overturned as they were heading to the city of Barquisimeto after a game in the capital, Caracas.Valbuena played 96 games for the Los Angeles Angels this year before being released in August. He hit .226 with 114 home runs over 11 big league seasons with the Angels, Seattle, Cleveland, the Chicago Cubs and Houston.Castillo played five seasons with Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Houston. He had a .254 average with 39 home runs.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Phillies have acquired left-handed pitcher Jose Alvarez from the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Luis Garcia.Alvarez was 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA and one save in 76 appearances in 2018, striking out 59 in 63 innings. He allowed only three home runs to the 261 batters he faced while holding left-handed hitters to a .206 batting average and righties to a .232 mark.The 29-year-old Alvarez is 12-18 with a 3.69 ERA over six seasons with the Tigers and Angels.Garcia went 3-1 with a 6.07 ERA in 59 games last season after posting a career-best 2.65 ERA in 71 1/3 innings in 2017. He is 12-14 with a 4.12 ERA in 251 career appearances, all in relief.Garcia made $1.2 million this year and Alvarez $1.05 million. Each is eligible for salary arbitration and can become a free agent after the 2020 season.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Second baseman Jonathan Schoop and the Twins agreed to a $7.5 million, one-year contract on Thursday, another step in an offseason remake of Minnesota's infield.Schoop's deal would allow him to earn a $100,000 performance bonus for reaching 600 plate appearances, plus additional award bonuses. He was an All-Star with Baltimore in 2017 when he hit .293 with 32 home runs with 105 RBIs, all career highs.He was traded to Milwaukee last summer right before the non-waiver deadline and became a free agent last week, when the Brewers declined to offer him a 2019 contract rather than allow him to be eligible for salary arbitration. Schoop made $8.5 million in 2018.The 27-year-old native of the Caribbean island of Curacao made his major league debut with the Orioles in 2013 and spent five seasons as their regular second baseman, until their salary dump triggered the deal that sent him to the Brewers for second baseman Jonathan Villar and two minor league prospects.Though the Brewers... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Closer Brandon Morrow likely will miss the start of the season for the Chicago Cubs following arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow last month.Chicago president of baseball operations Theo Epstein revealed Thursday that Morrow's operation took place on Nov. 6. The Cubs waited to make an announcement because Morrow's recovery will impact how they fill out the bullpen."That's why we weren't broadcasting it," a smiling Epstein said. "We'll have to set things up a little bit differently the first few weeks of the season. And it kind of underscores the need for depth and late-game options early in the year. I think for him, it will be a positive. It will completely address the issues that were bothering him last year. ... It can really help him be strong late in the season as well."Chicago also hired Tommy Hottovy as pitching coach to replace the departed Jim Hickey.Morrow led Chicago with 22 saves and had a 1.47 ERA in 35 games after signing a $21 million, two-year contract... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Nathan Eovaldi's marathon relief performance in Game 3 of the World Series is a moment that will resonate in Red Sox history.Boston rewarded him with a $68 million, four-year contract."We're very happy to have Nathan back with us," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement as the deal was announced Thursday. "He did a tremendous job for us last season, playing a significant role in helping us win the division and the World Series. His performance in the postseason was outstanding, both as a starting pitcher and as a reliever."A 28-year-old right-hander who has had a pair of Tommy John surgeries, Eovaldi was acquired by Boston from Tampa Bay on July 25. He went 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA down the stretch. He made four starts against the Yankees, going 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA, and beat the New York in Game 3 of the AL Division Series, when he gave up one run in seven innings.In six postseason appearances, including two starts, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A person with knowledge of the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Minnesota Twins and Jonathan Schoop are working toward an agreement on a $7.5 million, one-year contract for the free agent second baseman.The person spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because the deal, which also would include performance bonuses, had not been finalized. The Athletic first reported the discussions with Schoop, who was an All-Star with Baltimore in 2017 when he hit a career-high 32 home runs. He was traded to Milwaukee last summer right before the non-waiver deadline.Schoop became a free agent last week when the Brewers failed to offer a 2019 contract.The Twins began their infield remake last month by claiming first baseman C.J. Cron off waivers from Tampa Bay and then reaching agreement on a $4.8 million, one-year contract.___More AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports