AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltrán lost their jobs in the wake of the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scam, leaving three teams without managers three weeks before the start of spring training.On and off the field, the fallout from one of the biggest scandals in Major League Baseball history is bound to carry over. A look at what's on deck for the Astros and MLB:THE FIERS FACTORWhistleblower or whiner? Fact is, when A's pitcher Mike Fiers went public, MLB was forced to act. If he speaks anonymously, most likely his comments get whisked into the whispers bin.Fiers won't have to bat against the Astros, and it'd be too obvious to bunt up the first base line and try to run him over. Will Houston hoot and holler at its ex-teammate? We won't need to wait long to see if there's any ill will — the Astros' first road game of the season is at Oakland on March 30, the start of a three-game series. Count on those Athletics fans in the outfield bleachers at the Coliseum to bang their drums loudly... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Veteran left-hander Jerry Blevins agreed to a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed the deal and said Blevins had passed his physical. They reconnect after Blevins pitched in Oakland when Zaidi was assistant general manager of the Athletics.The 36-year-old Blevins, who began his career with the A's and pitched in Oakland from 2007-2013, went 1-0 with a 3.90 ERA over 45 appearances last season for Atlanta. He spent the previous four years with the Mets after pitching with Washington in 2014.He could fill a bullpen void for new manager Gabe Kapler after the Giants traded away several key relievers at the deadline last summer.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Rockies star Nolan Arenado said he feels disrespected after Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich acknowledged listening to trade offers for the seven-time Gold Glove winner.Bridich told The Denver Post on Monday that he expected Arenado to be Colorado's third baseman this season after discussing potential deals involving the 28-year-old this winter. The five-time All-Star agreed to a $260 million, eight-year contract with the Rockies last February.Asked via text message about Bridich's comments, Arenado told The Associated Press: “I don't care what he says there's a lot of disrespect around there.”The slugger insisted he doesn't envision mending fences with Bridich. “There is no relationship anymore it's just play hard for my teammates and the fans,” Arenado said. Arenado was set to become a free agent after last season before signing his long-term contract, which includes a full no-trade clause. He can opt out of the deal after the 2021 season and become a free agent. Arenado hit a career-high .315 with 41 home runs, 118 RBIs and a .962 OPS last season, but Colorado went 71-91 and finished fourth in the NL West after making the playoffs the previous two seasons. The Rockies have had a quiet offseason — aside from constant speculation that Arenado could be shipped out. Colorado has not made a trade or signed any major league free agents since the end of the World Series.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. LOUIS (AP) — This was not what Matt Carpenter or the St. Louis Cardinals envisioned when he signed a new contract.Because when the three-time All-Star third baseman wasn't hurt last season, he wasn't hitting."I certainly was candid with our front office and our coaching staff at the end of the year," Carpenter said Monday. "I just wanted to apologize. I felt like I'd let them down. I was really hard on myself the way that I played. I was hopeful that they still had faith in me. We had some real good conversations.”Coming off a career-high 36 home runs in 2018 that made him an MVP candidate, Carpenter signed a $39 million, two-year deal on April 19 that included a no-trade clause.But he wasn't able to reverse a slow start. He was hitting .216 with 10 home runs when he was put on the injured list with a lower back strain July 2. Carpenter was activated on July 11, placed back on the IL after fouling a ball off his foot and was out until early August.Carpenter finished hitting just .226... [More]

Players from two teams at the center of baseball’s sign-stealing scandal faced their fans on Saturday for the first time since the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox ousted their managers amid the fallout from the investigation into Houston’s elaborate scheme.The Astros and Red Sox held their annual fan fests on Saturday, and instead of discussing preparations for the season, players from both teams were left to answer questions about the cheating that resulted in both teams' managers being fired.“It's a tough situation and as a team we have to stay together and go through this as a team like we've been doing, always,” Houston star second baseman José Altuve said. “We have to talk about it at spring training and try not to let things in the past distract us for for next year.”Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday after he found illicit use of electronics to steal signs during the Astros' run to the 2017... [More]

Players from two teams at the center of baseball’s sign-stealing scandal faced their fans on Saturday for the first time since the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox ousted their managers amid the fallout from the investigation into Houston’s elaborate scheme.The Astros and Red Sox held their annual fan fests on Saturday, and instead of discussing preparations for the season, players from both teams were left to answer questions about the sign-stealing that left them without managers.“It's a tough situation and as a team we have to stay together and go through this as a team like we've been doing, always,” Houston star second baseman José Altuve said. “We have to talk about it at spring training and try not to let things in the past distract us for for next year.”Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday after he found illicit use of electronics to steal signs during the Astros' run to the 2017 World Series... [More]

Players from two teams at the center of baseball’s sign-stealing scandal faced their fans on Saturday for the first time since the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox ousted their managers amid the fallout from the investigation into Houston’s elaborate scheme.The Astros and Red Sox held their annual fan fests on Saturday, and instead of discussing preparations for the season, players from both teams were left to answer questions about the sign-stealing that left them without managers.“It's a tough situation and as a team we have to stay together and go through this as a team like we've been doing, always,” Houston star second baseman José Altuve said. “We have to talk about it at spring training and try not to let things in the past distract us for for next year.”Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for a year by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday after he found illicit use of electronics to steal signs during the Astros' run to the 2017 World Series... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader is confident he'll be in center field for the St. Louis Cardinals when the season begins.Bader was in St. Louis on Saturday taking part in the annual Cardinals Winter Warm-Up."I'm the starting center fielder," the 25-year-old Bader said. "It's my position. I'm going to take it. There's no sense in talking about it. I'm looking forward to showing up Day One guns blazing and ready to go."While there is no question about his defensive ability and speed in center, it's his bat that gives some pause.Last season, Bader finished with a .205 batting average. He hit 12 home runs, drove in 39 runs and stole 11 bases."Last year, individually it wasn't what I wanted it to be production-wise," Bader said. "The biggest thing I've taken away at this point is how I responded. I've been very fortunate to be with people behind the scenes who've helped me take steps in the right direction to help me produce like I want to and how I know I can."There's no secret to it. There's... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Theo Epstein understands the fans' frustration. He feels it, too, at times.The Chicago Cubs went from 95 wins in 2018 to 84 last year, finished third in the NL Central behind St. Louis and Milwaukee and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. But when it comes to big moves this offseason, well, they have a new manager. Otherwise, they've been keeping the bat on their shoulder.“I understand the frustration,” said Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. “There’s a lot of days I’m frustrated, too, where you look out and there’s a great fit on a player who you know you can recruit and might sign a reasonable deal that he’s worth. And you can’t get that player. And that’s frustrating. But that’s the reality.”So is this:Fans who expected multiple World Series championships from the core group that helped win it all in 2016 and brought home the Cubs' first title since 1908 are restless. The trade rumors involving stars such as third baseman Kris Bryant, and... [More]

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]

CHICAGO (AP) — When it comes to Kris Bryant, or any other Chicago Cubs star on the precipice of free agency, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein is hoping for the best.He also is working on the alternative.That's about all he can say at the moment.Keeping his cards close to his chest, perhaps more than ever before, Epstein said Friday the team is “more active on the phone this January" than it had been in previous years. He also declared Chicago could bring back largely the same group after failing to make the playoffs last year for the first time since 2014.“Sometimes you're only one phone call away from signing a guy to a long-term contract. Sometimes you're one incoming call away from a deal," Epstein said on the first day of the team's annual fan convention. “What's most likely is status quo.“It's hard to get long-term extensions done. It's hard to get trades done, and we have what we feel is a pretty good club. We're trying to compete this year and we're not in the position... [More]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have a list of characteristics they want in their next manager, but they haven't yet landed on a name. Their fans have one in mind.Three days after the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora for his involvement in a cheating scandal, supporters pleaded for Boston's front office to hire former catcher and team captain Jason Varitek at a town hall event Friday during the team's winter festival.Members of the team's leadership group were hit with “Hire 'Tek!” chants throughout the night, and principal owner John Henry was interrupted several times by fans voicing their support. Henry paused and nodded in acknowledgement, and new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom used the opportunity to appease the crowd.“I think if you poll the audience, they would just get this done right now,” Bloom said to big applause.Varitek, who was not in attendance, spent 15 seasons with the Red Sox from 1997 to 2011 and was part of two World Series title teams. He is currently... [More]

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have a list of characteristics they want in their next manager, but they haven't yet landed on a name. Their fans have one in mind.Three days after the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora for his involvement in a cheating scandal, supporters pleaded for Boston's front office to hire former catcher and team captain Jason Varitek at a town hall event Friday during the team's winter festival.Members of the team's leadership group were hit with “Hire 'Tek!” chants throughout the night, and principal owner John Henry was interrupted several times by fans voicing their support. Henry paused and nodded in acknowledgement, and new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom used the opportunity to appease the crowd.“I think if you poll the audience, they would just get this done right now,” Bloom said to big applause.Varitek, who was not in attendance, spent 15 seasons with the Red Sox from 1997 to 2011 and was part of two World Series title teams. He is currently... [More]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drew Smyly can earn up to $6.75 million if he is a regular part of the San Francisco Giants'' rotation this year.Smyly has a $4 million base salary as part of the one-year contract announced Thursday.He would get a $250,000 bonus if he either is on the opening-day active roster or spends 130 or more days on the active roster.Smyly can earn $2.5 million in bonuses based on starts: $250,000 each for 12, 14, 16 and 18, and $300,000 apiece for 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28.He also can earn $250,000 each for 25 and 35 games finished, and $125,000 apiece for 40, 50, 55 and 60 relief appearances.A left-hander who turns 31 in June, Smyly was 4-7 with a 6.24 ERA in 21 starts and four relief appearances last year for Texas, which released him in June, and Philadelphia, which signed him in July.He is 35-34 with a 4.16 ERA for Detroit (2012-14), Tampa Bay (2014-16), the Rangers and Phillies. He had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and spent most of the 2018 season recovering.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies pitcher Justin Lawrence has been suspended for 80 games under the major league drug program following a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance.The 25-year-old right-hander tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), the commissioner's office said Friday.Lawrence has been on the Rockies' 40-man roster since November 2018 and spent last season on option to the minor leagues. He has yet to make his big league debut.He began last season 1-1 with an 8.71 ERA in eight relief appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque, where he was promoted from Class A ball, then went on the injured list in late April. Lawrence was assigned to Double-A Hartford when he returned in early June and went 0-4 with a 8.78 ERA in 30 relief appearances.He was the first player suspended this year under the big league drug program.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have acquired left-hander Matt Hall from Detroit for minor league catcher Jhon Nuñez. The 26-year-old Hall made 16 relief appearances for the Tigers last season and five the year before, posting an 0-1 record with a 9.48 ERA in all. A sixth-round draft pick in 2015, he is 33-15 with a 2.97 ERA in 122 appearances in the minors.Nuñez, 25, batted .280 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 64 games in Double-A last year. In seven seasons, he's hit .260 with 10 homers 199 RBIs while throwing out 33.4% baserunners attempting to steal.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have acquired left-hander Matt Hall from Detroit for minor league catcher Jhon Nuñez. The 26-year-old Hall made 16 relief appearances for the Tigers last season and five the year before, posting an 0-1 record with a 9.48 ERA in all. A sixth-round draft pick in 2015, he is 33-15 with a 2.97 ERA in 122 appearances in the minors.Nuñez, 25, batted .280 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 64 games in Double-A last year. In seven seasons, he's hit .260 with 10 homers 199 RBIs while throwing out 33.4% baserunners attempting to steal.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

When future generations are documenting baseball history, Mike Fiers will surely be remembered as one of the game's most significant figures.Not necessarily for what he did on the field, though tossing a pair of no-hitters is certainly a worthy achievement.Let's just hope all his fellow players give him a big tip of the cap when he takes the mound this season.After all, Fiers blew the lid off one of the most nefarious schemes in the history of the national pastime, a scandal that ranks right up there with the Black Sox and the Steroids Era.There will surely be some who view him as a back-stabbing snitch for going public with revelations that Houston cheated its way to a World Series title in 2017 by stealing signs, who will whisper — or even say right out loud — that he violated one of baseball's cardinal rules by revealing the secrets of the clubhouse.We already got a sampling of that line of thought from ESPN analyst and New York Mets adviser Jessica Mendoza, who said Thursday the pitcher... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired infielder Clayton Daniel from the Chicago Cubs on Friday in exchange for right-hander Casey Sadler.Daniel has been in the Cubs organization for two years, hitting a combined .290 with 72 runs scored and 36 RBIs across four different minor league levels. Last year, the 24-year-old from Alabama split his time between Low-A South Bend and Double-A Tennessee, hitting a combined .305 with 21 RBIs. He was drafted in the 31st round out of Jacksonville State in 2018.Sadler was designated for assignment Wednesday after spending most of last season with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old from Oklahoma was 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 24 appearances, including one start. He was originally acquired on July 3 from Tampa Bay in exchange for right-hander Nathan Witt. Sadler has been in the majors for parts of four seasons, going 5-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 42 games, including two starts.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Technology unleashed baseball's Analytics Era, and now it's holding the sport prisoner.AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltrán are casualties, a triple play of hubris. At the cutting edge with the Houston Astros, now they have been cut. Their sign-stealing system exposed, all three managers were deposed within a whirlwind 72 hours this week that raised questions about the prevalence of the sport's rule breakers.What's next in a game grappling with innovation and plagued by paranoia? Video rooms and dugouts are now monitored by Major League Baseball, like proctors pacing an exam room to stifle students' temptation to cheat. Bench and bullpen telephones are monitored, Big Brother in the commissioner's office listening in to assure compliance. Television feeds in clubhouses were ordered to be delayed by a minimum 8 seconds last year to prevent prying eyes from decoding signals in real time.Should hitters be blocked from reviewing their plate appearances between at-bats? Sure,... [More]