CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox and their long-frustrated fans say they're primed and pumped for the team to contend in 2020.The White Sox haven’t made the playoffs since 2008 and have endured seven straight losing seasons, but there was an optimistic buzz at the team's sold-out fan convention Saturday after a splashy offseason.“It hard not to be excited and feel that energy they’re giving us,” fourth-year manager Rick Renteria told the crowd. “Obviously, it’s our job to put it from paper to the field and accomplish those things you want us to accomplish.”The AL Central title — and more — may be within reach as the White Sox emerge from a rebuild and an offseason filled with free agent signings.“Our guys are telling our young players, 'Hey it’s time to go,’” Renteria said. “We don’t have time to mess around. We have a window of opportunity. Let’s take it. That’s where we’re at.”Renteria has been cautious with his words and patient with young players the past three seasons. Chicago... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox finalized a $6 million, one-year contract with free agent reliever Steve Cishek on Tuesday.The 33-year-old right-hander will earn $5.25 million next season under the deal reached last week. The White Sox hold a $6.75 million option for 2021 with a $750,000 buyout.Cishek is heading to the South Side after spending the past two seasons with the crosstown Cubs. The side-armer went 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA and seven saves in 70 appearances last year.“We believe Steve is a solid addition to our bullpen,” general manager Rick Hahn said. “He complements our other relievers well, provides a different look to opposing hitters later in games, and has consistently proven to be both durable and successful throughout his career.”Cishek broke into the majors in 2010 with the Marlins. He is 32-27 with a 2.69 ERA and 132 saves in 10 years in the majors, also playing for Tampa Bay, Seattle and St. Louis.Cishek likely will be used in late-inning situations in front of Alex... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Edwin Encarnación saw the young players the Chicago White Sox have and a bright future for a team eyeing a run at the AL Central championship after seven straight losing seasons. That's why he chose to be a part of it. Encarnación and the White Sox finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Thursday, putting him in position to become Chicago's designated hitter and a part-time first baseman along with José Abreu.Encarnación gets a $1 million signing bonus payable by Nov. 15, and an $11 million salary this season. The White Sox hold a $12 million option for 2021 under the deal, which was agreed to Dec. 25 subject to a successful physical.“I'm very excited to be part of this team, I think this team has a great future," he said. "To be here and try to help this team to go where we want to go and make the playoffs.”Encarnación hit 34 home runs in 109 games for Seattle and the Yankees last year. The three-time All-Star led the American League with 21 homers when the Mariners... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Edwin Encarnación saw the young players the Chicago White Sox have and a bright future for a team eyeing a run at the AL Central championship after seven straight losing seasons. That's why he chose to be a part of it. Encarnación and the White Sox finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Thursday, putting him in position to become Chicago's designated hitter and a part-time first baseman along with José Abreu.Encarnación is due $12 million this season, and the White Sox hold a $12 million option for 2021 under the deal, which was agreed to Dec. 25 subject to a successful physical.“I'm very excited to be part of this team, I think this team has a great future," he said. "To be here and try to help this team to go where we want to go and make the playoffs.”Encarnación hit 34 home runs in 109 games for Seattle and the Yankees last year. The three-time All-Star led the American League with 21 homers when the Mariners dealt him to New York in June. The Yankees declined a... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Edwin Encarnación and the White Sox finalized a $12 million, one-year contract on Thursday, putting him in position to become Chicago's designated hitter and a part-time first baseman along with José Abreu.Encarnación is due $12 million this season, and the White Sox hold a $12 million option for 2021 under the deal, which was agreed to Dec. 25 subject to a successful physical.Encarnación hit 34 home runs in 109 games for Seattle and the Yankees last year. The three-time All-Star led the American League with 21 homers when the Mariners dealt him to New York in June. The Yankees declined a $25 million option for next season, opting to pay a $5 million buyout.Encarnación batted .249 with 13 homers and 37 RBIs in 44 regular-season games with the Yankees, limited by oblique problems. He hit .308 while New York beat Minnesota in the AL Division Series, but was 1 for 18 with 11 strikeouts in the AL Championship Series against Houston.Encarnación, who turned 37 on Tuesday, has eight... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox bolstered their bullpen Tuesday, agreeing to a $6 million, one-year contract with free-agent reliever Steve Cishek.A person with direct knowledge of the deal says it's pending a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been finalized.The 33-year-old Cishek is moving to the South Side after spending the previous two seasons with the crosstown Cubs. The sidearming right-hander went 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA and seven saves in 70 appearances last year.Chicago has been one of baseball's most active teams this winter, hoping to contend for the AL Central title after seven straight losing seasons.The White Sox also signed catcher Yasmani Grandal, slugger Edwin Encarnación and pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Gio González to free-agent deals. Outfielder Nomar Mazara was acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers.First baseman Jose Abreu, who led the AL with 123 RBIs last season, was re-signed to a $50 million, three-year deal, and... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox bolstered their bullpen Tuesday, agreeing to a $6 million, one-year contract with free-agent reliever Steve Cishek.A person with direct knowledge of the deal says it's pending a physical. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move had not been finalized.The 33-year-old Cishek is moving to the South Side after spending the previous two seasons with the crosstown Cubs. The sidearming right-hander went 4-6 with a 2.95 ERA and seven saves in 70 appearances last year.Chicago has been one of baseball's most active teams this winter, hoping to contend for the AL Central title after seven straight losing seasons.The White Sox also signed catcher Yasmani Grandal, slugger Edwin Encarnación and pitchers Dallas Keuchel and Gio González to free-agent deals. Outfielder Nomar Mazara was acquired in a trade with the Texas Rangers.First baseman Jose Abreu, who led the AL with 123 RBIs last season, was re-signed to a $50 million, three-year deal, and... [More]

Patrick Corbin was an exception last offseason.Amid a slow free agent market — some stars didn’t sign until after the start of spring training — Corbin’s search for a new home was over in December when he received a $140 million, six-year contract from Washington.That worked out pretty well for both team and player. Corbin was a key part of the Nationals’ starting rotation this year, and he threw three scoreless innings in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, helping the team win its first World Series title.Now, another offseason is in full swing. It’s hard to say whether teams will be more aggressive in pursuing free agents, hoping to land the next Corbin, but the Atlanta Braves already made a significant move, signing reliever Will Smith away from San Francisco.Here’s a look at the top free agents still available, broken down by position. Players are listed with their most recent teams, with their ages in parentheses:LEFT-HANDED STARTERHyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers (32)The runner-up for the... [More]

Cubs first. Tony Kemp grounds out to shallow infield, Adam Wainwright to Paul Goldschmidt. Nico Hoerner strikes out swinging. Kyle Schwarber homers to center field. Ian Happ singles to right field. Jonathan Lucroy strikes out swinging.1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 1, Cardinals 0.Cubs third. Nico Hoerner singles to right field. Kyle Schwarber grounds out to shortstop, Paul DeJong to Paul Goldschmidt. Nico Hoerner to second. Ian Happ homers to center field. Nico Hoerner scores. Jonathan Lucroy pops out to second base to Tommy Edman. Victor Caratini grounds out to shallow infield, Matt Carpenter to Paul Goldschmidt.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 3, Cardinals 0.Cubs fifth. Kyle Schwarber singles to shallow right field. Ian Happ homers to left field. Kyle Schwarber scores. Jonathan Lucroy lines out to deep left field to Marcell Ozuna. Victor Caratini homers to right field. Addison Russell singles to left field. David Bote lines out to right field to Dexter Fowler. Daniel... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna drove in four runs and threw out a runner at home plate from left field, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Monday night.St. Louis retained its two-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Washington is one-half game ahead of the Cubs for the top NL wild card.Nationals manager Dave Martinez missed the game following a heart procedure in Washington, and bench coach Chip Hale was in charge of the dugout.Dexter Fowler walked against Sean Doolittle (6-5) with one out in the seventh, Hunter Strickland walked Paul Goldschmidt with two outs and Ozuna doubled just inside the left-field line, just the second hit in 11 at-bats for the Cardinals with runners in scoring position.Dakota Hudson (16-7) won for the sixth time in seven starts. Carlos Martínez got his 20th save in 23 chances.ROCKIES 9, METS 4DENVER (AP) — Pitcher Antonio Senzatela hit a tying, two-run single that ended a year-long 0-for-44 slide at the... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Marcell Ozuna drove in four runs and threw out a runner at home plate from left field, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals 4-2 on Monday night.St. Louis retained its two-game lead over the second-place Chicago Cubs in the NL Central. Washington is one-half game ahead of the Cubs for the top NL wild card.Nationals manager Dave Martinez missed the game following a heart procedure in Washington, and bench coach Chip Hale was in charge of the dugout.Dexter Fowler walked against Sean Doolittle (6-5) with one out in the seventh, Hunter Strickland walked Paul Goldschmidt with two outs and Ozuna doubled just inside the left-field line, just the second hit in 11 at-bats for the Cardinals with runners in scoring position.Dakota Hudson (16-7) won for the sixth time in seven starts. Carlos Martínez got his 20th save in 23 chances.ROCKIES 9, METS 4DENVER (AP) — Pitcher Antonio Senzatela hit a tying, two-run single that ended a year-long 0-for-44 slide at the... [More]

Cubs second. Kris Bryant walks. Willson Contreras strikes out swinging. Jason Heyward homers to left field. Kris Bryant scores. Nico Hoerner grounds out to third base, Manny Machado to Eric Hosmer. Jose Quintana singles to left center field. Ben Zobrist pops out to shallow center field to Ty France.2 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 left on. Cubs 2, Padres 0.Padres second. Eric Hosmer singles to shortstop. Wil Myers singles to second base. Eric Hosmer to second. Ty France flies out to center field to Jason Heyward. Eric Hosmer to third. Luis Urias singles to left field. Wil Myers to second. Eric Hosmer scores. Austin Hedges singles to left field. Luis Urias to second. Wil Myers to third. Ronald Bolanos reaches on a fielder's choice to second base, advances to 2nd. Austin Hedges scores. Luis Urias scores. Wil Myers scores. Throwing error by Ben Zobrist. Manuel Margot singles to center field. Ronald Bolanos to third. Nick Martini out on a sacrifice fly to left center field to Kyle Schwarber. Ronald... [More]

Cubs fifth. Kyle Schwarber grounds out to shallow center field, Orlando Arcia to Eric Thames. Addison Russell homers to center field. Victor Caratini flies out to center field to Trent Grisham. Yu Darvish called out on strikes.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Cubs 1, Brewers 0.Brewers sixth. Trent Grisham flies out to left field to Kyle Schwarber. Yasmani Grandal grounds out to shortstop, Addison Russell to Anthony Rizzo. Christian Yelich walks. Eric Thames walks. Ben Gamel singles to right field. Eric Thames to second. Christian Yelich scores. Lorenzo Cain pinch-hitting for Travis Shaw. Lorenzo Cain flies out to deep right field to Nicholas Castellanos.1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 left on. Cubs 1, Brewers 1.Cubs eighth. Victor Caratini walks. Ben Zobrist pinch-hitting for Steve Cishek. Ben Zobrist singles to right field. Robel Garcia to third. Ian Happ pinch-hitting for Albert Almora Jr.. Ian Happ walks. Ben Zobrist to second. Nicholas Castellanos called out on strikes. Anthony Rizzo walks.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today:ZEROED INZack Greinke makes his Houston debut, joining an Astros rotation that is on quite a roll. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, newcomer Aaron Sanchez and the starters for the AL West leaders are 14-1 in their last 17 games — the Astros held Seattle to a total of seven hits in a three-game sweep over the weekend, including a combined no-hitter.Greinke (10-4, 2.90 ERA) was acquired from Arizona on Wednesday. He'll see a lot of familiar faces when he starts against Colorado at Minute Maid Park.Trevor Story has hit five home runs off Greinke, tied with Carlos Gonzalez and Jason Giambi for the most against the right-hander. Rockies star Nolan Arenado, however, hasn't homered in 75 at-bats vs. Greinke.CAMDEN CRUSHThe Yankees have hit 32 home runs at Camden Yards this year, the most by a visiting team at any stadium in a single season. New York hit five, including two by Mike Tauchman, in a 9-6 win Monday night.That broke the mark of 29 set... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Cubs placed closer Craig Kimbrel on the 10-day injured list Monday and announced All-Star catcher Willson Contreras will be sidelined for four weeks with a right hamstring strain.The pair of injuries will test Chicago's depth and the ingenuity of its front office as it tries to win the roller-coaster NL Central for the third time in four years. While manager Joe Maddon has some veteran bullpen options, the catching situation is more perilous and the team can't trade for help under a new set of rules that began this year.Kimbrel, who got a late start this year after he finalized a $43 million, three-year deal with the Cubs in June, is dealing with inflammation in his right knee. He said it started bothering him while he was closing out Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Brewers."We assessed it yesterday morning and it looked like there was a strain and some swelling in there and we're just going to let it calm down," Kimbrel said before Chicago's 6-5 victory over... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Tuesday:ZEROED INZack Greinke makes his Houston debut, joining an Astros rotation that is on quite a roll. Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, newcomer Aaron Sanchez and the starters for the AL West leaders are 14-1 in their last 17 games — the Astros held Seattle to a total of seven hits in a three-game sweep over the weekend, including a combined no-hitter.Greinke (10-4, 2.90 ERA) was acquired from Arizona on Wednesday. He'll see a lot of familiar faces when he starts against Colorado at Minute Maid Park.Trevor Story has hit five home runs off Greinke, tied with Carlos Gonzalez and Jason Giambi for the most against the right-hander. Rockies star Nolan Arenado, however, hasn't homered in 75 at-bats vs. Greinke.HE'S BACKMike Foltynewicz returns to the Atlanta rotation after getting demoted to the minors. He'll start against the AL Central-leading Twins at Target Field.A 13-game winner and an All-Star for the Braves in 2018, he struggled to regain... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Johan Camargo had a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 Sunday to win their fifth straight series.Overcoming an injury to standout rookie starting pitcher Mike Soroka, the Braves used the long ball and their bullpen to win the deciding matchup of a three-game set between NL East rivals.Camargo connected off Tanner Rainey (1-2) after Ozzie Albies drew a one-out walk, and Atlanta held on for its seventh victory in 10 extra-inning games this season.Josh Donaldson and Ronald Acuña Jr. also went deep for the first-place Braves.Juan Soto homered for the Nationals, who have lost two in a row following a five-game win streak.A.J. Minter (2-4) worked the ninth and Luke Jackson earned his 11th save despite giving up a run, two hits and a walk.ASTROS 9, YANKEES 4NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a leadoff homer, rookie Yordan Alvarez connected again and Houston ended its first seven-game skid in four years.New York had... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Johan Camargo had a two-run, pinch-hit homer in the 10th inning, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 4-3 Sunday to win their fifth straight series.Overcoming an injury to standout rookie starting pitcher Mike Soroka, the Braves used the long ball and their bullpen to win the deciding matchup of a three-game set between NL East rivals.Camargo connected off Tanner Rainey (1-2) after Ozzie Albies drew a one-out walk, and Atlanta held on for its seventh victory in 10 extra-inning games this season.Josh Donaldson and Ronald Acuña Jr. also went deep for the first-place Braves.Juan Soto homered for the Nationals, who have lost two in a row following a five-game win streak.A.J. Minter (2-4) worked the ninth and Luke Jackson earned his 11th save despite giving up a run, two hits and a walk.ASTROS 9, YANKEES 4NEW YORK (AP) — Jose Altuve hit a leadoff homer, rookie Yordan Alvarez connected again and Houston ended its first seven-game skid in four years.New York had... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Gary Sánchez, Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu homered in a hurry, connecting in a six-run fourth inning that powered the New York Yankees past the Houston Astros 10-6 on Thursday night for their sixth straight win.Edwin Encarnación hit his AL-leading 23rd home run, and second since being acquired by New York from Seattle, as the Yankees handed Houston its season-worst fifth loss in a row.The Astros dropped a matchup of division leaders despite Jake Marisnick's two home runs and solo drives by Alex Bregman and rookie Yordan Álvarez.Sánchez opened the fourth with his 22nd homer. With rain falling, Torres connected for a three-run jolt off rookie Framber Valdéz (3-3). LeMahieu tagged reliever Chris Devenski for a two-run homer and a 6-0 lead. The inning included two delays — a short break to fix the mound and a 37-minute stoppage when the showers fell too hard.Nestor Cortes Jr. (2-0) pitched three innings after another fine start by opener Chad Green. The veteran reliever struck... [More]