MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Right-hander Trevor Cahill and the Oakland Athletics have finalized a $1.25 million, one-year contract.As part of the deal announced Monday, Cahill would get a $250,000 assignment bonus if traded.The 30-year-old was 4-3 with a 4.03 ERA last season in 14 starts and seven relief appearances for San Diego and Kansas City, which acquired him on July 24. He had a $1.75 million salary and earned a $250,000 assignment bonus but fell short of a $250,000 bonus that would have been triggered by his 15th start.Oakland drafted Cahill in the second round in 2006 with the 66th overall pick. He made his big league debut with the A's in 2009 and was an All-Star in 2010.He has a 73-79 record with a 4.11 ERA in nine big league seasons that include time with Oakland (2009-11), Arizona (2012-14), Atlanta (2015) and the Chicago Cubs (2015-16).To clear a roster spot, Oakland placed 26-year-old right-hander Jharel Cotton on the 60-day disabled list. Cotton is scheduled for Tommy John surgery Wednesday. He was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts for the A's last year.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Rodriguez thinks the New York Yankees' "breathtaking" offense could break records this season.Rodriguez arrived at spring training Monday and had high praise for a lineup led by Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Didi Gregorius. A-Rod is a team special adviser who has worked with a number of New York's younger players."Happy to be back and see so much talent," Rodriguez said Monday night. "It's breathtaking."The Yankees added Stanton, the NL MVP after hitting 59 homers and driving in 132 last season, in a December trade with Miami. Judge had 52 homers and 114 RBIs in winning the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year Award. Sanchez added 33 homers, and Gregorius went deep 25 times."I can't remember a time to see that type of lineup one-through-nine," Rodriguez said.Rodriguez and Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner worked out a deal during the offseason to keep the former slugger involved with the team."Love to spend the rest of my life as a Yankee," Rodriguez said.

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Franklin Perez is expected to miss at least three months with a right lat strain.The Tigers say Perez was injured in a minor league game Sunday. There is no surgery recommended at this point, but the recovery is expected to take a minimum of 12 weeks.Perez, a 20-year-old right-hander, was acquired by Detroit in the trade that sent Justin Verlander to Houston last season. Perez went 6-3 with a 3.02 ERA across two levels of the minors last year. He made 10 starts at Class A and six at Double-A. Baseball America tabbed Perez as Detroit's top prospect this offseason.The rebuilding Tigers aren't expected to contend this year, but Perez figured to be a prospect to watch, no matter where in Detroit's system he ended up pitching.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke will start this season in the dugout.Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said Monday that Greinke won't pitch on opening day because of what's perceived to be a minor health issue.Greinke exited his latest start after one inning because of tightness in his groin. He's scheduled to pitch again in spring training Wednesday.The Diamondbacks don't want to push him to be ready for their first game March 29 at home against Colorado. Without this wrinkle, Lovullo said Greinke would've started the opener for the third straight year."Every staff has a No. 1 and he fit the bill perfectly," Lovullo said. "He won 17 games last year. He was our staff ace."Lovullo said he wasn't ready to say who would start against the Rockies. The likely candidate is Robbie Ray, who went 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA last year."There's a strategy," Lovullo said. "We don't just look at opening day. We look at opening day and then beyond, so probably five or six days beyond that day. And we want to make... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Top prospect Ronald Acuna Jr. was sent down to the Atlanta Braves' minor league camp.The 20-year-old Venezuelan outfielder hit .432 with four home runs in 16 spring training games when the Braves sent him down after Monday's 6-0 win over Toronto ."We feel like it would probably be best overall, from a philosophical standpoint, to give him more development time," general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "There's no manual on how to handle a player's development. They're not all the same."Acuna had 19 hits, a .519 on-base percentage and a .727 slugging percentage in spring training. If Acuna does not appear on the Braves' roster during the first 15 days of the season, his eligibility for free agency would be delayed by a year until after the 2024 season at the earliest."Our No. 1 priority is going to be the development of each player because you want them, when they're up here, to stay up here for long, productive careers and hopefully not have the yo-yo of going up and down," Anthopoulos said.Acuna rose through three minor league levels last season, his third year in professional baseball. He hit .344 with nine home runs in 54 games at Triple-A ."We said we would keep an open mind, but what we did talk a lot about was he ran through the minor leagues last year," Anthopoulos said. "Having more development time, no one's ever been hurt by that."___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is expected to start the regular season on the disabled list because of an oblique injury that has kept him out of exhibition games since March 1.Ellsbury had been scheduled to play Tuesday against Detroit, but his return was pushed back because he has flu-like symptoms. Ellsbury is projected as a backup outfielder after losing the starting center-field job to Aaron Hicks last season."Just a bummer," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Monday, calling the DL stint "very likely.""Just too hard to get him into enough games," Boone said. "The good thing, at least, we feel like he's totally healed up from his injury."Ellsbury 34-year-old is guaranteed $21,142,857 in each of the next three seasons as part of a $153 million, seven-year contract that includes a $21 million team option for 2021 with a $5 million buyout.Brett Gardner is the starting left fielder, and Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge will rotate between right field and designated... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Zack Greinke won't be the opening-day starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks.Manager Torey Lovullo said what's perceived to be a minor health issue will bench his ace for the opener.Lovullo, speaking before Monday's spring training game against the Chicago White Sox, said the tightness Greinke experienced in his groin in his latest start last Wednesday led to him being ruled out for what is usually his opening-day role. Greinke left that game after one inning.If there had been no health issue, Lovullo said, Greinke would be on the mound for Arizona on opening day for the third straight season."Every staff has a No. 1 and he fit the bill perfectly," the manager said. "He won 17 games last year. He was our staff ace."Lovullo said he's not ready to name who will take Greinke's place in the March 29 opener at home against Colorado, although Robbie Ray would seem to be the logical alternative.Ray had a breakout season a year ago, going 15-5 with a 2.89 ERA and making the... [More]

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have reassigned top prospect Ronald Acuna Jr. to their minor league camp.The 20-year-old outfielder from Venezuela was batting .432 with four home runs in 16 spring training games when the Braves sent him down after Monday's 6-0 exhibition win over the Toronto Blue Jays.Acuna rose through three minor league levels last season, his third year in professional baseball. He hit .344 with nine home runs in 54 games at Triple-A level.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jose Altuve sat behind a table set up on the field at the Houston Astros' spring training complex, and his teammates looked on as the World Series champions announced his $163.5 million, seven-year contract, the longest in team history."You made me more nervous, because I don't like talking in front of a lot of people. You know that," he saidHouston finalized a deal Monday that guaranteed the AL MVP an additional $151 million over five seasons."Certainly a fan favorite. Our fans love Jose," owner Jim Crane said. "Winner, MVP — what else can you say? He always leads by example. When I talk to the guys in the locker room, everybody is better because of Jose, and he's a great leader. So, Jose, you're the heart of the team. We're happy to have you for the long-term."The 27-year-old second baseman had been among baseball's best bargains. He agreed in 2013 to a deal that originally guaranteed $12.5 million from 2014-17 and included club options for 2018 at $6 million... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — Jason Vargas wants to make his regular-season debut with the New York Mets as soon as possible — even if takes more than a month past opening day.The lefty could miss up to six weeks after he has surgery Tuesday for a broken right hand, an injury incurred last week when he was hit by a line drive during a minor league game.Vargas met with a hand specialist over the weekend to talk about the test results. He then opted to have the operation."I don't know if I was surprised," Vargas said. "It kind of reinforced what some of the CT scans and how they were read the first time. Getting the word from the specialist is kind of the defining fact on what needed to be done. This is the fastest way to get better."Vargas threw a bullpen session Monday morning, but it wasn't without difficulty.The 2017 All-Star had to loosen the laces on his glove to get his right hand inside the mitt, then tightened the laces to keep his pitching balance the same. And he didn't take a return... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals' competition for the fifth starter spot could run beyond opening day.The Nationals signed eight-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract over the weekend, adding him to the mix that already included A.J. Cole and Erick Fedde. He would get a $2 million, one-year deal if added to the 40-man roster and the chance to earn $4 million in performance bonuses."We like the rotation we have," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "This just adds another layer of depth for us."The 30-year-old Hellickson is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance in one of Friday's split squad games. Cole will start the other game.Depending on how that outing goes, the NL East champions might leave Hellickson behind at the spring training facility when they break camp on Sunday, allowing the right-hander to continue to build arm strength in the minor league camp.Rizzo cited past experiences rushing Joe Blanton and Matt Wieters... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Washington Nationals' competition for the fifth starter spot could run beyond opening day.The Nationals signed eight-year veteran Jeremy Hellickson to a minor league contract over the weekend, adding him to the mix that already included A.J. Cole and Erick Fedde."We like the rotation we have," Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said. "This just adds another layer of depth for us."The 30-year-old Hellickson is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance in one of Friday's split squad games. Cole will start the other game.Depending on how that outing goes, the NL East champions might leave Hellickson behind at the spring training facility when they break camp on Sunday, allowing the right-hander to continue to build arm strength in the minor league camp.Rizzo cited past experiences rushing Joe Blanton and Matt Wieters through camp as reasoning for not pushing Hellickson, who says he's ready, to join the rotation sooner. With that in mind, the... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says Zack Greinke won't be the team's opening-day starter.Lovullo, speaking before Monday's spring training game against the Chicago White Sox, said the tightness that Greinke experienced in his groin in his latest start last Wednesday led him to rule out his ace for his usual opening-day role.If there had been no health issue, Lovullo said, Greinke would be Arizona's opening-day starter for the third straight season. He was a 17-game winner last season.Lovullo said he's not ready to name the starter for the March 29 opener at home against Colorado, although Robbie Ray would seem to be a logical alternative.The Diamondbacks don't believe Greinke's issue is serious. The right-hander said he felt good after a bullpen session on Sunday and he is scheduled to start Wednesday against San Francisco.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jose Altuve sat behind a table set up on the field at the Houston Astros' spring training complex, and his teammates looked on as the World Series champions announced his $163.5 million, seven-year contract, the longest in team history."You made me more nervous, because I don't like talking in front of a lot of people. You know that," he saidHouston finalized a deal Monday that guaranteed the AL MVP an additional $151 million over five seasons."Certainly a fan favorite. Our fans love Jose," owner Jim Crane said. "Winner, MVP — what else can you say? He always leads by example. When I talk to the guys in the locker room, everybody is better because of Jose, and he's a great leader. So, Jose, you're the heart of the team. We're happy to have you for the long-term."The 27-year-old second baseman had been among baseball's best bargains. He agreed in 2013 to a deal that originally guaranteed $12.5 million from 2014-17 and included club options for 2018 at $6 million... [More]

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Texas Rangers have claimed first baseman Tommy Joseph off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies.The Rangers made the move Monday, a week after the Phillies designated him for assignment when they signed free agent pitcher Jake Arrieta.The 26-year-old Joseph hit over 20 home runs in each of his two seasons in the majors. He batted .240 with 22 homers and 69 RBIs while starting 125 times at first last year.Philadelphia signed power-hitting free agent Carlos Santana to play first this season.Joseph was traded from San Francisco to the Phillies in July 2012 as part of a package for outfielder Hunter Pence. Highly regarded at the time, Joseph was projected to be Philadelphia's catcher of the future until a series of concussions prompted the Phillies to turn him into a first baseman three years later.Joseph made his big league debut in May 2016 and hit .257 with 21 home runs and 47 RBIs.In 11 spring training games this year, Joseph hit .429 (9 for 21) before being cut.Texas put right-hander Clayton Blackburn on the 60-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Third base is a polarizing position for 2018, as some fantasy analysts say it's extremely deep and others say it falls off tremendously after the top 10.It all comes down to roster structure and your league size.Outside of Mike Trout and Jose Altuve, the safest player in fantasy baseball is Nolan Arenado. And quite honestly, safety is what you want from your first-round pick. You want someone who will put up elite numbers, but doesn't have a lot of risk attached. Over the past three years, Arenado has averaged a .297 batting average, 40 home runs, 131 RBIs and 104 runs for the Rockies. If you want Arenado, you'll have to pay an early first-round price for him, but is he the only third baseman that deserves to be a first-round pick in fantasy this year?Kris Bryant, Manny Machado and Jose Ramirez all make the case, but they are a tier below Arenado, typically falling in the middle of the second round.Is it worth grabbing Arenado in the first round or one of the other aforementioned second-tier... [More]

The first base position has traditionally been loaded with talent and a primary source of power for fantasy players. With overall HR totals increasing for four straight seasons, and perceived depth at the position, some fantasy managers may put off selecting a first baseman until the later rounds of their drafts. That used to be a good strategy but in 2018 it may expose you to risk.There's quality talent at the position in the later rounds, but if you wait too long, you might end up with a first baseman better qualified to be your corner infielder.If you want to roster one of the top bats at the position, grab your first baseman by the fifth round of a 12 team rotisserie league. Here's what you can expect with regards to the first base position in National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) drafts:Paul Goldschmidt is a mid to late first round pick. No, the humidor will not be his kryptonite. He'll still hit approximately 30 HRs. He is one of the few first basemen who can steal 20 plus... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, a big blow to a team that has made a series of roster-enhancing moves throughout the offseason and into spring training.The commissioner's office announced Sunday that Polanco tested positive for Stanozolol, becoming the sixth player to be banned this year under the major league drug program. That's already one more than last season.Polanco started 127 games at shortstop last year for the Twins, finishing with a .256 batting average, 13 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 74 RBIs in his first full season as a regular in the lineup. His grandfather died in June, and the switch-hitting 24-year-old struggled through the early part of the summer until being benched temporarily in late June.From Aug. 1 through the rest of the season, though, he hit .316 with 10 home runs and 42 RBIs over his last 55 games while taking over the No. 3 spot in the batting... [More]

A big second half by shortstop Jorge Polanco helped push the Minnesota Twins into the playoffs last season. This year, they'll try to start fast without him.Polanco was suspended 80 games on Sunday after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol. He became the sixth player to be banned this year under the major league drug program — one more than last year.Polanco hit .256 with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs last season while starting 127 games at shortstop. The 24-year-old also stole 13 bases in helping the Twins earn an AL wild-card spot.In a statement released by the players' union, Polanco said he didn't "intentionally consume this steroid."Polanco said he requested a substance from his athletic trainer in the Dominican Republic, but was given something else.ELSEWHERE AROUND THE GRAPEFRUIT AND CACTUS LEAGUESMETS 5, ORIOLES 4The Mets said lefty Jason Vargas will have surgery after his right hand was broken by a line drive in a minor league game Friday. No timetable... [More]

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — New York Mets lefty Jason Vargas will have surgery after breaking his right hand in a minor league game.The surgery is set for Tuesday. The Mets said Sunday that Vargas will resume his throwing workouts about five days after the operation, and no timetable was announced for him pitching in a game.The Mets open the regular season on March 29 at home against St. Louis.Vargas was injured Friday when he was hit by a line drive. The Mets signed the 35-year-old free agent on Feb. 18, signing him to a two-year, $16 million contract. He went 18-11 with a 4.16 ERA for Kansas City last season, making his first All-Star team and tying for the major league lead in wins.With Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom set to face St. Louis in the first two games of the season, Vargas had been in line to start the series finale on April 1. Matt Harvey could move into the third spot in the starting rotation.___More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball