NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams failed to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora batted .167 in 28 games last season and earned $1,667,667 prorated from $4.5 million, down from a .236 average,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. were cut loose by the Chicago Cubs after helping the team win its first World Series title in more than a century, among 59 players who became free agents as part of the fallout from the coranavirus pandemic when their teams failed to offer them 2021 contracts by Wednesday night’s deadline. Cincinnati reliever Archie Bradley, Atlanta outfielder Adam Duvall, Colorado outfielder David Dahl and Minnesota outfielder Eddie Rosario also were let go by their clubs, who did not want to allow those players to become eligible for salary arbitration in February, which would have been their right had they been tendered contracts. Schwarber earned $2,596,296 in prorated pay from his $7.01 million salary last season but hit .188 with 11 homers in 59 games, down from 38 homers, 92 RBIs and a .250 batting average in 155 games in 2019. Almora batted .167 in 28 games last season and earned $1,667,667 prorated from $4.5 million, down from a .236 average,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Power-hitting outfielder Adam Duvall is a free agent after the Atlanta Braves declined to offer him a contract for the 2021 season. The team also announced it has agreed to one-year deals with three players on Wednesday, including relief pitchers Luke Jackson and Grant Dayton, along with infielder Johan Camargo. The 32-year-old Duvall became an important piece in the Braves lineup over the past two years and hit 16 homers in the abbreviated 2020 season. Duvall has 113 career homers and was an All-Star in 2016 with the Cincinnati Reds when he hit a career-high 33 homers. He earned $1,203,704 prorated last season from a $3.25 million salary. Jackson, Dayton and Camargo avoid arbitration by agreeing to their deals, which were announced before Wednesday night's deadline to offer contracts to unsigned players on 40-man rosters. The hard-throwing Jackson will be paid $1.9 million, Camargo will make $1.36 million and Dayton gets $900,000. The 29-year-old Jackson has been a big part... [More]

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Harrison Bader tripled and homered to help the St. Louis Cardinals clinch a postseason berth on the final day of the regular season with a 5-2 win over Milwaukee, and the Brewers also earned a playoff spot Sunday via help on the West Coast moments later. St. Louis (30-28) will be the fifth seed in the NL and open a three-game wild-card series at San Diego on Wednesday. By winning, the Cardinals avoided having to travel to Detroit for two makeup games Monday. The Brewers (29-31) locked up the eighth seed and a third consecutive postseason berth after the Padres beat San Francisco 5-4 in a game that ended about 15 minutes later. The Giants finished with an identical record as the Brewers but lost out on a tiebreaker due to an inferior intradivision record. Milwaukee will face the top-seeded Dodgers in Los Angeles in a three-game series that also starts Wednesday. The Brewers haven’t had a winning record at any point this season. Milwaukee and Houston will be the first teams... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — NL Cy Young Award contender Max Fried lasted just one inning in his final start of the regular season, leaving a game against the Miami Marlins after tweaking his ankle fielding a bunt Wednesday night. Fried (7-0) retired the first two hitters, including Starling Marte who dropped a bunt down the third-base line. The left-hander bounded off the mound, planted his left foot, grabbed the ball bare-handed, spun and threw to first just ahead of Marte. Fried didn't appear hurt but wasn't the same pitcher after that play. After not giving up a homer all season, he grooved a fastball that Jesus Aguilar drove off the facade of the second deck. Brian Anderson sent a drive into the center-field seats and Garrett Cooper just missed a third straight homer, doubling off the wall. Fried got out of the inning trailing 2-0, but he did not return in the second. He sat solemnly in the dugout chatting with manager Brian Snitker and getting what appeared to a pep talk from teammate Freddie Freeman.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians’ 2-0 victory on Thursday night.Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career.Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings.Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berríos (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 6BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after New York... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians’ 2-0 victory on Thursday night.Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career.Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings.Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berríos (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 6BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after New York... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland’s Shane Bieber tied the major league record for strikeouts in a pitcher’s first two starts of the season, punching out 13 Minnesota Twins over eight innings in the Indians’ 2-0 victory on Thursday night.Bieber (2-0) fanned 14 over six scoreless innings on Friday against Kansas City. His 27 strikeouts in the two games matched the record set by Karl Spooner of the Brooklyn Dodgers in September 1954 during the first two starts of his short career.Facing a Twins team that came in with the second-best run differential in baseball, Bieber allowed three singles in his eight innings.Francisco Lindor supplied all the offense Cleveland needed with a two-run homer in the third inning off Jose Berríos (0-1). After Jose Ramirez singled with two outs, Berrios left an 0-2 pitch up over the plate, and Lindor drove it over the fence in right for his second homer of the season.YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 6BALTIMORE (AP) — Aaron Judge hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning after New York... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried retired Tampa Bay's first 14 batters and then insisted it didn't feel like a special start.Braves manager Brian Snitker had a different opinion.Fried took a perfect game into the fifth inning and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as Atlanta beat the Rays 2-1 on Thursday night.Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta’s two-run second inning. Fried (1-0) struck out seven and walked one while allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander improved to 4-0 in four interleague starts.“I wouldn’t say it was anything out of the ordinary that felt like anything extra special,” Fried said after lowering his ERA to 2.31 in two starts.It looked special to Snitker.“He’s just growing as a pitcher,” Snitker said. “He was efficient. You could tell he was locked in too. He was really focused. It was fun to sit and watch him.”Luke Jackson, and Shane Greene combined for four outs before Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his second save.Left fielder Adam... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Max Fried retired Tampa Bay's first 14 batters and combined with three relievers on a four-hitter as the Atlanta Braves beat the Rays 2-1 on Thursday night.Dansby Swanson had a run-scoring single in Atlanta's two-run second inning. Fried (1-0) struck out seven and walked one while allowing one run in 6 2/3 innings. The left-hander improved to 4-0 in four interleague starts.Luke Jackson, and Shane Greene combined for four outs before Mark Melancon pitched the ninth for his second save.Left fielder Adam Duvall made a diving catch on the warning track of José Martinez's drive off Melancon to open the ninth. Brandon Lowe singled before pinch-runner Kevin Kiermaier was caught stealing without a slide on Tyler Flowers' throw to second base. Melancon struck out Hunter Renfroe to end it.The 26-year-old Fried struck out the side in the first to set the pace for his dominant start. Ryan Yarbrough (0-1) allowed two runs on only two hits with three walks in 6 1/3 innings. The Braves... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Daniel Bard won in his first major league game in more than seven years, pitching 1 1-3 scoreless innings in relief for the Colorado Rockies in a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Saturday. The 35-year-old Bard (1-0), whose control troubles ran him out of baseball, got the Rockies out of a jam when he took over for starter Jon Gray with two on and two outs in the fifth. The right-hander worked around two more base runners in the sixth, getting Willie Calhoun on an inning-ending flyout to cap an 11-pitch at-bat.Wade Davis worked the ninth for his first save since July 25, 2019. He gave up a run.Colorado went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth off Mike Minor (0-1), helped by two fielder’s choice plays and two errors. Bard threw 20 of 25 pitches for strikes Saturday, including his first one before Elvis Andrus flied out to end the fifth. ANGELS 4, ATHLETICS 1OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Bundy pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning in his Angels debut and... [More]

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — It’s still painful for reliever Chris Martin to talk about what happened in the playoffs.Game 1 of the NL Division Series last year. The 6-foot-7 reliever entered in the eighth inning against St. Louis with the Braves leading 3-1.After throwing his warmup pitches, Martin was finished.“I wanted to stay away from that question,” he said. “Real tough. One of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through.”Acquired from Texas in late July to help in those exact situations, Martin never threw a pitch in October. He suffered an oblique injury, underwent an MRI and was lost for the series.The Braves wound up losing the playoff opener 7-6 and eventually dropped the series in a decisive Game 5.“That hurt a lot,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Martin’s loss. “We win that first game and it’s a totally different series. That was a huge loss. At that time of year, you can’t afford to lose a guy like that.”To shore up their bullpen, the Braves signed Will Smith to a three-year,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Shortstop Dansby Swanson and right-hander Mike Foltynewicz were among six Atlanta Braves eligible for salary arbitration who agreed to one-year contracts Friday.Swanson agreed at $3.15 million and Foltynewicz at $6,425,000. Also reaching deals were outfielder Adam Duvall ($3.25 million), right-hander Luke Jackson ($1,825,000), infielder Johan Camargo ($1.7 million) and left-hander Grant Dayton ($655,000).The team did not reach an agreement and now faces arbitration with right-hander Shane Greene, who was 0-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 27 games with Atlanta after a midseason move from Detroit, where he was the closer. Greene has filed for a salary of $6.75 million, while Atlanta has offered $6.25 million.Swanson, who hit a career-high 17 homers despite missing 30 games with a right foot contusion, agreed to a $3.15 million deal for the 2020 season. He earned a big raise from $585,000.Foltynewicz, who revived his career last season following a demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, earned... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Shortstop Dansby Swanson and right-hander Mike Foltynewicz were among six Atlanta Braves who agreed to one-year contracts Friday and avoided salary arbitration.Swanson agreed at $3.15 million and Foltynewicz at $6,425,000. Also reaching deals were outfielder Adam Duvall ($3.25 million), right-hander Luke Jackson ($1,825,000), infielder Johan Camargo ($1.7 million) and left-hander Grant Dayton ($655,000).The team did not reach an agreement and now faces arbitration with right-hander Shane Greene, who was 0-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 27 games with Atlanta after a midseason move from Detroit, where he was the closer. Swanson, who hit a career-high 17 homers despite missing 30 games with a right foot contusion, agreed to a $3.15 million deal for the 2020 season. He earned a big raise from $585,000.Foltynewicz, who revived his career last season following a demotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, earned $5.5 million in 2018 and enters spring training as one of the top four starters in a rotation... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves are not promising Will Smith the closer’s role.Smith isn’t complaining.During his first news conference with his new team Tuesday, Smith said he’s fine with pitching in any inning. The Georgia native said he’s just happy to move close to home and to pitch “for an organization I grew up watching with my family.”A 30-year-old left-hander, Smith wore No. 47 as a kid because that was Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine’s number.Smith agreed to a $40 million, three-year contract with the Braves on Thursday following an All-Star season with San Francisco. The free agent turned down a $17.8 million qualifying from San Francisco and agreed to a deal that includes a $13 million annual salaries and a $13 million club option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout.The Braves continued to work on their bullpen by signing right-hander Chris Martin to a two-year, $14 million deal later Tuesday. Martin finished the 2019 season with Atlanta.Smith’s former clubhouse neighbor with the Giants,... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves are not promising Will Smith the closer’s role.Smith isn’t complaining.During his first news conference with his new team on Tuesday, Smith said he’s fine with pitching in any inning. The Georgia native said he’s just happy to move close to home and to pitch “for an organization I grew up watching with my family.”A 30-year-old left-hander, Smith wore No. 47 as a kid because that was Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine’s number.Smith agreed to a $40 million, three-year contract with the Braves on Thursday following an All-Star season with San Francisco. The free agent turned down a $17.8 million qualifying from San Francisco and agreed to a deal that includes a $13 million annual salaries and a $13 million club option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout.Smith’s former clubhouse neighbor with the Giants, Mark Melancon, was 11 for 11 in saves opportunities with the Braves in 2019 following a midseason trade from San Francisco.Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves are not promising Will Smith the closer’s role.Smith isn’t complaining.At his first news conference with his new team on Tuesday, Smith said he’s fine with pitching in any inning. Smith, a Georgia native, said he’s just happy to move close to home and to pitch “for an organization I grew up watching with my family.”Smith, a left-hander, said he wore No. 47 as a kid because that was Braves left-hander Tom Glavine’s number.Smith, 30, signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Braves Thursday, following an All-Star season with San Francisco. The free-agent deal includes a $13 million option for the 2023 season, with a $1 million buyout.Smith’s former clubhouse neighbor with the Giants, Mark Melancon, was 11 for 11 in saves opportunities with the Braves in 2019 following a midseason trade from San Francisco.Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Melancon is expected to enter spring training as the closer. The GM noted the decision will be made... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have bolstered their shaky bullpen by signing left-hander reliever Will Smith to a three-year, $40 million contract on Thursday.The free-agent deal announced Thursday includes a $13 million option for the 2023 season, with a $1 million buyout.The 30-year-old Smith went 6-0 with a 2.76 ERA and a career-best 34 saves for the San Francisco Giants this past season. He made the All-Star team for the first time.The NL East champion Braves were looking to upgrade the bullpen after going through several closers last season, including Luke Jackson, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon.Smith is Atlanta’s fourth free-agent signing of the offseason but the first to change teams. The Braves re-signed outfielder Nick Markakis, catcher Tyler Flowers and reliever Darren O’Day.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports