TORONTO (AP) — Shortstop Marcus Semien agreed to an $18 million, one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. Semien will become the second star and fourth free agent added by the Blue Jays during a slow offseason amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Toronto gave outfielder George Springer a $150 million, six-year deal. Toronto also agreed to one-year contracts with right-handers Kirby Yates ($5.5 million) and Tyler Chatwood ($3 million) and re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray to an $8 million, one-year contract. Semien hit .223 with seven homers, 23 RBIs and .679 OPS in 53 games last season, his sixth with Oakland. He earned $4,814,815 in prorated pay from a $13 million salary. Semien finished third in AL MVP voting in 2019, when he hit 33 homers with 92 RBIs with an .892 OPS. Toronto went 32-28 during the pandemic-shortened... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Snitker choked back tears as he remembered Hank Aaron’s affection for those who didn’t possess his unparalleled talent on the baseball field. During his post-playing career running the Atlanta Braves farm system, the Hammer had a penchant for looking beyond the can’t-miss prospects. “He always wanted to move a player up, and he preferred that it wasn’t the so-called bonus babies," said Snitker, who has managed the Braves since 2016 and got his start in the dugout thanks to Aaron. "He wanted to get that grinder guy, the guy who was overachieving.” Snitker was among those who spoke Tuesday at a memorial service honoring Aaron, who died last week from natural causes at the age of 86. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom were among those who spoke at the ceremony, which was held before a small, socially distanced crowd — including Aaron’s widow, Billye, and other family members — on the concourse directly... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The “Sign J.T.” chants from fans gathered outside the ballpark during the pandemic-altered season and echoed by Bryce Harper and many players on the Philadelphia Phillies were loud and clear. It's happening. The Philadelphia Phillies and two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed Tuesday on a $115.5 million, five-year contract, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Realmuto’s deal was pending a successful physical. Realmuto gets $20 million next season, of which $10 million is deferred, with $5 million each payable in 2026 and 2027. He gets $23,875,000 in each of the final four years. He does not have a no-trade provision. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus if traded. Realmuto's average annual salary of $23.1 million will become the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in a $184 million, eight-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that covered... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Snitker choked back tears as he remembered Hank Aaron’s affection for those who didn’t possess his unparalleled talent on the baseball field. During his post-playing career running the Atlanta Braves farm system, the Hammer had a penchant for looking beyond the can’t-miss prospects. “He always wanted to move a player up, and he preferred that it wasn’t the so-called bonus babies," said Snitker, who has managed the Braves since 2016 and got his start in the dugout thanks to Aaron. "He wanted to get that grinder guy, the guy who was overachieving.” Snitker was among those who spoke Tuesday at a memorial service honoring Aaron, who died last week from natural causes at the age of 86. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom were among those who spoke at the ceremony, which was held before a small, socially distanced crowd — including Aaron’s widow, Billye, and other family members — on the concourse directly... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians traded their All-Star shortstop. They're hanging on to their steady second baseman. Free agent César Hernández, who had a strong 2020 season with Cleveland, has agreed to return on a one-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The team and Hernández have an agreement, which includes a club option for 2022, in place and it will become official once medical tests have been completed. Hernandez is playing in Venezuela, and it could be days before the everything is finalized, said the person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is still pending. The signing of Hernández provides some stability to Cleveland's infield, which has a major hole to fill at shortstop following Francisco Lindor's trade to the New York Mets. A switch-hitter, Hernández may move into Lindor's leadoff spot in the lineup. The Indians cleared over $30 million from their payroll in trading Lindor and starter Carlos Carrasco. And while the... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed on a $115.5 million, five-year contract, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because Realmuto’s deal was pending a successful physical. Realmuto gets $20 million next season, of which $10 million is deferred, with $5 million each payable in 2026 and 2027. He gets $23,875,000 in each of the final four years. He does not have a no-trade provision. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus if traded. Realmuto's average annual salary of $23.1 million will become the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in a $184 million, eight-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that covered 2011-18. Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019 in a trade that sent right-hander Sixto Sanchez and catcher Jorge Alfaro to Miami along with pitching prospect Will Stewart and... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Snitker choked back tears as he remembered Hank Aaron’s affection for those who didn’t possess his unparalleled talent on the baseball field. During his post-playing career running the Atlanta Braves farm system, the Hammer had a penchant for looking beyond the can’t-miss prospects. “He always wanted to move a player up, and he preferred that it wasn’t the so-called bonus babies," said Snitker, who has managed the Braves since 2016 and got his start in the dugout thanks to Aaron. "He wanted to get that grinder guy, the guy who was overachieving.” Snitker was among those who spoke Tuesday at a memorial service honoring Aaron, who died last week from natural causes at the age of 86. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones and former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom were among those who spoke at the ceremony, which was held before a small, socially distanced crowd — including Aaron’s widow, Billye, and other family members — on the concourse directly... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed on a $115.5 million, five-year contract, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because Realmuto’s deal was pending a successful physical. Realmuto gets $20 million next season, of which $10 million is deferred, with $5 million each payable in 2026 and 2027. He gets $23,875,000 in each of the final four years. He does not have a no-trade provision. The deal includes a $1 million assignment bonus if traded. Realmuto's average annual salary of $23.1 million will become the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in a $184 million, eight-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that covered 2011-18. Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019 in a trade that sent right-hander Sixto Sanchez and catcher Jorge Alfaro to Miami along with pitching prospect Will Stewart and... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and two-time All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed on a $115.5 million, five-year contract, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because Realmuto’s deal was pending a successful physical. Realmuto's average annual salary of $23.1 million will become the highest for a catcher, topping the $23 million Joe Mauer averaged in a $184 million, eight-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that covered 2011-18. Realmuto was acquired from the Marlins in February 2019 in a trade that sent right-hander Sixto Sanchez and catcher Jorge Alfaro to Miami along with pitching prospect Will Stewart and $250,000 in international signing bonus pool allocation. Realmuto made his second NL All-Star team with the Phillies in 2019 and earned a Gold Glove. He had career-highs in homers (25), RBIs (83) and slugging percentage (.493) that season. Realmuto, who turns 30 in March,... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Brad Hand knows his fastball's speed declined more than 2 mph over the past two seasons. So the Washington Nationals' new reliever is trying to reverse that trend. “It helped me out a lot just being able to know I can pitch at that range,” said Hand, whose fastball averaged 91.4 mph last year. "Obviously, I don’t want to pitch at that range — I’m trying to get that back up — but I just had to learn how to pitch more, you know what I mean? The lefty finalized a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Nationals on Tuesday, giving the team more strength and flexibility in the back end of its bullpen. The deal includes $6.5 million in salary that will be deferred without interest. The deferred money will come in payments of $1.5 million due next Jan. 15, $3.5 million due Jan. 15, 2023, and $1.5 million due Jan. 15, 2024. Even with his fastball velocity down during the pandemic-truncated 2020 season for the Cleveland Indians, the 30-year-old Hand led the majors with 16 saves... [More]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Left-handed reliever Brad Hand finalized a $10.5 million, one-year contract with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, giving the team more strength and flexibility in the back end of its bullpen. The deal includes $6.5 million in salary that will be deferred without interest. The deferred money will come in payments due $1.5 million next Jan. 15, $3.5 million on Jan. 15, 2023, and $1.5 million on Jan. 15, 2024. The 30-year-old Hand led the majors with 16 saves during the pandemic-truncated 2020 season for the Cleveland Indians, compiling a 2.05 ERA, .169 opponents' batting average, 29 strikeouts and four walks in 22 innings over 23 appearances. He did not allow a home run last season. Cleveland declined Hand’s $10 million option after last season, triggering a $1 million buyout and making him a free agent eligible to sign with any major league club. Hand’s fastball velocity has decreased more than 2 mph the past two seasons and averaged 91.4 mph last year. Hand is a three-time... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Free agent second baseman César Hernández has agreed to return to the Cleveland Indians on a 1-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The team and Hernández have an agreement, which includes a club option for 2022, in place and it will become official once medical tests have been completed. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it could be days before everything is finalized. Hernández had a solid season for the Indians in 2020 after he was signed as a free agent following seven years in Philadelphia. He batted .283 in 58 games, led the AL with 20 doubles and played excellent defense, committing just four errors. His return softens the impact of Cleveland losing All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who was traded to the New York Mets earlier this month. The Indians acquired young middle infielders Andres Giménez and Amed Rosario in the Lindor deal and it was expected one of them would play second before Hernández was brought back. The 30-year-old Hernández has a career .277 batting average. He hit a career-high 15 homers in 2018 for the Phillies and led the NL with 11 triples in 2016. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

HOUSTON (AP) — An erroneous report saying Michael Brantley had agreed to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays had the outfielder fielding goodbye texts from his Houston Astros teammates most of Wednesday morning. By the afternoon those same teammates were sending him notes of congratulations and welcoming him back after he agreed to a $32 million, two-year contract with the Astros. He will earn salaries of $16 million annually. “There were a lot of a lot of mixed emotions, obviously, in a small timeframe," Brantley said Monday. “But I got a lot of great texts and I’m excited to be back, and a lot of my teammates reached out to me and they’re excited that I’m coming back. So it means the world to me." While Brantley never had a deal in place with Toronto, he admitted he was in discussions with the team. “We were close," he said. “Obviously we were in talks and there was interest on both sides, but... everything worked for where I wanted to be." Houston general manager James Click said the... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — An erroneous report saying Michael Brantley had agreed to a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays had the outfielder fielding goodbye texts from his Houston Astros teammates most of Wednesday morning. By the afternoon those same teammates were sending him notes of congratulations and welcoming him back after he agreed to a $32 million, two-year contract with the Astros. “There were a lot of a lot of mixed emotions, obviously, in a small timeframe," Brantley said Monday. “But I got a lot of great texts and I’m excited to be back, and a lot of my teammates reached out to me and they’re excited that I’m coming back. So it means the world to me." While Brantley never had a deal in place with Toronto, he admitted he was in discussions with the team. “We were close," he said. “Obviously we were in talks and there was interest on both sides, but... everything worked for where I wanted to be." Houston general manager James Click said the team had been in conversations with Brantley... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Wanting to slash salary to avoid paying luxury tax, the New York Yankees opted to make a rare trade with the Boston Red Sox. Boston acquired struggling reliever Adam Ottavino along with minor league right-hander Frank German from the Yankees on Monday for a player to be named or cash. As part of the trade, the Yankees agreed to send Boston $850,000 on July 1 to cover part of the $8 million owed to Ottavino, a 35-year-old right-hander entering the final season of a $27 million, three-year contract. New York remains responsible for Ottavino’s $3 million signing bonus, due next Jan. 15. "I know it’s the Yankees and I understand what that means and it’s the most storied rivalry in sports,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. "But if we’re not willing to do something that helps us because it also helps them, or worse, if we’re worried that it might not go as we expect and it blows up in our faces and we looked at it, well, then, we’re just playing scared, and we're... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The 31 free agents who have signed, with name, position, former club if different, and contract. The contract information was obtained by The Associated Press from player and management sources. For players with minor league contracts, terms for major league contract base salaries are in parentheses: AMERICAN LEAGUECHICAGO (2) — Signed Adam Eaton, of, Washington, to an $8 million, one-year contract; signed Liam Hendriks, rhp, Oakland, to a $54 million, four-year contract. DETROIT (1) — Signed Robbie Grossman, of, Oakland, to a $10 million, two-year contract. HOUSTON (3) — Signed Pedro Báez, rhp, Los Angeles Dodgers, to a $12.5 million, two-year contract; signed Jason Castro, c, Houston, to a $7 million, two-year contract; re-signed Michael Brantley, of, to a $32 million, two-year contract. KANSAS CITY (3) — Signed Mike Minor, lhp, Oakland, to an $18 million, two-year contract; signed Carlos Santana, 1b, Cleveland, to a $17.5 million, two-year contract; re-signed Greg Holland,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees made a rare trade with the rival Red Sox, sending struggling reliever Adam Ottavino to Boston on Monday along with minor league right-hander Frank German for a player to be named or cash. As part of the trade, the Yankees agreed to send Boston $850,000 on July 1 to cover part of the $8 million owed to Ottavino, a 35-year-old right-hander entering the final season of a $27 million, three-year contract. New York remains responsible for Ottavino’s $3 million signing bonus, due next Jan. 15. A Brooklyn native, Ottavino signed with the Yankees before the 2019 season and took No. 0, the Yankees' last available single digit. He had a successful first season that included a 6-5 record and 1.90 ERA as he became a key setup man for closer Aroldis Chapman along with Zack Britton, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle. But he slumped to a 5.89 ERA during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the highest of his nine full big league seasons, and manager Aaron Boone did not use him with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Yankees made a rare trade with the rival Red Sox, sending struggling reliever Adam Ottavino to Boston on Monday along with minor league right-hander Frank German for a player to be named or cash. As part of the trade, the Yankees agreed to send Boston $850,000 on July 1 to cover part of the $8 million owed to Ottavino, a 35-year-old right-hander entering the final season of a $27 million, three-year contract. New York remains responsible for Ottavino’s $3 million signing bonus, due next Jan. 15. A Brooklyn native, Ottavino signed with the Yankees before the 2019 season and took No. 0, the Yankees' last available single digit. He had a successful first season that included a 6-5 record and 1.90 ERA as he became a key setup man for closer Aroldis Chapman along with Zack Britton, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle. But he slumped to a 5.89 ERA during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the highest of his nine full big league seasons, and manager Aaron Boone did not use him with... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Jameson Taillon’s trade from Pittsburgh to the New York Yankees started to soak in, and he thought about reuniting with former roommate Gerrit Cole. “Every night you get a five-star cooked meal,” Taillon said. “Even if he’s cooking for himself, he’s going to marinate whatever he’s cooking properly. He’s going to do everything with the perfect execution. He’s going to have a perfect wine pairing for it.” Taillon, recuperating from his second Tommy John surgery, was acquired Sunday for four prospects. He joins a revamped rotation headed by Cole and projected to include Deivi García, Jordan Montgomery and Corey Kluber, whose pending $11 million, one-year deal is expected to be finalized this week. A 29-year-old right-hander, Taillon has not pitched since May 1, 2019. In addition to the elbow operations with New York Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek on April 9, 2014, and on Aug. 13, 2019, he also had operations for a sports hernia on July 8, 2015, and for testicular cancer... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Third baseman Pablo Sandoval has signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. Sandoval would receive a $1 million, one-year contract if he is added to the team's 40-man roster under a deal the Braves confirmed Monday. The 34-year-old Sandoval hit .214 in 84 at-bats with the Braves and San Francisco Giants in 2020. He had no hits in two at-bats with Atlanta but was kept on the team's postseason roster, and he had no hits in four plate appearances. Sandoval, whose nickname is Kung Fu Panda, will try to prove he can return to the form he showed in 2019, when he hit .268 with 14 homers with the Giants. The 2012 World Series MVP with San Francisco signed with the Braves late last season following his release by the Giants on Sept. 10, ending his second stint with the team. Austin Riley will enter spring training as the favorite to start at third base for the Braves. Riley also is an option in left field. The switch-hitting Sandoval has a career .279 batting average with 149 home runs in 13 seasons with the Giants, Boston and Atlanta. He hit .330 with 25 homers and 90 RBI for San Francisco in 2009, his second season. ___ More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports