WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Commissioner Rob Manfred’s stern warning that the intentional beaning of the Houston Astros in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal hasn’t stopped an offshore sports book from publishing odds on a variety bets related to their possible plunking.The player who’s the favorite to get hit the most according to these odds? Third baseman Alex Bregman, whose news conference apology last week was not well received.The possibility of Houston’s hitters being intentionally hit this season has become a topic of discussion after pitchers around the league have either said or implied that they’d throw at them this season. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling, whose was on the team that lost to the Astros in the 2017 World Series, said he would “lean toward yes” when asked if he would consider throwing at Houston batters this season. Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger, who has been outspoken against the Astros since the cheating scandal emerged... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Carter Kieboom, a rookie who will get a shot to be the Washington Nationals' starting third baseman on opening day, took grounders alongside Asdrúbal Cabrera, a versatile, 14th-year infielder who was among seven free agents returning to the World Series champions.Across the diamond on Field 3 at the club's spring training facility, Ryan Zimmerman, another one of those returnees, shared duties at first base with Eric Thames, one of the few new faces expected to be on the 26-man roster.A short while later Tuesday, at Field 6, slugging left fielder Juan Soto sent kids chasing balls that flew over the wall as he joined Howie Kendrick and Cabrera for the first round of batting practice.As the Nationals engaged in their first full-squad workout, manager Dave Martinez's message was simple: Go ahead and think about the special moments of 2019, but also make sure to realize it's time to start over."It's 2020 now. At some point, you have to turn the page," said Zi... [More]

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge feels the Houston Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series championship.“You cheated and you didn't earn it,” Judge said Tuesday after the Yankees' first full-squad workout. “That's how I feel. It wasn't earned. It wasn't earned the way of playing the game right and fighting to the end and knowing that we're competing, we're competitors. The biggest thing about competition is laying it all out on the line, and whoever is the better player, better person comes out on top. To know that another team had an advantage that, nothing you can really guard against, I just don't feel like that's earned.”Major League Baseball concluded the Astros used a video camera to steal catcher's signs in 2017, including during the postseason, and in 2018. Manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one season each, then were fired by the team. Houston was fined $5 million and stripped of its next two first- an... [More]

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Josh Bell insists he has not arrived. Not yet, though the metric the Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star uses to judge his own progress is highly specific.Several times a year Bell will order the jersey of a high-profile opposing player and stash it in his locker. At some point during a given series, the jersey will make its way to its namesake with a polite request for an autograph. During a rare interleague West Coast swing last year, Bell hit up three-time American League MVP Mike Trout and three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols for signed swag.Bell smiles as he tells the story, his inner baseball nerd peeking out as he talks. Over the course of three-plus years in the majors, his memorabilia collection has swelled.Here's the thing though: No one has asked him to reciprocate. Signed Balls? Sure. But a jersey? Nope. The 27-year-old first baseman is still waiting to see a No. 55 jersey make its way from an opponent's clubhouse to the foot of his locker with a note and a Shar... [More]

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — Nothing like a little encouragement from Hammerin' Hank himself to show the way at spring training for the Atlanta Braves.The Braves welcomed Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron to their first full-squad workout and named a street for him at their new complex Tuesday, starting off a season full of high expectations."It's awesome, we're so appreciative," manager Brian Snitker said. "We talked in the winter of him coming down. I told the guys and Hank we'd like to have him around more."The two-time NL East champions intend to put some pressure on themselves this year.The Braves signed outfielder Marcell Ozuna, starting pitcher Cole Hamels and reliever Will Smith in the offseason, and gave contract extensions to general manager Alex Anthopolous, Snitker and his coaching staff.That's all intended to boost a team that went 97-65 last season, but lost to Ozuna and the St. Louis Cardinals in a five-game Division Series.Atlanta hasn't won a playoff series since 2001, with... [More]

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Clayton Kershaw is pleased practically everybody in the sport seized the opportunity to tee off on the cheating Houston Astros and Commissioner Rob Manfred's handling of the scandal over the past several days.The Los Angeles Dodgers' veteran ace also believes it's time for baseball to go back to work.“This type of thing has never happened before, and people are upset by it,” Kershaw said Tuesday after the Dodgers' first full squad workout of the spring. “People feel cheated, and rightfully so. The only thing I will say now is we’ve got a great season coming up. Everybody is really excited about baseball. Baseball is in a great spot. We’ve got a lot of incredible players.”Kershaw echoed the vibe around the clubhouse with the team that was among the most damaged by — and the angriest about — the Astros' use of illegal methods during their 2017 World Series championship run. The Dodgers haven't cooled down about the revelations, but Kershaw thinks ... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin asked an arbitration panel for a raise to $2.2 million and the team argued for $1.85 million during a hearing Tuesday.Goodwin hit .262 last year and set career bests with 17 homers and 47 RBIs in 458 plate appearances for the Angels, who claimed him off waivers from Kansas City last March. The 29-year-old was eligible for arbitration for the first time after earning $585,500 last year.A decision by arbitrators Dan Brent, Melinda Gordon, Elizabeth Neumeier is expected Thursday, when decisions also are due for Miami first baseman Jesús Aguilar and Houston backup infielder Aledmys Díaz.Teams are 6-1 against players this year, beating Boston pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, Minnesota pitcher José Berríos, Milwaukee closer Josh Hader, Atlanta reliever Shane Greene and Colorado catcher Tony Wolters.Dodgers reliever Pedro Báez is the lone winning player so far.Three players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever Héctor Neris, and Arizona reliever Archie Bradley.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees star Aaron Judge feels the Houston Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series championship.“You cheated and you didn't earn it.,” Judge said Tuesday after the Yankees' first full-squad workout. “That's how I feel. It wasn't earned. It wasn't earned the way of playing the game right and fighting to the end and knowing that we're competing, we're competitors. The biggest thing about competition is laying it all out on the line, and whoever is the better player, better person comes out on top. To know that another team had an advantage that, nothing you can really guard against, I just don't feel like that's earned.”Major League Baseball concluded the Astros used a video camera to steal catcher's signs in 2017, including during the postseason, and in 2018. Manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one season each, then were fired by the team. Houston was fined $5 million and stripped of its next two first- a... [More]

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Manny Machado took care of business again this winter. It was all about baseball on the field this time.“It was good, it was a regular offseason for me," Machado said Tuesday before the San Diego Padres had their first full-squad workout of the spring. “I was able to work out, have a full offseason, not worry about business." Much different than last year, when the four-time All-Star slugger and two-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman was still a free agent at this point in spring training. Machado wound up with a $300 million, 10-year blockbuster deal, then had a disappointing first season with the Padres.“I think it's a clean slate for Manny to finally go home in the winter and not have to worry about contracts or negotiations or anything like that, and just worry about being a baseball player,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “We know he's one of the best baseball players there is. So for him to just solely focus on that, you know, you feel pretty... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Twins right fielder Max Kepler didn’t get to watch a lot of major league baseball growing up in Germany. The games he did did see included many Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees matchups, which caused him to become a big fan of Derek Jeter.“I loved watching Jeter, even though I’m a lefty and the complete opposite of what he was,” Kepler said Tuesday before Minnesota’s second full-squad workout. “He was the guy I really looked up to.”The 27-year-old Kepler never played against the Yankees shortstop but learned from afar by watching how Jeter handled himself on the field.“He was in the league for plenty of seasons and had countless awards and recognitions,” Kepler said. “He would go out there every year and play as if he was a rookie fighting for his job, which impressed me.”Kepler hopes that he’ll learn what it takes to establish a lengthy career.“To keep that type of consistency is tough because you can get full of your success, any suc... [More]

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Back managing a team, just being able to talk with his players is a challenge for Matt Williams.About 10 miles from the spring training camps of the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, the 54-year-old is at spring training with South Korea's Kia Tigers.“You never know whether you’re going to get another chance to manager or not, so I look at it as a challenge or an opportunity,’’ he said, sitting in some small metal bleachers. “So far it’s been a lot of fun.”A World Series champion with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, Williams was third-base coach with Oakland the past two years. The five-time All Star, who hit 378 homers over 17 years in the major leagues, was home in Los Angeles after last season when he got a call asking whether he was interested. Members of the organization came to LA, and a few days later he had the job.He was voted 2014 NL Manager of the Year with the Washington Nationals, then was fired after the 2015 season when the club d... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Wade Davis has again entered spring training as the Colorado Rockies' closer after a rough 2019 season.Davis lost his ninth-inning role in the final two months last year, when he finished 1-6 with 15 saves and an 8.65 ERA in the least effective effort of an 11-year career. “It sucks when you're not doing well at anything, anything in life,” Davis said. “The biggest thing is to move past it. That's when you learn and grow. You work harder. You prepare and you are at ease with what happened and your struggles. That's why I feel good about where I'm at now, despite whatever.”Scott Oberg took over as closer and pitched well before a blood clot in his right shoulder forced him to miss the final six weeks of the season and required offseason surgery, though he is healthy this spring and will join Davis in the back end of the bullpen.“I think in a perfect world, Wade is our closer and Scotty pitches in front of him in some capacity, whether it is an inning... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Versatile newcomer Jonathan Villar is expected to be an ironman in the Miami Marlins' lineup, even if they don’t know where.Villar played in all 162 games last year for the Baltimore Orioles, mostly at second base and shortstop. But the Marlins will give him a spring training tryout in center field because they have little experience there.“I’m coming here to help the team,” Villar said. “They want me to play center field, so I’ll try. If I can play another position I’ll do it.”Villar's seven-year career has included eight games in center field, most recently in 2017 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been mostly a middle infielder but has also played third base and left field.“We’re going to mess around with center field and see if that’s a position he can handle,” manager Don Mattingly said. “You look at Jonathan and really feel he’s the best athlete on the field. So we’re going to give it a shot. We think he fits there with our cl... [More]

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his ailing throwing arm, likely delaying his regular-season debut by about one month.A 2018 All-Star, Mikolas received a similar injection after last season to treat a flexor tendon issue.St. Louis manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that the injection will keep Mikolas from throwing for three to four weeks. Once he is cleared to throw, Mikolas will have to restart his throwing program from the beginning.“It gives us a better chance to be able to get him off to a healthy start and get what he's dealing with behind him,” Shildt said.The Cardinals scratched Mikolas from his second scheduled bullpen session of the spring. An MRI done over the last few days showed the arm to be no better or worse than during a similar exam taken following the 2019 season.It's possible that Mikolas will remain in Jupiter when the Cardinals break camp in late March.“I think the plan is st... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes.They believe they are doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year.When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton with a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called Major League Baseball to make sure there's a difference between the two because new first base coach Antoan Richardson already had claimed 00.“He's good with stuff like that,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said Monday of Grems' due diligence.San Francisco has 72 players in camp. Given that the Giants have 11 retired numbers with their long list of Hall of Famers and there are 13 coaches and a pair of bullpen catchers also in uniform under new manager Gabe Kapler, Hamilton's other choices were 96 or 98. He opted for 0.The Giants already have made history by hiring baseball's first female coach on a big league staff — Alyssa Nakken is wearing No. 92. Longtime equipment manager a... [More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are putting up zeroes.They believe they might be doing something rarely seen: using uniform numbers 0 and 00 in the same year.When San Francisco added speedy outfielder Billy Hamilton with a minor league deal earlier this month, equipment manager Brad Grems called the league to make sure there's a difference between the two — because new first base coach Antoan Richardson aleady had claimed 00.“He's good with stuff like that,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said Monday of Grems' due diligence.Given the Giants have 11 retired numbers with their long list of Hall of Famers and 13 coaches and a pair of bullpen catchers in uniform under new manager Gabe Kapler, Hamilton's other choices were 96 or 98. San Francisco has 72 players in camp.Already having made history with the hiring of baseball's first female coach on a big league staff — Alyssa Nakken is wearing No. 92 — longtime equipment manager and current senior adviser Mike Murph... [More]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Players who have won a World Series -- and those who have come up short -- seethed Monday at Commissioner Rob Manfred's reference to the sport's championship trophy as merely a "piece of metal," saying that comment reflected a disconnect between baseball's boss and those who produce the product on the field."It bothered me, man. I hated it. It made him sound really out of touch," said reliever Sean Doolittle, a member of the 2019 title-winning Washington Nationals. "That's the holy grail of our sport. That's what we show up for in the beginning of February, thinking about and working towards."Added Doolittle: "I just can't believe how out of touch that is. You're the commissioner of our game. You're the steward of this game. That's a really special thing. It's an iconic symbol of our game. Please don't say that, even off-hand, even tongue-in-cheek." As with so many things being talked about around the majors as spring training gets started, this all stems... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Francis Martes was suspended for the 2020 season following his second positive test for a performance-enhancing substance under baseball's major league drug program.Martes tested positive for Boldenone, the commissioner's office said Monday. Boldenone is sold under the brand name Equipose and is used commonly on horses.A 24-year-old right-hander, Martes is on the Astros' 40-man major league roster but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2017.He was suspended last March 12 for 80 games following a positive test for Clomiphene, a women's fertility drug that has been used by some athletes to counter side effects of steroids use. Martes returned Aug. 21 and made two starts for the rookie level Gulf Coast Astros and one for Quad Cities of the Class A Midwest League. He was 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in 5 1/3 innings.Martes' ban isn't quite the Houston-related cheating punishment fans and players have clamored for around baseball. The Astros have been pu... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts isn't convinced bringing in more high-priced free agents during the offseason would have boosted Chicago."Just because you spent a lot of money doesn't mean you're going to win. We've seen that in our own organization our last couple of years," Ricketts said Monday. "The fact is, it's not about how much you spend, it's about where you spend it and getting the right guys on board."Star third baseman Kris Bryant said last weekend the Cubs have the financial ability to keep their All-Star core together "if they want to."“Where we place our resources is a baseball decision,” Ricketts said, referring to president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer.Ricketts insisted the $208 million luxury tax threshold isn't holding the Cubs back."Those aren't defining the decisions in the front office, but they are always a consideration in the front office," Ricketts said, adding later, "We had the highest baseball budget i... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Backup infielder Aledmys Díaz went to arbitration Monday with the Houston Astros, who offered the same $2 million salary he earned last year.Díaz asked arbitrators Mark Burstein, Stephen Raymond, Gary Kendellen for a raise to $2.6 million.Acquired from Toronto in November 2018, Díaz hit .271 for the AL champions with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 247 plate appearances over 69 games. He was 0 for 9 with a walk in the postseason.A decision is expected Wednesday.Teams are 6-1 against players this year, beating Boston pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, Minnesota pitcher José Berríos, Milwaukee closer Josh Hader, Atlanta reliever Shane Greene and Colorado catcher Tony Wolters.Dodgers reliever Pedro Báez is the lone winning player so far.A decision is expected Wednesday for Miami first baseman Jesús Aguilar, whose hearing was Friday. Aguilar asked for a raise from $637,500 to $2,575,000 and the Marlins argued for $2,325,000.Four players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto and reliever Héctor Neris, Arizona reliever Archie Bradley and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brian Goodwin.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports