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Apr 24, 2018
This week's Power Rankings begin with a tip of the cap to several teams who are exceeding most preseason expectations placed upon them, and who could find themselves with higher positions in this space as soon as next week if they keep up this pace.
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Apr 24, 2018
Red-hot Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva was a late scratch from Monday's starting lineup in Colorado with soreness in his left hamstring.
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Apr 24, 2018
Mac Williamson flexed his muscles again Monday night by clobbering a two-run, sixth-inning homer that helped cement the San Francisco Giants' 4-2 triumph over the Washington Nationals, who lost their third game in a row. The Giants have won three of their last four games, a stretch that coincides with Williamson's recall from Triple-A Sacramento. He has hit safely in each of those games.
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Apr 24, 2018
Five scoreless innings from top prospect Walker Buehler's first big league start, Enrique Hernandez's defense and solo homer and a tiebreaking sac fly from Cody Bellinger in the eighth inning sent the Dodgers past the Marlins despite six solid innings from lefty Jarlin Garcia. The victory was Los Angeles' seventh in eight games.
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Apr 24, 2018
The Franch revolution is in full swing, and the rest of the Padres took their cues from the powerful rookie speedster on Monday night in Colorado. Franchy Cordero launched a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning, sparking a nine-run frame and a much-needed breakout for a Padres offense that had struggled over the past week. After trailing to start the seventh, San Diego cruised to a 13-5 victory over the Rockies, its third in four games at Coors Field this season.
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Apr 24, 2018
Marcus Semien's third home run of the season gave the A's a win, their third straight, in the opener on Monday against the Rangers. The A's finished the ninth with six runs scored, highlighted by Matt Chapman and Jake Smolinski's run-scoring triples, while Khris Davis had a two-run double early to put Oakland on the board. Robinson Chirinos homered for the Rangers, who got five-plus innings of three-run ball from starter Matt Moore.
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Apr 24, 2018
Adding depth to the back end of their pitching staff, the Yankees acquired right-hander A.J. Cole from the Nationals on Monday evening in exchange for cash considerations.
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Apr 24, 2018
The Angels topped the Astros, 2-0, to take the opener on Monday night before they send Shohei Ohtani to the mound for the second game of the series. Luis Valbuena broke up Gerrit Cole's perfecto in the 5th, and recorded the game-winning out on an overturned call.
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Apr 24, 2018
The Yankees are pleased that they appear to have an answer for what has kept Brandon Drury out of their lineup, and they have been thrilled by the production that Miguel Andujar has contributed in his absence.
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Apr 24, 2018
Three World Series rings and more than 500 homers later, it's hard to imagine the Red Sox once agonized over whether to play David Ortiz or Shea Hillenbrand.
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Apr 24, 2018
Gleyber Torres collected the first of what the Yankees expect will be many big league hits on Monday during a 14-1 win, stroking an eighth-inning single to center field off the Twins' Tyler Kinley.
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Apr 24, 2018
This is the story of what happened just before the rain put a pause in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The inning in-between Rajai Davis' moment of game-tying glory and Jason Heyward's Knute Rockne-like role in the visiting weight room gets lost in the shuffle of the Game 7 narrative. But in pure baseball terms, it's the ninth inning that allowed the Cubs to steal the Tribe's thunder and seal the way we think about 2016.
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Apr 24, 2018
Miguel Andujar continued his torrid extra-base hit streak and Giancarlo Stanton reached the bleachers with an impressive drive before Didi Gregorius hit an eighth-inning grand slam, supporting Masahiro Tanaka's excellent effort as the Yankees rolled to a 14-1 victory over the Twins on Monday evening at Yankee Stadium. Brian Dozier's fifth-inning RBI single, which extended the infielder's hitting streak to 17 games (and 24 games dating back to 2017), was the lone bright spot for Minnesota.
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Apr 24, 2018
The White Sox erupted from their recent slump during Monday's opener against the Mariners. Chicago jumped all over Mike Leake for seven consecutive hits to open the game -- becoming the first team to accomplish such a feat since the Rockies on Sept. 17, 2014 -- and chased him after just 3 1/3 innings en route to a 10-4 romp of Seattle.
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Apr 24, 2018
The jaw-dropping drive that will make all of the highlight reels from Monday's 14-1 Yankees victory over the Twins was Giancarlo Stanton's fifth-inning blast to the left-field bleachers, a titanic drive that showcased the superstar's power in convincing fashion.
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Apr 24, 2018
When Jesse Quist saw the movie "42," depicting Jackie Robinson's courageous battle to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball, the scene that stood out to him the most was that in which Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) tells Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman) that he needs a player "who's got the guts not to fight back," but instead withstand the hatred and abuse heaped upon him, showing "the guts to turn the other cheek."
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Apr 24, 2018
MLB.com confirmed on Monday night that Cleveland has agreed to a Minor League contract with veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera, pending the completion of a physical. Cabrera will head to the Indians' headquarters in Goodyear, Ariz., prior to joining an affiliate.
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Apr 24, 2018
Kevin Gausman held Cleveland to four hits over eight brilliant innings. He even had a perfect seventh, needing nine pitches to strike out Yonder Alonso, Yan Gomes and Bradley Zimmer. But it didn't matter. Gausman's effort went for naught as the Orioles' offense continues to struggle at historic proportions. Baltimore was flummoxed by Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco, falling 2-1 to mark their 11th loss in 13 games.
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Apr 24, 2018
Almost 13 years later, Albert Pujols still hears the boos when he steps into the batter's box at Minute Maid Park.
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Apr 23, 2018
Carlos Carrasco allowed just one run over 7 1/3 innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. Yonder Alonso's two-run homer off Kevin Gausman, who pitched an immaculate seventh inning, proved to be the difference in a pitchers' duel.
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Apr 23, 2018
Scott Schebler's two-run homer in the fifth ended a Reds homer drought dating back to April 15 and sent Cincy on its way to a 10-4 victory, halting a five-game losing streak and getting Sal Romano (6 IP) his first win of the season. Adam Duvall and Scooter Gennett added two RBIs apiece for the Reds, while Nick Markakis homered and drove in three for Atlanta.
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Apr 23, 2018
Avisail Garcia left Monday's game at Guaranteed Rate Field against Seattle in the second inning after coming up lame while running to first base on a grounder to third.
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Apr 23, 2018
Led by catcher Diego Cartaya from Maracay, Venezuela, the players on this year's MLB.com Top 30 International Prospects list represent the greatest young talent from across the globe eligible to sign on July 2.
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Apr 23, 2018
In a four-game series that has had no shortage of homers, it was only fitting that the first runs in Monday's finale between the Indians and Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards came via the long ball. This time, it was Yonder Alonso who went deep, drilling a fastball from right-hander Kevin Gausman over the center-field wall to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
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Apr 23, 2018
Each day during the West Coast portion of this road trip, Nationals left fielder Adam Eaton has gone out to the outfield, often accompanied by a team trainer, for baseball activities and to further test the bone bruise on his left ankle. Initially, when the team placed him on the disabled list, he was hopeful he could return shortly after the 10 days were complete.
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Apr 23, 2018
A's lefty Sean Manaea has quite the fan club these days.
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Apr 23, 2018
White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar is progressing well after successful surgery on Saturday to address the ruptured aneurysm that caused a brain hemorrhage during the sixth inning of Friday's game against the Astros, the club said on Monday.
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Apr 23, 2018
Byron Buxton was scratched from Class A Advanced Fort Myers' lineup Monday, as he fouled a ball off his left foot during Sunday's game. X-rays came back negative, which is a good sign, but his return could be delayed until the Twins return home to Minnesota on Friday for their three-game series against the Reds. Buxton was originally slated to play center field in rehab games on Monday and Tuesday before a potential return to the Twins on Wednesday.
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Apr 23, 2018
Let's take a look at the biggest changes to division-winning odds so far. The needle hasn't moved much in the American League Central and AL West, where the Indians and Astros, respectively, are still heavy favorites. But the percentages have shifted a bit elsewhere, so we'll focus on those four divisions below, all of which have seen at least one team see its odds of winning the division swing at least 10 percentage points.
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Apr 23, 2018
Major League Baseball recognized last week's top performers on Monday by announcing the A's Sean Manaea and the Orioles' Manny Machado of the American League and the D-backs' Patrick Corbin of the National League as the Players of the Week presented by W.B. Mason.
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Apr 23, 2018
If you're looking for numbers to explain what Jose Martinez is doing, why he's doing it here and just how big of a grain of salt his white-hot start should be taken with, one in particular stands out.
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Apr 23, 2018
MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week honors the best performances in the Minor Leagues from the previous week. Any player currently on an organization Top 30 Prospects list on our Prospect Watch is eligible.
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Apr 23, 2018
Here's a roundup of the latest injury news across the Majors.
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Apr 23, 2018
Since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, the Cubs and Indians have only faced each other in innocent Spring Training games in Arizona. On Tuesday, they'll meet at Progressive Field for the first time since Nov. 2, 2016, when the two teams played a nail-biting finale that fans of both franchises will never forget.
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Apr 23, 2018
These are the toughest players to strike out on each team. They might not all be huge power hitters, or even close to stars, but they have a skill that's rarer and rarer every month -- and thus, they are more valuable than ever.
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Apr 22, 2018
It'll be a week when a little more of the story of 2018 unfolds, a season that so far features surprise contenders making some of the division races way more interesting than they were projected to be. Let's look at some of the week's best games day by day.
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Apr 22, 2018
Franchy Cordero has hit 2018's longest home run (489 feet), but he's been a big name in scouting circles for years. Thanks to his elite speed and exit velocity on his hits, along with strong defense, Cordero is the most interesting rookie you don't know enough about.
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Apr 17, 2018
Time to start swinging for $5.6 million! It's easy to play: Get a hit, and your streak continues. If not, try again the next day.
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Jan 31, 2018
Oscar Gamble, a lefty-swinging hitter popularly known for the large Afro hairstyle he wore in the 1970s, died Wednesday at age 68.
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Jan 31, 2018
With Major League Baseball owners gathering this week in Beverly Hills, Calif., many around the sport have wondered if the quarterly meetings will be the venue for an announcement on rule changes aimed at addressing pace-of-play concerns.
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Jan 30, 2018
Anthony Castrovince and Richard Justice discuss what the Brandon Moss trade means for free agent Eric Hosmer, the best double-play duos in baseball today, and more.
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Jan 30, 2018
When named Red Sox manager, Alex Cora asked if the team would consider sending a planeload of supplies to his hurricane-ravaged homeland, and on Tuesday he saw his wish become a reality.
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Jan 30, 2018
The Dodgers appear set to enter Spring Training with an abundance of outfielders, and one of the roster's most interesting competitions should be in left field.
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Jan 30, 2018
Putting together MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list is a team effort. Needless to say, there isn't 100 percent agreement right out of the gate and, as a result, some favorites who might be on an individual list don't make the final 100.
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Jan 30, 2018
Tuesday marked the first sign of spring on the San Diego baseball calendar this year.
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Jan 30, 2018
The D-backs have agreed to terms on a contract with free-agent catcher Alex Avila, pending a physical, a baseball source confirmed Tuesday.
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Jan 30, 2018
Manny Machado's move from third base to shortstop means we have to consider Machado and Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop to be one of the best double-play partnerships in the sport.
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Jan 30, 2018
Juan Pierre, one of the most respected players in Marlins history, formally met one of the organization's promising young future stars.
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Jan 30, 2018
We don't know exactly how Dee Gordon will look as the Mariners' center fielder in 2018. After all, he's never played a game outside the middle infield in his Major League career. But we do know this: He's more than fast enough to handle the position.
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Jan 30, 2018
In a spring camp that may not boast many true position competitions, the one between Harrison Bader and Tyler O'Neill will be one to watch.
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Jan 30, 2018
A week after Alexa Datt, host of MLB.com's 12:25 Live with Alexa, predicted that Tommy Pham would win the 2018 National League MVP Award, the Cardinals outfielder joined the daily Facebook Live show on Tuesday to graciously accept the endorsement.
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Jan 30, 2018
Alex Faedo's first pitches as a pro will be in a Tigers uniform during Spring Training. Detroit's top pick from the 2017 Draft was one of 22 players invited to Major League camp, the team announced Tuesday.
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Jan 30, 2018
The Hot Stove is open for business, and news, trade buzz and rumors are in full swing. Here's the latest from around the big leagues.
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Jan 30, 2018
With Spring Training approaching, it's time for an in-depth look at the Pirates' roster. This is the second part of a series checking in on their current and future options at each position. Next up: first base.
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Jan 30, 2018
Manager Buck Showalter had a staff meeting last week and said Saturday at Orioles FanFest that he doesn't have any anxiety about the organization's quiet offseason.
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Jan 30, 2018
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards weighed in on the possibility of pitching in a six-man rotation during a recent interview with the team-owned radio station KLAA AM 830, expressing support for the unconventional configuration.
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Jan 30, 2018
There is crying in baseball, especially when it's something bigger than home runs and strikeouts. So Josh Rosenthal, the Rockies' supervisor of cultural development, wasn't afraid to let some tears flow on Friday when he entered Instituto Tecnico Superior Comunitario in the Dominican Republic.
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Jan 30, 2018
Along with expecting Julio Teheran and Mike Foltynewicz to be in his rotation when the regular season begins, Braves manager Brian Snitker is hoping Brandon McCarthy is healthy enough to fill one of the other spots.
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Jan 30, 2018
This will be an important spring for Astros infielder Tyler White, who made impressive strides last year and has shown flashes of being a viable big league hitter. Finding a spot on the 25-man roster will be the biggest challenge for the 27-year-old.
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Jan 30, 2018
The A's won't be the best team you watch in 2018. They could be one of the more interesting, though, even beyond their slick new green jerseys -- and that's important.
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Jan 30, 2018
While the Mets continue pondering the acquisition of another starting pitcher or even, potentially, a reliever, their main focus remains in the infield. Between now and the start of Spring Training, they are likely to acquire one more bat to round out their lineup. Four primary candidates remain, according to people with knowledge of the situation, each candidate replete with pros and cons. Here is a look at whom the Mets might acquire.
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Jan 30, 2018
With a couple of weeks remaining before Spring Training, the Reds further bolstered their bullpen on Tuesday with the signing of right-hander David Hernandez to a two-year contract worth $5 million.
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Jan 30, 2018
Baseball's busiest team struck again Monday, when the Brewers agreed to a two-year, $5 million deal with free-agent reliever Matt Albers that was finalized Tuesday afternoon.
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Jan 30, 2018
You can safely say that Royals manager Ned Yost is fully embracing the team's rebuilding effort.
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Jan 30, 2018
The Dodgers have invited 22 non-roster players to Spring Training, which begins when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 12.
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Jan 30, 2018
With Spring Training approaching, it's time for an in-depth look at the Pirates' roster. This is the second part of a series checking in on their current and future options at each position. Next up: first base.
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Jan 30, 2018
Ezequiel Carrera arrived at the Blue Jays' recent Winter Fest uncertain about his future in the city he has called home for the past three years.
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Jan 30, 2018
Stephen Strasburg idolized Tony Gwynn as a kid and got to play for him at San Diego State, where he learned much from the Hall of Famer.
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Jan 30, 2018
The Indians are heading into Spring Training with two rotation jobs up for grabs and four candidates. This week, MLB.com will examine their respective situations and chances of winning the job. Today: Mike Clevinger.
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Jan 30, 2018
The A's on Tuesday became the latest club to comply with league-wide efforts to expand protective netting in 2018 and ensure further safety for fans.
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Jan 30, 2018
As Tyler Kinley prepared to pitch in the Dominican Winter League this offseason, he still wasn't sure whether the Marlins would add him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
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Jan 30, 2018
Reds pitcher Sal Romano just wrapped the team's caravan over the weekend and has his sights firmly set on arriving in Arizona next week for an early start to Spring Training.
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Jan 30, 2018
The Rays' outfield is one of the more stable stations on the field as we continue the offseason examination of the roster through the Around the Horn segments. That stability comes from having two solid young outfielders in place to play center and right in Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr., respectively. The question mark comes in left, where multiple scenarios could play out before the start of the season.
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Jan 30, 2018
Former Padres and D-backs general manager Kevin Towers, a widely beloved figure with a huge personality, died Tuesday from complications related to a rare form of thyroid cancer. He was 56.
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Jan 30, 2018
The White Sox love how Adam Engel approaches his positioning in center field, and the numbers back up his decisions.
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Jan 30, 2018
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo helped raise more than $100,000 to install modern lighting at his high school's baseball field at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
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Jan 30, 2018
On Wednesday, Jim Thome joined the elite ranks of first-ballot Hall of Famers. But 12 years earlier, his eventual spot in Cooperstown was far from secure, and there are some parallels to another accomplished first baseman, Miguel Cabrera.
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Jan 30, 2018
Reverence for Tony Gwynn, as both a person and a ballplayer, has extended throughout San Diego and the entire baseball landscape for decades.
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Jan 30, 2018
This summer, Vladimir Guerrero will become the first player to enter the Hall of Fame as an Angel. Could he also become the seventh person to have his number retired by the franchise?
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Jan 30, 2018
Nearly three months after Jose Altuve fielded the final ground ball of 2017, we're still not sure when the long-promised deluge of free-agent signings will arrive.
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Jan 29, 2018
With MLB Pipeline unveiling its Top 100 Prospects list, Jim Callis draws comparisons from the tools of some of the biggest names to former prospects who have moved on to the big leagues.
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Jan 29, 2018
Dealing from an area of surplus, the A's sent right-handers Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer to the Royals on Monday evening to acquire Moss and southpaw Ryan Buchter, thus completing their offseason to-do list.
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Jan 29, 2018
Last year's Houston lineup was easily the best in baseball and was actually one of the best in baseball history. Can they do it again in 2018 -- or be even better? There's a few reasons to think that they can, and one big reason why not.
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Jan 29, 2018
Seeking depth and balance in their outfield, the Giants turned to a familiar face: Gregor Blanco, who agreed to a one-year Minor League contract with an invitation to the team's Major League camp at Spring Training.
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Jan 29, 2018
The D-backs continue to add veteran relief candidates, as they signed right-hander Neftali Feliz to a Minor League contract Monday that includes an invitation to Spring Training.
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Jan 29, 2018
Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon took a break from his offseason routine over the weekend to stop by the 2018 X Games in Aspen, Colo. The 26-year-old right-hander was representing Major League Baseball on behalf of the Shred Hate bullying-prevention initiative.
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Jan 29, 2018
Royals general manager Dayton Moore continued his offseason of shaving payroll and restocking his farm system on Monday, as he traded left-hander Ryan Buchter and designated hitter/first baseman Brandon Moss to the A's for right-hander Jesse Hahn and Minor Leaguer Heath Fillmyer.
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Jan 29, 2018
Major League hitters have embraced launch angle in recent years, realizing that driving the ball in the air more frequently can unlock power and create success. But like with anything, there are limits. Joey Gallo's 2017 season is one example.
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Jan 29, 2018
The Around the Horn series, which features a position-by-position look at Oakland's projected starters and backup options heading into the season, shifts to shortstop.
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Jan 29, 2018
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette knows he still has a lot of work to do before the O's open the regular season. A catcher, a left-handed bat and -- the top priority -- some veteran starters to add to the rotation are still on the list.
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Jan 29, 2018
Infielder Danny Espinosa and the Yankees have agreed to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, a source has told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
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Jan 29, 2018
The Nationals have reportedly signed free agent infielder Reid Brignac to a Minor League contract with an invitation to the team's Spring Training camp, according to MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal. The club has not confirmed the report.
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Jan 29, 2018
Travis Wood will get a chance to compete for a roster spot for the Tigers, as the club announced on Monday that they've signed the veteran left-hander to a one-year, Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
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Jan 29, 2018
It's late January, supposedly the dead of winter. But on Monday at the Sherwood Country Club in Ventura County, Santa Ana winds pushed temperatures into the 80s and cleared the skies by tee time for the third annual Justin Turner Foundation Charity Golf Tournament.
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Jan 29, 2018
There's no erasing the first impression, which for Brett Cecil consisted of an uneven first season in St. Louis. But with three years remaining on his $30.5 million contract, there is still plenty of time to script the desired ending.
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Jan 29, 2018
The Royals are nearing a deal that would bring free-agent shortstop Alcides Escobar back to Kansas City, a source told MLB.com on Friday. The club has not confirmed a potential agreement, which was first reported by MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
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Jan 29, 2018
When CC Sabathia commented earlier this month that the Yankees have returned to being baseball's "hated team," the veteran left-hander was surprised anyone thought differently. That is the way it has usually been during his career, and how his teammates expect it to be in 2018.
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Jan 29, 2018
The Hot Stove is open for business, and news, trade buzz and rumors are in full swing. Here's the latest from around the big leagues.
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Jan 29, 2018
The last time catcher Chris Gimenez talked to free-agent pitcher Yu Darvish, the two playfully imagined being teammates on the Cubs.
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Jan 29, 2018
I get why people view the Indians' logo as some intrinsic piece of this ballclub's brand. It's why many fans will be upset with Major League Baseball's announcement Monday that the 2018 season will be the last with Chief Wahoo on the Indians' uniforms.
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