Patriots, Tom Brady Haven't Made Progress In Extension Talks

The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady haven't made any progress in contract talks, according to sources. The Patriots will absorb a $13.5 million salary cap charge if Brady is not on the roster when the 2020 league year begins on March 18, so owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick are expected […]

Hunter Harvey To Begin Year As Reliever

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Hunter Harvey, a former first-round pick, will be a relief pitcher in 2020. A former top pitching prospect in Baltimore's system, Harvey never lived up to expectations because of injuries. But he made his big league debut in 2019 out of the bullpen and excelled, posting a 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and […]

Martin Prado Announces Retirement

Free-agent third baseman Martin Prado announced his retirement on Wednesday. Prado finished the 2019 season with the Marlins, hitting .233/.265/.294 with two home runs and only 15 RBI in 104 games. The 36-year-old spent 14 years in the majors and was an All-Star back in 2010 with the Braves. He started his career with Atlanta […]

Ben Zobrist Has No Plans To Play

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist hasn't announced his retirement yet, but he is currently at home and has no plans to play. The Cubs just signed Jason Kipnis to help at second base on Tuesday, so it's unlikely Zobrist is even in Chicago's plans if they were considering bringing him back. If this is the end […]

No Plan To Limit Jesus Luzardo, A.J. Puk

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said there's no plan for a specific innings limit for starting pitchers Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk. Both Luzardo and Puk are top left-handed pitching prospects and have extremely high fantasy ceilings in the long term, but the A's are expected to limit their innings in 2020 eventually. Per MLB […]

Gio Gonzalez Slowed With Shoulder Discomfort

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (shoulder) is dealing with discomfort in his shoulder and has been slowed down by the team in camp. Gonzalez's injury is minor and he should be ready for Opening Day, but he'll be slowed in early Cactus League action as a precaution. The 34-year-old left-hander was solid for […]

Yasmani Grandal Has Calf Strain

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (calf) was diagnosed with a minor calf strain in his left leg after undergoing an MRI exam. Grandal will be held out of the first week of Cactus League action, but he's expected to be fine for Opening Day. The White Sox will play it safe with their big […]

Lucas Giolito Dealing With Minor Injuries

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (rib cage) is dealing with soreness in his rib cage and has a strain in his chest muscle. Giolito will miss the first week of Cactus League games, but the injury isn't serious and he's expected to be ready for Opening Day. The 25-year-old broke out last year […]

Reds Re-Sign Derek Dietrich

The Cincinnati Reds re-signed infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training on Wednesday. Dietrich had a career-high 19 home runs and drove in 43 runs in 113 games for Cincinnati in 2019, but he hit just .187/.328/.462 and struck out 74 times. He's useful to the […]

Mike Leake Dealing With Wrist Soreness

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Mike Leake (wrist) has left wrist soreness and is undergoing a precautionary MRI exam on Wednesday. It's to his non-pitching arm, so Leake should be fine as long as it's not a serious injury. The veteran 32-year-old had a 4.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 127 strikeouts and 27 walks in 32 starts […]

Madison Bumgarner Expected To Start On Opening Day

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo all but said that starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner will start on Opening Day. Bumgarner will make his debut with the D-Backs against the Braves at home on March 26. It's not a great matchup for his first start with Arizona, as the Braves have one of the most imposing lineups […]

Mariners Agree With Taijuan Walker

The Seattle Mariners agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker on Wednesday, according to sources. Walker can earn up to $3 million in incentives. The 27-year-old was drafted in the first round by the Mariners in 2010, so this is a homecoming for him. He hasn't been able to stay […]

Cameron Maybin Returns To Tigers

The Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year major league deal with outfielder Cameron Maybin on Wednesday. The deal is for $1.5 million with the chance to make extra in incentives. Maybin played for Detroit in 2007 and 2016 and was the team's first-round pick in 2005. He'll turn 33 in April and hit .285 with […]

Red Sox Unsure If Dustin Pedroia Will Report For First Workout

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke is unsure if second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will report to spring training before the first full-squad workout on Monday. Pedroia has been held to nine games over the last two seasons due to a left knee injury, and he suffered a significant setback in his rehab late last […]

Darwinzon Hernandez Could Be A Starter

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez is a relief pitcher right now, but the coaching staff discussed the idea of him starting again at some point. The 23-year-old left-hander made his MLB debut in 2019 by making one start and 28 relief appearances. He posted a 4.45 ERA and 1.75 […]

Red Sox View Brandon Workman As Their Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke believes that relief pitcher Brandon Workman will be the team's closer entering the regular season, barring something unforeseen. “I think with what he did last year, he deserves that shot to be the closer,” Roenicke said. Workman became Boston's closer late in the year in 2019, posting a stellar […]

Chris Sale Expected To Report On Friday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) had a flu bug that turned into pneumonia, but he's expected to report to camp on Friday. It's not the start that Sale wanted, but the good news is his left arm is healthy following a year filled with injury and poor performance in 2019. Despite his […]

Cole Hamels Won't Be Ready For Opening Day

Updating a previous report, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Cole Hamels (shoulder) won't have time to build up for Opening Day, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Hamels is dealing with a shoulder issue, but it's nothing serious. However, he'll miss at least three weeks in camp and won't have enough time to build up before […]

Cubs Still In Talks With Other Teams Regarding Kris Bryant

The Chicago Cubs are still engaged in talks with other teams about the possibility of trading third baseman Kris Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP. The Cubs have spoken with the Rangers, Rockies, Nationals and Phillies in recent weeks, according to sources. There is no evidence that trade talks have progressed, but the Cubs haven't […]

49ers Want Dante Pettis To Get Stronger

The San Francisco 49ers want wide receiver Dante Pettis to report to the team stronger than he did in his first two seasons. The 24-year-old second-round pick in 2018 caught 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games his rookie season, but things took a turn for the worse in his sophomore […]

Jalen Hurd Expected To Be Ready For OTAs

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jalen Hurd (back) is expected to be ready for organized team activities this spring. Hurd, who missed all of his rookie season due to his back injury, could have a chance to make some noise in the team's passing game in 2020 if he can just stay on the field. […]

Chargers Could Go With Tyrod Taylor Under Center

All the big-name free-agent quarterbacks will be linked to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason now that they have moved on from Philip Rivers, but general manager Tom Telesco said that he likes "our internal options" at quarterback in Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick. Still, it would be a surprise if the Bolts didn't sign […]

Cam Newton's Future Depends On Health

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said that quarterback Cam Newton's (foot) future with the team will come down to his health. The Panthers won't make a definitive statement on whether Newton will be with them in 2020, and they want to see him demonstrate his health this spring before they decide his future. Newton played […]

Eric Pardinho Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and will miss the entire 2020 season. Pardinho, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, had a nice 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 35 strikeouts and 16 walks in seven games and one relief outing (37 2/3 innings) for Low-A Lansing […]

Trevor Cahill Signs With Giants

The San Francisco Giants signed starting pitcher Trevor Cahill to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training on Tuesday, according to a source. Cahill made 37 appearances (11 starts) for the Angels in 2019 and wasn't all that effective, going 4-9 with a bloated 5.98 ERA and 1.47 WHIP while striking out […]

Cubs Add Jason Kipnis

The Chicago Cubs signed second baseman Jason Kipnis to a minor league deal on Tuesday. Kipnis can make $1 million plus incentives if he makes the team out of spring training. The left-handed swinging infielder has a good shot to make the team as a part-time second baseman. The Chicago native hit .245/.304/.410 with 17 […]

Tony Wolters Loses Arbitration Case

Colorado Rockies catcher Tony Wolters lost his salary arbitration case on Tuesday and will earn $1.9 million in 2020 instead of the $2.475 million he was requesting, according to a source. Wolters had his best offensive season in four years in the majors in 2019 by hitting .262/.337/.329, but he's still mostly a defensive backstop […]

Charlie Morton Could Retire After 2020

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Charlie Morton said that he could consider retirement after the 2020 season, depending on his performance and his health. "If I throw really well and I feel really good, it’s going to be a tough decision. But if either one of those things happen, where I’m not pitching really well, […]

Red Sox, Pirates Interested In Kevin Pillar

The market for outfielder Kevin Pillar is heating up, with the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates among the interested teams. Pillar spent time with the Blue Jays and Giants in 2019 and hit .259/.287/.432 with a career-high 21 home runs, 88 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 161 games. Most of the damage he […]

Cubs Close To Adding Jason Kipnis

The Chicago Cubs are close to signing second baseman Jason Kipnis to a non-roster, minor league deal on Tuesday. Kipnis doesn't have the same bat as when he was elected to his second All-Star team in 2015 with the Indians, but he could bring a nice left-handed bat to the keystone in a platoon role […]