Bengals Tell Tee Higgins He's Going To Receive Franchise Tag

The Cincinnati Bengals informed impending free-agent wide receiver Tee Higgins on Friday that they will place the franchise tag on him, according to a source. Instead of trying to negotiate a long-term contract extension with Higgins right now, they will place the franchise tag on him by the deadline next week. This was always the […]

Tommy Henry Made Mechanical Tweaks In The Offseason

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry, who looked sharp in the team's Cactus League opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies, focused on his hips and making his front side more sturdy in the offseason. It allows his release point to come out more consistently, and the positioning of it puts more stress on the bigger […]

Kutter Crawford "In The Lead" For Rotation Spot

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that as of Saturday, right-hander Kutter Crawford is "in the lead" for a spot in the Opening Day starting rotation behind Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta and Brayan Bello. Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Josh Winckowski are fighting for the final spot in Boston's rotation. Crawford has been working […]

Ricky Tiedemann Considered Day-To-Day

An MRI exam on Toronto Blue Jays No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann showed just minor inflammation between his left hamstring and calf muscles. Manager John Schneider isn't expecting the left-hander to miss much time and is calling him day-to-day. It's good news for Tiedemann, who missed considerable time in the minors last year with an […]

Riley Greene To DH On Monday

Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene (elbow) is tentatively scheduled to serve as the designated hitter on Monday for the Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. He'll then return to the outfield on Tuesday. Greene is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right (non-throwing elbow) last September. He took live batting practice earlier this […]

Jackson Holliday Playing Second Base In Spring Opener

Baltimore Orioles infield prospect Jackson Holliday is starting at second base and is hitting seventh in the lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League opener against the Boston Red Sox. Holliday, baseball's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, is a natural shortstop, but he's going to get plenty of action at the keystone this spring and could be […]

Luis Rengifo Dealing With Hamstring Issue

Los Angeles Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo (hamstring) is dealing with a left-hamstring issue at camp and took himself out of workouts at spring training on Friday. He is going to be off his feet for a few days, but manager Ron Washington was adamant that Rengifo will be ready for Opening Day in late […]

Jonathan India Won't Play Until March 7 Or 8

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that infielder Jonathan India (foot) won't play in Cactus League games until around March 7 or 8. India cannot reinjure his foot, but the Reds are building him back up in a controlled workload. India will be taking live batting practice, where the Reds can control his baserunning. The […]

Manny Machado To Serve As DH On Saturday

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is in the team's Cactus League lineup on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter. Machado has been somewhat limited early in camp after October elbow surgery, but manager Mike Shildt recently said that Machado was trending toward being full-go by […]

Rams Re-Sign Demarcus Robinson

The Los Angeles Rams and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million on Friday, according to Robinson's agency. Robinson will stay in Los Angeles after a productive 2023 season in which he caught 26 of his 39 targets for 371 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns in 16 regular-season games […]

Dolphins To Release Xavien Howard

The Miami Dolphins have informed cornerback Xavien Howard that he will be released at the start of the new league year next month, according to sources. The four-time Pro Bowler is expected to have significant interest on the free-agent market in 2024. Howard will be on the open market for the first time in his […]

Tony Kemp Joins Reds On Minors Deal

Free-agent outfielder Tony Kemp signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training on Friday with the Cincinnati Reds. Kemp will come to camp hoping to win a roster spot as a utility player for a Reds team that is already stacked with position players. The 32-year-old veteran left-handed hitter has hit .240/.330/.345 […]

Marlins Sign Vladimir Gutierrez To Minors Contract

The Miami Marlins signed Cuban free-agent right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez to a minor-league contract on Friday that includes a non-roster invite to major-league spring training, according to sources. Gutierrez was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year and only saw 6 1/3 innings in minor-league rehab appearances in 2023. The 28-year-old appeared in 32 games (30 […]

Brian Anderson, Trevor Kelley Sign Minors Deals With Mariners

The Seattle Mariners signed free-agent infielder Brian Anderson and right-hander Trevor Kelley to minor-league deals on Friday, according to sources. Both players will receive invites to major-league spring training. The 30-year-old Anderson really struggled in 96 games for the Milwaukee Brewers last year, slashing .226/.310/.368 with nine home runs, 40 RBI and 38 runs scored […]

Matt Brash Shut Down From Throwing

Seattle Mariners right-hander Matt Brash said he is "a little banged up" and has been shut down from throwing after his second bullpen session of spring training on Tuesday. General manager Justin Hollander said the team has scheduled the hard-throwing reliever to be "down" through the weekend. The hope is he can resume throwing next […]

Reynaldo Lopez Could Be Favorite For Final Rotation Spot

MLB's Mark Bowman writes that it feels like Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez might be the early favorite to start the year as Atlanta's fifth starter behind Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Chris Sale. However, how long Lopez remains a starter remains to be seen. He hasn't thrown more than 66 innings in […]

Kerry Carpenter Dealing With Hamstring Strain

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) suffered a mild left-hamstring strain while doing baserunning drills in camp on Thursday. He will complete rehab daily and progress back to baseball activities as tolerated. Carpenter's injury isn't very serious, but he's going to be held out of at least the first couple Grapefruit League games this weekend […]

White Sox Claim Peyton Burdick Off Waivers From Orioles

The Chicago White Sox claimed outfielder Peyton Burdick off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday and placed right-hander Matt Foster (elbow) on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. The White Sox will be Burdick's third team of the offseason, and he'll have his best shot at making the Opening Day roster with […]

John Brebbia In A Walking Boot

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher John Brebbia (calf) said he strained his right calf walking back to the mound after moving toward first base on a grounder during a live batting practice session at camp the other day. Brebbia was able to finish the BP session and said his pitching is unaffected, even though he's […]

Jasson Dominguez To Start Hitting On Monday

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez (elbow) will start hitting on Monday, likely starting with tee work. However, Dominguez, a switch-hitter, will only hit from the right side for the first "couple of weeks" after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last year. "I'm sure it's a […]

Dolphins Plan To Release Emmanuel Ogbah

The Miami Dolphins plan to release veteran linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah on Friday, according to a source. The Dolphins signed Ogbah to a four-year, $65 million deal after he had back-to-back nine-sack seasons in 2020 and 2021. The 30-year-old former second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2016 out of Oklahoma State played in only nine […]

Colts Could Address Cornerback In First Round

Given the fact that the Indianapolis Colts' secondary was repeatedly torched last year due to its inexperience and injuries in the cornerback room, The Athletic's James Boyd suggests that it wouldn't be a surprise if the team addressed that issue with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round of this year's NFL draft. […]

Mo Alie-Cox An Easy Target As Cap Casualty

The Athletic's James Boyd writes that Indianapolis Colts tight end Mo Alie-Cox is an easy target if the team wishes to create more salary cap space this offseason. He's entering the final year of a three-year, $17.6 million contract extension that he signed in 2022. Alie-Cox is due the last $5.9 million of that in […]

Texans Could Add To Their Secondary

The Houston Texans exceeded everyone's expectations in 2023 when they went 10-7 to win the AFC South and win a playoff game under first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and with rookie first-round quarterback C.J. Stroud. Ryans' defense has room for improvement, though, as they ranked 22nd in the league against the pass, giving up 234.1 […]

Robert Woods A Possible Cut Candidate

The Houston Texans will have an estimated $65.4 million in salary cap space in 2024, so they are in good shape. But if they are going to cut someone to gain even more cap space this offseason, The Athletic's Mike Jones speculates it could be veteran wide receiver Robert Woods. While Woods has been regarded […]

NFL Salary Cap Set At Record $255.4 Million In 2024

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones is reporting on Friday that the 2024 NFL salary cap has been set at a record-breaking $255.4 million, according to sources. It is up more than $30 million from last year's cap number of $224.8 million and is well beyond all the recent estimates. On top of the record salary cap, […]

Rams Hiring Game-Management Coordinator

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay hired John Streicher as a new addition to the team's 2024 coaching staff with the title of game-management coordinator, with McVay citing his timeout mismanagement as the kind of thing that Streicher will help him avoid. It was a big part of the story in the team's postseason […]

Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield Begin Extension Talks

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and impending free-agent quarterback Baker Mayfield have started "preliminary talks about a new contract" this offseason. General manager Jason Licht is expected to meet with Mayfield's representation during the NFL scouting combine next week. After the 28-year-old Mayfield had a career season in his first year in Tampa in 2023, it's […]

Saints Restructure Derek Carr's Contract

The New Orleans Saints restructured quarterback Derek Carr's contract on Friday for salary cap purposes, a move that was expected to give the team around $23 million in cap relief for the 2024 season, according to sources. Carr is due $30 million in base salary this year, so converting a portion of that into a […]

Kyle Manzardo Likely To Start At Triple-A

The Athletic's Jason Lloyd writes that Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo will probably start the 2024 season at Triple-A Columbus. Guardians officials reiterated this offseason the difficulty of hitting in Cleveland in April and how a slow start can bury young hitters. The 23-year-old grew up in Idaho, so he probably knows a thing […]