Zack Wheeler, Phillies Have Started Extension Negotiations

Right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies have started negotiations on a potential contract extension, according to Wheeler. It's early in the process, but Wheeler is hoping they can get something done before the start of the 2024 regular season. "I love it here. We're happy here," Wheeler said. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on […]

Chargers Hire Marc Trestman As Senior Offensive Assistant

The Los Angeles Chargers hired former Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman as a senior offensive assistant coach on Wednesday. In addition to Trestman, the Chargers also hired Andy Bischoff as run-game coordinator/tight ends coach, Shane Day as quarterbacks coach, Sanjay Lal as wide receivers coach, Mike Devlin as offensive line coach, Rick Minter as […]

Commanders Hire Anthony Lynn To Offensive Staff

The Washington Commanders hired former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn to their offensive staff as their running-game coordinator for the 2024 season on Wednesday, according to a source. Lynn was most recently with the San Francisco 49ers as their assistant head coach/running backs coach the last two years. In addition to adding Lynn, […]

Chiefs, Steve Spagnuolo Reach Contract Extension

The Kansas City Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo reached an agreement on an undisclosed contract extension on Wednesday. It's much-deserved, as Spagnuolo led the Chiefs to the second-best scoring defense in the regular season in 2023 on their way to their eighth straight AFC West championship while allowing an average of 17.3 points per […]

Bengals Release AJ McCarron

The Cincinnati Bengals announced on Wednesday that they released quarterback AJ McCarron. The Bengals signed McCarron back in November for more quarterback depth after starter Joe Burrow (wrist) was lost for the season. The 33-year-old veteran signal-caller appeared in two contests for Cincinnati in relief of Jake Browning down the stretch and went 4-for-5 for […]

Jameis Winston Hopes To Stay In New Orleans

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, who will become a free agent in March, said he "would love to stay in New Orleans forever." Winston has spent the last four seasons with the team and would remain ticketed for a backup role yet again in 2024 behind Derek Carr if he chooses to re-sign. The […]

Liam Hendriks Hoping To Sign By Thursday

Free-agent reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) has multiple offers and has set a deadline of Thursday to sign with a team, according to sources. If he doesn't sign now, he would keep rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his own and throw for teams in late July before signing for the stretch run. The Chicago White […]

Casey Mize Had Back Surgery Last Year

While Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (back) was recovering from Tommy John surgery last spring, he also revealed that he had an unspecified back procedure to correct an injury he had been dealing with for "years." The former first overall pick in 2018 didn't pitch at all for Detroit in 2023 and hasn't pitched in […]

Tarik Skubal Tinkering With His Slider, Curveball

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal said he's been tinkering with his slider and curveball while maintaining his fastball and changeup as he prepares for the 2024 season. Skubal had a strong 2023 campaign, but he'd like to generate more whiffs with his slider. The 27-year-old was a front-line starting pitcher for Detroit last year, going […]

Josh Staumont, Anthony DeSclafani Full-Go In Spring Training

New Minnesota Twins pitchers Josh Staumont (shoulder) and Anthony DeSclafani (elbow) have both been throwing for months after ending last year on the injured list and are full-go entering spring training. Staumont had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last July but should be good to go for Opening Day with his new club. The 30-year-old could […]

Ronny Mauricio Moved To 60-Day Injured List

The New York Mets moved infielder Ronny Mauricio (knee) to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, whose deal became official. Mauricio will most likely miss all of the 2023 season after he tore the ACL in his right knee in early January while playing […]

Kodai Senga Working On A New Pitch?

New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga said that he's working on adding a new pitch to his arsenal as he enters his second year in the big leagues. "Yes, but it's still a work in progress so maybe we'll find out soon," Senga said when asked if he was developing a new pitch this spring. […]

Robbie Ray Cleared To Throw Three Times A Week

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) has been cleared to throw three times a week and is on schedule in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of last year. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw and former American League Cy Young winner in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays only made […]

No Hitting Restrictions For Austin Slater

San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (elbow) has no hitting restrictions in spring training and is finishing his throwing program. Slater had surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow in the offseason and still needs to gain clearance in order to play in Cactus League games this spring. But as long as […]

Alex Cobb Hopes To Be Cleared To Throw Off Mound Soon

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) said his hip feels great and he's hoping to be cleared to throw off a mound soon. His goal is to face hitters by the end of spring training and go from there. Cobb started throwing on flat ground a few weeks ago after having left-hip surgery in […]

Jung Hoo Lee Expected To Be Giants Leadoff Hitter

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said that he "would be shocked" if outfielder Jung Hoo Lee isn't the team's leadoff hitter on Opening Day. The plan is for Lee to bat leadoff against both right-handers and left-handers in his first year in the big leagues. The Giants added the 25-year-old Korean this offseason on […]

Kenley Jansen Has "General Lat Soreness"

Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow said that closer Kenley Jansen (lat) reported to camp with some "general lat soreness" and will not be throwing for now. However, Jansen did take part in other drills on Monday and had been throwing bullpen sessions at home. This isn't good news for the 36-year-old reliever, especially […]

Jacob deGrom Starts Throwing Program

Texas Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom (elbow) said that he started to throw on Monday and will be throwing again on Wednesday at spring training. deGrom is slowly recovering after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last June. If everything goes as planned, the 35-year-old veteran should be able to return to Texas' rotation […]

J.P. France Dealing With Shoulder Inflammation

Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder) is dealing with shoulder inflammation at the start of spring training. General manager Dana Brown said France is playing catch and "if he was shut down it would be more concerning." No pitcher ideally wants to already be injured as he reports to camp, but it's still early, and […]

Josh Hader To Close, Ryan Pressly To Serve In Setup Role

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that left-hander Josh Hader would be the team's closer in 2024, with right-hander Ryan Pressly serving in a late-inning setup role. "Hader will pitch the ninth inning if both guys are available," Espada said. It's no surprise that Hader will be Houston's closer after they signed him to a […]

Justin Verlander A Couple Weeks Behind

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) said he's a couple weeks behind scheduled and his timetable is to be determined right now. "When I first started playing catch I usually shut it down for a while and this time when I shut it down and picked a ball back up, my shoulder didn't feel so […]

Jose Abreu Could See More Days Off

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu could be rested more often in 2024. At the very least, Abreu should see more at-bats as the team's designated hitter to keep him fresh. The 37-year-old Cuban veteran was a disappointment in 2023 in his first year in Houston, hitting a career-worst .237 (128-for-540) with a career-low 18 […]

Curt Casali Agrees To Minor-League Deal With Marlins

Free-agent catcher Curt Casali agreed to a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, according to sources. Casali's deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. The 35-year-old veteran backstop will join Miami after hitting a meager .175/.290/.200 with no home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored in 40 games played for the […]

Manny Machado Swinging At 100 Percent Effort

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is swinging with 100 percent effort and is playing catch at the start of spring training. Machado's progress is being monitored closely this spring after he had surgery to fix an extensor tendon in his right elbow late last year. It remains to be seen if he'll […]

Nick Allegretti Suffers Torn UCL In Super Bowl

Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Nick Allegretti (elbow), who started Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in place of All-Pro Joe Thuney (pectoral), played all 79 offensive snaps in the 25-22 overtime win despite suffering a torn UCL in his elbow in the second quarter, according to a source. […]

49ers Sign Tay Martin, Jake Tonges To Futures Deals

The San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Tay Martin and tight end Jake Tonges, in addition to offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez, defensive back Kemon Hall, safeties Erik Harris and Tayler Hawkins, defensive linemen Sam Okuayinonu and Spencer Waege and linebacker Curtis Robinson to Reserve/Futures deals on Tuesday. Martin, 26, spent all of 2023 on San […]

Javon Hargrave Played The Season With Torn Thumb Ligament

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (thumb) finished the 2023 season playing with a torn ligament in his thumb, according to general manager John Lynch. It makes Hargraves' second Pro Bowl campaign even more impressive. The 31-year-old finished his first year in San Francisco with 44 tackles (25 solo), seven sacks, eight tackles for […]

Jason Adam Loses Arbitration Case With Rays

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Jason Adam lost his salary arbitration case against the team on Tuesday. As a result, he'll earn $2.7 million in 2024 instead of the $3.25 million that he filed for. This was Adam's second year of arbitration eligibility. The 32-year-old reliever has been very reliable out of the bullpen for the […]

Stephen Piscotty Returns To A's

The Oakland Athletics signed free-agent outfielder Stephen Piscotty to a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Piscotty played in Oakland from 2018-22 after spending the first three years of his major-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 33-year-old veteran didn't appear at all in the majors in 2023. He's been […]

Taylor Walls Could Be Ready A Couple Weeks Into The Season

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (hip) had surgery on Oct. 27 to fix a labral tear and relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hip that he had been dealing with for more than a year. He spent eight weeks on crutches after the surgery but has since resumed baseball activities, working in […]