MLB RUMORS AND NEWS

Forbes.com "Sunday morning was already shaping up to be a sad day given it would be the last time Vin Scully would call a home game for the Dodgers, but it quickly took on greater sadness and significance when it was learned that Miami Marlins ace pitcher José Fernández had died in a boating accident at the..." September 25

CBS Sports "The baseball world suffered a devastating and tragic loss Sunday morning. Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and two others were killing a boating accident, the team and police have confirmed. The Marlins have canceled Sunday's game against the Braves. Fernandez was only 24 and he'd recently announced..." September 25

Sportsnaut "The sudden and tragic death of Jose Fernandez has obviously hit the Miami Marlins hard. Understandably, manager Don Mattingly had a hard time working through his emotions when talking about the late pitcher." September 25

Palm Beach Post "Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was not driving the 32-foot boat when it crashed into a jetty off Miami Beach, Lorenzo Veloz, a spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said at a news conference this morning. Officials said alcohol and drugs do not appear to have..." September 25

Hollywood Life "The news of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez’s untimely death gets even sadder. It’s now been revealed that the 24-year-old’s girlfriend, Carla Mendoza, is pregnant. Jose was about to become a father. Jose Fernandez, 24, shared a beautiful photo of his girlfriend, Carla Mendoza, just five..." September 25

CBS Sports "Harper left Sunday's gamein the third inning with a hand injury, Dan Kolko of the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network reports." September 25

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández was killed in boating accident and the game scheduled against the Atlanta Braves Sunday is canceled, officials said." September 25

Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "Marlins ace Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident early Sunday morning, a source confirmed to the Sun Sentinel. The team, in a statement confirming Fernandez's death, canceled its home game Sunday against the Atlanta Braves." September 25

CBS Boston "A pre-game ceremony recognizing retiring Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been cancelled–per Ortiz’s wishes–after the death of Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez. Fernandez, 24, was killed along with two others in a boating accident Sunday morning in Miami." September 25

San Diego Union-Tribune "One week after personal tragedy struck, third baseman Yangervis Solarte rejoined the Padres on Saturday. He had come back, he said, to fulfill the wishes of his late wife. Yuliett Pimentel Solarte died of complications related to cancer on Sept. 17. She was 31. “From the beginning of the..." September 25

Los Angeles Times "In this election season, Mike Trout has a simple platform. “I try to be the best player in the league every year,” he said. He has succeeded this year, again. Now comes the vote for most valuable player, and the annual debate over whether “best” and “most valuable” are the same thing. If..." September 25

Awful Announcing "Former three-time All-Star Jimmy Rollins has impressed viewers over the last couple years as a guest analyst on television. While Rollins has made multiple appearances with Fox Sports in the recent past, he will be linking up with TBS this postseason for a full-time studio role for the network’s..." September 25

MLB Trade Rumors "Manager Chip Hale says he does not believe Greinke will pitch again this season, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic tweets." September 25

Sporting News "In his last start, Madison Bumgarner struck out 10 batters, giving him 241 strikeouts on the season, breaking a 118-year-old Giants franchise record for the most strikeouts in a season by a left-handed pitcher. The record was previously set in 1898 by Cy Seymour. Seymour struck out 239 that..." September 25

MLB Trade Rumors "If the reigning National League champion Mets are going to maintain their spot atop the wild-card race, they might have to do it without infielder Wilmer Flores. The 25-year-old hasn’t seen action since Sept. 10 because of a right wrist injury he suffered in a collision with Braves catcher A.J...." September 24

Washington Post "The American men walked into the darkened brothel in Bangkok and were soon offered a variety of prostitutes, young and old, male and female. “You go in and try to look like a john as much as possible,” one of the Americans said later of his undercover role. “Try to act like them, talk like them...." September 24

Boston Herald "You thought Pablo Sandoval had been relegated to 2017 by now? Fat chance. The saga that began the Red Sox season with a lot of drama, and maybe unnecessary drama, isn't finished for 2016. But it probably is. Sandoval could, still, might actually return this year, Sox manager John..." September 24

MLB.com "The Cubs secured home-field advantage through the National League Championship Series after the Pirates' walk-off win over the Nationals on Friday night. Manager Joe Maddon watched the end of that game. "It's one of our goals," Maddon said Saturday. "The other one is to get 100 wins."" September 24

USA Today "Steve Clevenger’s tweet that cost him his job as a Seattle Mariners catcher was not the first occasion he posted racially-charged messages on social media. In an August post from Clevenger’s deactivated Facebook account obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Clevenger called the Black Lives Matter..." September 24

Detroit Free Press "Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander deemed it a poor choice of words, so he came to the defense of teammate Michael Fulmer in a social media exchange today with a senior writer for Fox Sports. Dieter Kurtenbach wrote a column explaining why he thought Gary Sanchez of the New York Yankees..." September 24

The Comeback "The Steroid Era, for all of the finger-wagging and disappointment from idealists, was one of the most popular times in MLB history. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire produced one of the most memorable summers on record in 1998, simply because of their ability to hit home runs. Sure, the idea of a home..." September 24

The Sports Quotient "When Trea Turner was called up for good on July 10th, the Nationals already had a 97% chance of winning their division. With players like Daniel Murphy, Wilson Ramos, and a resurgent Anthony Rendon leading the offense, it was not like the team struggled for offensive firepower. However, there were..." September 24

Larry Brown Sports "Klay Thompson’s dog was feeling right at home at Dodger Stadium on Friday. Klay visited Dodger Stadium to hang out with his brother, Trayce, who is an outfielder for the Boys in Blue. The Golden State Warriors sharpshooter took batting practice, and he even brought along his dog, Rocco. " September 24

Fox Sports "As clubs employ a greater number of platoons, players sometimes grow frustrated with a lack of regular playing time. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Friday that several players have conveyed such frustration to him as the team continues its march to the NL West title. “You would..." September 24

Yardbarker "Earlier this week I was given an opportunity to play GM for the entire MLB and save five position players from their awful teams and plug them in on contenders where they deserve to be given their skill set. Today, I am doing the same with five pitchers. I am a big believer that solid pitching..." September 24

Washington Post "Daniel Murphy, whose left leg injury was not responding to treatment, has a mild strain in his left buttocks, Nationals Manager Dusty Baker said Friday. Murphy underwent an MRI, which revealed the strain, an issue that plagues him most when he is running. Baker said the Nationals are going “to..." September 24

Today's Knuckleball "Just a year after general manager Jerry Dipoto departed the Los Angeles Angels front office to take over the Seattle Mariners, he has now brought over Justin Hollander to Seattle from Los Angeles as well. Hollander now becomes the Mariners’ director of baseball operations. Hollander was hired..." September 24

Arizona Sports "The first of what could be a few dominoes to fall within the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office hit the table over the weekend, when it was announced that VP of baseball operations De Jon Watson would not have his contract renewed for next season. With chief baseball officer Tony La Russa and..." September 23

Kiro 7 "The Seattle Mariners have suspended backup catcher Steve Clevenger without pay for the remainder of the season. Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced that the club has suspended Clevenger on Friday." September 23

Today's Knuckleball "The St. Louis Cardinals are set to activate left fielder Matt Holliday sometime after their three-game set at Wrigley ends Sunday. Holliday has missed most of the season’s second half after breaking his thumb on a hit-by-pitch. From an offensive standpoint, the Cardinals don’t really need..." September 23

Larry Brown Sports "Seattle Mariners catcher Steve Clevenger released a statement early Friday morning apologizing for the racially-charged tweets he sent the day before. Clevenger said he worded his rant about the Black Lives Matter movement poorly and that he is “sickened” by the thought of anyone thinking he’s..." September 23

Orange County Register "Yasiel Puig hasn’t played winter baseball since he was 21, a few months after he successfully defected from Cuba. Puig played 20 games for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League in 2012. It was a logical step after his first season in the Dodgers organization, which consisted of 23 games in..." September 23

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "The Pirates have made two contract offers to right-hander Ivan Nova, who will reach free agency after this season, according to sources. Nova, 29, joined the Pirates in a trade with the New York Yankees at the non-waiver deadline in exchange for two players to be named later — minor league..." September 23

USA Today "Who could forget the time David Ortiz smashed a dugout phone to smithereens? The Baltimore Orioles didn't, and on Thursday, they actually presented what they claim to be the "exact, authenticated" visitor's dugout phone Big Papi's big bat laid waste to three years ago. Orioles outfielder Adam..." September 23

MLB Trade Rumors "Right-handed reliever Jeremy Jeffress, who has been checked into an inpatient rehab clinic for nearly a month following a DWI arrest, is expected to rejoin the Rangers’ bullpen tomorrow, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Jeffress, who turned 29 yesterday, was arrested late last..." September 23

MLB.com "Ten games. One road trip. One homestand. And a chance. That's what remains for the Mariners as they embark on their final trek of the season, with a three-game series against the Twins starting Friday, then three games at Houston and four final Safeco Field appearances against the..." September 23

Hardball Talk "Mariners catcher Steve Clevenger found himself in hot water on social media on Thursday evening. He tweeted some racist statements pertaining to the Black Lives Matter movement. After receiving criticism, he locked his account and presumably deleted the tweets. The Score has screen caps of both..." September 22

12 Up "​Are we shocked to hear the news that Manny Ramirez is back in a baseball uniform playing baseball again? We shouldn't be. According to a report from Antonio Puesan, Manny Ramirez will be joining the Aguilas Cibaenas in the winter league at the ripe age of 44 years old. The last time Ramirez..." September 22

New York Daily News "And now the Yankees have a case of the Mets. The Yankees announced Masahiro Tanaka will not make his next scheduled start Monday after an MRI revealed a slight strain in flexor mass. Manager Joe Girardi stressed that Tanaka's issue is not near the elbow ligament. He will not pick up a ball..." September 22

Washington Post "Bryce Harper went 1 for 4 with a walk in Wednesday night’s win over the Miami Marlins, a typical night for him in the 2016 season in which he is hitting .240 and keeping pace with Paul Goldschmidt for the National League lead in walks. He slid headfirst into second base twice, both times without a..." September 22

The Comeback "The Miami Marlins fell to .500 after a tough loss against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. The game was largely uneventful for Miami, as three errors and just four mediocre innings from Tom Koehler led to the defeat. One of the Marlins runs’ came from a Christian Yelich solo homer in the..." September 22

MLB Trade Rumors "Not long after declaring Steven Matz ready to go for Friday’s start, the tables have turned, as the Mets have scratched the left-hander due to lingering discomfort in his left shoulder, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (links to Sherman on Twitter). Furthermore, general manager Sandy Alderson..." September 22

Today's Knuckleball "The question has been being asked for months now: Is Andrew McCutchen having a sub-par season or has he entered the decline phase of his career? The Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder is hitting .255 with 24 home runs, 76 RBIs and a .769 OPS in 142 games. While certainly not an awful season,..." September 22

Bleacher Report "There's a New York Yankees coach named Tony Pena. He was an All-Star catcher when he played in the major leagues, the only All-Star catcher ever born in the Dominican Republic. When you ask him why there's only been one, he first says, "Don't ask me that question." Then he points across the..." September 22

CBS Sports "The Mets could be taking a trip to London. Remember how, back in July, Major League Baseball scrapped plans to host a 2017 game in London? We noted at the time that talks were likely to be revisited down the road. We are officially down the road. On Sunday, London mayor Sadiq Khan, who..." September 22

Atlanta Journal-Constitution "When Brian Snitker took over as interim manager for a 9-28 team in mid-May, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the job, and for a while afterward he wasn’t certain if he’d want to keep it. Not anymore. The Braves have responded as the front office hoped they would to the 60-year-old baseball..." September 22

ESPN "He has been gone for all but three games this season, but he isn't far from the action. Chicago Cubs outfielder/catcher Kyle Schwarber is preparing for the playoffs as well -- as a cheerleader. He has been in the dugout for the home games but now looks to expand his role. Here’s a quick update..." September 22

Fox Sports "The Orioles are desperately trying to hold on to a wild-card spot with 10 games remaining in the regular season. And center fielder Adam Jones would like to see a few more fans in the seats. Jones stopped short of calling out the absent fans, saying it’s "not sad, just, like, eerie." And he did..." September 22

CBS Sports "Coke was traded to the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations. Coke has appeared in three games for the Yankees on the year but has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A, where he holds a 3.04 ERA and 1.29 ERA across 74 innings. The plan is for Coke to join the Pirates in..." September 22

Today's Knuckleball "The Washington Nationals initiated talks with soon-to-be free agent catcher Wilson Ramos, making an initial offer. However, indications are that the Nats’ offer was somewhere in the range of $30 million over three years, which apparently isn’t in the ballpark of what Ramos seeks and perhaps not..." September 22