MLB RUMORS AND NEWS

Bleacher Report "The 2021 MLB season has been underway for a few weeks now, so enough time has passed and enough games have been played to identify some players who are beginning to put together big seasons. Whether it's an emerging young player, a candidate for a breakout season or a..." April 19

The Big Lead "Ronald Acuña is on his own level right now and his legend grows by the day. It seems the only thing that can stop him is injury and it was hearts-in-throats time late Sunday when he left the Braves' rout over the Cubs with an abdominal issue. An MRI revealed only a mild strain and..." April 19

MLB Trade Rumors "The Giants have selected the contract of right-hander Trevor Gott, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group was among those to report. The club also recalled left-hander Sam Selman and optioned outfielder Steven Duggar and catcher Chadwick Tromp. With..." April 19

Yardbarker "The Chicago Cubs and star shortstop Javier Baez have been in discussions on a contract extension and details of an offer have now surfaced. According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Cubs made Baez a multi-year offer in the $160 million to $170 million range during..." April 19

CBS Sports "Less than three weeks into the 2021 season, the New York Yankees are in crisis mode. The Yankees were swept at home by the AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays over the weekend, dropping them to an American League worst 5-10. It's only the eighth time in franchise history the Yankees..." April 19

MLB Trade Rumors "The Phillies announced that they have placed a pair of left-handers – Jose Alvarado and Matt Moore – as well as infielder Ronald Torreyes on the COVID-19 injured list. The club recalled lefties Damon Jones and Cristopher Sanchez to..." April 19

The Athletic "On the final out of the weekend, a three-game series of spills and thrills and rallies, Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer tilted his head skyward and squinted through the late-afternoon glare. The crowd at Petco Park — at least the members clad in brown and yellow — rose to..." April 19

Washington Post "When asked about his starting rotation Sunday, and whether a semi-encouraging outing from Paolo Espino helped him see a short-term fix, Dave Martinez made an admission that, while obvious, was important for the discussion at hand: “I can’t predict what the future is going..." April 19

Larry Brown Sports "The Chicago White Sox resorted to desperation while trailing the Boston Red Sox in a blowout on Monday. White Sox starter Lucas Giolito got pounded and allowed eight hits, two walks and eight runs over 1-plus innings. That put the White Sox in a big hole early in the game, and matters..." April 19

ESPN "Amid the New York Yankees' worst two-week stretch to begin a season in more than two decades, general manager Brian Cashman admitted the team is off to a "really disappointing" start but would exude patience with both the roster and coaching staff. "It's 15..." April 19

CBS Sports "It did not take long for MLB to have its first benches-clearing incident of the new season. During the opening weekend, the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals got into it after Nick Castellanos was hit by a pitch, had some words with Yadier Molina, then..." April 19

USA Today "Count former slugger Gary Sheffield as someone who has no interest in the current state of baseball. "I don't watch baseball at all," he told CBS Sports Radio's Tiki and Tierney show on Friday. The nine-time All-Star and 1997 World Series champion..." April 19

Reds Minor Leagues "Last week the Cincinnati Reds needed a roster spot for starting pitcher Sonny Gray. To open that spot the Reds placed reliever Cam Bedrosian on waivers. The right-handed pitcher cleared waivers today and Cincinnati outrighted him to their alternate site in Louisville. After an..." April 19

Sportsnaut "When the Chicago Cubs won the world in 2016, many assumed it was the start of a potential dynasty. Javier Báez was part of the team’s young, exciting core and there was confidence it would be the start of something special in Chicago. The Cubs reached the postseason in..." April 19

Yardbarker "The New York Yankees own the worst record in the American League at 5-10 following a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. The Bronx Bombers are off to their worst start since 1997 and players are beginning to get just as frustrated as the fans. After Sunday's game, D.J...." April 19

The Score "San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell wasn't happy with the condition of the mound during Sunday's finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he put the blame directly on counterpart Trevor Bauer. "Bauer, he be digging in that mound a..." April 19

The Athletic "Right before Opening Day, I was all set to write a mea culpa. Major League Baseball had sailed through spring training with virtually no disruption from COVID-19. So, regarding my position in late January that the league and union should delay the season by one month if they..." April 19

ESPN "Ronald Acuña Jr. owns any baseball stage he inhabits these days, with his defense, his strong arm, the "crazy speed," Braves manager Brian Snitker said Saturday. "I'd love to be a third-base coach with him running." And, of course, there is the power...." April 19

CBS Sports "Stiever was returned to the alternate training site after Sunday's doubleheader against the Red Sox. " April 19

CBS Sports "Wolters was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Wednesday, and he'll remain in the organization going forward. " April 19

The Athletic "Monday's game between the Minnesota Twins and the Oakland Athletics has been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Minnesota, Oakland manager Bob Melvin said Sunday. Monday's game could potentially be made up in a doubleheader on Tuesday, pending further testing. The..." April 18

Sportsnet "Teddy Ballgame is about to become Teddy Blockchain. Hall of Famer Ted Williams is coming to the digital memorabilia market with a release of nine different cards that follow the No. 9's career from skinny rookie to Cooperstown inductee. The collectors' items offered by..." April 18

USA Today "Hometown hero Joe Musgrove was handsomely rewarded after tossing the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres franchise history.  San Diego's Ballast Point Brewing Co. said Saturday that Musgrove, who is from San Diego, "deserves to never pay for a beer in this town..." April 18

Bleacher Report "The 2021 baseball season is young, but that doesn't mean fans aren't already starting to overreact to small sample sizes, bad performances and bloated ERAs. A few bad starts is all it takes to declare a pitcher done or a hitter a bust. But the reality is that no team..." April 18

Sportsnaut "The San Francisco Giants placed closer Jake McGee and starter Logan Webb on the injured list Sunday after both experienced aftereffects from their second vaccine doses. Both pitchers are on the COVID-19 injury list, which does not have a minimum duration. The team said it hopes they..." April 18

New York Post "Sunday will be Jay Bruce’s last game as a Yankee — and an MLB player. The 34-year-old outfielder/first baseman will retire after Sunday’s game against the Rays, manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday morning. Boone said Bruce came to him on Friday and had a..." April 18

The Score "Saturday's scheduled Minnesota Twins-Los Angeles Angels game in Anaheim has been postponed due to the Twins' continuing COVID-19 issues, the league announced. Sunday's contest has also been postponed, the Angels announced. The postponements..." April 18

The Athletic "The Dodgers beat the Padres 2-0 on Saturday night. The win was their eighth in a row and brought their record to 13-2. Thirteen and two. It’s hard to imagine the Dodgers’ quest to repeat as World Series champions getting off to a better start. They..." April 18

Larry Brown Sports "Clayton Kershaw got into it with Jurickson Profar over a catcher’s interference call on Saturday night. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres were locked in a scoreless game in the bottom of the fourth inning at Petco Park. Profar was batting with nobody on and two outs..." April 18

Arizona Sports "The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired outfielder Nick Heath from the Kansas City Royals for right-handed pitcher Eduardo Herrera. Arizona has also designated right-handed pitcher Jeremy Beasley for assignment, the team announced Saturday. " April 17

Sportsnaut "A 36-year-old infielder who hasn’t played in the major leagues in nearly 13 years has a new home. Sean Kazmar Jr., who most recently played in the majors on Sept. 23, 2008, with the San Diego Padres, was placed on the Atlanta Braves’ active roster on Saturday before the..." April 17

Total Pro Sports "The Dodgers and Padres had been going at it all night in their first meeting of 2021 and things got extremely heated in extra innings. After Los Angeles’ Dennis Santana hit Jorge Mateo to put runners on first and third with one out, they exchanged words and soon both benches..." April 17

MLB Trade Rumors "There was very little reported interest in free agent Tyler Flowers over the winter. The Mets were linked to the veteran backstop last month, but his market has otherwise been quiet. David O’Brien of the Athletic sheds some light on the situation,..." April 17

MSN.com "Max Scherzer started Friday night with 2,798 career strikeouts, eight shy of tying Hall of Fame hurler Cy Young (2,806 Ks) for 22nd on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout leaders list. As the Nationals mentioned in their pregame notes “different statistics providers..." April 17

Larry Brown Sports "Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell is not happy with Major League Baseball over punishments handed down to the Chicago Cubs. On Thursday, Cubs pitcher Ryan Tepera received a three-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Milwaukee pitcher Brandon Woodruff during..." April 17

Total Pro Sports "On Thursday, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez confirmed they had ended their relationship, telling the “Today” show in a joint statement that they were over just weeks after reconciling. “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining..." April 17

Sportsnaut "The Chicago Cubs are in a state of flux. Rebuild or go all in? Are they good enough to contend in the National League Central, let alone the NL? These are the questions the Cubs’ brain trust must ponder. The answer lies in forging ahead with what they have in the present. While..." April 17

The Big Lead "It's becoming increasingly more likely that the new-look Chicago Cubs front office will be scurrying around in a few months in full Tobias Fünke mode, shouting about an ongoing fire sale. Because if the team isn't contending, decisions about how much of the championship core to..." April 17

The Score "Yankee Stadium resembled the Bronx Zoo on Friday night. New York Yankees fans began throwing baseballs onto the field in the eighth inning, briefly halting play between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. The projectiles came close to hitting several of Tampa Bay's..." April 17

MSN.com "The Los Angeles Dodgers officially have a new rival out west. Friday's Dodgers-Padres clash was a tense, emotional, roller-coaster that somehow felt like it had the gravity of a playoff game in mid-April. The defending World Series champs prevailed 11-6 in a thrilling 12-inning..." April 17

Talking Baseball "The Angels announced that they have selected outfielder Scott Schebler and designated fellow outfielder Jon Jay for assignment. The team also recalled infielder Luis Rengifo. " April 17

The Big Lead "The Los Angeles Dodgers are in defense of a long-awaited title. Early returns suggest they are not resting on laurels and have entered as hungry as they were when title-starved. No one in Major League Baseball has played better than its reigning king. No one has even shown signs of closing the..." April 17

Clutch Points "New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has become known as much for his unfortunate lack of run support as being the best pitcher in baseball. But make no mistake about it, deGrom is headed for Cooperstown. In fact, he could be one of the five best pitchers in MLB history when all is..." April 16

The Score "To say Jake Odorizzi wasn't a fan of free agency is an understatement, but his opinions of the New York Mets might be at an all-time low after being snubbed by them in the offseason. "My time in free agency this year was my single most frustrating time..." April 16

Sportsnaut "Friday night’s game between the Boston Red Sox and visiting Chicago White Sox was postponed due to winter-like conditions and forecasts of additional snow and rain. The game was rescheduled for Sunday as part of a split doubleheader. " April 16

Bleacher Report "For some players, free agency never ended. Some big names are still looking for employment with the 2021 season underway. These players remain unsigned for any number of reasons, whether it's age, health or a recent decline in production. While it's early in the..." April 16

USA Today "At some point this weekend, a Yankees batter is bound to dodge an inside fastball from a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and wonder. Was that intentional? Umpires will be on alert, and the fans have returned at Yankee Stadium to offer their instant reaction. An tense..." April 16

Yahoo! Sports "Cubs reliever Ryan Tepera said he had no “malicious intent” in throwing behind Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff on Tuesday. “It was just a message that we’d had enough,” Tepera said Friday in a pregame Zoom press conference. Major..." April 16

ESPN "One day after being suspended for a game, Chicago Cubs manager David Ross sounded off on MLB's punishment for him and his team. "It's a little confusing, to me, from my seat," he said Friday, clearly annoyed. "I have a hard time understanding..." April 16

Sportsnaut "Tim Mead, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, announced his resignation on Friday. He will remain on the job for about another month. He didn’t provide a specific reason for his pending departure. Before assuming the position in Cooperstown,..." April 16