CHICAGO -- After a humbling exit from the National League Championship Series, a daunting but expected mission has arrived for Cubs President Theo Epstein and his staff.

"We knew the 2017-18 offseason would be one of our most challenging," Epstein said while answering questions for more than one hour, one day after the Cubs were knocked out of ...Read more

DETROIT -- At long last, Al Avila got his man.

It had been more than two years between the time Avila first contacted veteran manager Ron Gardenhire, late in the 2015 season, and Friday afternoon, when he helped Gardenhire put on the Detroit Tigers home uniform for the first time.

A lot has changed in those two years: The Tigers are no longer ...Read more

Manager Joe Maddon said he hasn't thought about life without free agent Wade Davis in 2018, but he knows the challenge of winning without a bona fide closer.

"When you have a legitimate closer, what that really means to me is it really permits you to manipulate before the ninth inning on a normal night," Maddon said.

"When you don't, you're ...Read more

CLEVELAND -- Michael Brantley, the Indians' All-Star outfielder who has struggled with injuries the past two years, underwent surgery to stabilize his right ankle on Wednesday in North Carolina.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson. Brantley is expected to miss four-to-five months, putting his status for Opening Day in 2018 in ...Read more

CHICAGO -- As he walked off the mound at Wrigley Field for possibly the last time in a Cubs uniform, Jake Arrieta tipped his cap to the roaring fans.

"Hopefully, it's not a goodbye; it's a thank you, obviously," Arrieta said after a sterling effort during the Cubs' 3-2 victory over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS on Wednesday night.

"I still...Read more

CHICAGO -- After spending the first five-plus years of his career dedicating his thoughts to retiring hitters, Jose Quintana suddenly found himself being one.

That was the left-handed-throwing, right-handed-batting pitcher's biggest fear when he was traded midseason to the Cubs from the White Sox.

"That was a little scary," Quintana said.

He ...Read more

CHICAGO -- The first time Kyle Schwarber shed his catcher's gear in favor of an outfielder's glove for the Cubs, another player was generating attention for appearing at a different position.

"They worked me into a game when we were getting our butts kicked and David Ross pitched," Schwarber said of the July 26, 2015 contest during which the ...Read more

CHICAGO -- After surviving some choppy moments to reach the National League Championship Series for a third consecutive season, manager Joe Maddon wants his staff to return intact next season.

"The staff has done a great job," Maddon said Wednesday. "Our staff has been awesome, and they're tight, a tightly knit group. There's a lot of synergy ...Read more

CHICAGO -- A proverbial limb, not a fence, is where Jake Arrieta will find himself standing when this season is over.

The free-agent-to-be, along with his agent Scott Boras, both have said the 2015 Cy Young winner will test the market.

Late last week, Boras called Arrieta "a squirrel with a lot of nuts in the tree ... a big-game squirrel," ...Read more

ST. LOUIS -- A short drive from where Yadier Molina grew up in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, and into the Mavilla neighborhood, the Cardinals catcher stood atop a blacktop road surrounded by stripped-clean and snapped trees and covered with a message that gave words to the reason he came home.

"AYUDA," it listed. "AGUA. ALIMENTO."

Translated it ...Read more

CHICAGO -- A baseball team must secure at least 27 outs in order to win a game, and so Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts fills the hours before each postseason contest contemplating a countdown.

He consults with his coaching staff and the analysts from the front office. He gauges the readiness of his various relievers. The group ...Read more