TEMPE, Ariz. — On the eve of the Angels’ first spring training game of the season, the team is still trying to figure out what their television situation will look like when the regular season starts in just over a month.

The uncertainty is a large reason why the Angels payroll is down so much from last year, owner Arte Moreno said Friday. ...Read more

MESA, Ariz. — Bad traffic nearly delayed Munetaka Murakami’s spring debut with the Chicago White Sox.

“Oh, my God, crash,” Murakami said in English of an incident leading to the tie-ups on the Phoenix-area roads.

He continued through an interpreter: “I was so concerned if I could make it on time. There was a big accident on the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Flashing bleached hair under his cap as he settles in with his new team, Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz threw his first pitch of Thursday's live bating practice session to Freddie Freeman. It was called a strike. As Díaz got set for his next pitch, Freeman tapped on his helmet in a playful attempt to challenge the call.

In response...Read more

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Spring training is typically when major league players brag about being in the best shape of their lives after training all offseason, to the point where it’s almost a running joke because it’s become such a cliché.

Brooks Lee didn’t utter the cliché phrase during a nine-minute chat with reporters on one of the ...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The fastest man in the National League in 2015 still wears the crown, which seems impossible until Trea Turner shares his secret.

“I pay attention to a lot of little things,” the Phillies' star shortstop said Wednesday, “that maybe other guys don’t.”

OK, such as?

“Things that happen to all of us all the time,�...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Wander Franco feels “confident and optimistic” heading into a new trial on charges of sexual abuse of a minor that is set to start Friday in the Dominican Republic, his lawyer said.

The Rays All-Star shortstop, who hasn’t played since August 2023, was found guilty in June and given a two-year suspended sentence, which is ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Athletics have spent $300 million on the construction of their Las Vegas ballpark as it continues to rise out of the ground.

A’s vice chairman Sandy Dean said those expenses have been paid for by equity from team owner John Fisher.

The A’s $2 billion project will be financed by a mix of up to $380 million in public ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The best way to understand Bryce Harper is to think about all the things he can’t say.

He can’t say that Alec Bohm is a seven-hole hitter at best. He can’t say that Adolis García is much closer to Nick Castellanos than he is a legitimate four- or five-hole hitter. He can’t say that J.T. Realmuto isn’t the guy he was ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — On the cusp of what promises to be a bitter showdown with major league owners, the players' union has no leader. Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, resigned under pressure Tuesday.

Why did Clark resign?

Clark and the union had engaged separate attorneys as federal authorities ...Read more

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jack Suwinski worried about the future. How could he not?

It was early November, a few weeks from the non-tender deadline. Coming off a two-year stretch during which he hit just .169, struck out 30% of the time and was seventh worst throughout MLB in FanGraphs’ calculation of wins above replacement (minus-1.7), Suwinski ...Read more

It seems my criticism of Tony Vitello’s bizarre press conference on Monday struck a nerve with some of the San Francisco Giants’ blind faithful, because I’ve heard from countless black-and-orange supporters claiming I have it out for the team and their new skipper.

And while I’m sorry they didn’t actually read my column — or, ...Read more

LAKELAND, Fla. — Javier Báez didn’t sugarcoat it.

Not being able to play for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC, especially with games being played on the island for the first time since 2013, is breaking his heart.

“It hurts,” he said Tuesday after the Tigers completed another full-squad workout. “It really frustrates me. One of my dreams...Read more

MESA, Ariz. — The friendly trash talk has already started at Chicago Cubs camp.

Eight players on the Cubs’ 40-man roster will depart next week for the World Baseball Classic to represent their respective countries. Should two of the favorites, Japan and the United States, meet in the WBC final, it would pit Seiya Suzuki against Pete Crow-...Read more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Kris Bryant has reported to Rockies spring training, and he has a locker in the Salt River Fields clubhouse, but he’s not a baseball player.

Tuesday, while his teammates went through their first full-squad workouts, Bryant was suited up in Rockies purple, but he was a bystander. He cannot run, let alone compete on the ...Read more

NEW YORK — As baseball’s contentious labor dispute nears a critical moment, the MLB Players Association is suddenly in need of a new leader.

Tony Clark is resigning as the MLBPA’s executive director after an internal investigation found he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, ESPN reported.

The woman had been hired ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates' front office promised to spend some money to try to improve the roster this offseason, and they have at least delivered on that on some level.

There will be some who still don't think they did enough and others who will point to the fact that they didn't bring in one of the big-name players they were ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Fans weren’t the only ones begging the New York Yankees to make a significant move over the winter as rivals improved and Cody Bellinger’s free agency dragged deep into January.

Aaron Judge also found himself antsy, admitting Monday that it was “frustrating” to watch his Bombers only make smaller transactions — outside...Read more