PHILADELPHIA — Make room in the Phillies’ band for Jesús Luzardo.

With free agency looming after this season, Luzardo agreed Monday to a five-year, $135 million contract extension, a major league source confirmed, keeping the 28-year-old lefty with the Phillies through at least the 2031 season.

News of the deal was first reported by ESPN....Read more

LAKELAND, Fla.— Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch already knew, but he didn’t feel it was his news to break.

Instead, it was Team USA manager Mark DeRosa who announced to reporters Monday that lefty Tarik Skubal would return to TigerTown after Team USA’s game with Mexico on Monday in the World Baseball Classic.

“He’s in a good place,�...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Tanner Banks was watching the World Baseball Classic on Saturday night when Kyle Schwarber stepped up to the plate. It was the bottom of the fifth inning, with one out and a runner on base. Team USA was tied 1-1 with Great Britain.

Pitcher Andre Scrubb threw a cutter up, which Schwarber chased for a strike. He spiked a ...Read more

LAKELAND, Fla.– The rumblings started earlier in the week. His Team USA teammates were putting a little good-natured heat on Tarik Skubal to maybe stick around for more than one start.

When that news was brought back to Tigers’ manager AJ Hinch, his response was succinct: “I fully expect him to be back in camp.”

Well, guess what. ...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Moments after Mookie Betts had just completed the game-ending double play, Don Mattingly stood alone atop the Blue Jays dugout, leaning on the railing and staring disconsolately out at the field where the visiting Dodgers were celebrating. A couple of minutes later, Bo Bichette approached him from behind and hugged him for ...Read more

PEORIA, Ariz. — No ballclub is perfect. There are nits to pick with every major league roster. Maybe even one or two for the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers and their (gasp!) $395 million payroll.

It’s just, finding the flaws in this Mariners roster isn’t as easy as it has (almost always) been. Take a few minutes to scan the field during ...Read more

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — The turn into Charlotte Sports Park still feels automatic for Craig Albernaz.

The windy asphalt road curves past palm trees and practice fields before leading to the players’ entrance — a route Albernaz traveled many times during his 13 seasons inside the Tampa Bay Rays organization. On Thursday afternoon, he nearly...Read more

PHOENIX — The man who managed Shohei Ohtani in Japan dropped by the Dodgers' training camp the other day, camera crew in tow. He was there to interview Andrew Friedman.

Friedman, quite naturally, assumed the questions would be about Ohtani.

Not at all. The questions were about Friedman, and what he had in common with the people who lead ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers released a statement Wednesday saying they were “incredibly proud” of announcer Jason Benetti being named the new voice of NBC’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts.

In only 10 years, the Homewood-Flossmoor graduate has gone from budding Chicago White Sox play-by-play man to the top of the business, ...Read more

A few weekends back, we watched the best hockey players on the planet compete in an unforgettable showdown with an Olympic gold medal on the line. The contest will be remembered for years to come and will likely draw more fans to the game.

It’s a shame that baseball’s biggest international competition can’t produce similar results. While ...Read more

PEORIA, Ariz. — Fourteen years ago in Kentucky, the family of teenage pitcher Walker Buehler threw an MLB draft party in anticipation of the San Diego Padres taking Buehler with the club’s third pick.

“We kind of had somewhat of an agreement at pick 55,” Buehler said. “There was a scout named Kevin Jarvis that my mom knew really well...Read more

On the first night of the Rays’ community engagement tour, there was something for everyone.

For the diehard fan who has been waiting a generation for a better stadium experience, there was a slick AI video, slides and promises of a self-contained village of restaurants, shops, hotels and family-friendly memories.

For Hillsborough College ...Read more

SARASOTA, Fla. — Trevor Rogers initially assumed something was wrong. He certainly wasn’t aware what was happening in real time.

A pair of fielding errors forced the Baltimore Orioles southpaw to toss extra pitches and linger underneath the sun on Tuesday afternoon. Suddenly, his teammates converged near the mound. It wasn’t a meeting ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The day after he saved the Los Angeles Dodgers' season, Will Klein was hungry. He ordered from Mod Pizza.

He drove over to pick up his order. The guy that handed him the pizza told him he looked just like Will Klein.

"You should just look at the name on the order," Klein told him.

Chaos ensued.

"He actually started screaming,...Read more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Injuries continue to throw a wrench into the Giants’ wide-open bullpen competition — and are robbing one player of an opportunity to participate in the World Baseball Classic.

Left-hander Reiver Sanmartin was slated to pitch for Team Colombia in this year’s WBC, but the 29-year-old sustained a right hip flexor injury...Read more

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — As Chase Dollander sat down in the middle of the Rockies clubhouse, the irony was inescapable. He no longer needed a therapy couch. He needed a new coach. A fresh approach.

Dollander experienced a rookie season that ranked somewhere between eating thumbtacks and rubbing a cheese grater on shins. Viewed as a future ace, he ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Phillippe Aumont retired from baseball in the summer of 2020 after the pandemic paused the major league season. Once a Phillies prospect, Aumont had been a professional since he was 18. He grew up in Canada, dedicated his life to baseball, and pitched in 46 big league games with the Phillies before deciding it was finally time ...Read more

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — He’s not a star, but you already knew that.

His one-year, free-agent deal is for $7 million, which doesn’t seem like much compared to George Springer (6 years, $150 million) or Kyle Schwarber (5 years, $150 million) or Christian Yelich (9 years, $215 million) or Teoscar Hernandez (3 years, $66 million) or even Randy...Read more