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Phillies' Rob Thomson 'proud' of Nick Castellanos: 'He owned up to what he did'
CLEARWATER, Fla. — One day after the Phillies released Nick Castellanos, it was business as usual in their clubhouse.
Even before the transaction was official, Castellanos’ absence had been obvious from the start of spring training. Not only because president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had repeatedly indicated over the winter ...Read more
Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony to undergo physical Saturday, could join Team USA for WBC
FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Red Sox might be sending one of their brightest young stars to the World Baseball Classic after all.
Roman Anthony will undergo an intake physical on Saturday to determine if he’s eligible to join Team USA for next month’s tournament. As first reported by the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, Anthony would replace ...Read more
Bill Plaschke: Dodgers' Alex Vesia opens up about unimaginable loss: 'Life can change in an instant'
PHOENIX — "Bear with me, please ..."
He pitched in one of the most thrilling games of the postseason, throwing one perfect inning in the victory over the Milwaukee Brewers that sent the Dodgers to the World Series.
Nine days later, his newborn daughter died.
Four months later, in a halting six-minute address punctuated by deep breaths and ...Read more
Vahe Gregorian: Late former Royals player Terrance Gore left indelible legacy as player and person
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In late August 2014, Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer was sent to Triple-A Omaha for a rehab stint while recovering from a fractured bone in his right wrist.
But he had another assignment there.
To keep his eye on Terrance Gore, then-general manager Dayton Moore told Hosmer.
So the ever-inviting Hosmer embraced Gore amid ...Read more
Bill Shaikin: 'They are the 900-pound gorilla.' How an opponent views the Dodgers' spending.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — In 2012, an attorney for Major League Baseball told a bankruptcy court judge that the league might soon find itself divided into "the Dodgers and the other 29 teams."
That time might be now, at least according to fans outside Los Angeles. The Dodgers are the first back-to-back World Series champions in 25 years, they are ...Read more
Mac Engel: Rangers' future: What really went wrong since winning their World Series
FORT WORTH, Texas — Just as no one expected the Texas Rangers to contend for much of anything in 2023, even fewer do in 2026.
Spring training has started in Surprise, Ariz., and the excitement and anticipation for the Rangers is noticeably absent.
Don’t blame the team’s 90-degree turn away from spending in the offseason, the L.A. Dodgers...Read more
Paul Sullivan: Like other White Sox unforced errors, GM Chris Getz's 'switch hitter' blunder will pass
Big crisis down at Camelback Ranch:
New Chicago White Sox player Luisangel Acuña is not a switch hitter, despite being advertised as one by general manager Chris Getz.
What this means for the rest of the 2026 season is unclear. But for Getz, beginning his fourth season on the job, it was an unforced error that fueled outrage from Sox fans on ...Read more
'It's amazing': A's president details progress of Strip ballpark construction
LAS VEGAS — Work is continuing rapidly on the Athletics’ $2 billion Las Vegas ballpark, with two of four main levels of the stadium now stretching around the project’s 9-acre footprint.
The deck of the ballpark’s lower concourse has been poured from the foul pole on the third base line, with the pour starting Wednesday on a portion in ...Read more
Kiké Hernández is back with the Dodgers, agreeing to terms on eve of spring training
Kiké Hernández agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Dodgers Thursday, with the popular utilityman taking to his Instagram account to announce his return.
"What else did you expect?!!! 3 in a row has a nice ring to it," he wrote, accompanied by a picture of him at the parade celebration last year.
In a video posted on the Dodgers'...Read more
Marcus Hayes: Selfish, insubordinate Nick Castellanos is released by Phillies then issues a wild manifesto on Instagram
PHILADELPHIA — This is a make-or-break season for the Phillies, so they aren’t taking any chances with any clubhouse cancers.
A fading talent who will be 34 in less than a month, malcontent right fielder Nick Castellanos was released by the club on Thursday afternoon. That was one day after pitchers and catchers reported and four days ...Read more
A beer in the dugout, a benching, and a rift with his manager: Inside the final Phillies season for Nick Castellanos
CLEARWATER, Fla. — After getting replaced for defense late in a close game, the worst defensive outfielder in baseball since 2022 based on defensive runs saved brought a beer into the dugout and lectured his manager.
Brought a beer into the dugout.
Let those words wash over you. They belong, incidentally, to the player himself. The Phillies ...Read more
Unable to trade him, Phillies release Nick Castellanos with $20 million left on his contract
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies have released Nick Castellanos, the team announced on Thursday.
The drawn-out saga reached its conclusion three days before position players were set to report to the Phillies' facilities for spring training. This winter, the Phillies had repeatedly indicated their interest in finding a change of scenery for ...Read more
'Our dealings are not with Casey.' Rob Manfred distances MLB from LA28's Casey Wasserman.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — As Major League Baseball closes in on an agreement for its players to participate in the 2028 Olympics, Commissioner Rob Manfred said the controversy surrounding LA28 chief Casey Wasserman would not impact the league's final decision.
"Our dealings are not with Casey," Manfred said Thursday at the MLB owners' meetings. "Our...Read more
Noah Hiles: The best way the Pirates can honor Andrew McCutchen? Win.
PITTSBURGH — It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The Pittsburgh Pirates led the Athletics, 11-0, in the bottom of the eighth inning in a game that couldn't have been more inconsequential.
With two outs and a runner on second, Andrew McCutchen walked toward the plate to face right-hander Scott McGough. Time was called before he could dig in. ...Read more
John Niyo: As Justin Verlander returns home, stars aligning for Tigers
DETROIT — Scott Harris has a pretty good poker face. But it’s not as if the Tigers’ president was bluffing all this time.
No, Harris just knew that, even with the cards he’d been dealt, he still had a hand that was better than most. And perhaps that he had another ace — or two — up his sleeve.
Tuesday was just the latest tell, as ...Read more
Orioles to sign pitcher Chris Bassitt to 1-year, $18.5 million contract
SARASOTA, Fla. — Over the past two days, Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias defended the rotation that he built this offseason.
Wednesday night, a few hours after the end of the Orioles’ first spring training workout, Elias struck a deal to bolster his rotation with one of the many pitchers remaining in free agency.
The ...Read more
Bill Shaikin: MLB owners: A salary cap will save teams in small markets. Sacramento: Nope.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In less than 300 days, baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires. As major league owners meet this week to plot strategy, the powers that be will consider the probable push for a salary cap. The argument in favor: If teams are limited in how much they can pay players — that is, if the Dodgers cannot spend ...Read more
Tigers bringing back former ace Justin Verlander
LAKELAND, Fla. — It always seemed like a pipe dream. Justin Verlander coming back to Detroit, a storybook, full-circle ending to his first-ballot, Hall of Fame-worthy career. Too good to be true.
Until now.
The Tigers shocked the baseball world for the second time in as many weeks Tuesday, signing Verlander to a one-year deal worth $13 ...Read more
Craig Stammen's transition from player to manager takes big step with start of spring training
PEORIA, Ariz. — Craig Stammen threw off the mound in the Petco Park bullpen for the final time on an August day in 2023.
He had known almost beyond any doubt since spring training that his big-league career was finished. But he had not ruled out another attempt to continue doing the job he loved so much and had done for almost two decades.
...Read more
Jason Mackey: Pirates' offseason directive has been clear. Now, the push for more offense better work.
PITTSBURGH — Sitting in a coffee shop with Paul Skenes while discussing his addiction to winning, the thought is hard to ignore.
The same for a conversation with Don Kelly at the Clemente Museum about managing his hometown team, or the rare time Bryan Reynolds' voice rose above a monotone drawl during a phone conversation we had while he was ...Read more
Popular Stories
- A beer in the dugout, a benching, and a rift with his manager: Inside the final Phillies season for Nick Castellanos
- Marcus Hayes: Selfish, insubordinate Nick Castellanos is released by Phillies then issues a wild manifesto on Instagram
- 'It's amazing': A's president details progress of Strip ballpark construction
- 'Our dealings are not with Casey.' Rob Manfred distances MLB from LA28's Casey Wasserman.
- Paul Sullivan: Like other White Sox unforced errors, GM Chris Getz's 'switch hitter' blunder will pass
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