ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Two hours after voting to spend about $24 million to start repairing hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field by replacing the ballpark’s roof, the St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday voted a second time and decided to halt that plan.

The rare action added to the uncertainty over where the Rays will play starting in 2026...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says the Athletics’ move to Las Vegas is on track — without a doubt.

Speaking Thursday to reporters following owners meetings in New York, Manfred reiterated what he has said several times before: The A’s relocation from Oakland and the construction of a $1.5 billion, 33,000-fan...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The coronation was nothing new.

The narrative that came with it, however, reflected just how much has changed in one year.

For the third time in his decorated Major League Baseball career, Shohei Ohtani won most valuable player award honors on Thursday, claiming the National League's top individual accolade by a unanimous vote ...Read more

NEW YORK — For the second time in three years, Aaron Judge turned a historic season into an MVP trophy.

The Yankees captain was named the 2024 AL MVP on Thursday, an expected result after he led the majors in nearly every major offensive category.

Judge received all 30 of the first-place votes, with Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Zachary Ruderman.

He's the 10-year-old Dodgers fan who ended up with one of the most significant baseballs in team history — the one his favorite player, first baseman Freddie Freeman, hit for a walk-off grand slam during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against ...Read more

CLEARWATER, Fla. — When trust gets obliterated and respect seems nonexistent, there is only one way to rebuild a deal as delicate and complicated as the plan for the new Rays stadium:

Let’s hear it for spite!

If this stadium ever rises from the parking lots of Tropicana Field — and the odds seem firmly against it — we should all be ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It won’t stop Padres fans from carping for another quarter-century about the ball call on Tino Martinez in the 1998 World Series. Or quipping that Matt Holliday still hasn’t touched home plate.

Pendulums can swing only so far.

But when it comes to judging balls and strikes in past years, MLB umpires have been very good to ...Read more

ATLANTA — Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been in baseball since 2000. In 25 seasons in and around clubhouses, he has seen every type of player and personality imaginable. He knows real from fake.

Chris Sale is one of a kind.

“A lot of times, the word ‘competitor’ gets thrown around, and...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs took initial steps Wednesday to address two areas of need on their roster.

A bullpen that must be overhauled this offseason gained a new big-league arm as the Cubs acquired 28-year-old right-hander Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians for Low-A outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario.

They also traded for catcher ...Read more

DETROIT — Can you imagine a better or more fitting birthday present for Tigers lefty ace Tarik Skubal? Or a better way to cap a sensational, breakthrough season?

On Wednesday, the day he turned 28 years old, Skubal was named the American League Cy Young Award winner for 2024 by a vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Happy ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — So the Dodgers begin their title defense this week by flirting with baseball's hottest available star.

Here's hoping they get ghosted.

No Soto.

So the Dodgers can strengthen baseball's best lineup, deepen their historic batting order, tighten their versatile defense, become even more exciting, more enchanting, more unbeatable....Read more

NEW YORK — Surrounded by reporters in the lobby of MLB’s Midtown offices on Wednesday, Hal Steinbrenner did his best to avoid direct answers about the Yankees’ recent meeting with Juan Soto.

The owner, along with Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, Randy Levine and Omar Minaya, visited Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, in Southern California on ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes claimed to have a relatively quiet night ahead of him after winning the BBWAA's National League Rookie of the Year award on Monday.

"Going to sleep early and getting back to work [Monday]," the Pirates pitcher insisted on a Zoom call shortly after the winners were announced.

Let's hope his employer has a different ...Read more

CHICAGO — For a franchise needing a superstar, a missing piece to help get it to the next level, this offseason presents an ideal situation for the Chicago Cubs.

The lineup is missing a dominant slugger who is a constant threat to get on base and change the game with one swing. Juan Soto checks every box for the type of hitter the Cubs lack, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Monday’s news was a bummer for the Padres on multiple levels.

There’s just no sugarcoating that bad luck stung them when the National League’s Rookie of the Year award went to Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes.

Jackson Merrill’s impressive season would’ve earned him the award in most years, but Skenes’ historic ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — There were two prevailing thoughts from some people around the Dodgers organization regarding Juan Soto's free agency this winter.

The team is probably unlikely to land the 26-year-old superstar, who is expected to command a contract upward of $700 million on a frenzied open market.

But, the Dodgers might as well try ...Read more

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays decided they had seen enough of enigmatic outfielder Jose Siri and traded him on Tuesday afternoon to the Mets for reliever Eric Orze.

Siri, 29, at his best provided elite-level defense, impressive power and game-changing speed, often one of the most exciting players on the field. But he also had lapses in ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Mets have their replacement for Harrison Bader.

The club traded minor league right-hander Eric Orze to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday for center fielder Jose Siri. A 29-year-old out of the Dominican Republic, Siri profiles similarly to Bader but comes at a reduced cost.

Much like Bader, who recently became a free agent after ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — Two hours before a crucial vote, the Tampa Bay Rays sent a stern letter to Pinellas County commissioners informing they can no longer move forward with a new stadium deal under the current terms.

However, the letter said the team stands “ready to work on a new solution” in Tampa Bay.

The letter, written by Rays presidents ...Read more

NEW YORK — If the Yankees want to dethrone the Dodgers, they may have to out-recruit them this winter.

The Yankees, fresh off of losing the World Series to Los Angeles, are currently focused on re-signing Juan Soto after the right fielder enjoyed a star-studded 2024 campaign in the Bronx. The Bombers, led by Hal Steinbrenner, Brian Cashman ...Read more