BASEBALL
BASEBALL

MLB rumors: Yankees’ quest to keep DJ LeMahieu gets ‘ray of sunshine’

- by [email protected]_84

There seems to be new DJ LeMahieu rumors every day even though the Yankees usually get what they want and re-signing the 2020 batting champ tops their offseason wish list.

Thursday’s report from Joel Sherman of the New York Post listed the Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays as possible serious threats to sign LeMahieu, who is seeking a five-year, $100-million contract after joining the Yankees two winters ago on a two-year, $24-million pact. Also Monday, Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweeted that free agent outfielder Michael Brantley could be a backup plan for the Yankees if they lose LeMahieu.

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If any of that info worries Yankees fans, YES Network baseball insider Jack Curry painted a different picture by night’s end. Commenting on Yankees Hot Stove, Curry provided an update and prediction on LeMahieu.

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BASEBALL

Remembering the forgotten Black heroes of baseball

- by [email protected]_84

Ask anyone who the original baseball great is and they’ll tell you the same name: Babe Ruth.



Earlier this year, MLB teams wore Negro National League throwback jerseys with a badge commemorating the centennary of the league.

© Michael Reaves/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
Earlier this year, MLB teams wore Negro National League throwback jerseys with a badge commemorating the centennary of the league.

A seven-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and a 12-time American League (AL) home run leader, Ruth played in Major League Baseball from the age of 19 until he was 40.



a group of baseball players posing for a photo: Under the ownership and management of Rube Foster, the Chicago American Giants won the first three Negro National League championships from 1920-22.

© Diamond Images/Getty Images
Under the ownership and management of Rube Foster, the Chicago American Giants won the first three Negro National League championships from 1920-22.

Ruth was a vaulted star of baseball, the first great sports star in American history. He was baseball’s Michael Jordan before the Chicago Bulls great’s father was even born.

He is undoubtedly a great of the game, yet he played at a

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BASEBALL

How the Philadelphia Phillies botched their rebuild — and what it tells us about tanking

- by [email protected]_84

7:00 AM ET

  • Sam MillerESPN.com

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      ESPN baseball columnist/feature writer
      Former editor-in-chief of Baseball Prospectus
      Co-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work”

Since mid-2015, when the recent Phillies hit their lowest point — bad, expensive and with a barren farm system — they have had four managers, not to mention five hitting instructors and five pitching coaches. “Managers,” Roger Angell once wrote, “are changed whenever it becomes apparent that something must be done, even though it is almost always plain that nothing can be done.”

But general managers are different. They’re changed when it’s apparent something must be done and something can be done — which, these days, usually means tearing everything down, getting the team to be as bad as possible and then rebuilding. New GMs generally come with five-year leashes and five-year plans, and that plan is both demanding and forgiving: They don’t have

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BASEBALL

MLB notebook: Twins, closer Rogers agree to deal | Baseball

- by [email protected]_84

Drug tests down, as expected

Major League Baseball’s number of drug tests dropped sharply during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

There were 3,733 urine samples and 412 blood samples for human growth hormone testing collected during the year ending with the World Series, independent program administrator Thomas M. Martin said in his annual report this week. That was down from 9,332 urine samples and 2,287 blood samples in the year ending with the 2019 World Series.

“The lower testing numbers were a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the extended closure of the WADA-accredited anti-doping laboratory in Montreal,” Martin wrote.

Spring training was interrupted in mid-March and the start of the regular season was delayed from late March until late July. Each team’s schedule was cut from 162 games to 60.

There were 10 positive tests for performance-enhancing substances: two for Stanozolol (New York Mets second baseman Robinson Canó

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BASEBALL

AP source: Twins, closer Rogers agree to $6 million contract | Baseball

- by [email protected]_84



AP source: Twins, closer Rogers agree to $6 million contract

FILE – In this Aug. 16, 2020, file photo, Minnesota Twins pitcher Taylor Rogers throws to a Kansas City Royals batter during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Minneapolis. The Twins and closer Rogers have agreed to a $6 million, one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been finalized.



Bruce Kluckhohn


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and closer Taylor Rogers agreed to terms Thursday on a $6 million, one-year contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been finalized.

Rogers compiled a 4.05 ERA in 21 appearances with nine saves and two blown chances during the abbreviated 60-game season.

The left-hander

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BASEBALL

Staten Island Yankees cease operations, sue New York Yankees, Major League Baseball

- by [email protected]_84

The Staten Island Yankees, the former short-season Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees, announced Thursday that the organization is ceasing operations and filed a lawsuit against its former parent club – as well as Major League Baseball.

MLB free agent market get flooded with outfielders

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The Yankees announced on Nov. 7 that they would be moving their affiliate from Staten Island to Hudson Valley, New York, for the 2021 season, angering the minor-league club, which said it had been previously unaware of the decision.

In a statement released Thursday, the Staten Island team said it still had not heard from the Yankees directly.

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“It would appear from their (Nov. 7) press release that they would like us to go from the past arrangement in

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BASEBALL

Mariners baseball ops promotions 2020

- by [email protected]_84

Brendan Domaracki, who previously oversaw the Mariners’ East Coast scouting operations, was promoted to the club’s director of player personnel and will be in charge of the entire professional scouting department as well as playing a key role in player procurement.
While the Mariners are restructuring their scouting department, Domaracki

Brendan Domaracki, who previously oversaw the Mariners’ East Coast scouting operations, was promoted to the club’s director of player personnel and will be in charge of the entire professional scouting department as well as playing a key role in player procurement.

While the Mariners are restructuring their scouting department, Domaracki will help fill the role previously held by vice president of scouting Tom Allison, whose contract was not renewed in October after eight seasons with the organization.

Domaracki, who graduated from Stanford in 2008 with a degree in economics, is entering his fifth season with the Mariners. He previously spent

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BASEBALL

Mariners make six front-office promotions, hire advance scouting coordinator

- by [email protected]_84

The Mariners announced the promotions of six people within their baseball operations staff in the front office and the hiring of a new employee to join the group.

The promotions include:

  • Brendan Domaracki – Director, Player Personnel
  • David Hesslink – Assistant Director, Baseball Projects
  • Frankie Piliere – Assistant Director, Amateur Scouting
  • Skylar Shibayama – Manager, Data Strategy
  • Emanuel Sifuentes – Assistant Director, Player Development
  • Jesse Smith – Senior Director, Analytics

The Mariners also hired Sam Reinertsen to serve as a coordinator in advance scouting.

“I am confident that these leaders will continue to ensure success in our growth as an organization,”general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a news release. “They are emblematic of what we believe to be a young and talented team.”

The Mariners opted to not renew the contracts of several employees in the scouting and baseball operations department because of the COVID-19 shutdown, citing the need to

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BASEBALL

MLB rumors: Yankees in contact with Michael Brantley; Mets talking to catcher James McCann

- by [email protected]_84

The non-tender deadline for Major League Baseball was Wednesday and here’s a full list of the players who were clipped. We also covered the 10 most intriguing names that have joined the free agency pool as a result. One would think the so-called hot stove would actually heat up now, but there are several reasons things will remain slow, one of them being the feet-dragging by MLB when it comes to whether or not the DH will be used in the NL next season. 

Regardless, we trudge forward in gathering the rumors we can here on the third day of December. 

Yankees in contact with Brantley

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Yankees have made contact with free agent outfielder Michael Brantley. The qualifier is that the Yanks would likely move forward with a serious pursuit of Brantley in the event that free agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu signs

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BASEBALL

Cleveland baseball team still considering a name change

- by [email protected]_84

The Cleveland baseball organization is still discussing a possible name change, with no firm timetable in place.





© Provided by Fansided


Prior to the start of the 2020 MLB season, the Cleveland baseball organization discussed possibly changing their name. The discussions began after seeing the Washington NFL franchise transition from their previous name to the Washington Football Team. But where do things stand as of December?

Cleveland team president Chris Antonetti told the media on Thursday that discussions on a name change are still ongoing, but there’s no official timetable for when a decision will be finalized.

Cleveland still weighing its options

“We continue to work through that process,” Antonetti said, via WKYC 3 Studios. “As we shared, we wanted to make sure we were thoughtful and connecting with

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