May 2016 - Baseball Wiretap

Rangers Set To Announce Plans For New Ballpark
The lease on Globe Life Park is set to expire after the 2023 campaign.

Evan Grant/Dallas Morning News

Jayson Werth Agreed To Amend Contract This Past Offseason
Jayson Werth was owed a crippling $21 million per season over the next two years before he agreed to amend his contract with the Nationals this past winter.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Opt Outs Vital To Stephen Strasburg's Extension With Nationals
Stephen Strasburg agreed to a seven-year, $175 million contract extension with the Nationals earlier this month, forgoing free agency this coming winter.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Blue Jays Bat Jose Bautista Leadoff For First Time In Six Years
In an attempt to jump-start their struggling offense, the Blue Jays batted Jose Bautista leadoff on Thursday night for the first time since 2010.

ESPN

Mets Will 'Take A Look' At Skipping Matt Harvey's Next Start
Matt Harvey allowed a career-high nine runs in a career-low 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Nationals on Thursday night and changes may be on deck.

Adam Rubin/ESPN

Chris Sale First Pitcher Since 2008 To Start 9-0
Chris Sale pitched a complete game four-hitter on Thursday night to become the first Major League pitcher since 2008 to win his first nine starts.

Associated Press

Rick Porcello Isn't Happy With MLB's PED Policies
Rick Porcello has some strong opinions about Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drug policies.

Rob Bradford/WEEI

White Sox Exploring Early Trade Market
The White Sox are ready to upgrade their Major League roster early if the opportunity presents itself.

Bruce Levine/CBS Chicago

Joe Girardi Takes 'Responsibility' For Yankees' Failure
Joe Girardi hadn't seen supportive comments from owner Hal Steinbrenner, but shouldered a good amount of the blame for the Yankees' early struggles.

Wallace Matthews/ESPN

Yoenis Cespedes Insists He Wasn't Close To Signing With Nationals
Yoenis Cespedes says he wasn't close to accepting a reported five-year contract offer from the Nationals this past offseason.

Adam Rubin/ESPN

Sandy Alderson Has 'Fantastically Successful' Surgery
Sandy Alderson had successful surgery in his fight with cancer last week, the Mets general manager said.

Danny Knobler/MLB

Keith Law Has Phillies Taking A.J. Puk In Latest Mock Draft
With the Major League Baseball draft just three weeks away, ESPN's Keith Law has issued a mock draft projecting how the first round will shake out.

Keith Law/ESPN

Adam Wainwright Credits Bounce Back Start To 'Micro-Changes'
Adam Wainwright pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rockies, momentarily delaying talk about whether or not he should be replaced in the Cardinals' starting rotation.

Mark Saxon/ESPN

Hal Steinbrenner Blames Yankees' Slow Start On Players, Not Girardi
Hal Steinbrenner has backed manager Joe Girardi and his coaching staff and blamed players for the New York Yankees' slow start.

ESPN

Justin Verlander Records 2,000th Strikeout Against Twins
Justin Verlander fanned Eddie Rosario in the fourth inning on Wednesday for the 2,000 strikeout of his career.

Jason Beck/MLB

Rangers Replace Shawn Tolleson With Sam Dyson As Closer
Sam Dyson has saved two games in the Rangers' last three wins.

Associated Press

Twins, Robbie Grossman Agree To Minors Deal
He had opted out of a minor league pact with the Indians earlier this week.

La Velle E. Neal III/Minneapolis Star Tribune

Marlins Don't Finalize Agreement With Joe Beimel
The Marlins haven't finalized a previous agreement with Joe Beimel, choosing to pass on the reliever.

Clark Spencer/Miami Herald

Brad Ausmus Suspended One Game For Tirade
Brad Ausmus was suspended one game by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for "excessive arguing and his inappropriate actions" following his ejection on Monday.

Katie Strang/ESPN

Pirates Extend Francisco Cervelli Through 2019 Season
Francisco Cervelli will receive $9 million in 2017, $10.5 million in 2018 and $11.5 million in 2019.

ESPN

Joe Nathan Signs With Cubs
The club has placed Joe Nathan on the 60-day disabled list as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

ESPN

Rob Manfred Unhappy With Length Of Games
Rob Manfred isn't happy that the average nine-inning game is up nearly seven minutes from this point last season.

Jayson Stark/ESPN

Braves Fire Fredi Gonzalez
The Braves have fired Fredi Gonzalez in the wake one of the worst starts in franchise history.

ESPN

Rougned Odor Suspended Eight Games By MLB
Major League Baseball has suspended Rougned Odor for eight games for punching Jose Bautista on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

ESPN

Yordano Ventura Has Higher BB Percentage Than K Percentage
Yordano Ventura has yet to realize a lot of the promise surrounding his career and there is a new concern about his ability to harness that potential for the Royals.

Owen Watson/Fangraphs

White Sox 'Leave No Stone Unturned' In Hopes Of Improving Roster
The White Sox were one of the finalists to sign Tim Lincecum, who ultimately joined the Angels.

CBS Chicago

Garrett Richards Forgoes Tommy John, Has Stem-Cell Injection
Garrett Richards had a stem-cell injection in his right elbow on Monday in the hopes that he can avoid Tommy John surgery.

ESPN

Rougned Odor Doesn't Regret Punching Jose Bautista, Expects Suspension
Rougned Odor says he has no regrets and was simply looking out for himself when he punched Jose Bautista on the field during Sunday's Rangers-Blue Jays game.

ESPN

Angels Agree To Deal With Tim Lincecum
Tim Lincecum recently auditioned for teams to show he is healthy. He hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues since last June.

ESPN

Blue Jays Claim Jimmy Paredes Off Waivers
Jimmy Paredes has been on the disabled list all season with a sprained left wrist he suffered in spring training.

ESPN