May 2018 - Baseball Wiretap

Yankees Have Kept An Eye On Mike Moustakas
The Yankees have kept an eye on Mike Moustakas in free agency, but people close to the club believe a match between the two sides is ultimately a long shot.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports

Angels See Shohei Ohtani's Impact Coming As Pitcher First
There were dozens of Japanese reporters in attendance as Shohei Ohtani reported to the Angels on Tuesday.

Jerry Crasnick/ESPN

Theo Epstein: World Series Woes Helped Cubs Land Yu Darvish
Yu Darvish's struggles during the World Series for the Dodgers helped the Cubs pursue him in free agency, says Theo Epstein.

Jesse Rogers/ESPN

Bruce Maxwell Won't Kneel During Anthem In 2018
Bruce Maxwell said in a statement that he will no longer kneel during the national anthem.

ESPN

Padres, Royals Remain Top Contenders For Eric Hosmer
The competition to sign Eric Hosmer continues and the Padres and Royals remain the top contenders.

MLB

Yoshihisa Hirano Wants To Be Arizona's Closer
The 33-year-old right-hander agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal in December.

Associated Press

Marlins Putting End To Sea Creature Mascot Races
The Marlins are making some changes to in-game entertainment this season.

ESPN

Rangers, Trevor Plouffe Agree To Minor League Deal
If he's added to the 40-man roster, Trevor Plouffe will get a one-year, $1.75 million deal.

Associated Press

Giancarlo Stanton, A.J. Ramos May Live Together In New York
The pair both live in New York now that Giancarlo Stanton is with the Yankees and A.J. Ramos the Mets.

Associated Press

Nationals Emerge As Suitor For Jake Arrieta
As the free agent market continues to unfold slowly, the Nationals have emerged as a suitor for Jake Arrieta.

Jon Paul Morosi/MLB

Twins Made Trade Offer For Chris Archer
The Twins made the Rays a trade offer for Chris Archer "as recently as two weeks ago," according to a report.

La Valle E. Neal III/Minneapolis Star Tribune

Diamondbacks, Scott Boras Have Discussed J.D. Martinez Recently
The Diamondbacks have met with Scott Boras multiple times this offseason to discuss the possibility of re-signing J.D. Martinez.

Ken Rosenthal/The Athletic

Cubs Made Late Call To Jake Arrieta Before Signing Yu Darvish
The Cubs reportedly made a late call to Jake Arrieta before completing a six-year, $126 million deal with Yu Darvish.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports

Rays Owner Wants New Stadium In Tampa
Stuart Sternberg wants to make a historic neighborhood in Tampa the next home of the Rays, which wants to shift across the bay from St. Petersburg.

Associated Press

Mattingly Excited About The Upcoming Seaason
This will be Don Mattingly's third season with the Marlins, and he'll see a revamped roster without many stars when spring training begins within the week.

Wheeler Undergoes Injections To Get Back To Health
Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler has undergone a series of injections following a stress reaction in his right arm.

ESPN.com

Mike Foltynewicz, Kendall Graveman Lose Arbitration Cases
The arbitration decisions on Saturday left the players leading 7-6.

ESPN.com

Cubs Sign Yu Darvish To Six-Year, $126M Contract
In 31 combined starts last season, Yu Darvish was 10-12 with a 3.86 ERA.

Jesse Rogers/ESPN

Russell Wilson Traded By Rangers To Yankees
Russell Wilson is expected to appears at the Yankees' Spring Training camp.

Jerry Crasnick/ESPN

Red Sox, J.D. Martinez Still Negotiating Possible Deal
Ken Rosenthal has reported that J.D. Martinez "is fed up with the Red Sox inflexibility" during contract negotiations, but Scott Boras says the two sides remain in contact.

Evan Drellich/NBC Sports

Jonathan Schoop, Orioles Agree To $8.5M Deal
Jonathan Schoop can earn more through incentives.

ESPN

Marlins Fire Man Who Plays Billy The Marlin
The Marlins have fired John DeCicco, the man has appeared as Billy the Marlin at home games for more than a decade.

Associated Press

Ervin Santana Out 10-12 Weeks After Finger Surgery
Ervin Santana will miss the start of the regular season after having surgery on the middle finger of his throwing hand Tuesday.

ESPN

Giants Will Retire Barry Bonds' No. 25 On Aug. 11
As a member of the Giants, Barry Bonds slashed .312/.477/.666 with 586 home runs

Manny Randhawa/MLB.com

Todd Frazier Agrees Upon Two-Year, $17M Deal With Mets
The Mets have agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with Todd Frazier, according to a source.

ESPN

Yankees Promote Marcus Thames To Hitting Coach
He replaces Alan Cockrell on Aaron Boone's new coaching staff.

Associated Press

George Springer, Astros Agree To Two-Year, $24M Deal
The Astros and George Springer have agreed to a two-year, $24 million deal to avoid arbitration.

ESPN

MLBPA: Reports Of Spring Training Boycott Are 'False'
The Major League Baseball Players Association issued a statement on Sunday in the wake of reports that there may be a spring training boycott.

R.J. Anderson/CBS Sports

Jim Thome Doesn't Want To Wear Chief Wahoo Logo On HOF Plaque
Jim Thome does not want to be wearing a cap with the Chief Wahoo logo on his plaque in Cooperstown.

ESPN

Agent: 'Fight Is Brewing' Over Lack Of Free-Agent Signings
Brodie Van Wagenen said a spring boycott might happen if teams don't begin to sign free-agent players soon.

ESPN.com