April 2018 - Baseball Wiretap

MLB Suspends Steven Wright 15 Games
Red Sox starting ptcher Steven Wright violated MLB's domestic violence policy.

ESPN.com

Madison Bumgarner Breaks Pitching Hand
Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is expected to miss six to eight weeks after being hit by a line drive in his final spring tuneup on Friday.

ESPN.com

Kris Bryant Believes Cubs' Offense Could Be 'Pretty Special'
Kris Bryant pondered the potential of the Cubs' lineup on his way home from Wednesday's spring game in Arizona.

Carrie Muskat/MLB

Legislation Could Strip Minor Leaguers Of Protection From Wage Laws
Players in the minor leagues can make as little as $5,500 a season.

Associated Press

Nationals Could Use Bryce Harper As Leadoff Man
For his career, Bryce Harper has made 16 starts out of the leadoff spot, with all 16 of them coming during the 2013 season.

Eddie Matz/ESPN

Royals Won't Send Struggling Alex Gordon To Minors
Alex Gordon is 4-for-46 this spring after two sub-par seasons with the Royals.

Mike Axisa/CBS Sports

Red Sox, Dodgers Carrying Most Dead Money Into Season
The Red Sox and Dodgers are carrying nearly $60 million in combined money into the 2018 season.

Craig Edwards/FanGraphs

Giancarlo Stanton Prepared For Scrutiny In New York
Giancarlo Stanton is aware that he'll be under a microscope as he prepares for his first season with the Yankees.

Associated Press

Yankees Targeted Danny Salazar In Trade With Indians
The Yankees acquired Giancarlo Stanton in a massive trade with the Marlins this offseason, but they also considered fortifying their starting rotation.

Joel Sherman/New York Post

Orioles, Alex Cobb Agree Upon Four-Year, $60M Deal
Alex Cobb has finally landed a deal as a free agent.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports

Jose Abreu Leaves Game With Hamstring Tightness
Jose Abreu left Tuesday's spring game between the White Sox and Rangers with tightness in his left hamstring.

ESPN

Brett Anderson Returning To Athletics On Minors Deal
Brett Anderson made 13 starts for the Blue Jays and Cubs last season.

ESPN

Return To Rays Remains Unlikely For Alex Cobb
While the market for free agents this offseason has declined, the right-hander remains out of Tampa Bay's price range.

Marc Topkin/Tampa Bay Times

Trevor Cahill Signs $1.5M Deal With Athletics
The Athletics have signed Trevor Cahill to a one-year major league contract worth $1.5 million.

Jane Lee/MLB

Royals, Clay Buchholz Agree To Minor League Deal
Clay Buchholz can earn $1.5 million if he's on the major league roster.

Bob Nightengale/USA Today

Yankees-Red Sox Nearing Agreement To Play In London
Major League Baseball is nearing an agreement to have the Yankees and Red Sox play a pair of games at London's Olympic Stadium next season.

Associated Press

Dodgers Lose Justin Turner To Broken Left Wrist
The Dodgers will be without Justin Turner for a while after he broke his left wrist during a spring game on Monday.

Associated Press

Braves Send Ronald Acuna To Minor League Camp
The move likely allows the Braves to gain an extra year of contractual control over the young outfielder.

ESPN

Shohei Ohtani Could Open Season In Minors
The Angels gave Shohei Ohtani no assurances about starting the season on the Major League roster.

Mike DiGiovanna/Los Angeles Times

Gleyber Torres Will Split Time Between Second, Shortstop In Triple-A
The Yankees will use Gleyber Torres in a "50-50" split between second base and shortstop at the Triple-A level this season.

Bryan Hoch/MLB

Dodgers Set PItching Rotation Behind Clayton Kershaw
The rotation will consist of Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda, Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Bill Shaikin/Los Angeles Times

Manny Machado Downplays Aaron Judge's Recruiting Pitch
Aaron Judge said last week that Manny Machado would look good in pinstripes.

Associated Press

MLB Suspends Jorge Polanco 80 Games
Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco tested positive for Stanozolol according to an announcement on Sunday.

ESPN.com

Jason Vargas Has Broken Right Hand
Jason Vargas signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Mets last month after going 18-11 for the Royals last season.

ESPN.com

A's Jharel Cotton Will Have Tommy John Surgery
A's pitcher Jharel Cotton is expected to miss the entire 2018 season.

ESPN.com

Jeremy Hellickson Signs Minor League Deal With Nationals
Jeremy Hellickson was 8-11 in 30 starts for the Phillies and Orioles last season.

ESPN.com

Reds, Eugenio Suarez Agree To Seven-Year, $66M Deal
The Reds have made Eugenio Suarez part of the teams foundation for years to come.

ESPN.com

Astros, Jose Altuve Reach Five-Year, $151M Extension
Jose Altuve had two years left on his deal prior to the agreement.

ESPN

Braves' Scout Compares Ronald Acuna To Hank Aaron
Ralph Garr, who played with Hank Aaron and then spent several seasons with the club as a scout, sees Ronald Acuna as a future Hall of Famer.

Mark Bowman/MLB

Braves Have Checked In On Greg Holland
There is no evidence that talks have advanced and those around the club are telling others that they have limited funds.

Jon Heyman/FanRag Sports