Sean Doolittle plans to continue his pitching career next season.

Doolittle, who will be a free agent this offseason, expressed a desire to return to the Washington Nationals.

"I really would like a do-over," said Doolitte, who only appeared in six games in 2022 before being shut down with an elbow sprain that would lead him to undergo an internal brace procedure in July.

"I realize that there's a lot that I have to do on my end to even have that be a possibility. But hopefully January or ahead of camp in February, I can show them that I'm healthy and come in and compete for a spot."

Clayton Kershaw is feeling healthy and right now is "leaning towards playing" next season.

Kershaw will be a free agent once again this coming offseason. There was some retirement speculation at the end of last season when the left-hander was dealing with forearm/elbow injuries.

"I do think I'm leaning towards playing over not, for sure. ... I hold the right to change my mind, but as of today, I think that I've got at least one more run," he said.

The 34-year-old has a 2.42 ERA over 115 1/3 innings this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have claimed Miguel Andujar off waivers.

Andujar was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees last week.

Andujar hit .297/.328/.527 with 27 home runs over 606 plate appearances in 2018, finishing second (behind Shohei Ohtani) in AL Rookie Of the Year balloting. 

The New York Yankees are "at least contemplating" designating Aroldis Chapman for assignment, according to a report.

The decision comes down to whether or not they think Chapman's mechanical woes can be corrected over the next week and whether or not they think he'd make the postseason roster.

Chapman, 34, has a 4.36 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 33 innings this season.

He entered the season as New York's closer, but was replaced early on and hasn't recorded a save since May 17.

The Texas Rangers are interested in signing Kevin Plawecki after he was released by the Boston Red Sox.

After designating him for assignment on Friday, Plawecki was released on Monday. The catcher is hitting .217/.287/.287 in 157 at-bats this season.

The Detroit Tigers have signed Daniel Ponce de Leon to a Minor League deal this week.

The right-hander made his debut for the organization on Tuesday with Triple-A Toledo.

Ponce de Leon hasn't appeared in a Major League game this season, but he's spent time with the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals organizations.

The 30-year-old pitched 33 1/3 innings for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, posting a 6.21 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

Aaron Judge will hit free agency after his historic season after he and the New York Yankees were unable to reach a contract extension.

Judge has already hit 57 home runs this season with the American League record of 61 within his reach.

He hit two home runs at Fenway Park on Tuesday night and was asked about the possibility of signing with the rival Boston Red Sox this coming offseason.

"Ooh," Judge replied with a smile. "We'll talk about that at the end of the year."

"It's the best, they're some of the best in baseball. They're going to boo you, they're going to say some things, they're going to make you laugh," Judge said of the Boston fans. "It's all part of it. A lot of great history here, and this is one of the best places to play, so it's always fun going out there and trying to put on a show for them."

Corbin Burnes says he's yet to discuss a possible contract extension with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Burnes will have two years of team control remaining after this season.

"You would think," the right-hander said when asked if this offseason would be a good time to get negotiations started. "You would think maybe there would have been some initial talks last offseason, but nothing."

Burnes, 27, has a 2.93 ERA and 214 strikeouts over 172 innings this season.

Major League Baseball will use a new metric to award money in the new pre-arbitration bonus program.

In a memo to clubs Thursday, the league outlined the plan to enrich standout players who still make around the major league minimum, which this season is $700,000.

The $50 million pool, agreed to in the new collective bargaining agreement and funded by the league, starts by distributing money to players who place high in awards voting. 

Those who are not yet in arbitration, in which players typically with three to six years of service negotiate their salaries, receive $2.5 million for winning the MVP or Cy Young awards; $1.75 million for second place in either and $1.5 million for finishing third; $1 million for fourth- or fifth-place finishes or first-team All-MLB honors; $750,000 for first place in Rookie of the Year voting; and $500,000 for second place in Rookie of the Year and second-team All-MLB.

Once those awards are handed out, the remainder of the pool is split among the 100 players in the group with the highest WAR.

As Aaron Judge continues his pursuit of home run history, the Yankees continue to prepare for their offseason contract negotiations with the outfielder.

Team president Randy Levine said during a recent interview that Judge is "an all-time Yankee" and emphasized that the franchise "will be extraordinarily competitive" in its approach to keeping the MVP candidate.

"We know his worth and what he means," Levine said on "The Show" podcast. "I don't know what's in his mind. All we can do is show him how much we'd like him to remain a Yankee."