Spring training '21: New year, but COVID-19 protocols remain
FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2014, file photo, Atlanta Braves batting helmets sits on the field under a shining sun during a spring training baseball workout in Kissimmee, Fla. Major League Baseball revamped its spring training exhibition schedule because of the pandemic, cutting travel for Florida-based teams in an effort to avoid the novel coronavirus, the league announced Friday, Feb. 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – Completing the 2020 season required MLB to rewrite its rule book. The Grapefruit League schedule was reworked to limit travel, and clubs won’t play exhibitions against local colleges — usually a spring staple. MLB has claimed billions in losses after playing the 2020 season almost entirely without fans, and free agents were met by a sluggish market this winter. AdSeveral notable players remain available.
147 MLB players, including 5 Tigers, are free agents today
Even so, the offseason marches on, and more than 100 Major League players were declared free agents on Wednesday, the day after the completion of the World Series. The Tigers have five players in that group: Right-handed pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Ivan Nova; catcher Austin Romine; first baseman C.J. Here’s how it stands now:Left-handed pitchers (5): Tyler Alexander, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Norris, Tarik Skubal, Gregory Soto. Infielders (9): Sergio Alcantara, Miguel Cabrera, Jeimer Candelario, Harold Castro, Willi Castro, Brandon Dixon, Niko Goodrum, Isaac Paredes, Zack Short. The next five days are a “quiet period,” meaning teams can negotiate only with their own free agents.
mlive.comTatis, Padres have to wait till next year as Dodgers sweep
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)ARLINGTON, Texas – Fernando Tatis Jr. bent backward from his knees and stared skyward after his wild throw became San Diego's playoff-high fifth error and gave the Los Angeles Dodgers the tying run. The 21-year-old budding superstar and the rest of the Padres will have to wait at least another year for the club's first trip past the National League Division Series since 1998. The Padres couldn't add to their majors-leading seven grand slams from the regular season, although Jake Cronenworth's walk and Trent Grisham's infield single with the bases loaded gave the Padres a brief 2-1 lead in the second. Tatis grounded weakly to third base and finished the series 2 of 11. Trevor Rosenthal, gave up a pair of two-run hits in the ninth when he became the Padres' 11th pitcher, two more than the previous high.
8 ex-Tigers still playing in 2020 MLB postseason
One week later, all seven teams have been eliminated, pushed out of the playoffs in the best-of-three wild card series. What he did in the wild card round: Soria made two relief appearances, allowing a run in two innings of work against the White Sox. What he did in the wild card round: Adames went 1-for-6 with a stolen base in the Rays' sweep of the Blue Jays. What he did in the wild card round: Joyce was 1-for-5 with a double and two walks against the Cubs. What he did in the wild card round: Rosenthal pitched in all three games against the Cardinals, his old team, earning one save.
mlive.com9 Padres pitchers blank Cardinals 4-0 in Game 3, reach NLDS
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., center, celebrates with teammates after the Padres defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4-0 in Game 3 of a National League wild-card baseball series Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in San Diego. San Diego became the first team in baseball history to use eight or more pitchers in three straight postseason games. The Padres rewarded their long-suffering fans by winning one of the most meaningful games of any kind in San Diego in a long time. The city’s only major professional championship remains the San Diego Chargers’ 1963 AFL title. The Padres lost 4-1 to the Detroit Tigers in the 1984 World Series and were swept by the New York Yankees in the 1998 Fall Classic.
Tatis, Myers homer twice, Padres stay alive with 11-9 win
Tatis hit a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth and Machado followed with a tying shot. It was the second time the Padres hit consecutive shots in the playoffs. With Austin Nola aboard on a walk, Tatis hit a no-doubt, opposite field shot to right with two outs in the seventh. Tatis was second in the NL with 17 homers in the regular season, Machado had 16 and Myers 15. Yadier Molina, appearing in his NL-record 100th postseason game, hit an RBI single in the first and added his 100th career postseason hit in the ninth before being lifted for a pinch-runner.
20 ex-Tigers will be in 2020 MLB playoffs: Do you remember all of them?
Twenty players who were once part of the Detroit Tigers system will play for 13 of the 16 teams participating in the 2020 MLB playoffs. Oakland Athletics pitcher Joakim Soria throws against the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game Friday, July 19, 2019, in Minneapolis. In 2020, he’s posted a career-low 3.32 ERA in 21 2/3 innings. Minnesota Twins catcher Alex Avila plays during a summer camp intrasquad baseball game Friday, July 16, 2020 in Minneapolis. Detroit Tigers' Trevor Rosenthal throws to the Texas Rangers in a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.
mlive.comNationals in a hole, and this year they're short on time
Washington Nationals' Carter Kieboom walks away after popping out to end a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)For a second straight season, the Washington Nationals are off to an awful start. CUTTING IT CLOSEWhile the Nationals have struggled from the start, the New York Yankees figured to be in the clear for a postseason spot after their 16-6 start. In 1993, San Diego executed an infamous fire sale, dealing Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield in the middle of the season. He would go on to become a six-time All-Star for San Diego and, eventually, a Hall of Famer.
LEADING OFF: Pads upgrade 'pen, Mets-Yanks play 2 again
The San Diego Padres acquired the reliever from Kansas City on Saturday for outfielder Edward Olivares and a player to be named. The 30-year-old Rosenthal has a 3.29 ERA and seven saves after struggling with injuries and poor performance in recent years. The Mets plan to start righty Rick Porcello (1-4, 6.43 ERA) and converted closer Seth Lugo (1-2, 2.03). That year, he became the only player to hit for the cycle in a postseason game. They made the move with infielder Starlin Castro expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist.