13+ hour, 27+ min ago (675+ words) NEW YORK " New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner declined to say Monday whether he favors a salary cap proposal in the next collective bargaining agreement but reiterated he might support a payroll floor. "I don't feel like I'm in position right now research-wise, knowledge-wise to answer that question," Steinbrenner said in a video conference from Tampa. "We'll always be among the highest payroll-wise. We always have been. We always will be." In February, Steinbrenner said he might support a salary cap proposal as long as it contains a provision mandating minimum payrolls. MLB has had a luxury tax in place since 2003 but is the only one of the four major U.S. professional leagues without a cap. At the end of the regular season and not including contract bonuses, the Yankees had a $301 million payroll and projected luxury tax bill of $62 million....

16+ hour, 30+ min ago (140+ words) DENVER " The Colorado Rockies announced Monday they've promoted Warren Schaeffer to full-time manager. Schaeffer, a Vandergrift native and Greensburg Central Catholic graduate, assumed the role on an interim basis after the Rockies fired Bud Black, the winningest manager in franchise history, in May following a 7-33 start. The Rockies finished the season 43-119 and last place in the NL West. Schaeffer becomes the eighth full-time manager in club history. The 40-year-old has been a member of the Rockies organization for over a decade. "We're confident Warren is the right person to lead our club moving forward," said Rockies President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta. "He has established strong relationships with our players, understands the culture of this franchise and embodies the energy and work ethic we want on and off the field."...

1+ day, 18+ hour ago (391+ words) NEW YORK " The NHL issued an automatic one-game suspension to Mikko Rantanen on Sunday after the Dallas Stars forward's second major penalty and ejection for boarding in a span of three games. The first suspension of Rantanen's 10-year NHL career came a day after he checked Calgary's Matt Coronato into the side boards late in the second period of the Flames' 3-2 shootout victory. Coronato bled from a cut on his nose but later returned to the game. The league issued a statement from its department of player safety saying a player is automatically suspended for a game when he receives two game misconduct penalties, or ejections, in a span of 41 consecutive games played. Rantanen wasn't suspended after getting a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for pushing Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov into the end boards as both were skating close…...

3+ day, 9+ hour ago (197+ words) [Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz makes a running catch against the Astros on June 4 at PNC Park.] The Pirates tendered major league contracts Friday to five of their arbitration eligible players: outfielder Oneil Cruz, catcher Joey Bart and pitchers Dennis Santana, Johan Oviedo and Justin Lawrence. Pirates tender contracts to 5 arbitration-eligible players The Pirates tendered major league contracts Friday to five of their arbitration eligible players: outfielder Oneil Cruz, catcher Joey Bart and pitchers Dennis Santana, Johan Oviedo and Justin Lawrence. The other four players who were arbitration eligible " outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon and right-handed relievers Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta " were nontendered and designated for assignment earlier in the week. The Pirates also tendered contracts to all 31 of their non-arbitration eligible players. The list: Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Brandon Bidois, Mike Burrows, Bubba Chandler, Wilber Dotel, Ryan…...

4+ day, 1+ hour ago (714+ words) ESPN's Jeff Passan is one of MLB's most respected journalists. But most of what he reported about the Pirates this week is totally full of excrement. Passan knows better. But there's so little content about a franchise as moribund as the Pirates, so he'll take what's leaked. Even if it's more hype than fact. Why would a talented Japanese import pick the Pirates? It's not because of Pittsburgh's huge Japanese community, he'd have zero chance to win, and the Pirates certainly won't pay the most. But the most hilarious Passan "revelation" is amazingly far-fetched: "Pittsburgh is in on (Kyle) Schwarber." The Pirates have zero chance to sign Schwarber in free agency. Less than zero. (But that's what they said about Robert Downey Jr.) Passan knows that. Everybody knows that. But the marks are buying it, not least locally. The Pirates…...

4+ day, 14+ hour ago (185+ words) Outfielder Jack Suwinski and right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez were considered candidates to be non-tendered this offseason. Instead, the Pittsburgh Pirates avoided arbitration with both Thursday by signing them to contracts for the 2026 season. Suwinski was projected to make $1.7 million by MLBTradeRumors.com after batting .147/.281/.253 with seven doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs in 59 games last season. The Pirates are hoping the 27-year-old outfielder can return to the production he posted in 2023, when he led the team with 26 homers and had 73 RBIs. Suwinski is one of the team's true power bats, with 57 homers over four seasons. The 30-year-old Ramirez has played for eight teams in six MLB seasons and returned to the Pirates after pitching for them in 2022-23, going 3-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 33 1/3 innings over 24 appearances last season. He averaged 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings and was used in a…...

4+ day, 14+ hour ago (517+ words) SEATTLE " Hall of Fame left-hander Randy Johnson will have his No. 51 retired by the Seattle Mariners during a pregame ceremony on May 2, 2026, the club announced Thursday. In June, the Mariners said Johnson's No. 51 would become the fifth number retired by the franchise, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24), Edgar Martinez (No. 11) and Ichiro Suzuki, who had his No. 51 retired this summer. All MLB teams have retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42. Johnson went 130-74 with a 3.42 ERA across 10 seasons with the Mariners. "I'm happy that my contributions over the 10 years that I was there are being acknowledged now," the 62-year-old Johnson said via Zoom in June. "It's been a long time, that's for sure." Johnson enjoyed more success with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he won four consecutive Cy Young Awards in addition to a World Series in 2001. However, the lanky left-hander nicknamed the…...

5+ day, 17+ hour ago (247+ words) In regards to one group eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Steelers legend L.C. Greenwood has made the cut from 182 all the way down to nine. A charter member of the original "Steel Curtain" defensive line that fronted one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, Greenwood was announced Wednesday as one of nine semifinalists from the "Seniors" category of nominees for the 2026 induction class. Greenwood was named to the Pro Bowl roster six times and first-team AP NFL All Pro twice over his 13 seasons with the Steelers. He was part of four Super Bowl-winning teams as well as named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team and the Steelers" Hall of Honor. Greenwood, who died in 2013 at the age of 67, is vying to become the 11th player from the 1970s Super Steelers to gain Hall of Fame induction. Fellow Steel Curtain…...

6+ day, 11+ hour ago (621+ words) The Pittsburgh Pirates overhauled their 40-man roster Tuesday to protect six prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, including the top slugger and reliever in their minor league system this season. The Pirates added right-handed reliever Brandan Bidois, infielder Jack Brannigan, right-handed starting pitchers Wilber Dotel and Antwone Kelly, lefty reliever Tyler Samaniego and outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez to the 40-man roster. To make room, they designated outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon and right-handed relievers Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta for assignment. Infielder Cam Devanney, acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Adam Frazier trade in July, has been released so that he can sign with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Valdez was the breakout star amongst the group this season, as the 21-year-old Dominican hit 26 home runs with 86 RBIs split between High-A Greensboro and Altoona. He…...

1+ week, 14+ hour ago (514+ words) COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. " Cole Hamels, Ryan Braun and Matt Kemp are among 12 newcomers on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released Monday, and Carlos Beltr'n heads 15 holdovers after falling 19 votes shy in 2025 balloting. Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy and Rick Porcello also are among the first-time eligibles, joined by Shin-Soo Choo, Edwin Encarnaci'n, Gio Gonz'lez, Alex Gordon, Nick Markakis and Hunter Pence. Beltr'n received 277 of 394 votes for 70.3% in the 2025 balloting, when Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were elected. A nine-time All-Star, Beltr'n hit .279 with 435 homers and 1,587 RBIs over 20 seasons with Kansas City (1999-2004), Houston (2004, "17), the New York Mets (2005-11), San Francisco (2011), St. Louis (2012-13), the New York Yankees (20014-16) and Texas (2016). He received 46.5% support in his first ballot appearance in 2023, then rose to 57.1% in his second. Beltr'n was the only player cited by name in baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred's 2020 report concluding the Astros used electronics…...