Alex Bregman is hoping to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first NL Central title since 2020 after signing a $175 million, five-year contract with the North Siders in free agency. But the competition is tough in a division that put three teams in the playoffs last year. Cincinnati added a familiar face when it signed Eugenio Suárez to a $15 million, one-year deal. The 34-year-old slugger played for the Reds for seven seasons before he was traded to Seattle in March 2022. The Milwaukee Brewers are the reigning Central champions, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are much improved after acquiring Brandon Lowe in a trade and signing Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year contract.
Kelsie Whitmore stood near third base at JetBlue Park and looked around at her new norm. Women baseball players from around the world tossed balls back and forth, sharing laughs and taking pointers from major league coaches. In less than five months, they will play in the first women’s professional baseball league in the U.S. in more than 70 years. Reality set in Wednesday for Whitmore and players from the WPBL. The upstart league is taking part in a two-day event at the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox ahead the launch of its season on August 1.
Venezuela has won the World Baseball Classic for the first time, rebounding from a blown eighth-inning lead to beat the United States 3-2 on Eugenio Suárez’s tiebreaking double in the ninth. Maikel Garcia’s third-inning sacrifice fly and Wilyer Abreu’s fifth-inning homer off rookie Nolan McLean built a 2-0 lead before a roaring pro-Latin America crowd in Miami. Eduardo Rodríguez and lights-out relievers limited the Americans to two hits before Bryce Harper's two-out, two-run homer in the eighth tied it. Daniel Palencia retired the side in order in the ninth, finishing a three-hitter.
Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Vasil is set for season-ending Tommy John surgery after leaving his most recent spring training start with right elbow soreness. The team says Vasil’s surgery will be performed in the coming weeks by Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister. Vasil exited a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning Saturday. He was 5-3 with a 2.50 ERA as a rookie last year, when he made three starts in 47 appearances.
Seiya Suzuki has returned to Chicago Cubs spring training in Arizona after hurting his right knee while playing for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He was examined by a team doctor Monday and then went for an MRI. Cubs manager Craig Counsell says he won't speculate on the injury until getting those results. Suzuki got hurt Saturday night during Japan’s loss to Venezuela in Miami. He appeared to injure the knee on a headfirst slide into second base. He was wearing a soft brace on his right knee when walking slowly through the Cubs clubhouse Monday.
Triple-digit temperatures will impact Major League Baseball spring training games in Arizona for several days this week. Because of a forecasted heat wave in the Phoenix area, at least 10 Cactus League games at six different stadiums between Wednesday and Saturday have changed game times from early afternoon to early evening. Temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 100 degrees by Wednesday, with forecast highs of up to 106 degrees through what will be the final weekend of spring training for the 15 MLB teams there. While expected during the summer, that kind of heat is unusual in March.
Aaron Judge will captain a loaded U.S. roster at the World Baseball Classic. The Americans are chasing their first title since 2017. The tournament opens Thursday at the Tokyo Dome, then moves into games in Houston, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The U.S. plans to lean on stronger pitching, with Logan Webb, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Nolan McLean lined up to start. Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani. enters as defending champion with Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting Friday. The Dominican Republic brings a star-heavy lineup. Australia debuts top amateur draft pick Travis Bazzana.
Atlanta outfielder Jurickson Profar faces a possible 162-game MLB suspension after a second failed performance-enhancing drug test. A person familiar with the case tells The Associated Press the process is ongoing. Profar plans to ask the players’ union to file a grievance, though any appeal could come after MLB announces discipline. He already served an 80-game ban last year after a positive test for a hormone that helps production of testosterone. A full-season suspension would block Profar from the postseason and cost him his $15 million salary.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol has signed a two-year contract extension through at least the 2028 season. The deal that was announced Sunday includes a club option for 2029. Marmol has been in charge the past four seasons and provides some stability for an organization that is resetting under new president Chaim Bloom. The 39-year-old Marmol led the Cardinals to the National League wild-card round in his first season as manager. But he has failed to return to the playoffs the last three years, and St. Louis was just 78-84 last season.