REPORTS: REDS RHP CHASE BURNS RECEIVES RECORD $9.25M SIGNING BONUS
The Cincinnati Reds signed this year’s No. 2 overall pick Chase Burns and gave him a reported $9.25 million signing bonus on Thursday night, surpassing the mark set last year by fellow right-hander Paul Skenes, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cincinnati announced Burns’ signing but didn’t release terms. Multiple outlets reported the signing bonus that exceeded Skenes’ $9.2 million.
Burns, 21, was a star pitcher at Wake Forest, going 10-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 100 innings this past college season. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and a consensus first-team All-American.
Burns is slated to report to Goodyear, Ariz., on Sunday to get his professional career going. It hasn’t been determined when he will pitch or to what level he will be assigned.
“We’ll get him on the field Monday,” Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska told MLB.com. “The biggest thing is first is just figuring out where he is in the throwing progression. He still has some innings to throw, but it’s been a little bit since he was on the mound in a game situation. We’re going to protect the long-term interest and what the projection is for.”
Burns spent two seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Wake Forest for the 2024 season.
Second baseman Travis Bazzana was the No. 1 overall selection by the Cleveland Guardians. He has yet to sign.
Skenes quickly rose through minors and has dominated major league hitters since being recalled just over two months ago. He was the starting pitcher for the National League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
NEW YORK METS 1B PETE ALONSO AMONG MLB STARS WHO COULD USE BIG SECOND HALF HEADING INTO FREE AGENCY
PHOENIX (AP) — Pete Alonso’s disappointing performance in this year’s Home Run Derby wasn’t a particularly big deal for the future of his big-league career.
His play over the next three months could be a different story.
The 29-year-old is one of the most coveted free agents in Major League Baseball for the upcoming offseason and could make himself a lot of money — or potentially lose a lot of it — depending on how he plays in the second half of the season.
Alonso played in his fourth All-Star game on Tuesday night, making the National League team despite a relatively lackluster first half. He’s hitting .240 with 19 homers and 51 RBIs and a career-low .772 OPS. Those numbers might be pretty good for most players, but for a man who wants to hit the market as one of the game’s elite players, it’s not up to his standards.
Alonso said he’s not worried about his personal situation. He just wants to play well so his New York Mets make the playoffs — which would happen if the season ended today.
“I don’t dwell on it at all because I’m just focused on winning games and I’m just really focused on doing what I can every single day to help the team in a positive way,” Alonso said. “I’m honestly just focusing on performing and doing the best I can to help my team win. I’m just focused on the season at hand.”
Here are a few other potential free agents who are looking to raise their stock in the second half:
1B Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: Does the 36-year-old slugger have anything left in the tank for another contract? He was the National League MVP in 2022, but has regressed in a hurry since that point. The first baseman is hitting just .230 with 13 homers, 37 RBIs and a career-low .664 OPS.
3B Alex Bregman, Astros: The 30-year-old has bounced back somewhat from a very slow start, posting a .256 average, 12 homers and .730 OPS through 92 games. But those numbers are still below his career averages. A big second half would help ease fears that he’s on the downhill side of his career.
OF Juan Soto, Yankees: His first half hasn’t been a problem. Far from it. The 25-year-old was one of the game’s best players in the first half of the season, batting .295 with 23 homers and a robust .985 OPS. He’s been worth 5.0 WAR through 94 games. But if he can continue this pace, or even push it forward slightly, the bidding war in the upcoming offseason could be close to the Ohtani-style extravaganza of last offseason.
SP Walker Buehler, Dodgers: The two-time All-Star returned earlier this year from his second Tommy John surgery and things haven’t gone particularly well. The right-hander is 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA through eight starts, averaging just more than four innings per start. He was one of the game’s elite pitchers in 2021 and doesn’t turn 30 until later this month, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever be the same.
Lack of offense
MLB has made major changes over the past few years in an effort to shorten games and juice offense.
The former has certainly happened. The latter? Not so much.
The season average of .243 heading into the All-Star break was just ahead of 2022 and 1968 as the lowest since the dead-ball era ended in 1920. The good news is the numbers are trending upwards — at least slightly.
The batting average has improved as the temperatures have climbed, moving from .239 in May to .250 in the first half of July. There’s little doubt an average in the .250s throughout the rest of the season would be a welcome sight for Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Wild card races
We’re nearly 100 games into this season and there are still 25 teams with legitimate playoff aspirations.
The National League wild card race is shaping up to be particularly tight. The St. Louis Cardinals (50-46), New York Mets (49-46), Arizona Diamondbacks (49-48), San Diego Padres (50-49), Pittsburgh Pirates (48-48), San Francisco Giants (47-50), Cincinnati Reds (47-50) and Chicago Cubs (47-51) are separated by just four games in the standings.
The Cardinals and Mets would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
DODGERS AND CUBS OPEN 2025 MLB SEASON IN TOKYO MARCH 18, REST OF LEAGUE STARTS MARCH 27
NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani will open the 2025 season in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs on March 18 and the Athletics will start the home portion of their first season in Sacramento against the Cubs on March 31.
All 30 teams are scheduled for March 27, marking the earliest opening day other than international games, Major League Baseball announced Thursday. There were games on March 28 in 2019 and this season.
Each team will play six games against its prime interleague rival instead of four, increasing matchups between the New York Yankees and Mets, the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, Cubs and Chicago White Sox and Athletics and San Francisco Giants. What is being called a Rivalry Weekend is scheduled for May 16-18 and includes the prime interleague rivalries along with Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia, Colorado vs. Arizona, Detroit vs. Toronto and Houston vs. Texas.
In the third straight season of a return to a balanced schedule, a team will play 13 games against each division rival and six or seven against each other club in its league for a total of 62. The remaining 48 games are against interleague opponents, with a single three-game series against each of the 14 other clubs in the opposite league. Teams will be home against the same interleague opponents they hosted in 2023.
The American League used a balanced schedule from 1977-2000 and the National League from 1993-2000.
The Dodgers and Cubs will play at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19, marking the 25th anniversary of the Mets and Cubs playing MLB’s first regular-season games in Japan. Other Tokyo openers were the Yankees and Tampa Bay (2004), Boston and Oakland (2008), Seattle and Oakland (2012) and Seattle and Oakland (2019). The Dodgers and San Diego started the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea.
MLB and the players’ association intended to play regular-season games in Paris next June but abandoned the plan because they couldn’t find a sponsor. The collective bargaining agreement also called for September 2025 games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, but none were included.
After playing in Oakland at the Coliseum since 1968, the Athletics intend to spend the 2025-27 seasons at Sutter Health Park, home of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A River Dogs and a ballpark with a capacity of about 10,500 fixed seats. The A’s open with a four-game series at Seattle before hosting the Cubs. They play the Giants at San Francisco’s Oracle Park from May 16-18 and host the Giants from July 4-6. The Athletics franchise started in Philadelphia from 1901-54, and moved to Kansas City for 13 seasons. The team has announced plans to move to a new ballpark in Las Vegas starting in 2028.
The daytime high temperatures in Sacramento often exceed 100 degrees in the summer and artificial turf is being installed to accommodate both the A’s and River Dogs.
Other March 27 games include the Cubs at Arizona, Angels at the White Sox, San Francisco at Cincinnati, the Mets at Houston, Cleveland at Kansas City, Detroit at the Dodgers, Pittsburgh at Miami, Milwaukee at the Yankees, Minnesota at St. Louis, Atlanta at San Diego, Colorado at Tampa Bay, Boston at Texas, Baltimore at Toronto and Philadelphia at Washington.
Game times were not announced.
The All-Game will be at Atlanta’s Truist Park on July 15 and the regular season ends Sept. 28.
ROYALS RELEASE RHP NICK ANDERSON
The Kansas City Royals released right-hander Nick Anderson on Thursday after he cleared waivers.
The Royals had designated him for assignment on Saturday to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Hunter Harvey, whom they obtained in a trade the same day with the Washington Nationals. Anderson declined his outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha.
Anderson, 34, was 3-1 with a 4.04 ERA, 15 walks and 29 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings over 37 appearances in his first season with Kansas City.
For his career, he is 14-7 with a 3.18 ERA, 47 walks and 202 strikeouts in 158 1/3 innings over 165 relief appearances with the Miami Marlins (2019), Tampa Bay Rays (2019-21), Atlanta Braves (2023) and Royals.
BRAVES, CARDINALS PLAYING LONG GAME OF CONSISTENCY TO REACH PLAYOFFS
The St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, each in second place in their divisions, are expected to be in the thick of the playoff race during the second half of the season. The clubs open a three-game series in Atlanta on Friday.
The Braves begin the second half 8 1/2 games behind Philadelphia in the National League East. St. Louis is 4 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central. Atlanta currently holds the top wild-card spot, 3 1/2 games ahead of St. Louis.
The Cardinals won two of three from the Braves in their first meeting in St. Louis in June.
The starting pitchers for the series opener will be St. Louis right-hander Sonny Gray (9-6, 3.34 ERA) against Atlanta right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (3-4, 4.43).
Gray has gone 0-2 with a 6.06 ERA over 16 1/3 innings in his last three starts. In his last appearance on Friday, he pitched seven innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with six strikeouts in taking a 5-1 home loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Gray is 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA in six lifetime starts against the Braves. He lost to Atlanta last season, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings.
Schwellenbach has won his last two outings to snap a personal two-game losing streak and post a 1.38 ERA so far in July.
He allowed one run on seven hits with six strikeouts in six innings of a 5-1 victory over visiting Philadelphia on July 6. Schwellenbach went one better in his most recent start, going seven innings of a 6-1 win at San Diego on July 12. He yielded one run and three hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
In the rookie’s lone outing against the Cardinals, he allowed four runs and eight hits with six strikeouts in taking a 4-3 loss on June 24.
The Braves, who still want to catch the Phillies, have changed their mindset. Instead of hoping to run off a long winning streak, they’re looking to make incremental gains and carry the approach into the postseason.
“Truthfully, it’s focusing on more of a series at hand, just try to win every series,” Atlanta catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “That’s what playoff baseball is, is winning the series to get to the next series. You’re going to win one, lose one.
“There’s been teams who have lost three and come back and win the series, and ended up winning the World Series. It’s more of a focus of trying to win every series and just keep going forward.”
Atlanta has had to deal with the loss of 2024 MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee surgery) and Cy Young candidate Spencer Strider (Tommy John surgery). The Braves have won behind excellent pitching while the offense has struggled.
“I think we’ve done a good job of just grinding this thing out and staying relevant,” manager Brian Snitker said. “I like where we are. I’d like it to be more, yeah. But under the circumstances, we’ve done a really good job of battling through the adversity and hanging in there. I’ll just continue to say it. I still think our best baseball is ahead of us.”
St. Louis has rebounded from a 15-24 start and have gone 35-22 since.
“We’re as good as anybody in the league,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said. “We started off poorly and there’s no secret that we dug ourselves a hole. But for the last two months, we’ve played the style of baseball we expect moving forward.
“It’s not, ‘We’re hot right now.’ This is our game, our style of play and what we’re capable of doing against anybody on a given day. It’s been consistent for a decent amount of time now.”
METS HOPE TO KEEP RIDING SURGING OFFENSE VS. MARLINS
Is Pete Alonso nearing the end of his time with the New York Mets?
The team’s star first baseman, who becomes a free agent at the season’s end, wants to close a presently subpar season with a bang. He will start on that Friday night when New York opens a four-game series on the road against the Miami Marlins.
Alonso’s numbers aren’t bad — .240, 19 home runs and 51 RBIs — but he has at least 37 home runs in each of his four full seasons and knocked in at least 94 runs. Three times, he’s recorded more than 100 RBIs.
An Alonso surge would not only pump up his future paychecks but could also help the Mets make the playoffs. They currently hold the National League’s final wild-card spot by a game over the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres.
“That hasn’t crossed my mind at all,” Alonso said of his future. “I still think of New York as home. For me, I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help this team win. I love this group, this organization and the city.”
Even with Alonso not hitting at his usual level, New York is eighth in the major leagues in runs and fifth in homers. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo have led an offensive surge the last six weeks that has seen the Mets win more than two-thirds of their games.
To become a playoff team and have a chance to win in the postseason, though, the Mets know their pitching will have to improve. The staff’s 4.23 staff ERA is 22nd in MLB and the club likely will troll the trade market between now and the deadline in less than two weeks.
Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (6-3, 3.46 ERA) will get the start on Friday night. Manaea last pitched on July 12 in a 7-6 win over Colorado, fanning nine over seven innings to earn the decision. He’s 1-1 with a 4.80 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins, beating them in May.
While New York has playoff aspirations, Miami is playing out the string. At 30 games under .500, the Marlins have little chance of getting back into the playoff chase. Trades figure to be ahead in the hope they can rebuild a barren farm system.
Jazz Chisholm could be one of those players headed to a contender. The team’s center fielder is likely to see time at second base, where he played before moving to the outfield last year. Kansas City, Seattle and the New York Yankees could be keen on landing a versatile player like Chisholm.
Miami manager Skip Schumaker said there are multiple reasons to shift Chisholm back to his original position. In fact, Chisholm started Sunday’s 3-2 win in Cincinnati at second base.
“Trying to keep his bat in the lineup every day,” Schumaker said. “Also trying to keep him playing every day for 160-plus games, which he has never done. Maybe second base is a way to get him off his feet a little bit … I think he could play that in his sleep.”
The Marlins’ probable starter Friday is right-hander Edward Cabrera (1-3, 8.26). He is 1-2 with a 5.67 ERA over seven career starts against the Mets.
REDS, NATIONALS OPEN SECOND HALF LAGGING IN WILD-CARD CHASE
It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Cincinnati Reds and despite the setbacks, the club is still within striking distance of a playoff spot.
The Reds look to inch closer to that goal when they visit the Washington Nationals on Friday for the first of three games to kick off the second half of the season for both clubs.
The Reds are 47-50 and fourth in the National League Central, only half a game ahead of the Chicago Cubs, who are in last place. They also are just three games out of the third and final NL wild-card spot held by the New York Mets, though they would need to leapfrog three other teams to get there.
Cincinnati is also eight games back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
“I think there is room for us to play better, for sure,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I’ve liked that we’ve stayed true to who we are as a team and we’re in position to do everything that we set out to do. We’re not there now.”
One area they’ll be aiming to improve on is their record in one-run games. The Reds are 8-18 in such contests, the second-fewest wins in that category, ahead of only the Houston Astros (seven). And though they’ve only headed to extra innings four times this season, only once have they come away with the win in those games.
Fresh off his All-Star Game debut, Cincinnati shortstop Elly De La Cruz heads into the second half on a six-game hitting streak, connecting at a .375 clip (9-for-24) in that stretch.
Frankie Montas (4-7, 4.38 ERA) will be on the mound for Cincinnati on Friday. The right-hander is 1-0 with a 6.14 in three career appearances (one start) against Washington, allowing five runs on 10 hits across 7 1/3 innings.
It’s been a rough few weeks for the Nationals, who have fallen six games behind the last wild-card berth after being half a game out on June 23 following a win against the Colorado Rockies. At the time, strong efforts from the rotation — 13th-best ERA in the majors — helped counter struggles at the plate and kept Washington in the mix.
It’s a different story as the second half begins. Since beating Colorado, the Nationals’ rotation had a 5.80 ERA, third-worst in the majors. They’re 6-14 in that stretch and now own the third-worst record in the National League.
“This is part of the learning process,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We’re going to push (the pitchers) a little bit, (but) we’ll keep an eye on it. Later on, we might go to a six-man rotation and see where we’re at.”
Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin (1-9, 5.57 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday. The veteran is 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 16 career outings (15 starts) against the Reds.
Nationals first baseman Juan Yepez has been a bright spot since being called up from Triple-A Rochester and making his season debut on July 5. The 26-year-old has hit in each of his 10 games his season, going 14-for-37 (.378 average) with a .541 slugging percentage. He has three straight multi-hit games.
PHILLIES, PIRATES START SECOND HALF WITH POSITIVE OUTLOOKS
The Philadelphia Phillies will look to pick up where they left off when they begin the second half of the season on Friday with the opener of a three-game series against the host Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Phillies won a franchise-best 62 games before the All-Star break and hold a sizable 8 1/2-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East.
Philadelphia’s representation checked every box in its last game, albeit an exhibition one.
Bryce Harper, who leads the team in homers (21) and batting average (.301), ripped a double in the first inning of the All-Star Game on Tuesday. Trea Turner had a single during the NL’s three-run third inning and Alec Bohm (team-leading 107 hits, 70 RBIs) added a single in the fourth.
“I thought it was pretty cool, all of us having a little bit of success in the game,” Turner said. “Especially for (Bohm), it’s his first All-Star Game. I think Bryce, for sure, has had plenty of hits in All-Star games, and I’ve had one or two.”
Philadelphia also received quality performances from its three pitchers who participated in the All-Star Game. Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and Jeff Hoffman combined to retire all five batters they faced.
“I think just the amount of people we had selected, it just kind of shows the group success we’ve had,” Bohm said. “Because it’s not just a guy or two that’s carrying the load. Each and every night, it’s someone different chipping in and making a big play or driving in three or four runs or something like that.
“It’s just such a deep team and it’s a super-talented group. It’s been fun to be a part of.”
Philadelphia, which sent three-fifths of its starting rotation to the All-Star Game, will turn to right-hander Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.38 ERA) to take the mound on Friday.
Nola, 31, has won both of his starts this month, allowing four runs on nine hits with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings.
He owns a 4-3 record with a 3.98 ERA in nine career starts against Pittsburgh. He did not take the mound when the teams split their four-game series in Philadelphia from April 11-14.
While the Phillies cruised through the unofficial first half of the season, the Pirates enjoyed some positives of their own.
Pittsburgh won its final four games heading into the break to even its record after 96 games. The club sits 6 1/2 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 1 1/2 games out of the final wild-card spot.
The Pirates, led by rookie sensation Paul Skenes, boast a stellar rotation but need a bit more pop from their bats.
Pittsburgh is tied for 26th in the majors in batting average (.231) and 27th in OPS (.669).
Rowdy Tellez has bounced back from a porous start to bat .324 since June 1. Bryan Reynolds leads the team in hits (110), homers (18), RBIs (61) and batting average (.281).
The Pirates are set to send left-hander Martin Perez (1-5, 5.15) to the mound Friday. In nine career appearances (eight starts) against the Phillies, Perez is 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA.
Skenes is expected to take the mound later in the series. Skenes did not allow a hit in his one inning pitched during Tuesday’s All-Star Game. The 22-year-old right-hander is 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA in his first 11 starts this season.
Skenes said he hopes for more of the same in the second half of the season.
“Hopefully, going to win a lot of games,” he said.
“Go out there and keep executing the kind of way I have been and keep learning the league. Just learn every single outing and keep putting us in positions to win.”
DODGERS OPTION RHP MICHAEL PETERSEN, BEGIN ROSTER MANEUVERS
The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned right-hander Michael Petersen to Triple-A Oklahoma City and outrighted left-hander Jose Hernandez to the minor leagues on Thursday.
The moves could allow the Dodgers to activate right-hander Joe Kelly to the active roster. Kelly, who has not pitched since May 5 because of a right-shoulder strain, has made five rehab appearances in the minor leagues with manager Dave Roberts saying his return is imminent.
Petersen, 30, made his major league debut June 18 and went 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA in nine appearances.
Hernandez, 26, was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 13 in a cash deal, with his outright taking him off the 40-man roster after not pitching for the club. Kelly is on the 60-day injured list and would need a 40-man spot in order to return to the active roster.
Kelly, 36, had a 4.73 ERA in 15 relief appearances for the Dodgers earlier this season.
The Dodgers also are close to seeing left-hander Clayton Kershaw make his season debut after offseason shoulder surgery, while right-hander Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) also is close to making his season debut.