Longtime Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager announced via his wife’s Twitter account his retirement from Major League Baseball.

“Today I’m announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball. Thank you to all of my family, friends and fans for following me throughout my career. It’s been a wonderful ride but I am unbelievably excited for the next chapter of my life.”

The 34-year-old was set to become a free agent this offseason after 11 years in Seattle.

A third-round pick out of UNC-Chapel Hill in 2009, Seager made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2011. Over the ensuing years, he batted .251/.321/.442 (112 OPS+) with 1,395 hits; 242 home runs; and a 36.9 WAR. Seager won a Gold Glove in 2014 and made his only All-Star appearance that same year.

Knowing it could be his last at-bat in an M’s uniform, the fans gave Seager a standing ovation in Seattle during his final game in October:

Why he is retiring is anyone’s guess. Seager’s coming off a 2021 season in which he hit a career-best 35 home runs.

Kyle’s younger brother, Corey Seager, was also a free agent this winter, though he signed a 10-year, $325 million deal with the Texas Rangers prior to the owner-imposed lockout.

Shohei Ohtani is a generational talent, and he has once again proven this statement as true by becoming the first player in MLB history to achieve All-Star status as both a pitcher and a position player.

Offensively, Ohtani leads Major League Baseball in home runs, alongside 67 RBIs and a .278 batting average. It’s no surprise he has been given the nod to start in the designated hitter position with his impressive slugging power. Ohtani might also be able to show off his pitching prowess in the game, which has guided him through the regular season to a 3-1 record alongside a 3.60 ERA.

Ohtani’s widespread power pitching and hitting is well-recognized by those in the league as well. Outside of fan voting, Ohtani accumulated 121 votes from players, managers and coaches.

Angels’ manager Joe Madden commented on the historic nature of Ohtani’s time in the league.

“The guy’s going to participate in Home Run Derby, pitch in the game and hit in the game. That doesn’t happen like ever,” Madden said.

Babe Ruth is arguably the most well-known pitcher and position player, however, Ruth had given up pitching by the time the All-Star Game was introduced in 1933. In prior seasons he had been on the bump and in the batter’s box with regularity.

Ohtani did not directly speak with reporters, but released the following statement:

“It’s my first time so I just want to enjoy everything. There’s also the Home Run Derby, so I’m looking forward to taking it all in and enjoy everything,” the All-Star said in his statement.

Ohtani will be joined alongside a star-studded roster that includes names such as Gerrit Cole, Shane Bieber and Lance Lynn.

The game is scheduled to take place on July 13.

Wander Franco has been the number one prospect in Major League Baseball for some time. He made that well-known with a three-run, game-tying bomb in his first game in the big leagues.

The Rays’ highly-touted prospect tied the game at 5 during the 5th inning, and in doing so became the youngest player since B.J. Upton to homer for Tampa Bay. Franco walked in his first at-bat. Following his home run, he doubled and then grounded out.

Franco will look to continue his hot start at the plate and capitalize on an auspicious start to his major league career.

Bob Watson was the first black general manager to win the World Series, winning with the New York Yankees in 1996. Watson was also a two-time All Star during his career. It was announced Friday morning that Watson had died at 74 on Thursday night due to complications with a kidney disease, according to Watson’s son.

Watson played the majority of his career for the Houston Astros and in a statement, the team talked about the impact Watson had on the franchise and on baseball as a whole. “This is a very sad day for the Astros and for all of baseball. Bob Watson enjoyed a unique and remarkable career in Major League Baseball that spanned six decades, reaching success at many different levels, including as a player, coach, general manager and MLB executive,” the team said. “He was an All-Star on the field and a true pioneer off of it, admired and respected by everyone he played with or worked alongside. Bob will be missed, but not forgotten.”

Watson as an All Star in 1973 and 1975, was an anchor in the Astros’ lineup during his time playing for them. He had a career batting average of .295, hit 184 home runs, and has 989 RBIs. 

After retiring from being the Yankees general manager in 1997, he later went on to serve in the MLB offices in various roles.

In 1994, Watson was diagnosed with prostate cancer and became an advocate in raising awareness for the disease. Watson dealt with other health issues, including issues with his kidneys. 

Watson is survived by his wife Carol and his two children, Kelley and Keith.

Major League Baseball has not yet played a game in its 2020 regular season because of the coronavirus pandemic. Rosters have been frozen since March 27, meaning players can’t be moved and are stuck on their current teams. It at least appears that we could be approaching the start of the season as the MLB owners approved the league’s proposal for starting the season.

MLB hosted a conference call with the 30 team owners on Monday discussing the league’s plan to start the 2020 season. But just because the owners approved of this proposal, does not mean that the players will do the same, and there could be some negotiations in the coming weeks between the league and the MLB Players Association.

Assuming the players do approve the league’s proposal, here are some of the key details:

• 82-game regional schedule, meaning teams would be isolated geographically. The two East divisions would play each other, the two Central divisions would play each other and the two West divisions would play each other. Teams will still be considered AL or NL teams, this is simply so that teams are not doing a significant amount of traveling.
• A universal DH will be implemented. In the past, only AL teams used a designated hitter while NL teams had their pitcher hit. This now means that all teams will have a designated hitter.
• Teams would have rosters of 50 players, up from the usual 30. These rosters would consist of 30-active players and then a 20 player taxi-squad, players who are in the area and that can be added to the active roster in the event of an injury.
• An expanded postseason. The postseason would feature 14 total teams (seven from each league) where the best team in each league would get a first-round bye. The other two division winners and the top wild card team would host a best of three playoff season in the wild card round. The two other division winners would get to pick their wild-card round matchup and the remaining two teams would be paired up.
• Finally, players and teams would split revenue, just for this season 50/50, something that does not usually happen in MLB.

There are still a lot of details that need to be ironed out, but at least as of right now, it appears we are slowly approaching the start of the baseball season in 2020.

Sunday was Mother’s Day and usually, we have baseball where players across Major League Baseball wear pink trimmed uniforms, using pink bats and honoring moms across the world. One of the most memorable moments in recent MLB history occurred on Mother’s Day 2010 when Dallas Braden threw a perfect game with his grandmother in attendance, who raised Braden after his mother died of cancer when Braden was in high school.

Although no games were played this Mother’s Day, the MLB did try their best to honor moms the best they possibly could. On their website, they ran an article where one player from each of the 30 teams honored their mom.

Here are some of the notable ones:

James Paxton of the New York Yankees on his mom Barb: “When I was first getting started playing more competitive baseball in high school, I was going to a team that I knew I would have to run a lot more for conditioning,” Paxton recalled. “I was not in great shape when I was younger. I was always a little chubby and really didn’t like running, but I was determined to make the team I was trying out for. I started running laps around the park behind our house and my mom would sit by our fence with a water bottle for me.”

Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals on his mom Kissy: “My mom was the best athlete in the family [four-time state high school champion in tennis] but she also is the most superstitious by far,” Merrifield said. “When she watches me play, she will move around the stadium trying to find the ‘lucky spot’ for me. One time when I was in the Minors, she was there with a lot of her family and I had a bad series going. In the final game, I struck out in my first at-bat and she had seen enough — she left her family and went to a section of the stadium that was completely empty and sat there.”

Braden Bishop of the Seattle Mariners on his mom Suzy: “Obviously, Mother’s Day means a lot to me,” Bishop said. “Now that she’s gone, it takes on another meaning. We continue to honor her. We kind of see every day as our Mother’s Day and how we approach who we’re trying to affect and who we’re trying to serve. The significance of Mother’s Day brings about us trying to share what she was about, honoring her love and trying to spread that to others.”

Vince Velasquez of the Philadelphia Phillies on his mom Juanita: “She’s an icon, a role model,” Velasquez said. “My mom is entirely the heart and soul and brains of the operation throughout our family. My dad worked four jobs before I was born. Then he worked three jobs. My dad was working at UPS when I was growing up and going to these tournaments. I can appreciate the fact that my mom got me to where I needed to perform at the highest level. We went to tournaments constantly. Every week. She was the only one taking me. My mom was always there. I think that’s one of the things that I cherish the most.”

Curt Casali of the Cincinnati Reds on his mom Cathy: “One of my favorite memories I have about my mom — we lived in Atlanta, Georgia, when I was like five or six, right around when I started to get into baseball. My dad was traveling a lot for work. We had this big, big tree in our front yard. It was just tall and super skinny. I would play catch with my mom and she would throw the ball as high as she could over the tree and I would be the one catching it and then trying to throw it back over the tree back to her. My Mom is probably the first person who taught me how to play catch. She played a big role in getting me into baseball early on because for a while, it was just me and her while my dad was on business trips. She took the bull by the horns and helped me get on my way. She had a really good arm. She used to play tennis in our neighborhood with a bunch of the other moms. She was pretty good at it and contributed to the athleticism in our family.”

Carson Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks on his mom Traci: “My dad was working with Nike, so it was Mom who was the trooper. She would take us on all of our trips if we were playing travel ball. She would sacrifice so much just to give us the best opportunity to play — make sure that we were fed and had our Capri Sun’s and our orange slices. I mean she was always prepared and always on top of it. She was always there and she still reminds me to this day, ‘Hey, I’m always here for you.’ She would take me to school early in the morning for practice and then we had a facility in Vancouver, Wash. that was probably a 45-minute drive from our house. And after practice for the school team, which probably lasted until like 6 p.m., she would pick me up and take me up there where we would practice for another few hours and then it’s like 10 p.m. So, she was going from 5:30 in the morning to 10 at night making sure I was where I needed to be and had what I needed. It’s something that I can never repay her for. I love her so much for doing all that and being my biggest supporter.”

READ THE REST OF THE TRIBUTES HERE!

Although the Olympics have been pushed back to 2021, there is some news surrounding it. Baseball is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, which has some players eager to play in it. Major League Baseball has already said that its players can’t play in it, partially because the Olympics fall in the heart of the season which has some like Bryce Harper not happy, calling the choice “dumb.”

Harper said that this is one of those things that athletes dream of, representing their country. “It is such a travesty to me. I’m not saying this as disrespect to minor-leaguers – the [2021] Olympics are in Tokyo, and you’re not sending big-league guys? Are you kidding me? You wanna grow the game as much as possible and you’re not gonna let us play in the Olympics because you don’t wanna cut out on money for a two-week period? Like, ok, that’s dumb.

The Olympic team will be mostly composed of minor league players and some veteran MLB free agents have yet to qualify for the games. In the World Baseball Championship, another tournament featuring international play, MLB players are allowed to partake in it. The one difference is that the WBC is played during the MLB offseason.

Because of the Olympics taking place in the middle of the season, one of the biggest concerns for MLB is that if a star player were to play in the Olympics, there is a chance of injury, which would be detrimental for a team’s season. 

In a post on Instagram, Harper tagged numerous MLB stars, trying to gain traction and force the league’s hand in letting its players represent their respective countries.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5hnkvght6/

Major League Baseball plans to submit a return-to-play proposal to the MLB Players Association sometime within the next week, according to ESPN’s  Jeff Passan. Teams have begun to tell their players to prepare for a ‘spring-training’ sometime in mid-June and the season would start early in July.

The league was scheduled to begin its 2020 season on March 26, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the start of the season has been subsequently pushed back.

There are still numerous obstacles in the way for Major League Baseball to return, outside of getting the approval of owners and players. Arguably the largest obstacle for a return is for the MLB to get the support of the federal government and health officials. Another hurdle in the way of Major League Baseball is that the league would have to reconfigure its schedule because the likelihood that teams will play a full 162 game schedule as they normally would is slim. The league has suggested that teams play a modified 80-100 game season or a mega tournament that would ultimately crown a champion.

There has also been some concern by players about the season starting. Boston Red Sox’s pitcher Collin McHugh is one of these players who is skeptical about the season starting. “I’m a husband, I’m a father. There are many guys in the league with underlying conditions. With preexisting conditions, like diabetes and heart arrhythmias. You look at our coaching staffs, there’s tons of guys over 65,” said McHugh. “Umpires, there’s a lot of guys over 65. When you’re talking about the risk factors here, there are going to be some guys who sincerely have to weigh the risks of what it’s going to take to come back versus staying at home. We’re in a situation right now where you can’t make this mandatory. You can’t tell a guy you have to come play or else your roster spot is not going to be here when you come back. You can’t tell a guy to risk his life and the life of his family and the lives of anyone he chooses to be around to come play this game. There’s probably going to have to be some waivers signed and whatever else you need to have done to make guys feel comfortable coming back.”

Obviously, not all players are going to share McHugh’s feelings, but he does bring up an interesting point. Given the uncertainty of the times we live in, to take players away from their families for possibly an extended time will be challenging for some players. 

Pete Rose is Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader with 4,256 career hits. Some of those hits though may have come by way of cheating as a former Montreal Expos groundskeeper, a team where Rose played 95 games back in 1984, accused Rose of corking his bats while he played for the organization.

Joe Jammer has accused Rose of corking his bats. “Pete Rose would have his bats corked in the visitors’ clubhouse at Olympic Stadium,” Jammer told the Montreal Gazette. “Pete was too smart to deal with Expos equipment manager John Silverman (to cork his bats in the Expos’ clubhouse). So Bryan Greenberg, who worked in the visitors’ clubhouse, did it.”

According to Major League Baseball’s official rule book, using a corked bat is illegal as it is perceived to give hitters an unfair advantage by being able to hit the ball further than that of regular bats because corked bats are significantly lighter than regular bats.

During his time in Montreal, Rose played in just 95 games, had a batting average of .259, and 72 hits. For his career, Rose is Major League Baseball’s career hits leader with 4,256 hits and also had a career batting average of .303.

Rose was banned from baseball back in 1989 for betting on baseball games, some of which were games he played and managed in, which is why he has not been enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose has tried to apply for reinstatement multiple times since being banned but has yet to be readmitted. He most recently applied for reinstatement back in January of this year following the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

Major League Baseball should be in the midst of its second month for the 2020 season, but that has since been put on hold because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Whenever the MLB season begins, all 30 of the league’s teams will be wearing new uniforms, as Nike is now the official uniform provider for Major League Baseball, replacing long time partner Majestic.

With this change in a uniform partner, some teams will look to change their uniforms. The Boston Red Sox are among the teams looking to make a change as team president Sam Kennedy told The Athletic. 

Longtime fans of baseball might not enjoy the changes to the uniforms of their favorite teams, whether it is the Red Sox or another franchise, but Kennedy has assured that if the franchise redesigns their uniform, it would be strictly for performance reasons. “(The changes will be) likely geared to get us to a uniform that is geared towards high performance,” he said. “We will always be respectful of our incredible traditional look and feel, but we are always open to new and different concepts as time goes by.”

Making uniforms more functional is nothing new in recent years. Compared to the uniforms of the past, uniforms today are significantly lighter and breathable for players, while also being more durable. Odds are that the new uniforms if changes are made, will not deviate much from the Red Sox’s iconic look, but there will still be critics, but let’s be clear, the goal is to make things better for the players on the field, not change the image of the Boston Red Sox, or any team for that matter.

The Cincinnati Reds have been looking for infield help and a new bat and are said to be in talks with the Cleveland Indians regarding All-Star Francisco Lindor.

GET DEALS ON CINCINNATI REDS TICKETS!

Lindor enjoyed another stellar year in 2019 batting .284 with 32 home runs, 101 runs and 22 stolen bases. He’s been an All-Star every year since he’s been in the league, and a two-time Gold Glover. The Indians are in the market for outfield help and apparently are willing to part with one of their stars.

The Reds finished in fourth place last year, missing the playoffs by 15 games. Fifty-seven one-run games, the most in the Major Leagues, with a record on  24-33. It would help them to add a plus hitter and a stop gap in the infield in those close games. The math works, as Lindor could potentially add at least 15 more wins, that could potentially put them in the playoffs (they were 75-87. 15 games would put them in playoff contention).

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

Besides getting injured at the beginning of the year, Lindor had led the league in at bats the past two years, runs scored once, and sacrifice hits once.

The Indians are said to be interested in Center Fielder Nick Senzel after a solid rookie campaign.

The Reds scored the fourth fewest runs in MLB last year. Joey Votto and Matt Kemp are entering their 13th and 14th seasons and have been slowed by injury throughout their careers, but the Reds are not thinking rebuild anytime soon. They want to compete in the foreseeable future.

“I’ve said this before, I hate the word competitive,” said General Manager Nick Krall. “The goal is to win. It’s always to win, no matter what the circumstances. The goal is to go out, win and compete for the highest honor you can possibly compete. It’s always that goal. I feel we changed some of that mindset last year, and even though we only won 75 games.”

They have backed that up by spending $68 million on Mike Moustakas how hit 35 home runs last year and has averaged around 31 HRs the last three.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest news regarding Lindor and the Reds

The Colorado Rockies have concluded that Jose Reyes is not a part of the franchise’s future, now Reyes must make a decision: go to the minors or request a release.

Colorado designated Reyes for assignment today, immediately after the Dominican-born shortstop was removed from MLB’s restricted list where he was placed following his suspension for breach of baseball’s domestic violence policy.

JOSE REYES CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Reyes was arrested in Hawaii Oct. 31, 2015, at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, after an altercation with his wife left her with scratches on her neck and injuries to her leg, according to the 911 call released by local law enforcement.

The 33 year-old was apologetic in the aftermath of the incident, but his words fell on deaf ears for many.

“I want to apologize for everything that has happened,” Reyes said through a statement released by the MLB Player’s Union May 13. “I am sorry to the Rockies organization, my teammates, all the fans and most of all my family.”

The Rockies have 10 days to trade, release, or demote Reyes to the minors.

Rookie sensation, and shortstop, Trevor Story has made it easy to forget that Reyes was supposed to be a core player for Colorado in 2016. Through June 14, Story is hitting .265, launched 17 home runs and has 45 runs batted in.

TREVOR STORY’S HOT START

No legal action is pending against Reyes. His wife refused to cooperate with the case after she and her husband reconciled.

Reyes was ordered to stay away from his wife in the three days following the incident, he was released from police custody Nov.1 after posting the $1,000 fee for bail.

According to his contract, via spotrac.com, the Rockies owe Reyes $22 million for 2016, 2017 and 2018, but there is a club option for a $4 million buyout of the contract in 2018.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred expressed confidence that Reyes could be rehabilitated following the announcement of Reyes’ two-month suspension for violating the league’s policy on domestic violence.

“I am encouraged by Mr. Reyes’ commitment to the treatment provisions of the policy in order to ensure that such an incident does not occur in the future,” Manfred said.

Right now, for Reyes, the future in baseball is bleak.

It was a scene that has become all too familiar in recent weeks: both benches spilled out onto the field, punches thrown and jerseys torn.

Now that the melee has subsided, both the Baltimore Orioles and the Kansas City Royals learned the repercussions of their players’ actions.

MACHADO VS. VENTURA

Orioles shortstop, and one of baseball’s brightest budding stars, Manny Machado, was suspended four games and Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura was suspended for nine games, according to an announcement passed down by Major League Baseball and reported by USA Today.

The pair became entangled after Ventura plunked Machado in the back with a 99 MPH fastball June 6, prompting the shortsop to charge the mound, landing at least one punch to Ventura’s head.

Kansas City’s right-hander is no stranger to this type of punishment, having been suspended for seven games last season after hitting first basemen Jose Abreu.

But that was just the backdrop.

Chaos ensued after White Sox right fielder, Adam Eaton, hit a one-hopper back to Ventura, who jawed at Eaton before throwing to first for the third and final out of the inning.

HERE’S A LOOK BACK AT VENTURA’S INCIDENT WITH SOX

Machado, too, has been benched previously by the league for a physical altercation, serving a five-game suspension of his own in June 2014, after throwing his bat toward third base after a brushback pitch.

Both players have said they plan to appeal the suspensions.

“It’s just kind of tough when you have to play short because of something that someone else kind of got going,” said O’s Manager Buck Showalter prior to last night’s contest between Baltimore and Toronto.

Machado did not appear miffed by the announcement and was in the lineup Baltimore’s 6-5 win over the Blue Jays, north of the border at Rogers Centre.

Machado went 2-for-5 in the game, with one run batted in. The young shortstop would be sorely missed if his appeal fails to bear fruit, given he is batting .305 with 15 home runs and 38 RBI.

“They came up with the decision and obviously I’m going to appeal,” Machado said. ” We’ll see what happens.”

Machado should have some success with his appeal, but don’t expect the same for Ventura. The Royals righty is beginning to build a reputation in the league for having a bad attitude and a short fuse.

The fight reopened the debate about baseball’s unspoken rules.

Royals Manager Ned Yost came to his pitcher’s defense Wednesday.

“Everyone wants to jump on Ventura’s maturity,” Yost said via Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star. “But they look at the incident where (Machado) got hit. They didn’t see the at-bat before when Manny was screaming at him, ‘Don’t throw inside to me, don’t throw inside.’ (Ventura gets thrown into the spotlight that he’s guilty, there’s more to this thing.”

Even in the Emerald City, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Robinson Cano might be learning that first hand.

After growing to stardom with the New York Yankees, the second baseman left for free agency where he signed a massive contract with the Mariners. Even though he will make $24 million a season until 2023, he reportedly isn’t happy playing in Seattle.

The saga started last week, when former Mariners first base coach Andy Van Slyke appeared on a St. Louis radio show where he tore into the second baseman; he called Cano the worst player on the team and stated that his poor play cost several people their jobs.

Shortly after, John Harper of the New York Daily News reached out to a “long-time friend” of the Mariners’ infielder to get the pulse of the situation. “But even if Cano has had the best intentions as a Mariner, one long-time friend who spoke to him recently says the second baseman is not happy in Seattle, especially with a new regime in charge there now, and that he’d love to somehow find his way back to New York,” he wrote.

While the amount of money Seattle would have to eat to cut bait with Cano seems prohibitively high, stranger things have happened. In the meantime, the second baseman is already getting ready for his next season in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners singles in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on September 28, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

After a disappointing season, new Seattle Mariners‘ general manager Jerry DiPoto has been trying to retool the team.

MLB executives believe that he will be moving Mark Trumbo during the winter. Despite hitting 22 homers last season, the California native looked shaky in the outfield, misjudging several fly balls and line drives. He can also play first base, however, and could be an attractive target for teams who need a corner infielder with a big bat.

If Trumbo moves out of the Pacific Northwest, the Miami Marlin‘s Marcell Ozuna could be a natural replacement. He’s comfortable in both center and right field and is known for his power hitting. While it remains to be seen if he can consistently produce runs in the cavernous confines of Safeco Field, the fact that he has reduced his strike out numbers bode well for his offensive stats.   

Photo: Marcell Ozuna #13 of the Miami Marlins hits a single to load the bases in the fourth inning of play against the New York Mets at Marlins Park on September 4, 2015 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Skipper/Getty Images)

After parting ways with Don Mattingly following their playoff exit, the Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to name Dave Roberts as their new manager.

Most recently the bench coach for the San Diego Padres, Roberts was part of baseball history during the 2004 playoffs. Then a member of the Boston Red Sox, he and his teammates lost the  first three games of the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees. In Game Four, they were trailing by one run in the bottom of the ninth inning when Kevin Millar drew a walk; Roberts replaced him as a pinch runner at first.

On the next pitch, he stole second and moved into scoring position. One pitch later, Bill Mueller drove a ground ball up the middle, plating Roberts. The Red Sox would go on to complete the improbable comeback and win the World Series, breaking the Curse of the Bambino; Roberts’ play went down in Boston sports lore simply as “the steal.”

Based on that past, the Dodgers will be hoping he can bring some postseason magic to Los Angeles. If nothing else, his new players are glad to have him on board.