MLB News Blog

The sign men were out bright and early at the Yankees minor league complex, sticking vinyl strips with a fresh, white "27" over the "26" that had been up on the board for nine, long years to mark the team's total of World Series titles. Wind caused a few problems at the Himes complex in [...]

San Francisco Giants star pitcher Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges following a traffic stop in his home state. Washington State Patrol spokesman Steve Schatzel said Thursday that the 2008 Cy Young Award winner and former star at the University of Washington was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 about four miles north [...]

The Boston Red Sox have acquired outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins for left-handers Jose Alvarez and Hunter Jones. Hermida was the Marlins' first-round draft pick in 2002 but has yet to fulfill his projected potential. He hit .259 this year with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs. He's a career .265 hitter with [...]

World Series television ratings bounced back from last year's record lows. The Yankees' six-game victory over the Phillies on Fox averaged an 11.7 rating and 19 share. That's the highest since a 15.8/26 in 2004, when the Red Sox swept the Cardinals to end an 86-year championship drought. It's up 39 percent from the record-low [...]

Yankees manager Joe Girardi capped off a victorious evening by helping a car crash victim in suburban New York. Police say Girardi pulled over to help after a woman lost control on a Westchester County parkway and crashed into a wall around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. That was just hours after Girardi's team claimed a World [...]

Pitcher Tim Hudson and the Atlanta Braves are nearing agreement on a three-year contract. Atlanta holds a $12 million option on the 34-year-old right-hander, who was 2-1 with a 3.61 ERA in seven starts this season after his return from elbow ligament-replacement surgery. Hudson's agent, Paul Cohen, said the sides are getting closer to a [...]

The Dodgers have declined a $10 million mutual option on pitcher Jon Garland for next season, making him eligible for free agency. The right-hander gets a $2.5 million buyout because the team declined; he would have earned a $1 million buyout if he had declined. Garland was acquired from Arizona ahead of the July 31 [...]

Outfielder Bobby Abreu agreed Thursday to a $19 million, two-year contract to stay with the Los Angeles Angels rather than test the free-agent market again. After earning $16 million with the New York Yankees in 2008 under the final year of a contract he originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, Abreu became a free agent.

Hideki Matsui's bat and Johnny Damon's spikes are among the items from the Yankees' World Series title going to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nearly a dozen pieces were donated after New York won Wednesday night and will be displayed as part of an exhibit on baseball's postseason history.

Former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle was hired as the new hitting coach for the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Hurdle takes over the job that Rudy Jaramillo held for 15 years before turning down a one-year deal at the end of the season. Jaramillo then got a three-year contract to become hitting coach for the Chicago [...]