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The league and its players’ union announced Friday the installation of pace-of-game rules effective for this season, most notably including the application of time constraints for each at-bat. Under the guidelines, pitchers and batters would have a maximum of 40 seconds from the PA announcement of the batter’s name to the time the first pitch is thrown. “These changes represent a step forward in our efforts to streamline the pace of play,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement....

Bovada has full odds on all the divisional winners, with the Mets and Cubs both at minus-money. The American League divisions are much more wide-open with so many teams rebuilding in the National League. MORE: MLB season win totals | World Series odds Be sure to calculate the juice on futures markets like these to make sure you’re getting a fair price. Here’s an explainer on how to do it....

According to MLB Insider Mark Feinsand, the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres have joined the Miami Marlins as teams interested in his services. It’s no surprise that the Padres are interested in Aroldis Chapman, as San Diego was seemingly in on about 80 percent of free agents this past winter. While the Padres could sign Chapman, a majority of the fanbase opposes the idea The Royals are on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Padres....

Span, who turns 32 in February, played in only 61 games for the Nationals in 2015 because of three separate injuries — and, thus, agent Scott Boras says Span will meet in Tampa with interested teams to prove his health. MORE: What your team still needs to do this offseason | Best player at each jersey number If Span can do that, then his numbers in limited plate appearances in 2015 could make him appealing for the Mets....

Jansen, 29, is fresh off a 47-save season with the Dodgers. The powerful right-hander also registered a 1.83 ERA and a career-low 0.67 WHIP, while making his first All-Star roster. MORE: Could the Braves really contend in 2017? Though the Marlins are in desperate need of a starting pitcher — or three — it appears they are going to try to build a super bullpen first, considering a lack of depth and quality in the starting pitching market....

There might not be anyone in baseball better at hitting home runs right now than Aaron Judge. The Yankees slugger’s power display in 2022 has forced his name into the conversation for the single-season record. As Judge continues to chase those lofty totals, it’s a good time to take a look back at the record he’s chasing as well as other long-ball records throughout history. Here’s a look at the all-time home run records for a game, season and career....

One hundred years ago Wednesday, Babe Ruth hit the first of his 714 career home runs. In a performance that would make the Babe proud, Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper became the youngest player since 1969 to hit three home runs in a game, including a moon shot estimated at 445 feet. Harper also drove in five runs, giving him eight home runs and 20 RBIs for the season. MORE: Fantasy rankings, sleepers for Thursday | Optimal FanDuel lineup | Pedro’s latest odd story about Manny...

Between 10 cent splits, no point spread and true odds paid out on parlays, books usually consider themselves lucky if they hold 1-to-2 percent on baseball during a season, and in many cases there are losing months that can completely thrash quarterly budgets. Futures: World Series odds | Division odds, win totals Football and basketball is what the books prefer more because of the point spread, 20 cent splits, and a pay chart for parlays, and the results generally produce a 5-to-10 percent win for each on a consistent basis....

The yet-to-be-named program, co-produced by MLB and DAZN, will provide live look-ins, commentary and analysis on MLB games as they unfold around the league. Tempo and convenience will be key selling points, designed to attract an audience of “young multicultural fans, many of whom do not have pay television.” • Meet DAZN, the first dedicated live sports streaming service • What sports are live-streamed on DAZN? • How much does DAZN’s live sports streaming service cost?...

Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current baseball lines from Las Vegas. Texas Rangers -114 (vs Boston Red Sox)Wandy Rodriguez vs Joe Kelly Boston has had immense problems with their pitching staff all season, and the defensive play has been letting them down as well. Last night, the Rangers exploited the Sox’s Achilles’ heel and took an impressive 8-0 victory – with a minor league prospect Chi Chi Gonzalez as a starter....

MLB PLAYOFFS: Every team’s worst postseason memory So which team will emerge victorious? Sporting News’ baseball experts break it down: RYAN FAGAN: As I wrote a couple days ago, these are the Blue Jays we expected to see all season. Their offense is, after a September slump, as powerful as advertised (and the couple days off after sweeping the Rangers to allow guys like Josh Donaldson to heal up certainly won’t hurt that)....

Jake Arrieta allowed two runs in an inning. Seriously. The fans at Wrigley Field watched in stunned silence, not quite understanding what they’d just watched. MORE: Top NLDS photos | MLB postseason schedule | Hammel to start Game 4 In his previous 13 starts, including the wild-card shutout against Pittsburgh, Arrieta had given up a total of four runs. A total of four runs. I repeated that just to make sure you didn’t think it was a typo....

He’ll get a chance to do it again on the biggest stage yet since he gets a start Saturday in Game 2 of the Cubs’ NL Division Series against the Cardinals. MORE: Cubs’ most memorable Octobers | An old rivalry’s new chapter Soler will bat second against St. Louis left-hander Jaime Garcia and play right field, the biggest change in Chicago’s lineup after its 4-0 loss in Game 1 a day earlier....

As the derby participants were announced at Dodger Stadium, the pyrotechnic jets were set off all around, with one burst shooting high into the sky behind the stage, appearing to nearly set Ronald Acuña Jr. on fire. MORE: Home Run Derby 2022 live updates, highlights MLB certainly pulled out all the stops for the introduction of each of the players. There was a DJ, dramatic introductions for each player and smoke machines as each came out of their entrances....

Below, we’ll break down the top contenders and some of our favorite sleepers and long shots to win the awards. MORE MLB FUTURES: MVPs | Cy Youngs | World Series NL Rookie of the Year 2022 odds: Favorite All odds courtesy of Vegas Insider MacKenzie Gore, SP, Padres +350 (implied probability 22.22 percent) Gore’s odds have shot up from +150 to +350 since our last update after his two worst outings of his short career....

The bad news for Baltimore is that there is no one move that will accomplish this objective. The good news for Baltimore is that it isn’t necessary to make it happen. The Orioles have to count on Manny Machado and Matt Wieters returning from injuries that took them out of action for the bulk of 2014 and made Baltimore’s surge to the top of the East all the more stunning....

RELATED: MLB The Show 22: Best Teams But hitting home runs is not an easy business. There is no shortage of MLB The Show 22 players that get perfect timing, perfect location, and then pop out weakly to the shallow outfield. This should never happen and, with a few tips, players will be winning the home run title every season that they play. Get Some Powerful Equipment Four different pieces of equipment can provide a boost to power: rituals, batting gloves, bat grip, and bat....

The Brewers, Cardinals, Reds and Pirates are all over .500 and are separated by just 3½ games. That’s the type of clustering that should make for an exciting stretch run. Before we get there, though, let’s take a look at where those four stand with the non-waiver trade deadline a few weeks away (July 31). Brewers Status: First place Areas of need: The Brewers aren’t a perfect team, of course, but they don’t necessarily have glaring needs, relative to some of the other teams in playoff contention across MLB....

The 2022 MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching, but aside from some hot takes and fanalyst talk, it’s been relatively quiet. To that end, how the deadline will unfold is anyone’s guess: Will fringe teams stick with their rosters heading into the late stages of the summer, or will they bolster their rosters with the chances of making a wild-card run? And speaking of guesses, let’s have some fun with how the deadline could work out....

San Francisco has acquired the center fielder in a trade with the Blue Jays, Toronto announced Tuesday. Toronto received infielder Alen Hanson, and pitchers Derek Law and Juan De Paula in return. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN The Giants’ outfield currently consists of Steven Duggar, Gerardo Parra and Connor Joe. Outfielder Michael Reed was designated for assignment. The team was deep into the Bryce Harper sweepstakes but missed out on him to the Phillies....