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Milwaukee is engaged in discussions with the Giants about a potential deal for Will Smith, according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified league sources. The teams are scouting each other, but no trade is imminent as of Monday, the report says. The 30-year-old left-hander was named to his first All-Star team earlier this month. He holds a 2.17 ERA and has recorded 23 saves for the Giants so far this season....

The biggest difference is that players must first clear waivers before being dealt in August. Get ready for leaks about players clearing waivers, being claimed on waivers or being pulled back from waivers. FAGAN: Who got the job done at the deadline? Last year, major league teams made 21 trades during the waiver period and before the Aug. 31 deadline for playoff eligibility. The biggest names included Mark Rzepczynski, Carlos Ruiz, Erick Aybar, Coco Crisp and Fernando Salas....

Not just that, the Orioles are chatting with teams that are interested in Manny Machado. And not just that, but the Orioles are reportedly asking for interested teams to submit trade offers that might result in trading Manny Machado. MORE: News and notes from baseball’s winter meetings This is stunning, even though this is not really surprising. Machado is a free agent after the 2018 season. When he hits the market at 26 years old, the asking price for his services is going to start north of $350 million (if, of course, he’s healthy)....

New York is open to trading starter Jason Vargas and infielder Todd Frazier, according to a report from SNY. Both players are expected to be free agents following 2019. Vargas has had a bounce-back year after struggling last season as he holds a 3-3 record with a 3.66 ERA in 14 appearances, including 13 starts. But he was involved in a clubhouse incident last month where he threatened a reporter and the Mets would “love to rid themselves” of him, according to SNY....

The Angels star, who signed a 12-year, $430 million extension last month, had an impressive showing in the team’s home series against the Rangers. Los Angeles picked up a 7-2 win Sunday as Trout completed one of the best four-game series of all-time. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN He continued to be a home run machine, tying his career-best streak of four consecutive games with homers....

The Rays topped the Orioles 16-4 on Friday at Camden Yards in their third straight win. Plenty of batters made contact on the night. Tampa Bay tallied a staggering 20 hits to Baltimore’s five, and first baseman Nate Lowe went 4 for 5 with a home run. Renato Nunez was a bright spot for the Orioles, as he went 2 for 4, hit a home run and had two RBIs....

Bet #1: New York Mets ML (-125) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks The New York Mets started the season on a great note, as they became the first team in the MLB to reach 10 wins. Sitting at 10-4, the Mets have been bolstered by quality starting pitching and timely offensive production. Led by Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, the Mets offense sits in the top five in many important offensive categories....

The Padres’ bats got going, finally, with Friday and Saturday outbursts at Colorado that combined for 29 runs. This came after being swept by the Dodgers in a three-game opening home set where they failed to score in all three games. This afternoon they’ll attempt to ruin the Phillies (2-4) home opener, the first game of the young season where the Phillies are favored (-125). MORE: MLB live odds page...

That figure is up from $17.2 million last year and $15.8 million the year before. It was determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year by average annual value. This year’s anticipated free agent class could include Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Brian Dozier, Daniel Murphy, Michael Brantley, Adam Jones, Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Pollock, Nelson Cruz, Patrick Corbin, Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton and Craig Kimbrel....

Each contender from 2018 is looking to keep that moniker for next season, but they will have to address certain needs that make that a possibility. MORE: Top 79 free agents | Hot stove tracker From free agency to scouring the trade market to even repairing a managerial situation, there will be a task that takes precedence atop teams’ winter to-do lists. Los Angeles Dodgers Priority: Rectify Dave Roberts’ contract situation....

However, with the Correa deal in doubt, the Marlins decided to switch to acquiring another infielder, Jean Segura. Whether the team will inquire again about Escobar’s availability if and when Correa joins the Mets is unknown. Escobar batted .240 with a .725 OPS, 20 home runs, and 69 RBIs in his first season in Queens. The 33-year-old has a club option for $9 million in 2024 and is due $9....

Well, baseball has a problem with pitchers throwing fastballs at batters’ heads. You know the most recent visible incident, the catalyst for this column and others like it across the country — Red Sox pitcher Matt Barnes threw a 90-mph fastball behind the head of Orioles superstar Manny Machado on Sunday. I don’t really care about the lead-up to that pitch. For the purposes of what we’re going to talk about here, it doesn’t matter....

It’s the start of a new season. Hope is springing eternal. The excitement of what might happen is intoxicating. We are waiting to be wowed, and if we are not laser focused on any one particular team, we are rarely disappointed. FOSTER: 21 things I really want to see during the 2021 MLB season So, to kick off the 2021 season, let’s look at the 21 most impressive individual performances over the past 100 years of baseball’s Opening Day....

Check The Linemakers on Sporting News’ odds page for current baseball lines from Las Vegas. Washington Nationals -104 (vs New York Mets) Joe Ross (2-1, 2.66 ERA) vs. Jacob deGrom (9-6, 2.14 ERA) The NL East-leading Nationals showed some class in beating the Mets 7-2 on Monday night. The Nationals are 27-18 at home this season while the Mets are 16-31 on the road. With the odds close to 50/50, we are going with the Nationals all the way to -134, since they win 57....

Osuna was charged on Tuesday and later released, with the 23-year-old scheduled to appear in a Toronto court on June 18. MLB announced that it has placed Osuna on administrative leave, in accordance with the joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. “MLB takes all allegations of this nature very seriously,” the league said in a statement. “We are investigating the circumstances and have placed Roberto Osuna on Administrative Leave in accordance with the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy....

Ethier had just failed to move Justin Turner from second to third base in the third inning of Game 5 of the NLDS, so frustration, rather than straight insubordination, is a real possibility. MORE: Top NLDS photos Ethier didn’t help his cause when he again failed to move Turner his next time up in the fifth. At this rate, his first-inning RBI single and terrific sliding catch in right field will be long forgotten....

That’s quite a build-up. MORE: Top photos from the NLDS | Cubs’ Maddon grew up a Cardinals fan “This is crazy,” Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright said after the game. “This is going to be such a fun series, here and in Chicago. It’s going to be great.” And this was quite a game, a 4-0 win for the home team, a final score that doesn’t tell the tale of the intensity in the contest....

That’s how tough it was for Boston to get a hit against Cleveland ace Corey Kluber in Game 2 of the ALDS on Friday. Kluber pitched seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts in leading the Indians to a 6-0 win at Progressive Field. MORE: Top 50 players in the playoffs The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner is pitching for something more now, and it showed. He had been nursing a slight groin injury suffered in his last start, but he timed up the longer TV breaks between innings to stay loose....

Ortiz’s legendary run with the Red Sox came to an end Monday night with Boston’s 4-3 loss to Cleveland, in which the designated hitter went 0-for-1 with two walks and a sacrifice fly. After leading the Red Sox to titles in 2004 (their first since 1918), 2007 and 2013, Ortiz could not make it four, as Boston got swept by the American League Central champions in the best-of-five division series....

Miami has offered free agent Adam LaRoche a two-year, $20 million contract to replace incumbent Garrett Jones, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday. LaRoche, who turned 35 this month, is coming off a solid season with the Nationals. He batted .259/.362/.455, with 26 home runs and 92 RBIs. That’s much better than what Jones produced in 2014 (.246/.309/.411, 15, 53). A Stanton-LaRoche-Marcell Ozuna-Casey McGehee middle of the order would not be too shabby....