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RUMOR: The Athletics are set to trade third baseman Brett Lawrie. REPORTED BY: San Francisco Chronicle THE DETAILS: Oakland recently acquired Jed Lowrie from the Astros — which is the second time Lowrie’s been traded to Oakland in his career — thus making Lawrie a surplus player with value. The A’s need help across the board after an AL-worst 68-94 record last season, and they feel like trading Lawrie could bring a good package of players in return....

The rumor: Phillies ace Cole Hamels would “love to be traded this winter,” according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. HOT STOVE: Top 10 free-agent infielders | Outfielders | Pitchers | Catchers The rationale: The Phillies are, well, not good. The team has gone 73-89 each of the past two seasons, and it doesn’t appear things are going to turn around any time soon. The long-awaited rebuilding phase is here....

There have been times when minor league signings have been the only reason to get excited, as teams have laid off free agents and trade targets for a variety of reasons. However, a couple of clubs that failed to make the postseason in 2017 have been busy, taking advantage of a calm market. MORE: Ranking the top 101 MLB free agents for 2018 Based on the offseasons they’ve put together, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants and St....

THE RUMOR: The Phillies are shopping veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd. REPORTED BY: Joel Sherman of the New York Post. THE DETAILS: Philadelphia signed Jeff Francoeur in November, creating a bit of a logjam in right field. Trading away the 37-year-old Byrd would allow for Francoeur to see more consistent time in the lineup as he tries to revive his career. LAST SEASON: Byrd, despite his age, had one of the best seasons of his career last season hitting a career-high 25 home runs and driving in 85 runs while batting ....

They have agreed to cooperate with MLB in developing and testing an automated ball-strike system as part of a new, five-year labor agreement reached Saturday, The Associated Press reported. Umpires have also agreed to cooperate with commissioner Rob Manfred if he decides to implement the technology at the major league level, the AP reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the labor negotiations. MORE: Atlantic League makes ‘robot umps’ a permanent fixture...

Boston scored an easy 14-1 win over Seattle in Fenway Park on Friday night to move to 20-19, its first time above .500 all year. That seemed a long shot as recently as April 28, when Boston was six games under .500 at 11-17. Since then, the Red Sox have won nine of 11 games and have looked better in all aspects of the game, as epitomized by the win over the Mariners....

The day doesn’t let off the gas in terms of great matchups for us to target with the defending NL East Champs Braves taking on the Phillies in what will be Bryce Harper’s first regular season game with his new team. Another pitching duel looks to be taking shape in Tampa between aces Blake Snell and Justin Verlander in a game that has the joint lowest run total on the slate at only 6....

For fans of four teams drafting in the top five of the 2020 MLB Draft, it’s bittersweet: they stink right now, but the value of high draft picks can alter the future of a franchise — if they pan out and develop. The Royals, Orioles, Marlins and Tigers are all picking within the top five again in this year’s MLB Draft, four of the same five from last year’s first five picks....

MORE HOT STOVE: Fantasy pitchers on the move Updated Dec. 21 Rangers reportedly sign OF Shin-Soo Choo. Choo leaves one hitter-friendly park for another. There is sometimes concern when a hitter switches leagues, but Choo’s experience in the American League should alleviate any concerns of a slow start. He’ll join Prince Fielder in what should be a very strong lineup in 2014. Rockies acquire OF Drew Stubbs from Indians. A perrenial power/steals sleeper who will kill your team’s batting average, Stubbs will no doubt keep some supporters now that he’ll call the thin air of Denver home....

Some people say baseball is too boring; teams just don’t score enough runs. Tell that to the Astros, Braves, Nationals, Royals, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Red Sox and Diamondbacks. Those eight teams combined for 92 runs on 127 hits Tuesday. Yes, those numbers are ridiculous. The Braves-Nationals game had a combined 32 hits, and the Blue Jays-Red Sox game had 30 hits. MORE: Fantasy rankings, sleepers for Wednesday | Scherzer backtracks on DH comments | What’s wrong with the Nationals?...

The 2019 MLB postseason not only features several teams that could legitimately emerge as the last team standing when the World Series concludes, but also a few others that could ride a surprise hot streak to playoff glory. But that’s the beauty of postseason baseball: Despite projections and stats and gut feelings, we just never know what’s going to happen. MORE: 2019 MLB playoff odds, favorites That makes postseason predictions a bit of a fool’s errand, but we’re here to offer our thoughts anyway....

Kershaw, the 2014 National League MVP and a three-time Cy Young winner who probably would have won a fourth this season had he not missed July and August with a back injury, is now the proud owner of three wins in his playoff career. With five innings of work Friday, in which he gave up three runs on eight hits, Kershaw got the W in the Dodgers’ 4-3 victory over the Nationals, a triumph that steals away home-field advantage in the best-of-five series....

Along with the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins, the Astros and the Dodgers were two of only four teams to win at least 100 games this season, as they finished with the best and second-best regular season records respectively. Houston went 107-55, while Los Angeles won 106 games and oddsmakers believe the two teams could again cross paths in the World Series, as they did in 2017 when the Astros defeated the Dodgers 4-3....

Commissioner Rob Manfred admitted as much Wednesday afternoon at a summit hosted by Yahoo Finance. Here’s what he said: “Sports betting happens. Whether it’s legalized here or not, it’s happening out there. So I think the question for sports is really, ‘Are we better off in a world where we have a nice, strong, uniform, federal regulation of gambling that protects the integrity of sports, provides sports with the tools to ensure that there is integrity in the competition?...

RELATED: MLB The Show 21: Pro Tips For Diamond Dynasty Mode So any guide to the best batting stance will have to accommodate personal taste. A single change can lower a player’s batting average by 50 points, or turn their home runs into pop flies if they aren’t sure of what to do. This guide will be useful for all players from those looking to hit .400, to those who want to get consistent bunt singles, and to those looking to win a home run crown every year of their career in MLB The Show 21....

Announced on Twitter, MLB The Show 22 will hold its Summer Circuit program with a prize pool of $25,000. Included in the list of prizes are the chance to win millions of stubs, signed merchandise from cover athlete Shohei Ohtani, and more to be announced at a later date. RELATED: MLB The Show 22 Player Highlights Lack Of Achievement Celebration The contest is free to enter via the Battlefy website....

So, yes, Braves fans might be a little worried right about now, especially with the state of the bullpen. But that kind of worry/urgency isn’t what we’re going to talk about today. Today, we’re going to look at five franchises/fan bases that are feeling a different sense of urgency. MORE: Watch live MLB games all season long on fuboTV (7-day free trial) Remember when the Red Sox hadn’t won a World Series since Babe Ruth wore their uniform?...

MORE: 10 best trade destinations for Johnny Cueto | 13 worst career All-Star Game hitting performances With David Wright on the disabled list since mid-April (and an unknown return date), the Mets’ infield has struggled to produce. Daniel Murphy has played a decent third base and batted .277/.327/.396 since making the move from second base, but shortstop Ruben Tejada and second baseman Wilmer Flores each have a sub-.700 OPS. Ramirez is getting bit long in the tooth at age 37, but his 10 home runs and 39 RBIs would be among the leaders in the Mets’ clubhouse, and Ramirez was just named NL player of the week after batting ....

The first place to look for potential midseason trade acquisitions is at the list of potential after-the-season free agents. Well, that list is pretty bare. Front offices will have to get creative. But the needs are still going to be there. Teams have playoff pushes to make. We thought we’d take a quick look at five of the teams we know will be buyers as this year’s deadline (it’s Aug....

San Diego is likely in the market for a top-of-the-rotation starter heading up to the July 31 trade deadline and it once again has set its sights on Cleveland. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN According to The Athletic, the Padres aren’t going to go after one of the free agents remaining on the market like Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel, but they prefer to pick up a guy like Trevor Bauer in a trade from the Indians....