Breeders' Cup: Fierceness bounces back to win Juvenile for trainer Todd Pletcher  —  ARCADIA — Conventional wisdom might have told us to steer clear of Fierceness in Friday's $2 million Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.  In the race that oftentimes determines the early favorite …

'There's an end to every story': Joey Votto reflects on his Reds career at end of an era  —  In 2012, Joey Votto was sitting in front of Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, and they were talking about potential opt-outs in the eventual long-term contract extension he signed.

Miami Marlins' Josh Bell makes decision on player option for 2024 season  —  Josh Bell is staying with the Miami Marlins.  —  The veteran first baseman, acquired at the trade deadline from the Cleveland Guardians, has exercised his $16.5 million player option for the 2024 season.

Marcus Stroman Opts Out Of Deal With Cubs  —  Marcus Stroman has enacted the opt-out clause in his contract and will now become a free agent, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reports (X link).  Stroman's three-year, $71MM deal with the Cubs from the 2021-22 offseason allowed Stroman to opt …

Sources: Colorado's Pat Shurmur to call plays in new role  —  Colorado has stripped offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of his offensive playcalling duties and is elevating analyst Pat Shurmur to an on-field role where he will take over as the team's playcaller, sources told ESPN.

2023 MLB Farm System Statcast Hitting Rankings  —  Image credit: Michael Busch (Photo by Eddie Kelly)  —  For the first time, Baseball America is measuring performance based on underlying metrics via the Hawkeye data gathered across the minor leagues.  —  The benefit of using this data versus …

Shohei Ohtani headlines 130-player MLB free agent class  —  Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and Aaron Nola were among the 130 players who became free agents Thursday as baseball's business season began the day following the Texas Rangers' first World Series title.

Going Out a Champion: Rangers Reliever Ian Kennedy Retiring  —  Report: Rangers Reliever Ian Kennedy Retiring  —  Texas Rangers reliever Ian Kennedy is going out a champion.  —  The 17-year veteran, who missed the World Series due to injury, revealed to Sport Relay during …

Padres to interview Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza for manager; Matt Carpenter exercises player option  —  Fourth candidate to replace Bob Melvin set to meet with A.J. Preller, others at Petco Park  —  The Padres' manager search continues this weekend, with the team interviewing Yankees bench coach Carlos Medoza.

Padres took out additional loan to cover end-of-year expenses  —  Team needed $50 million infusion in September despite realizing record revenue  —  The Padres have doubled their revenue since 2019, but were unable to cover their expenses at the end of the 2023 season without an infusion of outside money.

Clayton Kershaw has shoulder surgery  —  It was plainly obvious down the stretch that Clayton Kershaw's left shoulder was bothering him much more than he or the Dodgers were letting on.  On Friday, Kershaw announced on Instagram he had surgery that will keep him out of action until at some point in the middle of 2024.

5 takeaways from Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen's season wrap  —  The offseason began for the Diamondbacks on Thursday, which meant General Manager Mike Hazen met with the media at Chase Field.  Most years, this happens in late September or early October, and Hazen has usually had time to sort …