The system, which has been dubbed “robot umpires” on social media, has left fans divided over whether they welcome this change to baseball, with some threatening to boycott the game if it gets the green light. It has been a long time coming, with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaking on The Carton Show with Craig Carton in October 2022, saying that versions of ABSS were already being trialed. He said at the time: “I think you are going to see the automated system in one form or the other....

“It takes time to gather information; we want to make sure we have all the information before a decision is made,” Torre said here Tuesday at baseball’s Winter Meetings. “As awful as this situation is, there are still rights that have to be protected. So we are very careful in making sure that we respect that and get all the information and proceed accordingly.” MORE: Every MLB team’s most infamous moment...

Christian Yelich withdrew from the contest on Sunday night because of a back injury, but even without the MLB’s leading home-run hitter this regular season, the league’s annual extravaganza will be a spectacle to savor. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Monday night. When and where is the Home Run Derby? The Home Run Derby takes place on Monday, July 8 p.m. ET at Progressive Field in Cleveland, home of the Cleveland Indians....

The report, which cited multiple unidentified international sources, said MLB is investigating whether the Red Sox signed Venezuelan players in so-called “package deals” in which multiple players from the same international program are signed at rates — some above market value, some below — that get around the bonus-pool rules. MORE: Best Cuban players in MLB history | Best Red Sox ever According to Baseball America, MLB officials have questioned players as young as 16 individually at the Red Sox’s academy in the Dominican Republic and threatened to suspend them if they weren’t truthful....

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen captured the NL award in a landslide over Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. A year after winning the Triple Crown, Cabrera came back to lead the majors in hitting at .348 and finish second with 44 home runs and 137 RBIs. Cabrera got 23 of 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America....

A three-game series between these teams begins tonight in San Francisco, and the situation is reversed, with the Giants trailing by two games instead of leading by two. The Dodgers come out with the same three horses that won the three games during the July sweep – Hyun-jin Ryu, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw – Don Mattingly made sure he had his rotation set up for this series. The Giants counter with Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson and Yusmeiro Petit....

While the MLB season officially got underway Thursday, a nearly full slate of games comes your way Friday, with baseball being played deep into the night. It’s Opening Day for 26 teams, starting with an NL East matchup at 4:10 p.m. ET with Jacob deGrom taking on Mike Soroka and the World Series-hopeful Braves in New York. Closing out the night is a must-watch matchup between the scrappy Athletics and a sneaky-underrated Angels squad, featuring the planet’s greatest player, Mike Trout....

The season will begin on Sunday, April 5, with a reunion of those historic rivals TBD and TBD, to be televised on ESPN. Since the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are now the Rays, and a team cannot play itself, perhaps “TBD” actually stands for “to be determined,” and it will be ESPN that does the determining. Given the matchups for opening series, the best bets for the nationally-televised lid lifter are the Jeter-less Yankees hosting the Blue Jays, Red Sox at Phillies, Angels at Mariners, or the Cardinals visiting the Back to the Future 2-foretold 2015 World Series champion Cubs....

AL wild-card game: Orioles at Blue JaysNL wild-card game: Giants at Mets ALDS: Orioles-Blue Jays winner vs. RangersALDS: Red Sox vs. Indians NLDS: Giants-Mets winner vs. CubsNLDS: Dodgers vs. Nationals 6:33 p.m.: And, we’re all done here. The Blue Jays had clinched a wild-card spot when the Tigers lost in Atlanta, and then they clinched home-field in that game against the Orioles by finishing off the Red Sox, 2-1, at Fenway Park on David Ortiz day....

Here is the schedule (all times ET): When is the ALCS? What channel is showing the ALCS? Best of seven. All times TBA. MORE: 14 fun MLB postseason facts Friday, Oct. 14 ALCS Game 1: Blue Jays at Indians, 8:08 p.m. | TV: TBS Saturday, Oct. 15 ALCS Game 2: Blue Jays at Indians, 4:08 p.m. | TV: TBS Monday, Oct. 17 ALCS Game 3: Indians at Blue Jays, 8:08 p....

Left-hander A.J. Puk was rehabbing an elbow injury, and fellow southpaw Jesus Luzardo was shut down with a lat strain at the time. Catcher Sean Murphy just reinjured the knee he had surgery on earlier in the year. So, it was a gamble for Oakland’s front office to only acquire left-hander Jake Diekman at the deadline, supplementing its underachieving bullpen but not addressing its offensive depth at all. The organization’s restrained approach showed outsized faith in its MLB relief corps in particular, as well as the health of its big-league backstops....

The team is nearing an agreement with free-agent second baseman Alberto Callaspo, according to ESPN’s Jim Bowden. Callaspo, 31, would likely replace free-agent Emilio Bonifacio, who was the Braves second baseman the second half of the season. Callaspo is likely just a replacement at second base until the Braves’ highly-touted 20-year-old infield prospect Jose Peraza is ready for the Majors. Callaspo struggled last season with the Athletics, batting just ....

With on Lester signed by the Cubs, Scherzer is the top free-agent starter left of the market. The 2013 Cy Young winner, who turns 31 in July, went 18-5 with a 3.15 ERA this past season with 252 strikeouts in 220 1/3 innings. But his expected price tag — something along the lines of six years at $25 million a year or so — has scared teams like the Yankees away....

THE DETAILS: After missing out on re-signing right fielder Jason Heyward — he chose to sign for eight years, $184 million with the Cubs — St. Louis was left with a gaping hole in its outfield. The Rockies, who are seemingly always willing to trade players, have three talented outfielders St. Louis could be in play for. Carlos Gonzalez is the biggest name, but he would also require the largest package in return....

Last week I wrote a jovial, lighthearted column that poked some fun at Major League Baseball’s pace-of-play and length-of-game issues, offering 30 silly, overtly exaggerated and obviously sarcastic solutions to those problems. It didn’t go over too well. FOSTER: MLB’s pace of play is just fine, thanks “I opened this link thinking that the Sporting News had some real answers, my mistake.” Lovely. “Ignorant crap.” Solid. My favorite: “What a waste of a click....

But the big-money deals that go south aren’t the only types of contract situations that create big problems. Sometimes, lack of years is as big of an issue as number of years on a deal, and we’re going to look at all of those things with this series. These are the contract situations that keep general managers and team presidents — or whatever the official title happens to be for the decision makers — up at night....

It started innocently enough Friday morning when the Reds tweeted a photo of a baseball on a sunny day with the text “Soon.” The Red Sox quote-tweeted that and added “Not soon enough!” The Twins kept the momentum by quote-tweeting the Red Sox and adding “Counting down the days!” Then it got silly. The Tigers quoted the Red Sox with the classic “Big, if true.” The Padres then quoted the Red Sox with “Is this real life?...

On one hand, those cost-controlled stars play a huge role in the continued success of a franchise, which is why folks in the front office hate trading them away. On the other hand, the best way to acquire immediate help for a World Series push is to trade away those prospects for established stars. MORE: Worst in-season trade for every AL team | And every NL team It’s the great dilemma, and there are no certain answers....

Samardzija was once considered a big part of the Cubs' rebuilding process, but the team has been listening to offers for him this offseason. The Cubs will be looking for three or four "top youngsters," according to ESPNChicago. Samardzija, 28, is eligible for salary arbitration next spring and can become a free agent after the 2015 season. This year he set career highs with 213 2/3 innings and 214 strikeouts but also had a 4....