Trump on Saturday tweeted about the SolarWinds software hack, which compromised federal agencies including the departments of Treasury, Homeland Security, Commerce and others, suggesting that the seriousness of the breach had been overhyped by the media. He also called into question the consensus that Russia was behind the cyberattack, suggesting that it could have been carried out by China instead. “I was disappointed with the president’s comment. But I think we’ve come to recognize that the president has a blind spot when it comes to Russia,” Romney told NBC News’ Meet the Press on Sunday when he was asked about Trump’s remarks....

“We’ve had discussions with USADA and are hopeful that together we can make progress in this investigation,” said Dan Halem, MLB’s chief legal officer, who oversees baseball’s drug program. USADA and MLB have never cooperated to such an extent, though the two have shared information before, according to the report, which said Halem was expected to meet Tuesday at MLB headquarters in New York with USADA CEO Travis Tygart....

Chicago White Sox rookie first baseman Jose Abreu and Houston second baseman Jose Altuve were among eight first-time winners announced Thursday by Louisville Slugger, which presents the annual honors following voting by major league managers and coaches for the top hitter in each league at every position. MORE: Gold Gloves awarded | Writers’ choices | SN’s Player of the Year Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre won for the fourth time and was joined on the AL team by White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, Cleveland catcher Yan Gomes and Detroit designated hitter Victor Martinez....

While the immediate impact of the ban means players with Venezuelan ties and others will have to scramble to find an offseason league, the embargo could ultimately threaten the flow of Venezuelan talent to the majors. According to ESPN, 95 players born in Venezuela have played in the majors this season, including future hall of famer Miguel Cabrera, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr....

“The Yankees have a well-founded legal position,” Manfred said in Manhattan on Thursday, via the New York Post. “If there’s a dispute over it, it’ll get handled in the ordinary course.” Rodriguez’s contract calls for him to collect a bonus for his milestone home runs (which includes home runs No. 660, 714, 755, 762 and 763). But the Yankees claim Rodriguez is now an unmarketable player following his suspensions for PED use and argue the club is not obligated to pay the bonuses....

So far this spring, three names have been linked with the Twins’ top pick in the 2017 MLB Draft: Hunter Greene, Kyle Wright, and Brendan McKay. The first two would be solid choices; the third would not. More on that in a bit. MORE: Every MLB team’s biggest draft mistake Greene, a high school senior from southern California, may have the most raw-talent in the entire draft, as the 6-3 right-handed pitcher routinely runs his fastball into the triple digits and can maintain mid-90s velocity deep into his starts....

He's healthy. And that could be a good sign for a veteran hitter designated to replace the team's top slugger. "This offseason has been so much better, both physically and mentally, and it's been nice getting back into my regular training routine," Morneau, the Rockies' new first baseman, told The Denver Post and media members via a Friday conference call. "I feel like I'm building up strength toward the season, as opposed to just trying to rehab to get ready for spring training....

And it starts with the free-agency market. This is a strong free-agent class, particularly with its middle infielders who include stars such as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Javier Baez and Trevor Story. Of course, the elephant in the room is the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1 and could potentially result in a freeze on transactions if an agreement isn’t reached by then. As the market continues to develop, Sporting News will keep track of the latest deals and rumors going on in the MLB world....

Rumor: Rays, Marlins interested in Howie Kendrick Source: The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli MORE: Predictions, rankings for top 10 MLB free agents Need to know: Kendrick, obviously, was a huge part of the Nationals’ amazing 2019 season. He hit .344 in 370 plate appearances during the regular season, with 17 homers, a 142 OPS+ and 2.6 bWAR. And though he’s not exactly an above-average defender, he does offer good versatility. Kendrick started at least 10 games at first base, second base and third base last season, and he’s started nearly 200 games in left field in his career, too....

It took him one year with the surprising Cleveland Indians to bag the prize. SN AWARDS: MLB managers choose Farrell, Hurdle Francona and Clint Hurdle of the Pittsburgh Pirates won the Manager of the Year awards Tuesday after guiding their small-budget teams to charming turnarounds. In a close vote by the Baseball Writers' Association of America panel, Francona edged old friend John Farrell of the World Series champion Red Sox 112 points to 96 for the American League honor....

As Aaron Judge continues his ridiculous season for the Yankees, it’s no surprise he’s still the favorite in the American League. Meanwhile, the National League MVP race is not easy to call, as Paul Goldschmidt is a front runner. However, Pete Alonso and Manny Machado are both making strong pushes to be in the conversation. Below, we’ll break down the latest odds for both AL and NL MVP favorites before discussing some of our favorite sleepers....

MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines 8:05 p.m. ET: White Sox (Sale) -135 at Rangers (Martinez), Total 8 You’ve got the red-hot Rangers on an 11-2 run as underdogs behind baseball’s most profitable pitcher, Nick Martinez at +8.8 units. Martinez (4-1, 2.03 ERA) goes against Chris Sale (4-2, 3.66), who has been super nasty over his last four outings with a 2-1 record, 1.71 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 31....

MLB odds: Current baseball betting lines The Cardinals are riding a four-game win streak, and their 18-5 home record is the best start in team history, while the Dodgers were swept in their last road trip, a three-game series at San Francisco on May 19-21. Throughout baseball history, the NL Pennant has made a habit of going through one of these two clubs, with the Dodgers grabbing 22 and winning six World Championships, and the Cardinals winning the NL 19 times and giving St....

We get it. You’re mad (or about to be). Oh no! Your favorite team is disrespected. The media hates you. You feel slighted. No one is talking about how good your team is. Your team is definitely going to win the World Series this year. Save the angry tweets. Put aside the hate, please. Here’s a small spoiler alert: Power Rankings are all based around one person’s perspective backed up with a combination of cherry-picked stats coupled with the eye test....

Meanwhile, for the second straight season, the Red Sox’s Opening Day payroll came in as the highest in the game at just under $222 million, though that figure was the lowest for a top payroll at season’s start since 2012. MORE: Watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whip-around show on DAZN Trout made an MLB-best $34.08 million in 2018 and recently signed the most lucrative contract in MLB history, but his pay for 2019 under the new deal dropped in exchange for a $20 million signing bonus....

No other team in baseball has logged as many innings as they have in the past three seasons, thanks to an NLCS berth in 2015, last year‘s World Series, and now another run to the NLCS that looks over except for the formality of tonight‘s Game 4. Deep playoff runs for three consecutive seasons have sapped the Cubs, and they’re showing that against the Dodgers. FAGAN: Dodgers’ redemption stories spin tale of triumph...

Call it karmic justice, then, when he missed on one Sunday night at Yankee Stadium, thanks to Aaron Judge. SN50: Judge becoming master of the ‘barrel’ Judge reached above the top of the right-field wall to snag a long ball by the Indians’ Franciso Lindor in Game 3 of the teams’ ALDS. Note how Hample charged the ball from his bleacher seat and seemed to be in the Jeffrey Maier position (i....

The leading candidate for this season’s National League Rookie of the Year honors got this October off to a much better start, becoming the youngest Dodgers player ever to homer in the postseason. MORE: Top 50 players in playoffs With one out in the first inning, Seager smashed the first pitch he saw from Nationals ace Max Scherzer, a fastball down the middle, over the center-field fence. Earlier on Friday, before Game 1 of the National League Division Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had an inkling Seager might be in for a big performance....