Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook manager Ed Salmons walked us through each division and discussed where his shop’s biggest risks lie, and we offer our takes on the season win totals and division odds. ODDS TO WIN DIVISION, SEASON WIN TOTALS NL EAST NATIONALS 1-5 (94 Wins) MARLINS 11-2 (83) METS 7-1 (82.5) BRAVES 40-1 (73.5) PHILLIES 200-1 (67.5) The Linemakers’ take: We like the Nationals to run away with the division, just like they did last season when they won 96 games and took the NL East by 17 games....

Over the past few years, I’ve combed through the draft archives on Baseball-Reference.com (seriously, what an awesome, indispensable site) and found the “ we shoulda picked that guy” draft misses for every single MLB team. This year, I’m taking a bit of a different approach. This year, the goal was to find the best players drafted but not signed for each franchise. Things like the Cardinals drafting hometown prep right-hander Max Scherzer in the 43rd round but not signing him, or the Twins drafting college star Jason Varitek in the first round but not ponying up enough money to get a deal done....

Adell isn’t just an outstanding ballplayer. He’s an outstanding person, too, something I tried to convey in this story about Adell’s passion for encouraging African-American youth at the middle school where his mom is the principal. As always happens when interviewing a subject for a feature story, I had lots of quotes left over that I couldn’t fit into the story. So I compiled them here in a Q&A format....

Starting Sunday, July 11, the lives of some of the most talented amateur baseball players in the country will be forever changed when they are selected by an MLB team. This year, the draft will be 20 rounds, an increase from the pandemic-shortened version last year, but still half the more traditional 40-round MLB Draft that had become the most recent format in the league. MLB MOCK DRAFT:Jack Leiter lands with Rangers; 7 high schoolers projected for first 10 picks...

Truth is, there really isn’t a baseball offseason, as awards gets handed out, trade rumors and free-agent signings fuel the hot stove, and the announcment of a new Hall of Fame class keeps fans debating and waxing nostalgic. Then, before you know it, it’s time for spring training. Here are a few key dates/things to remember for the MLB offseason. When does MLB free agency begin? Free agency for the 2018 MLB season began at 9 a....

St. Louis television station KSDK (and later MLB.com) reported Thursday night that Fowler will undergo a physical exam Friday in St. Louis, a precursor to an agreement. MORE: MLB free-agent tracker There is no word yet on the framework of Fowler’s contract, but ESPN.com reported it’s expected to be in the range of four years and $60 million. Fowler, 30, is fresh off helping the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908....

“My dream has always been to play with the best players in the world and that’s in Major League Baseball,” Tomas said in a statement. “I have a lot of respect for the Diamondbacks and enjoyed meeting Dave Stewart and De Jon Watson during my recent workouts. I have great expectations for my career and cannot wait to join the team and start my big league career.” MORE: Lester derby down to Cubs, Giants?...

In what both sides said was a one-year experiment, the rule allows collisions if the catcher has the ball and is blocking the runner's direct path to home plate, and if the catcher goes into the basepath to field a throw to the plate. SPECTOR: Rules MLB needs, but will never adopt "It's not a radical departure from what it had been," Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon said. The new rule, 7....

Watching the game’s best power hitters slug it out, launching baseballs as far as possible in a short time span. This year will be particularly thrilling as the event will be held in the launching pad of Coors Field. One participant is already confirmed for the event with Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani announcing he’ll be participating. Young Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reportedly opted out of showing off his power swing, as has Cubs shortstop Javier Baez....

The Giants added another veteran presence to their stash of position players on Friday by reportedly agreeing to a deal with Solarte, just a couple of days after inking Gerardo Parra on a minor-league deal. Solarte, who spent last season with the Blue Jays, hit 17 home runs with a .655 OPS while playing every infield position, though most of his time was spent at third and second base....

Offense was plentiful Monday across baseball. Thirteen teams scored at least five runs, and there were a number of strong individual performances. Red Sox center fielder Mookie Betts continued to dazzle on offense, and he was fantastic on defense. Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz bashed his third and fourth home runs of the season and now has a three-game home run streak. MORE: Spector reviews ESPN’s Sunday crew | Bumgarner’s horseplay | Tuesday fantasy advice...

The White Sox are 15-9 in games start by Sale this season, but that’s not even as impressive as Sale’s work against the Royals in 2014. The side-winding lefty has only allowed one earned run in 15 innings against his division foe. Yordano Ventura (3.27 ERA, 1.30 WHIP) takes the ball on the other side, and while he’s enjoyed a very solid rookie season, he’s not a strong bet to match Sale frame-for-frame....

Tonight, Pittsburgh sends its ace, Gerrit Cole (13-3, 2.30 ERA), to the mound as a -117 favorite against Jason Vargas (5-2, 4.10) with a total set at 7 (OVER -115). Cole has won eight of his last 10 starts and the Pirates have gone 14-4 behind him this season. With a win tonight, he could become the first pitcher since 1971 (Dock Ellis) to win 14 for Pittsburgh before August....

Washington manager Matt Williams was apparently the missing ingredient to get the most out of an under-performing Nationals squad. The first-year manager currently has the team riding an eight-game winning streak that has catapulted them to the best record (71-53) in the NL. They’re a -200 favorite behind Tanner Roark tonight against Arizona, a team they have now beaten in 12 of the last 16 meetings. A win tonight would mark the Nats’ longest winning streak since a franchise record-tying 10 straight in 2005....

After Ryon Healy homered for the Mariners off Red Sox reliever Hector Velazquez, 47 homers had been hit in the day’s 15 games, the most ever on Opening Day. Seattle’s Domingo Santana hit the 48th, and last, homer of the day a few innings later, against Boston reliever Tyler Thornburg. MORE: Sign up to watch ‘ChangeUp,’ a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN Tim Beckham tied the record with his second homer of the game off Boston ace Chris Sale....

This is an attempt to figure out which teams have the best chance of getting to and, more importantly, winning the World Series, so path to the title matters too. It’s not just about total team talent. MORE: Top 50 players in the playoffs Make sense? Cool. Let’s jump in. 1. Cubs Why they’re here: Aside from a July swoon (they went just 12-14), the Cubs have been the best team in baseball pretty much all season, and they’re definitely the best team in baseball right now (they were a major league-best 50-23 in the second half)....

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported that after losing Nelson Cruz to the Mariners and Nick Markakis to the Braves as free agents, the Orioles have been talking to free agents Nori Aoki and Colby Rasmus, as well as negotiating a possible return for Delmon Young, who would figure to reprise his role as a reserve outfielder and designated hitter rather than fill one of the spots vacated this offseason....

The independent Atlantic League has agreed to make changes to its playing rules at MLB’s request over the next three seasons; Baseball America reported Tuesday that among the changes will be the use of technology to call balls and strikes and a move of the pitching rubber back from its current 60 feet, 6 inches to the plate. It’s not known how far the rubber will be moved. Baseball America also reported that the Atlantic League will provide feedback to MLB after each season on the effectiveness of the changes....

Houston is “mounting (a) push” for Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman, according to The Athletic. The Astros were also interested in Mets’ Noah Syndergaard, but according to the report, they have started to pursue Stroman harder due to the high price tag on the New York righty. Houston has scouted Stroman in the past and had a good deal of interest in him during the 2017 season when he was putting up Cy Young-caliber numbers in Toronto, so it certainly has a good idea of what it would be getting in the righty....

The deal between playoff contenders was announced as the Blue Jays were starting their game in Boston on Monday night. FOXSPORTS.COM: MLB deadline roundup The 29-year-old Valencia hit .282 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 36 games for Kansas City. He also has played for Minnesota, Boston and Baltimore. Kratz will join the Royals for Tuesday night’s game against Minnesota and Hendriks will be assigned to Triple-A Omaha....