Those waiting for a return to normalcy in baseball for the first time since the 2019 season will just have to keep waiting: The MLBPA and owners have reached an agreement to keep the controversial automatic runner rule in place for the upcoming season, according to the New York Post. MORE: ‘Shohei Ohtani Rule,’ explained: How MLB’s new CBA will benefit Angels, Ohtani and fans (just maybe not opponents)...

LaRoche, 35, is coming off a solid offensive season with the Nationals (.817 OPS, 26 home runs) and will fill the left-handed power role that Adam Dunn held in recent years with the Sox. MORE: Top 25 free agents | Top 10 FA infielders | Abreu wins SN’s AL ROY Award The move was unexpected because Chicago already had a first baseman in Jose Abreu, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year....

1. He wants the official scorers at Fenway Park to be homers. MORE: ‘94 Revisited: Expos win it all without strike | AL MVP Watch He’s good at complaining. That second part earned him a strongly worded memo from Major League Baseball on Friday. MLB vice president Joe Torre didn’t care much for Big Papi staring down and yelling toward scorer Bob Ellis, flashing the thumbs-down signal and barking to the media after Ellis ruled an error on a ball Ortiz hit Wednesday....

But baseball will also test modifications to the running game to see whether stolen bases can increase and more “action” can be injected into the sport. These changes are more important than speed-up rules or lasers calling balls and strikes. The entire list: Naturally, the “Fire Rob Manfred” replies on Twitter were immediate as fans strained their online vocal cords to rage at . . . things. But few of them went any deeper than that....

As the 4 p.m. ET deadline came up Wednesday, Madison Bumgarner hadn’t moved, Edwin Diaz was staying put and the Yankees had done nothing. Then 4:05 p.m. ET arrived and all hell broke loose. The Astros made three trades, the Cubs added a big bat and the Diamondbacks came out with a big load. Which moves were the best? Which ones were the worst? We have them right here....

New York has acquired Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays, the teams announced Wednesday. The Blue Jays will receive pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson in return Stroman has received little run support and has a 6-11 record this season. But, he holds a 2.96 ERA and was named to his first All-Star team in early July. The Braves, Astros, Padres, Twins and Yankees, among others, had also been linked to Stroman, who had spent his entire six-year career with the Blue Jays....

The Cardinals missed the playoffs in 2016 and 2017, and the 2018 season has been more potholes than promise for a couple of months now. Frustration in the fan base was threatening to morph into apathy, which is a scary thought for any front office. The club, as it was currently constructed, was not a winning group. MORE: MLB trade tracker: Complete deals heading into deadline Change was needed. Big, seismic changes were needed....

WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, though, hears the opposite. Citing a source, Bradford reported that there was "nothing to" earlier reports and that the sides have "barely touched base" on Kemp. — SN ranks the 20 best managers of all time Cafardo reported that the Red Sox's interest in Kemp is unclear. Los Angeles has a surplus of outfielders with Yasiel Puig, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford also under contract. Boston may be looking to replace Jacoby Ellsbury with someone other than internal candidate Jackie Bradley Jr....

An accord wouldn't be surprising. Ramirez made it known in midsummer he would like to stay with the Dodgers. "Hopefully, I could stay here the rest of my career," he told the Los Angeles Times. "But I can't control that." Now he can. Talks are under way as Ramirez recovers from an injury-plagued 2012 season. He's at home in the Dominican Republic trying to strengthen his back and finished up recovery from broken ribs in the NL Championship Series....

After agreeing to acquire Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies, LA traded second baseman Dee Gordon to the Marlins in a seven-player deal. It then flipped one of the players it obtained from Miami to the rival Angels for second baseman Howie Kendrick. MORE: Day 3 review | Gordon trade a Dee-minus for Marlins | Phillies say goodbye to part of past | Red Sox move on after Lester The Dodgers also sent right-hander Dan Haren, infielder Miguel Rojas, a player to be named or cash to Miami, but Haren may not pitch for his new club....

They really did. Preseason deals brought Todd Frazier and Brett Lawrie to town. After their hot start turned into a May malaise, they went out and added James Shields to the rotation. TRADE TALK: Rockies | Indians | Yankees | Dodgers Nothing’s really worked, though. They’re three games under .500 and 10.5 behind the first-place Indians in the AL Central. They are, as GM Rick Hahn said Thursday, “mired in mediocrity....

The Boston Globe reported that one of the top advisers to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was at the Red Sox spring training facility Monday to scout “all of the desirable” players the Phillies might want in return for one of their top veteran arms. Lee has reportedly thrown the ball well since returning from an elbow injury, but the Red Sox would likely want to see him pitch a few times this spring before heavily pursuing the 36-year-old lefty....

The Brewers, Cardinals, Reds and Pirates are all over .500 and are separated by just 3 1/2 games. That’s the type of clustering that should make for an exciting stretch run. Before we get there, though, let’s take a look at where those four stand with the non-waiver trade deadline a few weeks away (July 31). Brewers Status: First place Areas of need: The Brewers aren’t a perfect team, of course, but they don’t necessarily have glaring needs, relative to some of the other teams in playoff contention across MLB....

ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that the Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks have been discussing a trade involving Samardzija and that negotiations likely will continue in the offseason. It is not known what the Cubs want in return. MORE: SN ranks the top 25 free agents | Cubs close on new skipper hire Samardzija, 28, is eligible for salary arbitration next spring and can become a free agent after the 2015 season....

On Feb. 12, Mejia tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs for a third time, resulting in a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball. But the 26-year-old right-hander told the New York Times Thursday that the union did not defend him, telling him he could not appeal. “The association should have done more,” Mejia told the Times, adding that the union “should have been there to defend me — because that’s what they’re there for....

New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials said that Shabazz, 56, was found unconscious and unresponsive inside her property on East 28th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn, just before 4:30 p.m. Monday and was later pronounced dead. The city’s medical examiner did not believe that the death was suspicious, while police have said there is no reason to suspect foul play. Shabazz’s death came only days after two men were exonerated in the 1965 assassination of her father after a re-investigation....

UCLA forward Abu Danladi, UCLA midfielder Jackson Yueill and Syracuse defender Miles Robinson are the three American players in the class, while FC Edmonton midfielder Shamit Shome and former ANB Futbol forward Adonijah Reid are the two Canadians. All five players will be eligible for the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles. Sporting KC signs Gerso Fernandes as designated player The Generation Adidas program allows MLS to sign youth national team and collegiate underclassmen players to contracts with the league....

An 81st-minute goal from Jahmir Hyka saw the San Jose Earthquakes to a 1-0 win which marked Dallas’ first defeat. WATCH: Howard furious after goal Hyka’s goal was a stunner as he jumped to take a touch over a defender before calmly placing a finish in off the post. Dallas’ loss – the first Oscar Pareja’s men have suffered through 10 games – left them third in a Western Conference which saw its top three teams beaten....

Nikolic scores goals. As a 6-year-old growing up in the modest Serbian town of Senta, Nikolic found himself driven by that moment of elation when ball meets net. He went on to strike 182 times over a decade-plus as a professional in Hungary and Poland. For a man who scores with businesslike efficiency, the unbridled joy persists. Schweinsteiger digs deep for Fire “To be honest, when I was small I loved to score goals — not just in the games but in the trainings,” Nikolic told Goal....