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The San Diego Padres and first baseman Wil Myers finalized their agreement on a new six-year contract extension.

The Padres officially announced Myers’ extension will run through 2022 with a team option for 2023.

Jim Bowden of ESPN first reported the new deal last week. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted the contract was expected to be worth “more than $80 million.”

Myers, a former top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, finally started illustrating his high-end potential during a breakout 2016 campaign. The 26-year-old infielder posted a .336 on-base percentage with 28 home runs and 28 stolen bases this past season.

The converted outfielder has handled the transition well, posting a plus-eight defensive runs saved figure in his first full season at first base, according to FanGraphs. His speed also gives the Padres something most teams don’t receive from the traditionally power-heavy position.

The extension doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Myers told Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune coming out of the All-Star break that he was interested in staying put for the long haul:

I love being here. I do really, truly believe that (General Manager) A.J. Preller has a plan for the future, and that’s a big deal when it comes to extension talks. I love everything about (Manager) Andy Green, what he’s done here. I think he’s going to be a great manager. As far as being here long-term, I could see myself doing it. I could see trying to build something here.

It’s a smart move by the Padres based on the first baseman’s talent. He merely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of this season. He has the skill set to become one of the top hitters in the National League over the next few years.

The only real question mark is his health. He’s dealt with a variety of injury issues since breaking into the big leagues with Tampa Bay in 2013. Those setbacks are why it took him so long to back up his strong debut campaign, and they likely played a role in the Rays trading him two years ago.

The Padres have had six consecutive losing seasons, but general manager A.J. Preller made a series of deals last season to greatly improve the farm system with high-end talents like Anderson Espinoza and Manuel Margot. 

Combine the talent making its way through the system with Myers’ natural hitting ability, and when all the pieces converge in San Diego over the next couple of seasons, the Padres will be a serious threat in the National League.

With the new contract in hand, Myers will now hope to leave those injury concerns in the rearview mirror and remain an important cog in the San Diego lineup for the foreseeable future.

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President Barack Obama pardoned baseball Hall of Famer and San Francisco Giants great Willie McCovey on Tuesday of tax evasion. 

According to the Guardian‘s Ben Jacobs, McCovey was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $5,000 in 1996 after he falsified federal income tax returns.

The New York Daily News‘ Jake Becker reported McCovey did not disclose $33,000 he made at an autograph show in 1989. When McCovey entered his plea, he also reportedly came clean about $70,000 he did not report to the Internal Revenue Service following several other appearances at autograph shows. 

According to White House counsel Neil Eggleston, Obama granted 273 commutations and pardons on Tuesday. All told, Obama has issued 1,385 commutation grants—which represents the most by any president. 

The wide-ranging acts of clemency were announced three days before Obama is scheduled to leave office.  

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Jose Bautista‘s search for a contract has come to an end after he agreed to a deal that will keep him with the Toronto Blue Jays; the team made the announcement Wednesday:

Baseball Prospectus Toronto first reported Bautista’s agreement with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, noting the deal includes various incentives and a mutual option. 

On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported Bautista will earn $18 million with a one-year guarantee and that options in the contract could extend it to $60 million for three years. Heyman noted the salary is higher than the $17.2 million he would have received if he accepted Toronto’s qualifying offer in November.

Richard Justice of MLB.com reported Bautista and the Blue Jays confirmed the contract numbers, and the deal includes a mutual option worth $17 million in 2018 and a vesting option worth $20 million in 2019.

After having a journeyman run early in his career, Bautista turned into a superstar with the Blue Jays in 2010 when he hit 54 home runs and finished fourth in American League MVP voting. He subsequently finished in the top 10 of MVP voting three times in the next five years.

It appeared the marriage between Bautista and the Blue Jays was coming to an end when his contract expired after the 2016 season.

The Blue Jays jumped on free agents Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce, who has the versatility to play at first base or in the outfield. That eagerness led to the departure of Edwin Encarnacion.

Bautista kept twisting in the wind because it wasn’t clear where his market started. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported Sunday the Baltimore Orioles had been in contact with the six-time All-Star.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Saturday the Cleveland Indians, who signed Encarnacion earlier this offseason, were keeping in touch with Bautista if his price fell to a certain undisclosed point.

Instead, as the Blue Jays faced the possibility of going into a season with Ezequiel Carrera as their starting right fielder, the front office decided the best course of action would be to bring Bautista back.

Under most circumstances, a player with Bautista’s resume would warrant a large extension without hesitation, but he turned 36 in October, and his numbers declined in 2016 for the second consecutive year.

The Blue Jays did have a change in the front office last offseason when Mark Shapiro officially took over as team president in October after previously working with the Indians.

Ross Atkins became Toronto’s general manager when Alex Anthopoulos left the organization after being unable to reach a contract extension despite leading the team to its first postseason in 22 years in 2015.

Shapiro came from a situation in Cleveland that required him to be diligent in free agency because the Indians couldn’t compete with teams for big contracts, minus their open wallet for Encarnacion this winter. It did lead to an exodus of talent, though it also helped him avoid giving out some of the long-term deals that have backfired on other teams in the past.

By waiting out Bautista’s market, Shapiro played the market into his favor since the veteran outfielder was coming off a down year in 2016. The Blue Jays didn’t have to overextend themselves on a long-term deal for a player in his late 30s, while Bautista gets to stay in a place he’s comfortable.

After Bautista turned his career around in Toronto, it’s fitting he will have at least one more year with a team capable of competing for a playoff spot in the American League. He’s been the face of the franchise for years and will have more time to bring a championship to the city.

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Veteran outfielder Josh Hamilton reached an agreement Tuesday to re-sign with the Texas Rangers. 

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported the new deal and noted the contract includes an option for Hamilton to request his release if he’s not on the April 1 roster. Heyman also stated the new pact is for the minimum MLB salary ($535,000), if he makes the team.

Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram confirmed the minor league deal.

Hamilton said he will try to play first base, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. Hamilton also told reporters said he has been cleared to resume all baseball activities.

The 35-year-old slugger has failed to make an impact in recent years due to a combination of nagging injuries and off-field issues. He missed the entire 2016 season with the Rangers after undergoing surgery, his third procedure in a 10-month span, to reconstruct the ACL in his left knee.

In 2015, Bill Madden and Michael O’Keeffe of the New York Daily News reported Hamilton met with MLB officials after suffering a cocaine and alcohol relapse. His highly publicized struggle with addiction to those substances has caused several setbacks throughout his career.

The North Carolina native’s on-field talent is undeniable, though. He’s a five-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award three times during his prime with the Rangers.

Hamilton’s best year came in 2010 when he was named American League MVP. He won the batting title with a .359 average to go with 32 home runs, 100 RBIs and 95 runs scored. He also stole eight bases and finished with a 1.044 OPS.

Now, the question is whether he can still perform at that level. His last full season came with the Los Angeles Angels in 2013, and his numbers were well off from his peak. He posted a .250/.307/.432 line with 21 homers in 151 games.

Last July, Hamilton told Sullivan he expected to be at full strength by spring training, and he expressed confidence in his ability.

“One-hundred percent,” Hamilton said. “I feel confident when I’m healthy, and really healthy, I’m as good as anybody in the game.”

Agreeing to a one-year deal for the minimum will force Hamilton to prove himself, though. His most likely path to playing time would come at DH for the Rangers, but at the outset, he’ll probably battle Ryan Rua and Delino DeShields for a bench spot throughout the spring.

Ultimately, it’s a low-risk move for the Rangers based on the salary and Hamilton’s previous track record of success. He could prove to be a savvy signing, if he stays healthy.

The first major hurdle for the 1999 first overall pick will be making it through spring training without any injury setbacks. If that happens, there’s a good chance he’ll earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

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Former MLB star Alex Rodriguez is set to host a CNBC reality show, Back in the Game, according to Alex Weprin of Politico.

On the show—which includes former NFL player Michael Strahan as an executive producer—ex-athletes in dire financial straits will be paired with “money-savvy mentors who can help them get back on their feet.” These advisors may help the athletes launch a second career or pursue a new business opportunity.

Finances likely won’t ever be an issue for Rodriguez, who signed a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2000, though he opted out of that agreement in 2007 to sign a 10-year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees that year. 

And the money is still coming in from that Rangers deal, per SI.com:

Although the Yankees will not be responsible for his checks after 2017, he will still be getting paid by the Rangers. At the time he was traded, he was to receive $36 million in deferred money from that record deal. That was converted to an assignment bonus, which has racked up two percent in interest every year. He will continue to get paid by the Rangers until June 15, 2025.

The Yankees are also on the hook for the $21 million Rodriguez is owed on the final year of his deal with the team.

Rodriguez, 41, had one of the most polarizing careers in MLB history. He was an electrifying talent and hit 696 career home runs in his career, fourth in MLB history, but he also was suspended for the entirety of the 2014 season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He also admitted to using PEDs in 2009.

In his post-baseball career, Rodriguez has shown a natural knack for television and was a big hit on Fox’s postseason coverage. Ben Reiter of SI.com noted: “The hyper-prepared Rodriguez has exhibited his singular baseball mind by providing analysis that is both nuanced and well formulated.”

While Rodriguez won’t be breaking down baseball games for CNBC, it’s become clear he has a future in television.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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For the first time since 1888, the Chicago Cubs visited the White House on Monday to meet President Barack Obama and celebrate the team’s first World Series title since 1908.

“They said this day would never come,” Obama said to open his remarks, per the ESPN broadcast, amid laughter and applause in the White House. “Here is something my predecessors never got to say: Welcome to the White House the World Series champion Cubs.”

He added:

I will say, it took you long enough. I’ve got four days left. Eight years ago, I made a lot of promises, some of which we’ve accomplished. But not even I was crazy enough to promise that the Cubs would win the World Series. But I did say there’s nothing false about hope. The audacity of hope.

The president spoke more about hope and how it brought together fans of the Cubs throughout the years, per CBS News:

He also had a few jokes about the team. He noted that he and catcher David Ross were each on a yearlong retirement tour over the past year. He praised Anthony Rizzo for putting the ball from the final out in Game 7 in his back pocket, calling it “excellent situational awareness.” He called manager Joe Maddon a tactical genius, joking that he even smartly made it rain in Game 7.

He also talked about how Theo Epstein, the team’s president of baseball operations, has ended droughts for the Boston Red Sox and Cubs before jokingly offering him a job, per CBS News:

As for that previous visit, the Cubs were known as the White Stockings when they last visited the White House in 1888. Team president Albert Spalding “made arrangements for a postseason world tour,” per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com, and wanted “a formal proclamation from President Grover Cleveland endorsing the tour.”

Cleveland did meet with the team, though he declined to sign the letter it presented him “proclaiming the greatness of the White Stockings and the traveling All-Stars.”

“We will make no such demands today,” Epstein joked at the podium.

Obama was much more willing to endorse the Cubs, even moving up this ceremony so he could meet with the team before his second term as president ends Friday and Donald Trump takes office, per Lynn Sweet and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Obama was a longtime resident of Chicago and is famously a Chicago White Sox fan, a fact that wasn’t lost on the Cubs and Javier Baez:

Indeed, the Cubs couldn’t help but bring up that fact during the proceedings. Epstein and the Cubs jokingly offered Obama “a midnight pardon” despite his years of White Sox fandom and welcomed him into the ranks of Cubs fans. They also presented him with a No. 44 jersey, a No. 44 tile from the team’s scoreboard and a lifetime pass to Wrigley Field for him and his family.

The president enjoyed the banter and was appreciative of the gifts, per Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune:

There are also ties to the Cubs in his family. The president told a story about first lady Michelle Obama, a lifelong Cubs fan, per CBS News:

As for the rest of the visit, the Cubs took some time to visit the White House before the ceremony. Willson Contreras posted the following picture with teammates:

Ross did the same by the podium:

Addison Russell took a different approach, dropping a dab:

It was a special day for the organization and its fans, and it was also special as Obama’s last such meeting with a team in his tenure. Before he closed his remarks, he took a moment to reflect on the greater impact sports can have on society.

“Sports has the power to bring us together even when we are divided,” he noted. “It is a game, and it is celebration, but there is a direct line between Jackie Robinson and me standing here.”

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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Free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders has agreed to a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball and Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reported the news Monday. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports later reported the deal is worth $9 million with a club option worth $11 million and can be worth as much as $14 million with escalators.

On Tuesday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reported Saunders is expected to take a physical with the Phillies in the next day or two to finalize the deal. Crasnick noted the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays were also in on the outfielder, while the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks had interest as well.

Saunders picked a good time to become a free agent, as his 2016 season with the Blue Jays was his best season in Major League Baseball. Last year marked the first time in his career that he played at least 140 games, with the offensive result showing he warranted the additional playing time that Blue Jays manager John Gibbons afforded him. 

Per Dirk Hayhurst of TSN, one of the big reasons for Saunders’ 2016 breakout was a mechanical change in his swing:

Before coming to the Jays, Saunders’ hands were at a resting position above his shoulders, hovering. Now they’ve come down to the shoulders and as a result, Saunders’ swing is shorter and faster to the ball. His swing also has more trunk and less arms involved in the process. The payout is that Saunders’ power-to-plate coverage ratio has increased. He’s taking the ball out all over the park, and hitting more pitches in the strike zone, especially down and away.

Because there’s a clear mechanical change to explain why he performed better in 2016 than he had at least since 2014, there’s no reason to believe he can’t be an above-average hitter for his new team. 

Heading into his age-30 season, Saunders was one of those under-the-radar sluggers who wasn’t going to break the bank for his new team and can provide middle-of-the-order production. 

The Blue Jays helped give him an opportunity to shine because he was hitting around stars like Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion. He made himself into more than just someone who could take some of the runs batted in they set up for him by getting on base so frequently. 

Finding power is a luxury in MLB, especially in free agency, where teams will often pay top dollar for it. Saunders is a well-rounded hitter who can get on base at a solid clip and will hit 20-plus homers if he can stay on the field. He should provide some pop to a Phillies outfield that looks sorely in need with spring training not far off in the horizon.   

It all adds up to a solid addition for the Phillies in an offseason without great depth in free agency. 

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The Kansas City Royals and Danny Duffy agreed to terms on a five-year extension worth $65 million, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.  

The Royals formally announced the extension on Twitter:

The Kansas City Star‘s Rustin Dodd shared a yearly breakdown of the contract:

Duffy was under team control for one more season before he was set to become a free agent next winter, per Spotrac.

The 28-year-old left-hander went 12-3 with a 3.51 ERA in 42 appearances for the Royals in 2016. He began the year in the bullpen before making his first start May 15 and emerging as the Royals’ ace.

According to FanGraphs, Duffy finished with a 3.56 ERA and 3.99 FIP in 26 starts, both of which were the lowest among Kansas City’s regular starting pitchers. Duffy also averaged a career-best 9.42 strikeouts and 2.10 walks per nine innings.

With major question marks over the starting rotation, re-signing Duffy was a great move for Kansas City. Edinson Volquez signed with the Miami Marlins, Ian Kennedy was disappointing in the first year of his five-year deal, and Yordano Ventura took a big step backward in 2016.

Keeping Duffy for the next five years stabilizes the staff, and an average of $13 million is a more than reasonable salary. He won’t even be the highest-paid starter. Kennedy, who is four years older, will earn an average of roughly $15.6 million for the next four seasons, per Spotrac.

ESPN.com’s Dan Szymborski tweeted that Duffy’s deal gives the Royals some flexibility:

Kansas City made back-to-back World Series in 2014 and 2015, winning a title the second time around, but general manager Dayton Moore said in October he expected the team’s payroll to “regress a little bit” after the Royals spent relatively big in pursuit of a World Series ring, per Dodd.

Duffy’s extension is evidence, however, that Kansas City’s ownership is still willing to invest in the team to ensure it remains competitive in 2017 and beyond.

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David Ortiz confirmed Monday he will remain retired from baseball amid speculation the former Boston Red Sox slugger might return to the game.

“My playing time has already expired,” Ortiz told Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.

He maintained he hasn’t been undergoing his usual offseason preparations, a necessary precursor to playing.

“Baseball is not something that you wake up today and you say, ‘I’ll play tomorrow,'” he noted. “Baseball is something that carries a lot of sacrifice, a lot of preparation, and there is a reason why we train the entire year to play it, practice every day, especially during the season, because it is a sport of consistency.”

Ortiz, 41, has created some buzz surrounding a possible comeback. On Jan. 9, he sent out this cryptic tweet:

He also sent out an Instagram post after the Red Sox acquired star pitcher Chris Sale:

Certainly, if Ortiz ever did entertain a comeback, the Red Sox would welcome him back with open arms. Ortiz hit .315 with 38 home runs and 127 RBI last season, leading the team to the postseason. There’s little doubt that, should he choose to return, Ortiz would be productive.

It’s not just the Red Sox that would love to have him back. The Dominican Republic national team lost its centerpiece as well—particularly jarring with the World Baseball Classic in March—and replacing a player like Ortiz will take time for the country. Ortiz acknowledged as much.

“It’s a process, it’s not something that happens overnight,” Ortiz told Rojas. “There are a lot of people who are doing a good job and they are getting stronger, but they need to keep gaining experience and doing things well, on and off the field.”

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.

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The New York Mets have a logjam in the outfield and could try to solve it by dealing away Jay Bruce.

Continue for updates.

Phillies Interested in Bruce

Sunday, Jan. 15

According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have had a “longstanding interest” in Bruce, although the team might not want to match the reported price of two prospects.

The 29-year-old is under contract for $13 million through the 2017 season.

Bruce was acquired by the Mets shortly before the 2016 trade deadline after spending nine years with the Cincinnati Reds. Although he had a strong start to the year in Cincinnati with 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 97 games, he struggled immensely in New York.

Over the final two months of the season, he hit just eight home runs with 19 RBI and a .219 batting average in 50 games. His OPS was just .685 with the Mets, down from .875 in Cincinnati.

He looked nothing like the player who had made three All-Star appearances with 233 home runs with the Reds.

Despite the poor performance, New York picked up his reasonable team option at the end of the season to keep him on the roster. However, the re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes led to an overload of corner outfielders when paired with Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto.

Although the Mets have been unable to find a trade partner throughout the offseason, general manager Sandy Alderson blamed outside circumstances.

“The situation right now has been created by the number of free agents that exist,” he said, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Until fellow sluggers like Mark Trumbo and Jose Bautista are off the board, it will be hard to create a legitimate market for Bruce.

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