Josh Jung likes carrying Texas Tech legacy as Bobby Bragan Award winner  —  This has been a banner year for Josh Jung.  —  He reached the College World Series with Texas Tech in June.  He was the Texas Rangers' first-round selection later that month.  And he followed in one of his best …

Automated strike zone to debut in Minor League Baseball in 2020, Rob Manfred says  —  It's getting closer.  —  Tested already in the independent Atlantic League and the MLB-run Arizona Fall League, the automated strike zone is slated to arrive in Minor League Baseball in some capacity in 2020.

Cardinals Extend John Mozeliak, Mike Girsch, Mike Shildt  —  The Cardinals have announced new deals for three key members of their leadership, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covers (links to Twitter).  President of baseball operations John Mozeliak gets three new years …

Las Vegas casino sues NHL's Evander Kane over $500K in gambling markers  —  Las Vegas casino sues Evander Kane for unpaid gambling markers  —  San Jose Sharks left wing Evander Kane (9) argues with a referee after fighting with Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland (5) …

Yanks don't give qualifying offer to Didi Gregorius  —  The New York Yankees have decided not to extend the $17.8 million qualifying offer to shortstop Didi Gregorius, making him a free agent.  —  The Yankees now will not get draft pick compensation if he signs elsewhere.  New York still could try to re-sign him.

‘Just trying to have some fun’: Nationals' Kurt Suzuki explains wearing MAGA hat at White House visit  —  Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki says he was “just trying to have some fun” wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat at the team's World Series championship ceremony at the White House with President Donald Trump on Monday.

Sources: The Cubs continue to make sweeping changes behind the scenes  —  Joe Maddon took a lot of the heat for the Cubs, facing the media before and after every game and deflecting some attention from the organization's deeper issues.  That cover is gone now that Theo Epstein dismissed …

David Cone ‘self-taught’ his way into Yankees pitching-coach interview  —  As the Yankees search for Larry Rothschild's replacement they haven't limited the focus to college pitching coaches who have strong analytical backgrounds.  —  The Yankees contacted David Cone and interviewed him late …

Super Two Cutoff Set At 2.115 Years Of Service  —  NOV. 5: This year's cutoff is set at precisely 2.115 days of service, MLBTR has learned.  —  OCT. 10: This year's cutoff point to determine Super Two status will be unusually low, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter).

Latest On Brewers' First Base Plans  —  Although the Brewers declined first baseman/outfielder Eric Thames' 2020 option on Monday, that doesn't necessarily mean his time with the franchise is up.  General manager David Stearns stated after the decision that the team's open to re-signing Thames …

Passan answers 20 big hot stove questions as free agency starts and MLB's offseason drama begins  —  play  —  On the day after the World Series, an agent for a prominent free agent this winter expressed shock at how busy his day had been.  In the past two seasons, free agency began with a whimper — few texts, fewer calls.

MLB Awards Finalists Announced for MVP, Cy Young, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year  —  Just days removed from the end of postseason play, MLB revealed its finalists for each of the four major awards on Monday night.  —  Just days removed from the end of postseason play …

With London ready for an NFL team, the Chargers have been discussed as a possible option  —  LONDON — The NFL concluded its annual four-game London series on Sunday in front of a robust, energetic crowd of 83,000 at Wembley Stadium.  In all, more than 286,000 fans packed Wembley …