Top News:
Jesse Rogers / ESPN:
MLB owners propose first salary cap since 1994 strike — Major League Baseball owners proposed a hard salary cap to players as part of the next CBA on Thursday, their first firm cap proposal since 1994. — Under the proposal, presented in a meeting with union officials …
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Jorge Castillo / ESPN:
MLBPA makes 1st proposal in collective bargaining negotiations — The Major League Baseball Players Association made the first formal proposal in collective bargaining talks with Major League Baseball on Wednesday, opening negotiations with considerable changes to the sport's financial structure without the mention of a salary cap.
Evan Drellich / The Athletic:
MLB's first offer to union includes initial look at details of hard salary cap — For a long time, it's been clear that Major League Baseball's owners would make a new push for a salary cap-and-floor system. The mystery, though, has been what exactly the owners want the system to look like.
Keith Law / The Athletic:
Updated top 50 MLB prospects: Jesús Made takes the No. 1 spot — We've already seen a plethora of players from my preseason top 100 MLB prospect rankings reach or appear in the majors this year, including the top two prospects, five of the top 10, four of the next 10 and 18 from the top 50.
Discussion:
Seattle Sports, sports.yahoo.com and Redleg Nation
Cole Weintraub / NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Phillies' rebound has failed to erase glaring roster flaw at one-third mark — One month under Don Mattingly has changed plenty, but the Phillies still need a real answer for their right-handed outfield bat problem. — SAN DIEGO — One month into the Don Mattingly Era, a lot has gone right for the Phillies.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Phillies Nation and sports.yahoo.com
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Matt Gelb / The Athletic:
Adolis García, Nick Castellanos and the Phillies' quest for a righty-hitting OF
Discussion:
Just Baseball and Yahoo Sports
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Chiefs' Travis Kelce purchases minority stake in Guardians — Travis Kelce is adding a new title to his burgeoning business portfolio: Major League Baseball owner. — The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is joining the Cleveland Guardians' ownership group as a minority investor …
Discussion:
sports.yahoo.com, New York Post, The Athletic, MLB Trade Rumors, Los Angeles Times, On Tap Sports Net, UPI, Deadspin and Sportsnet.ca
Andrew Gross / Newsday:
Nearly 60 years ago, Lou Lamoriello recruited Bobby Valentine to play on his baseball team. They remain friends to this day. — Lou Lamoriello was tipped off to the greatness of Bobby Valentine as an athlete. So the former Islanders president/general manager recruited the just-turned-17-year-old …
Jen McCaffrey / The Athletic:
The key to the Red Sox offense lately? Bench players Gasper, Sogard and Kiner-Falefa — BOSTON — Given an imperfect roster, Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy has been doing anything he can to find a lineup that produces. Lately, that's meant leaning on his bench players.
Discussion:
sports.yahoo.com, Deadspin and Boston Herald
Dylan Flippo / USA Today:
Texas A&M baseball's Bryan-College Station Regional preview — For the 14th time in program history, Texas A&M baseball is set to host the Bryan-College Station Regional, with an opportunity to advance to face the winner of the Chapel Hill Regional in the NCAA DI Baseball Super Regionals on the line.
Discussion:
sports.yahoo.com and Baseball America
Alden Gonzalez / ESPN:
Dodgers' Enrique Hernández back to IL with oblique tear — LOS ANGELES — Enrique Hernández was placed on the injured list Wednesday with what Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described as a “significant tear” in his oblique, an injury that will keep him out for several weeks, if not months.
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Post, Yahoo Sports, Deadspin and Los Angeles Times
D.J. Short / NBCSports.com:
MLB Power Rankings: Jacob Misiorowski has Brewers flying high while Diamondbacks join this week's top 10 — Featured in this week's MLB Power Rankings, the NL is loaded with dominant starting pitchers, the Cubs can't decide who they are, the White Sox keep finding ways to be fun …
Discussion:
Yahoo Sports, NBCSports.com, CBS Sports and MLB.com
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Evan Grant / Dallas Morning News:
Bob Horner was a baseball legend, family man and a hero of mine growing up — SportsDay's Rangers insider paid tribute to his childhood hero, who died at the age of 68 on Tuesday. — You know the saying: Never meet your heroes. — I'm glad I met one of mine. — It was the weirdest thing.
Alex D'Agostino / Sports Illustrated:
Eduardo Rodriguez's Odd Start vs Giants Shows How Much He's Changed — The Diamondbacks' left-hander continues to flip every narrative. … It certainly didn't look like Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez had much of anything working for him on Tuesday night …
