8:00 AM ET With free agency underway, the offseason is going to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams? We now turn to the NL West, where the Dodgers have a streak of consecutive titles going while the rest of the division ponders how to catch them. 2019 record: 106-562020

8:18 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Jake Odorizzi watched Dallas Keuchel remain on the free-agent market until June and didn’t want to take a chance of lingering without a contract. So he accepted the Minnesota Twins‘ $17.8 million qualifying offer for a one-year contact and put himself in position to become a free agent

1:12 PM ET The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Ben Cherington as the team’s new general manager, according to multiple reports. Cherington served as GM of the Boston Red Sox for four years, winning the World Series in 2013. He stepped down as the Red Sox’s general manager during the 2015 season after Dave Dombrowski was

1:12 PM ET The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Ben Cherington as the team’s new general manager, according to multiple reports and confirmed by ESPN. Cherington served as GM of the Boston Red Sox for four years, winning the World Series in 2013. He stepped down as the Red Sox’s general manager during the 2015 season

6:18 PM ET Cody Bellinger captured his first National League Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday, beating defending champion Christian Yelich and eventual World Series champion Anthony Rendon. Bellinger was selected first on 19 of 30 ballots and second on 10 more, beating out Yelich, the runner-up who was named first on 10 ballots and

7:57 AM ET MLB awards week is here, and that means it’s time to hand out some hardware as baseball’s best of 2019 vie for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year honors. Will Mike Trout hold off Alex Bregman for his third American League MVP award? Did Cody Bellinger

10:41 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball’s investigation into illegal sign stealing is expected to expand beyond the 2017 Houston Astros and look into whether other teams, including the 2019 Astros, used technology to aid hitters,

8:21 PM ET Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The major league minimum salary will rise to $563,500 next season, a hike of $8,500. Under Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association, the minimum was $535,000 in 2017, $545,000 in 2018 and $555,000 this year. In the final two seasons of the five-year

7:50 PM ET Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — New San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday that he should have sought the guidance of experts four years ago when dealing with a 17-year-old girl who contacted him about an assault reportedly witnessed by Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguers. The teen later accused one of

9:03 AM ET Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza has agreed to manage the Italian baseball team, he announced in a tweet Wednesday. Piazza said he will manage the team for the 2020 European Baseball Championship and the 2021 World Baseball Classic. Excited to announce I have reached an agreement to manage the Italian National