6:37 AM ET Relief pitchers threw 17,422 innings in 2018 — that’s up from 14,977 just five years ago. That’s an average of 81.5 innings per team, so on just a pure volume level relief pitchers are more important than ever. I suspect we may start seeing some of the free-agent relievers start signing this

9:25 AM ET Major League Baseball is requesting a return of a $5,000 donation to a Mississippi Republican candidate for U.S. Senate following her controversial comments and actions ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election. Cindy Hyde-Smith has drawn scrutiny for saying at a Nov. 2 campaign event that she would attend a public hanging if invited.

8:00 AM ET As the director of baseball operations and assistant general manager for the Oakland Athletics and then as the general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Farhan Zaidi has been a major figure in assembling the rosters of postseason-bound teams for seven straight seasons. The 42-year-old executive will be hard-pressed to keep that

8:00 AM ET The Arizona Diamondbacks‘ Paul Goldschmidt finished sixth in the National League MVP voting this year, the fourth top-10 MVP placement of his career — he was second in 2013 and 2015 and third in 2016. His performance this year was particularly remarkable because he started very slowly, struggling against high-velocity pitches. But

8:16 PM ET Associated Press TOKYO — The Seibu Lions will begin the posting process for left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi on Dec. 3 so that he can negotiate with teams in Major League Baseball. The posting period begins Dec. 5, and Kikuchi will have 30 days to sign a contract with a major league team.

3:10 PM ET Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny joined the Kansas City Royals as special adviser for player development on Friday. “This is a great opportunity to have Mike become a member of our organization,” Dayton Moore, the Royals’ senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager, said in a statement. “It

5:24 PM ET Associated Press OTTAWA, Ontario — Jose Bautista has a new namesake buzzing around. Entomologist Bob Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature has dubbed a newly discovered species of beetle Sicoderus bautistai after the former Toronto Blue Jays star. Anderson decided to name the insect — known as a weevil for its

10:52 PM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani says it didn’t take him long to realize he was competing at a much higher level during his first season in Major League Baseball. Ohtani returned to Japan and held a news conference Thursday at the National Press Club, where he spoke at length on his

6:54 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Outfielder Tim Locastro was acquired by the New York Yankees from the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league right-hander Drew Finley and $75,000. The 26-year-old Locastro made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 2017, appearing in three games, and hit .182 (2 for 11) this

5:23 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Miami Marlins left-hander Dillon Peters has been traded to the Los Angeles Angels for minor league right-handed reliever Tyler Stevens. The trade was announced Wednesday. The 26-year-old Peters had been designated for assignment by Miami. He went 3-4 with a 6.10 ERA in 13 games, including 11 starts,