11:36 AM ET The most predictable non-political responses on twitter might occur whenever a baseball wart is noted. If you mention the rising rate of strikeouts, or the laborious pace of a World Series game, or a big contract signing, a chorus of followers will immediately chime in with: That’s why baseball is dying. From

7:26 PM ET Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will have heart surgery on Nov. 26, with recovery expected to take from two to eight weeks. The surgery, to correct Jansen’s irregular heartbeat, had been expected. Jansen had a similar procedure after the 2012 season. He is expected to be recovered and ready in time

6:04 PM ET The Boston Red Sox are bringing back World Series MVP Steve Pearce for the 2019 season, the team announced Friday. The one-year deal is worth $6.25 million, Yahoo Sports reports. Steve Pearce was a valuable role player for the Red Sox before vaulting to prominence in the World Series. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY

5:02 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas — Julio Rangel has been hired by the Texas Rangers as pitching coach for new manager Chris Woodward. Rangel will be with a big league staff for the first time after 12 years as a pitching instructor and coordinator at the minor league level with the San Francisco

2:25 PM ET Coming off a 2018 season in which the team contended for the National League East title before a late swoon, Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton said he is ready to spend big in free agency. “We’re going into this expecting to spend money,” Middleton told USA Today Sports this week. “and maybe

2:35 PM ET The Baltimore Orioles have hired Houston Astros assistant GM Mike Elias to be their general manager, the team announced Friday. The Orioles also gave Elias the title of executive vice president. Elias has overseen amateur scouting for the Astros since 2012. He received the assistant GM title in 2016, when he also

12:00 PM ET By the end of spring training this year, there was an angry undercurrent among players and in the union because of the sheer volume of established veterans who were mostly ignored in free agency. Mark Reynolds, a solid defender who was closing in on 300 career homers, would remain unsigned until after

2:44 AM ET Associated Press NAGOYA, Japan — Coming off a strong showing against a team of Major League Baseball All-Stars, Japan manager Atsunori Inaba has every reason to be confident about his team’s chances of winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Japan won the six-game exhibition series 5-1 against an MLB

9:57 PM ET ESPN News Services The Texas Rangers and veteran catcher Jeff Mathis have agreed to a two-year contract, The Athletic reported Thursday. The deal is pending a physical. Mathis, who turns 36 in March, is regarded as one of the game’s top defensive catchers. That has made up for his shortcomings at the

6:36 PM ET New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman refused to enter the Manny Machado hustle debate Thursday, telling ESPN New York Radio that the bottom line is putting together “the best team we possibly can.” On Wednesday, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said it was “troubling” to hear Machado say after failing to run