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07/17 17:06 CDT The Latest: Dodgers would welcome trade for Machado
The Latest: Dodgers would welcome trade for Machado
WASHINGTON (AP) --- The Latest on baseball's All-Star Game (all times local):
6 p.m.
If Manny Machado is heading to Los Angeles, the Dodgers would be thrilled to
have him.
USA Today reported Tuesday that the Orioles were expected to trade their
All-Star shortstop to the Dodgers on Wednesday, barring a last-minute snag.
Machado says he hasn't heard anything from his agent and he refused to answer a
hypothetical question about going to the Dodgers.
Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling says: "Things are getting serious now.
That's the kind of bat and the kind of player that you want in your lineup."
Stripling says it's good to be on a team that's buying instead of selling at
the trade deadline. He also credited the Dodgers for making midseason moves
while hanging onto big league-ready prospects.
Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp says he's good friends with Machado but hasn't
heard anything. He says Machado would bring excitement to LA.
___
5:20 p.m.
Cubs pitcher Jon Lester and Reds first baseman Joey Votto believe this
offseason will be a test of whether last year's free agent situation was a
one-off or cause for concern.
Tony Clark, the head of the baseball players' union, said earlier Tuesday he'd
like to talk to the league about free agency after so many players were left
unsigned for months last winter.
Lester said that with the free agent class that could be available ---
including Bryce Harper and Manny Machado --- if the same situation occurs, it
would present a problem.
With Clark broaching the possibility of a 2021 labor struggle, Votto told The
Associated Press that previous generations of players set up the current tug of
war between the sides, which he thinks is healthy for the game.
___
5:05 p.m.
With trade rumors swirling, Manny Machado made a fashion statement as he
arrived at Nationals Park for the All-Star Game.
Machado wore a gray double-breasted suit with no shirt underneath the jacket
and an inch-wide gold chain during a red-carpet interview with MLB Network. He
sported bare ankles, white sneakers and tortoiseshell sunglasses.
As for where he'll play next, Machado doesn't know. He says it's "tough" to
think that the All-Star Game could be his last in a Baltimore Orioles uniform.
But he also says he's "blessed to be talked about. Blessed to know that people
out there want me, they want me to go out there and help (the) team win."
Machado played third base before this season, when he moved to shortstop, the
position he'd played in childhood and throughout the minor leagues. He thinks
he'd stay at short for any team that trades for him and says he would prefer
not to move back to third.
___
3:30 p.m.
The tarp is on the field and early arriving fans are seeking cover or wearing
ponchos as a summer thunderstorm rolls through downtown Washington ahead of the
All-Star Game.
Heavy rain and lightning started shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday at Nationals Park
and were predicted to continue into the early evening. But if the forecast
holds, it should be clear by the first pitch, which is scheduled for 8:18 p.m.
The last All-Star Game to be postponed by rain was the last one in Washington,
49 years ago. It was rescheduled for the next day and President Richard Nixon
had to delegate first-pitch duties to Vice President Spiro Agnew.
___
12:55 p.m.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is outlining concerns in the way the sport
has changed and says owners want a broad conversation with players about rules
changes.
Manfred says concerns include the time between putting balls in play, the
increased number of strikeouts, an increase in home runs, the far greater use
of infield shifts, the lessened length of starting pitcher outings and the
increase in the use of relief pitchers.
He maintains the changes are the result of "smart people who want to win more"
in front offices and says MLB and the players must decide "at what point do we
want to step in, OK, and manage that organic change."
Manfred says "this organic change may be driven by competition, but there's
lots of places in life where competition has to be bridled a little bit."
___
12:30 p.m.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is defending teams' reluctance to sign free
agents last offseason and says union head Tony Clark has not responded to a
pair of invitations to have a broad discussion about players' concerns and
changes in the way the game is played.
Manfred says "the only purposeful behavior that took place in the free-agent
market last year is our clubs carefully analyzed the available players and made
individual decisions as to what they thought those players were worth. ... I'm
pretty sure, based on what's already in the books, you're going to make the
judgment that the clubs made sound decisions as to how those players should be
valued. That's how markets operate.
___
12:10 p.m.
Players consider teams' reluctance to sign free agents last offseason "a direct
attack" on their rights, according to union head Tony Clark. He hinted that the
sport's quarter-century of labor peace could end if concerns are not addressed.
More than 100 free agents remained unsigned when spring training began. Many
signed at a fraction of the price they thought they were worth and many
received shorter deals than they expected.
Baseball had eight work stoppages from 1966-95 but has had labor peace since.
The current labor contract runs through the 2021 season.
Asked whether he thought there could be a work stoppage at the end of the deal
if players' concerns are not addressed, Clark says that, "to the extent there
are challenges to those rights, historically I would suggest those have
manifested themselves a particular way."
___
12:05 p.m.
The head of the baseball players' union favors expanding the wild-card playoff
from one game to a series, but he says there are scheduling challenges.
Major League Baseball began winner-take-all, one-game playoffs in each league
in 2012, when the postseason field was expanded from eight to 10.
In the AL East this year, the New York Yankees could wind up as a wild card
with a record that currently projects to 106 wins.
Union head Tony Clark says "having series is always ... better for a player in
a lot of ways than a one-game playoff" and adds "it would be great if we can
find a way in the future to have that first game be a series, but there are
some challenges there."
The schedule currently starts in the last week of March or the first week of
April, and the World Series sometimes ends in November. But, the division
winners might not like having an extended break before the playoffs.
___
11:35 a.m.
The head of the baseball players' union says conversations will take place with
the commissioner's office over whether prohibitions against legalized gambling
among his members' relatives may be needed.
Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down a federal prohibition on
sports gambling, New Jersey enacted a law allowing bets on games. Team
employees including players are prohibited under baseball rules from betting on
the sport, but there are no rules covering their families.
Union head Tony Clark said there will a wide discussion with management about
legalized gambling that will include talk of "six degrees of separation" and
where lines should be drawn. Clark also is concerned about player data in
relation to gambling.
___
More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
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