Braves hold on to Ozuna

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves are bringing back Marcell Ozuna, signing the 30-year-old slugger from the Dominican Republic to a $65 million, four-year contract. The Braves announced the deal for Ozuna, who led the National League in home runs and RBIs this past season, on Friday — less than two weeks before pitchers and catchers are set to report for spring training. The deal includes a fifth-year club option for $16 million with a $1 million buyout. Ozuna signed an $18 million, one-year free-agent deal with Atlanta last year, then put together the best offensive season of an MLB career that started with the Miami Marlins (2013-17) and continued with the St. Louis Cardinals (2018-19). Ozuna finished sixth in NL MVP voting last year after he batted .338 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs — narrowly missing out on a Triple Crown — and posted a career-best 1.067 on-base plus slugging percentage as he started all 60 games in the coronavirus-altered regular season. Ozuna made 39 of those starts as Atlanta’s designated hitter after the NL adopted the DH as one of the adjustments amid the pandemic. Major League Baseball proposed renewing the universal DH in talks with the players association last week, but the union rejected the proposal, which also would have delayed the start of the regular season and expanded the postseason field. Ozuna also helped the Braves win their third straight NL East Division title, and they went all seven games in the NL Championship Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who went on to win the World Series.

› LOS ANGELES — Trevor Bauer is going home to pitch for the Dodgers. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner announced his decision Friday in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account that ended with him saying, “This season is about making sure history remembers us as we wish to be remembered. This season is about adding to our legacy. And I can’t wait, Dodger fans.” The Dodgers made it worth his while: His contract is for $102 million over three years, according to multiple media reports. Bauer, a right-hander who turned 30 last month, was born in North Hollywood, went to high school in Santa Clarita and played baseball at UCLA. He joins a rotation that had an MLB-best 3.02 ERA last season, when the franchise won its first championship since 1988. He gives the Dodgers a third Cy Young winner on their current roster, joining three-time winner Clayton Kershaw and David Price, who won the American League honor in 2012 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Bauer is 75-64 with a 3.90 ERA in nine MLB seasons. Last year, he went 5-4 with a 1.73 ERA with the Cincinnati Reds, who acquired him from the Cleveland Indians in a July 2019 trade.

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Steve Stricker was having too much fun at TPC Scottsdale to stress over a messy finish Friday. Trying to become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history, the 53-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain shot a 5-under-par 66 to get within a stroke of leader Xander Schauffele entering the weekend at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Stricker scrambled for par on the eighth, but then he couldn’t overcome another poor approach in a closing bogey. “Just hit an awful iron into the green on No. 9,” Stricker said. “But overall a good day.” Stricker, who will turn 54 on Feb. 23, won the most recent of his 12 PGA Tour titles in 2012; he already has five wins on the PGA Tour Champions, golf’s 50-and-older circuit. Schauffele shot a 64 and was at 12-under 130 through 36 holes. Stricker was tied for second with Keegan Bradley (65), with Sam Burns (68), Kyoung-Hoon Lee (66) and Scottie Scheffler (65) in fourth at 10 under. The cut was at 3 under, and Luke List (67) was among those who made it on the number; missing it were fellow Baylor School graduates Harris English (69), who was at 1 under, and Keith Mitchell (68), who was at 1 over.