Union head decries slow signing pace
Players’ union head Tony Clark said the number of rebuilding teams and unsigned free agents in a historically slow market threatens the sport’s integrity, an assertion immediately rejected by Major League Baseball.
In a statement and a telephone interview with the Associated Press, Clark voiced the frustration of the 100-plus free agents who remain unsigned with the start of spring training one week away.
“A record number of talented free agents remain unemployed in an industry where revenues and franchise values are at record highs,” he said in a statement, eight days before the first formal workouts. “Spring training has always been associated with hope for a new season. This year a significant number of teams are engaged in a race to the bottom. This conduct is a fundamental breach of the trust between a team and its fans and threatens the very integrity of our game.”
Minnesota Twins right-hander Ervin Santana will miss the start of the regular season after undergoing unexpected surgery on his right middle finger.
The Twins announced the 35year-old right-hander had the procedure done by Dr. Charles Melone on Tuesday in New York after experiencing discomfort during a bullpen session last week. Santana is expected to need 10 to 12 weeks of rehabilitation before he can pitch in a major league game, which would keep him out of the rotation until at least mid-April.
The Angels announced 19 nonroster players have been invited to spring training. They include Japanese star Shohei Ohtani ,who is a lock to make the team. The other players: pitchers Vicente Campos, Adam Hofacket, Ian Krol, John Lamb, Osmer Morales and Branden Pinder; catchers Francisco Arcia, Michael Barash, Jose Briceno, Jack Kruger and Taylor Ward; infielders Jose Fernandez, David Fletcher, Matt Thaiss and Colin Walsh, and outfielders Jahmai Jones, Rymer Liriano and Eric Young Jr.
Home run king Barry Bonds will have his No. 25 jersey retired in August by the San Francisco Giants when his former Pittsburgh Pirates are in town . ... The New York Yankees will open the gates three hours before spring-training home games, allowing fans to watch Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton during batting practice. In the past, the Yankees opened the gates two hours before the first pitch.
Detroit Pistons center Willie Reed, acquired last week from the Clippers in the Blake Griffin trade, has been suspended for six games by the NBA after the league investigated the circumstances surrounding his arrest on a domestic violence charge.
Reed was arrested in August on a misdemeanor battery charge involving his wife. He entered a pretrial diversion program in October to resolve the charge against him.
Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry will have surgery for a stress fracture in his lower left leg, an injury that has sidelined him all season, said a person with direct knowledge of the decision who wasn’t authorized to comment.
The New York Liberty, put up for sale in November, are staying under the control of New York Knicks owner James Dolan and Madison Square Garden for now.