NATIONALS RETAIN RELIEVER KINTZLER
WASHINGTON» Brandon Kintzler and the Nationals finalized a two-year contract to keep the reliever in Washington.
Kintzler will earn $5 million next year under the deal. The Nationals have a $10 million option for 2019, and if that is declined Kintzler has a $5 million player option.
The 33-year-old right-hander went 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA and a save in 27 games with the Nationals after they acquired him from Minnesota at the July 31 trade deadline. Kintzler had 28 saves in 32 chances for the Twins and was a first-time American League all-star.
• Milwaukee boosted its starting rotation depth, finalizing contracts with free-agent right-handers Jhoulys Chacin and Yovani Gallardo.
Chacin, who turns 30 in January, went 13-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 32 starts last season for San Diego. He signed a two-year deal.
Gallardo, who turns 32 in February, was selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2004 amateur draft and was 89-64 with a 3.69 ERA in eight seasons with the Brewers through 2014. He pitched for Texas the following year, Baltimore in 2016 and Seattle last season, going 5-10 with a 5.72 ERA. He signed a one-year deal.
• Cleveland agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract with first baseman Yonder Alonso.
Alonso hit a career-high 28 homers last season and became a first-time all-star. He batted .266 with 67 RBIs in stints with Oakland and Seattle.
Hall of Fame horse trainer dies.
LeRoy Jolley, a Hall of Fame trainer who twice won the Kentucky Derby, died Monday. He was 79.
Jolley won the 1975 Kentucky Derby with Foolish Pleasure, who went on to finish second in the Preakness and in the Belmont.
In 1980, Jolley won the Kentucky Derby with Genuine Risk, only the second filly to win the Run for the Roses and the first in 65 years.
Jolley won two Breeders’ Cup races: the 1986 Turf with Manila and the 1990 Juvenile Fillies with Meadow Star.
Training mostly on the New York racing circuit, he saddled 991 winners in 6,907 career starts and had purse earnings of $35,125,553, according to Equibase.
In 1987, he was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
He is survived by sons LeRoy Jr., who has trained horses, and Tim, and by daughter Laurie.
CEO of USOC: No knowledge of settlement.
The leader of the U.S. Olympic Committee, CEO Scott Blackmun, said in a letter that he wasn’t aware of the full scope of the Larry Nassar sex-abuse allegations before law enforcement got involved, and that he had no knowledge of a settlement between USA Gymnastics and 2012 Olympic champion McKayla Maroney in a case involving the now-imprisoned former team doctor.
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, was sent by Blackmun on Thursday, the day after Maroney filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the nondisclosure clauses in the settlement.
The USOC is named as a defendant, and the lawsuit says the federation had a culture that concealed known and suspected sex abusers.
In the letter, Blackmun said “I am so sorry that the Olympic family failed these athletes,” and that while the USOC found out too late, it has taken steps to prevent future abuse.
Footnotes.
Golf’s Puerto Rico Open won’t be played next year because of the damage from Hurricane Maria. It will be replaced by an unofficial PGA Tour event for players, other athletes and celebrities to help with recovery work. … Major League Soccer postponed a decision on its next expansion team until next year. A day after selecting Nashville, Tenn., as one of its next two additions, MLS said it still is considering which market to add: Cincinnati, Detroit or Sacramento, Calif. — The Associated Press