Manfred defends new limits on mound visits
All 30 teams to wear Stoneman Douglas High hats this week.
Managers or coaches must make a pitching change if they head to the mound for the seventh time in a game under baseball’s new pace of play rules.
Commissioner Rob Manfred and executive Joe Torre explained some of the parameters Tuesday, one day after MLB imposed stricter limits on mound visits in an effort to speed up games.
“I don’t see pace of games issues as harsh or not harsh,” Manfred said. “I see them as a fan-friendly issue.”
MLB has the right to institute rules changes absent an agreement with one year of notice and made proposals during the 2016-17 offseason for a pitch clock and more restrictions on mound visits.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon joked of having a coach keep track of the mound visit similar to the way an assistant basketball coach tracks timeouts, saying “maybe there’s going to be seven on the scoreboard like the number of timeouts in a game.”
“You’re just going to have to have an awareness. You’re going to have to deal with it,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said of the new rule. “A month or two from now maybe it’s a nonissue at some point. There’s no sense in fighting it.”
Parkland shooting: MLB players will honor victims of last week’s shooting in Parkland, Fla., by wearing Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School hats at spring training games this week. Manfred said all 30 teams will wear the hats during pregame warmups for exhibition openers. Players, managers, coaches and umpires will have the option of wearing the caps during those first games. The hats might later be signed and auctioned to support those affected by the tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of 17 students and faculty.
Three-team trade: The Diamondbacks sent infielder Brandon Drury to the Yankees and received outfielder Steven Souza Jr. from the Rays in a deal that included five players plus two to be named.
Drury gives the Yankees a new option at third base or second base, where New York was projected to start a pair of rookies.
Top pitching prospect Anthony Banda goes from Arizona to the Rays, who also get minor league second baseman Nick Solak from the Yankees and two players to be named from the Diamondbacks. Minor league right-hander Taylor Widener moves from New York to Arizona.
Drury played mostly second base for Arizona but came up through the minors as a third baseman and could fill that spot for the Yankees, who have top prospect Gleyber Torres penciled in at second. Another prospect, Miguel Andujar, was a leading candidate at third.
Souza helps fill a power void in Arizona’s outfield created by J.D. Martinez’s departure.
Nationals: Joaquin Benoit agreed in principle to a major league contract that will pay the 40-year-old reliever $1 million.
Twins: Minnesota finalized a low-risk contract with right-hander Anibal Sanchez, securing another experienced candidate for their rotation. He agreed to terms last week for $2.5 million this season, according to multiple reports, if he makes the major league roster out of spring training.
Diamondbacks: Outfielder Jarrod Dyson agreed to a $7.5 million, two-year contract. Dyson batted .251 and stole 28 bases for Seattle last season, with five homers and 30 RBIs in 111 games.
Cepeda hospitalized: The Giants said Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, 80, was taken to a hospital in the Bay Area on Monday. The team had no further details. Cepeda was a first baseman during his 17 big league seasons, beginning with the Giants.
Monday’s Games Tuesday’s Games
Lightning 4, (at) Capitals 2: Brayden Point scored two first-period goals and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots to earn his NHL-leading 35th victory. Chris Kunitz also scored in the opening period, which ended with Tampa Bay up 3-0. Alex Ovechkin notched his NHL-high 36th goal for Washington.
(At) Maple Leafs 1, Panthers 0: James van Riemsdyk scored his 25th goal of the season in the final minute of the first period and goalie Frederik Andersen made it stand up by turning away 40 shots.
Blue Jackets 2, (at) Devils 1: Defenseman Scott Harrington broke a second-period tie with his second goal of the season, and Columbus snapped a three-game losing streak while ending New Jersey’s four-game winning streak.
(At) Flyers 3, Canadiens 2 (OT): Jakub Voracek scored the tying goal with 1:25 left in regulation and then got the game-winner 1:26 into overtime.
Predators at Red Wings: Late
Sharks at Blues: Late
Kings at Jets: Late
Bruins at Oilers: Late
Rockies at Canucks: Late
NHL notes
Flyers: Forward Wayne Simmonds will be out for 2 to 3 weeks after suffering an upper-body injury in Sunday’s win over the Rangers . ... Acquired goaltender Peter Mrazek from the Red Wings for draft picks.
Sabres: Defenseman Jake McCabe will miss the remainder of the season to have surgery to repair a shoulder injury.
Canucks: