Matheny named Royals manager
The Kansas City Royals hired Mike Matheny on Thursday, bringing in a manager who took the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series six years ago before a three-season swoon cost him his job.
The 49-year-old Matheny went 591-474 with the Cardinals and was the first manager to reach the postseason in his first four seasons. The Cardinals reached the World Series in 2013, losing to the Red Sox, but Matheny was fired in July 2018 with the team in jeopardy of missing the playoffs.
“I needed two days. I don’t know why two days,” he said, when asked how long he needed to decompress after his firing. “I loved playing the game, but what I truly found I love to do was coach and manage.”
Matheny was hired last November by the Royals as a special advisor for player development, and the belief among many was that he was being groomed to take over when Ned Yost retired. That happened shortly before the Royals finished another 100loss campaign in September.
As expected, Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen will not opt out of his contract with two years and $38 million remaining on it, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Jansen is 32 and coming off his two worst seasons; the market would not have been so generous for a reliever entering his mid-30s already showing a drop-off. Between 2018 and 2019, he compiled a 3.34 earned-run average in 131 regular-season appearances as his stuff diminished after heavy workloads over the previous two seasons during his run as arguably the best reliever in baseball.
The Dodgers signed Jansen to a five-year, $80 million deal in January 2017.
In addition, Rich Hill, Russell Martin and HyunJin Ryu officially became free agents Thursday. The Dodgers also added left-hander Victor Gonzalez to their 40man roster. — Jorge Castillo
Did the Dodgers act illegally when they stripped brokers of their tickets and decided to control the resale market themselves?
The trial to determine the answer will start Feb. 17, 2021, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick said.
Four brokers sued the team last year, arguing the Dodgers had treated them as loyal partners for years and promised them the right to continue purchasing their ticket packages. The lawsuit alleges that “over half ” of the Dodgers’ 35,000 season tickets had been held by brokers and that the team’s decision to take back those tickets and minimize competition has resulted in “outrageously inflated ticket prices for fans and more profits for the Dodgers.”
The Dodgers have denied the charges, claiming that the team’s decision to cut out the brokers was a “reasonable exercise of business judgment” and asserting the team never had guaranteed brokers the right to renew their tickets. Any statements that might have led the brokers to believe otherwise, the Dodgers said, were “mere puffery.”
Although Bowick set a trial date, the case is not guaranteed to get to a trial. The Dodgers first are expected to ask the court to throw out the case, and the two sides also could reach a settlement. — Bill Shaikin
The New York Yankees have declined their 2020 option for Edwin Encarnacion, making the veteran slugger a free agent.
Encarnacion was due $25 million in 2020, but the Yankees bought out the remaining year of his contract for $5 million.
This year’s World Series between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros went seven games but finished as the third-least viewed.
The Series averaged 13.91 million viewers, Nielsen said, down 1.3% from 14.1 million last year for Boston’s fivegame victory over the Dodgers. The first title in the 51year history of the NationalsMontreal Expos franchise averaged an 8.1 rating and 16 share.