MLB notebook: Dodgers, FA Pollock reportedly agree

[January 25, 2019]  The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly reached agreement with free agent outfielder A.J. Pollock.

The deal is pending the results of a physical, The Athletic and ESPN both reported Thursday. USA Today reported the deal is for four years and worth around $50 million and loaded with incentives, escalators and opt-outs.

Pollock, 31, batted .257 with 21 homers, 65 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 113 games last season with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He missed nearly two months with a broken left thumb.

He was a National League All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2015 when he hit 20 homers and set career highs in batting average (.315), RBIs (76), runs scored (111), doubles (39) and steals (39).

--The New York Yankees reached a three-year deal with free agent relief pitcher Adam Ottavino, the team announced, but what's really grabbing headlines is what number the right-hander will wear when he dons the pinstripes this spring.
 

The Yankees revealed Ottavino will wear No. 0, the number he wore for seven seasons with the Colorado Rockies but a number no other player has ever worn for New York. The No. 0 is the only single digit left for Yankees players, as Nos. 1-9 have all been retired.

Ottavino's contract reportedly is worth $27 million.

--The Chicago Cubs signed free agent reliever Brad Brach, according to multiple reports.

ESPN said the deal was for one year at $3 million. Brach is a former All-Star (2016) with a career 3.08 ERA.

The 32-year-old right-hander split last season with the Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves, posting a combined 2-4 record with a 3.59 ERA, 12 saves and 60 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings.

--The Seattle Mariners signed free agent reliever Hunter Strickland to a one-year contract, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported.

The 30-year-old right-hander pitched in 49 games for the San Francisco Giants in 2018, collecting 14 saves with a 3.97 ERA.

Diamondbacks center fielder A.J. Pollock (11) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a two run home run off of Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill (44) in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Strickland was sidelined for two months last summer after surgery to repair a broken right hand, injured when he punched a door in frustration after a blown save.

--Scratch the New York Mets off the list of potential landing spots for free agent superstars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, team officials confirmed.

Chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and first-year general manager Brodie Van Wagenen responded to questions from reporters about why they weren't raising the payroll to pursue either player.

Van Wagenen said the Mets needed to address multiple needs that wouldn't be fixed by signing Harper or Machado.

--Former Major League Baseball umpire Jim McKean has died at the age of 73, the Tampa Bay Times first reported, citing McKean's family.

McKean, who was an umpire for nearly three decades, died unexpectedly in his sleep, McKean's family told the Times. McKean contracted a MRSA infection last November and had been hospitalized, the family told the Times.

McKean, a longtime resident of St. Petersburg, Fla., umpired in three World Series (1979, 1985, 1995) and three All-Star games (1980, 1982, 1993). He also umped in five American League Championship Series.

--Field Level Media

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