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Royals hire ex-Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny as manager

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LSU, Alabama defenses gearing up

<p>NEW YORK &#8212; Washington third baseman Anthony Rendon became a free agent Thursday, a day after homering to spark Washington&#8217;s seventh-inning comeback in Game 7 of the World Series.</p><p>Houston pitcher Gerrit Cole also went free after warming up in the bullpen but never getting into the season finale.</p><p>And Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the World Series MVP, could be joining them in the next few days. He has the right to opt out of his contract, which has $100 million over four years remaining.</p><p>Baseball&#8217;s business season starts shortly after the final out.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s hard to kind of fast-forward,&#8221; Astros manager AJ Hinch said. &#8220;Seasons end really fast. I don&#8217;t care if you get all the way to the seventh game of the World Series. It&#8217;s all of a sudden &#8212; boom! &#8212; it&#8217;s over.&#8221;</p><p>Cole, Rendon and Strasburg all are represented by Scott Boras, known for slow, methodical negotiations. Last winter, he reached outfielder Bryce Harper&#8217;s $330 million, 13-year contract with Philadelphia on Feb. 28.</p><p>Cole, a 29-year-old right-hander who went 20-5 this year, is expected to get a record contract for a pitcher, topping David Price&#8217;s $217 million, seven-year deal with Boston before the 2016 season and Justin Verlander&#8217;s $31.33 million average salary under a three-year deal with the Astros that started in 2019.</p><p>Cole tweeted a letter Thursday praising Houston fans.</p><p>&#8220;Before I became an Astro I didn&#8217;t know much about Houston, but after just two years you have made it feel like home,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;This is a relationship between a team and &#8230; fans like no other that I know.&#8221;</p><p>Strasburg, a 31-year-old right-hander, just finished the third season of a $175 million deal and at 18-6 also is coming off his best season. Rendon led the major leagues with 126 RBIs while hitting .319 with 34 homers.</p><p>A total of 131 players became free agents Thursday, and 53 more potentially are eligible pending decisions on team, player and mutual options during the next few days.</p><p>Among the pitchers available are major league ERA leader Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, Jake Odorizzi and Dallas Keuchel, who went free after the 2018 season and waited until June to reach a one-year deal with Atlanta.</p><p>Others eligible include shortstop Didi Gregorius, third baseman Josh Donaldson and outfielders Yasiel Puig, Marcell Ozuna and Jos&#233; Abreu &#8212; the AL RBIs leader.</p><p>Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and Boston slugger J.D. Martinez also have the right to opt out, and catcher Yasmani Grandal has a mutual option with Milwaukee.</p><p>Teams must decide by Monday whether to make $17.8 million qualifying offers to their former players who became free agents, Players are eligible for the offer if they were on the roster for the season and never received a qualifying offer before. The price dropped for the first time, by $100,000, following a second straight slow offseason for roster moves.</p><p>Edwin Encarnaci&#243;n&#8217;s $25 million option was declined by the Yankees, triggering a $5 million buyout.</p><p>Cleveland exercised Corey Kluber&#8217;s $17.5 million team option and declined options on second baseman Jason Kipnis ($16.5 million) and reliever Dan Otero ($1.5 million). Kipnis gets a $2.5 million buyout and Otero $100,000 buyout. Left-hander Oliver P&#233;rez&#8217;s option became guaranteed at $3 million because he pitched in 60 or more games and passed a club physical.</p><p>Arizona turned down a $6 million option on infielder Wilmer Flores, who gets a $500,000 buyout.</p><p>Seattle declined Wade LeBlanc&#8217;s $5.5 million option and the left-hander will receive a $450,000 buyout.</p><p>San Diego declined a $2.5 million option on RHP Adam Warren, who gets a $500,000 buyout, and a $2 million option on LHP Aaron Loup, who gets a $200,000 buyout. Both will become free agents.</p><p>Versatile Oakland reliever Yusmeiro Petit had his $5.5 million contract option for the 2020 season exercised by the Athletics, who declined their half of a $5.75 million mutual option on left-handed pitcher Jake Diekman, who gets a $500,000 buyout.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole walks to the dugout after the third inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_123884309-2a29b71af7a24d6883a1be69255854d3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole walks to the dugout after the third inning of Game 5 of the baseball World Series against the Washington Nationals Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_123884309-9d93fc637f2447288f0981e145e86f17.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon celebrates with the trophy in the locker room after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros on Wednesday in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_123884309-9d93fc637f2447288f0981e145e86f17.jpg</photo1><caption1>Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon celebrates with the trophy in the locker room after Game 7 of the baseball World Series against the Houston Astros on Wednesday in Houston. The Nationals won 6-2 to win the series. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_123884309-81befc8f27dd476c9310b64ed440f2d8.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg reacts after Houston Astros' Michael Brantley grounded out to end the fifth inning of Game 6 of the baseball World Series Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_123884309-81befc8f27dd476c9310b64ed440f2d8.jpg</photo2><caption2>Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg reacts after Houston Astros' Michael Brantley grounded out to end the fifth inning of Game 6 of the baseball World Series Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)</caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ronald Blum</p><p>AP Baseball Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Cole, Rendon among 131 free agents on market