Friday's MLB: White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson suspended for first 2 games vs. Tigers
New York — Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson will serve a two-game suspension when the season starts next week for making contact with umpire Tim Timmons during the ninth inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on Sept. 27.
Anderson appealed when the penalty, which originally included a three-game suspension, was announced last season. He tweeted Thursday that the penalty would be a two-game suspension and $10,000 fine.
MLB said Friday that the sides had reached a settlement. Anderson will miss games at Detroit on April 8-9.
Dugouts cleared after Chicago slugger José Abreu and Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum exchanged words when Abreu was tagged out attempting to steal second. The dustup occurred after Abreu was hit by a pitch for the 21st time this season.
Anderson, the 2019 AL batting champion, hit .309 last season with 17 homers, 61 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.
Dodgers acquire Kimbrel, send Pollock to White Sox
The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired eight-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago White Sox on Friday in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock.
Kimbrel was 4-5 with 24 saves in a combined 63 games with the Chicago Cubs and White Sox last season. The Cubs shipped him across town at midseason in exchange for Codi Heaur and Nick Madrigal. Kimbrel was 2-2 with the White Sox with one save in 24 games.
Kimbrel rediscovered the form that made him one of the game’s best closers and was named to his eighth All-Star team last season.
The 33-year-old right-hander was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2011. He led the league in saves from 2011 to 2014. Kimbrel ranks ninth all-time in the majors with 372 saves as he begins his 13th season.
Kimbrel fulfills the Dodgers' need for a shutdown option late in games, especially with the departure of 10-year closer Kenley Jansen, who signed a one-year deal with the defending World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
Pollock hit .282 with 65 home runs and 199 RBIs in three seasons with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old outfielder's best season came last year, when he batted. .297 with 21 homers and 69 RBIs in 117 games.
Meanwhile, the White Sox agreed to terms on a $7.45 million, one-year deal with right-hander Lucas Giolito to avoid arbitration.
He was 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 31 starts last season, his fifth in Chicago.
Blue Jays extend manager Charlie Montoyo through 2023
The Toronto Blue Jays extended manager Charlie Montoyo's contract through the 2023 season on Friday.
Montoyo, 57, has overseen a tumultuous period in Blue Jays history, with the team playing home games in three cities last season, including two minor league parks, because of border restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Toronto also played its 2020 home schedule at its Triple-A stadium in Buffalo, New York.
The 13th manager in Blue Jays history, and the first from Puerto Rico, Montoyo has a 190-194 record through three seasons with Toronto. He led Toronto to a wild card playoff berth in the expanded playoffs that followed the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but the Blue Jays were swept by eventual AL champion Tampa Bay in the opening round.
Toronto went 91-71 last year and missed tying for the AL wild card by one game.
Before joining the Blue Jays in October of 2019, Montoyo spent six seasons on Tampa Bay’s major league coaching staff, including his final three as bench coach. Prior to that, he spent 18 seasons as a minor league manager in the Rays system and also worked with the Puerto Rican team at the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
A former infielder who was drafted by Milwaukee in 1987, Montoyo spent 10 seasons in professional baseball with the Brewers, Phillies and Expos. His only major league experience was a four-game stint with Montreal in 1993.
One of Montoyo’s big league teammates was Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, the father of current Jays slugger Vladimir Gurrero Jr.
Toronto opens the 2022 season at home to Texas on April 8.