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BASEBALL IS BACK! By JAKE SEINER • AP Baseball Writer “I feel like our team and MLB han- dled it extremely well,” Price said. he defending champion Dodgers tooled up for OTHERS TO WATCH 2021 by signing Trevor Bauer, last year’s NL Cy Young TBauer. e Padres added Blake Trevor Award winner, has joined start- Snell and Yu Darvish. Nolan Bauer ers Clayton Kershaw and Walker Arenado went to the Cardinals, Buehler with the eight-time defend- Francisco Lindor is with the Blake Francisco Nolan ing NL West champion Dodgers, Mets, and George Springer and Snell Lindor Arenado putting them in prime position for a Marcus Semien have teamed up on Series repeat. LA’s toughest challenger the Blue Jays. might be an upstart Padres team that When stadiums open April 1, 2022, along with potential complications months of that mental grind of the test- revamped its rotation with Snell and though, they’ll hardly be baseball’s big- as MLB navigates a season through ing, worrying about the testing, making Darvish to back slugging stars Tatis and gest additions. what the country hopes is the end of the sure you’re doing all the right things.” Manny Machado -- a duo that might Pack away those cardboard cutouts pandemic. also compete with the Dodgers’ Mookie — baseball fans are coming back to the OLD FACES Betts for NL MVP. ballpark. PANDEMIC BALL Championship managers Alex Cora e AL champion Rays have their Following a pandemic-truncated Nearly all of last year’s health and and AJ Hinch are back aer serving work cut out repeating as division 2020 season full of rule book rewrites, safety protocols have returned, includ- one-year bans stemming from the 2017 champs aer the Yankees re-signed DJ schedule upheaval and a nearly com- ing some on-eld rules that frustrated Houston Astros cheating scandal. Cora LeMahieu to a $90 million, six-year deal plete lack of in-person fans, Major some fans. — red by Boston shortly before last and added starters Corey Kluber and League Baseball is opening its gates for a Doubleheaders will consist of two sev- year’s camp opened — was re-hired by Jameson Taillon, while the Blue Jays 162-game regular season. en-inning games, and runners will start the Red Sox, where he won a title in added Springer and Semien to a lineup e Texas Rangers are on track to on second base to start extra innings 2018. Hinch, red as Houston’s manager already led by Bo Bichette and Vladimir become the rst team in any major U.S.- — experiments introduced during last in the wake of his suspension, was hired Guerrero Jr. based sports league to have a full-ca- year’s condensed regular season to ease to replace Ron Gardenhire in Detroit. Many of the top free agents ended pacity crowd since the coronavirus the burden on pitchers amid a ood of e only other new manager is a up staying with their 2020 club, in- pandemic struck when they open Globe postponements prompted by positive throwback — Tony La Russa, now cluding Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto Life Field for their home opener April 5. tests and contact tracing. in charge of the Chicago White Sox. and shortstop Didi Gregorius, Braves MLB’s 29 other teams will limit capac- Other 2020 changes have been put on Already a Hall of Famer, La Russa hasn’t slugger Marcell Ozuna, Astros outelder ities at the start of the season — most the bench. e universal designated hit- managed since 2011, and his hiring was Michael Brantley and Dodgers third between 10-30%. e Rangers will also ter is gone, and so is the expanded post- met by skepticism about his potential baseman Justin Turner. revert to limited capacities following season. Both were added last summer, handling of modern players. Mike Trout, a three-time MVP for the opening day. but negotiations between the league and Los Angeles Angels, is hoping to win a A return to peanuts and Cracker players’ association to potentially bring THEY’RE BACK postseason game for the rst time. Two- Jack, but there will still be face masks, them back fell through. Several MLB stars who opted out of way teammate Shohei Ohtani could be too. at also goes for managers, Scheduling gures to remain a head- the 2020 season have returned for 2021, the key to getting him there. coaches and players in the dugout — a ache. ere were 45 games postponed including Los Angeles Dodgers le- Tommy John surgery and lingering reminder that although baseball is for coronavirus-related reasons last year, hander David Price, San Francisco Gi- injury issues have mostly kept Ohtani getting back to normal, the COVID-19 and all but two were made up. ants catcher Buster Posey and Milwau- o the mound since he won AL Rookie pandemic is still likely to impact the Players will again be tested 3-4 times kee Brewers outelder Lorenzo Cain. of the Year in 2018, but he’s been phe- 2021 season. per week for COVID-19 and heavily Nearly 20 players are expected back nomenal on both sides this spring. LA e on-eld storylines have plenty restricted in what they can do during in the big leagues aer passing on the might even let him hit and pitch in the of juice: a surging rivalry between the their time o. Veteran ley Jon Lester, pandemic-shortened season for varying same game for the rst time in his U.S. Dodgers and Padres, a New York Mets signed by Washington as a free agent in reasons. Price had concerns about the career. club energized by new ownership, a crop January aer six seasons with the Cubs, protocols, while Posey stayed away aer “I’m very excited to show what I can of uber-talented young stars including compared the exhaustion of last year’s he and his wife adopted twin girls who do,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. Fernando Tatis Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr. and protocols to a deep playo run. were born prematurely. “at’s why I came here back in 2018. Juan Soto. “Mentally, you don’t realize how Price said that aer watching his I’m sure I disappointed a lot of people Plenty looms o the diamond, too, draining it is until you’re done,” he said. Dodgers win a World Series from afar, the last two years by being hurt. I am including a potential labor stoppage in “I think last year was that. It was two there was no doubt he’d want to aid their looking forward to showing everyone title defense. what I’m capable of.” FAMILIAR FACES AT NEW PLACES MLB GAMES TO WATCH THIS SEASON George Springer, Trevor Bauer and Francisco traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the San After one of its strangest seasons ever, baseball are well-positioned for a run at another champi- Lindor are wearing blue now. Diego Padres for four players in December. returns to a full schedule this year. The All-Star onship. Springer received the biggest contract The left-hander left the mound with a 1-0 lead Game is back. Fans are back, too, at least small in the oseason from the Toronto Blue Jays. in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World crowds in some places. And an Iowa corneld is THURSDAY, JULY 1 Bauer got the most money per season from Series but the bullpen blew it and the Dodgers about to welcome a bunch of special visitors. St. Louis Cardinals at Colorado Rockies: Nolan the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lindor was traded to clinched the title with a 3-1 win. Here are a handful of dates to mark on the Arenado returns to Colorado after the Rockies the New York Mets in a six-player deal. Snell had a 3.24 ERA in 11 starts last season. calendar: traded the Gold Glove third baseman to The three star players headline the list of big He was 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA in 2018. The the Cardinals on Feb. 1. Arenado was names on new teams. Padres had the second-best record in the NL in THURSDAY, APRIL 1 drafted by Colorado and spent his rst Springer, a three-time All-Star outelder 2020, snapping a 13-year postseason drought. Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: eight seasons with the team, blossoming and 2017 World Series MVP with Houston, But they were swept in the NL division series Opening day begins in the Bronx, with George into one of baseball’s most dangerous signed a team-record $150 million, six-year by the Dodgers. Springer and the Blue Jays taking on sluggers. Frustrated with his treatment contract with the Blue Jays in January. He Snell will anchor a rotation that features DJ LeMahieu and the Yankees. Springer by Colorado’s front oce, he was shipped joined a roster that includes young sluggers newcomers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. nalized a $150 million, six-year deal o to St. Louis for left-hander Austin Gomber and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, plus YU DARVISH with Toronto in January, part of an active four minor leaguers. The Rockies are headed toward Cavan Biggio, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes The four-time All-Star right- oseason for the Blue Jays. He batted .265 another tough decision with shortstop Trevor Story, Gurriel, Jr. hander was traded to the Padres with 14 homers and 32 RBIs during his who is eligible for free agency after this season. “I really like the blue.