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CHICAGO — The White Sox declined their option on Tim Anderson‘s contract Saturday, making the shortstop a free agent.

Anderson will receive a $1 million buyout after the White Sox decided not to keep him around for 2024 at a $14 million salary.

Also Saturday, Justin Turner declined his $13.4 million player option with the Red Sox and Boston turned down its $11 million option on right-hander Corey Kluber. Turner gets a $6.7 million buyout, completing a contract he agreed to in January that paid $16 million, including performance bonuses.

Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman opted out of his contract, a source told ESPN, confirming an MLB Network report. And the Reds declined to pick up first baseman Joey Votto‘s $20 million club option and gave the Cincinnati legend a $7 million buyout instead.

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is opting out of his contract with the Detroit Tigers and declining the final three years and $49 million on his deal, according to multiple reports. The Los Angeles Angels declined a $9 million option on infielder Eduardo Escobar and a $7.5 million option on left-hander Aaron Loup.

Texas Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney exercised his $13 million player option to remain next season with the World Series champions, who also Saturday exercised a $6 million club option for right-handed reliever Jose Leclerc.

Anderson, 30, posted a minus-2.0 WAR — his first time under replacement level in eight major league seasons — after hitting .245 with one home run and 25 RBIs in 123 games. A two-time All-Star, Anderson hit a major-league-best .335 in 2019. But he was dogged by injuries the past two years, including a sprained left knee and right shoulder soreness in 2023.

The White Sox this week also declined the $15 million option on closer Liam Hendriks, who is not expected to pitch until the end of the 2024 season at the earliest after having Tommy John surgery. Right-hander Mike Clevinger declined his $12 million mutual option.

A two-time All-Star, Turner has a .288 average with 187 home runs and 759 RBIs in 15 major league seasons with Baltimore (2009-10), the New York Mets (2010-13), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2014-22) and the Red Sox. The 38-year-old hit .276 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs in his one season in Boston.

Kluber, 37, was 3-6 with a 7.04 ERA in nine starts and six relief appearances under a one-year, $10 million deal. He was Boston’s Opening Day starter but was dropped from the rotation in late May and didn’t make a big league appearance after June 20 because of right shoulder inflammation.

Stroman, 32, was 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA last season but endured a year of differing halves, making the All-Star team with a 2.96 ERA in the first half but then compiling an 8.63 ERA in the second half. He also got hurt, first going on the IL in August with a hip injury before a rib cartilage fracture kept him out until near the end of the season. He made four appearances in September but never recaptured his first-half dominance.

Stroman signed a three-year, $71 million contract with the Cubs just before the lockout began in 2021 that included an opt-out after the second year. Considering his second half last season, there was some question as to whether Stroman would exercise his opt-out and forgo a $21 million salary for 2024.

The Cubs’ rotation now has a hole in it that could be filled by up-and-coming prospect Cade Horton. Holdovers include Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks. The team is expected to pick up veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks‘ $16 million option for 2024.

Votto, 40, has spent all 17 seasons of his major league career with Cincinnati. The buyout completed a contract that guaranteed $251.5 million over 12 seasons.

A six-time All-Star first baseman and 2010 National League MVP, Votto was a second-round pick by the Reds in 2002. He batted .294 with 2,135 hits, 356 home runs and 1,144 RBIs in 2,056 games since his 2007 debut with Cincinnati but posted a career-worst .202 batting average in 2023 with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs in 65 games as he was limited by a shoulder injury.

“At this point of the offseason, based on our current roster and projected plans for 2024, as an organization we cannot commit to the playing time Joey deserves,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said. “He forever will be part of the Reds’ family, and at the appropriate time we will thank and honor him as one of the greatest baseball players of this or any generation.”

The Reds also declined their part of a $4 million mutual option with catcher Curt Casali, who gets a $750,000 buyout.

Rodriguez, 30, was 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 26 starts in 2023. He threw 152⅔ innings and struck out 143 with 48 walks. An injury to his left index finger forced Rodriguez to miss about five weeks of the season.

The Tigers tried to deal Rodriguez to the Dodgers at the trade deadline, but he invoked the clause in his contract that said he couldn’t be traded to 10 specified teams without his consent.

Heaney had a career high in wins by going 10-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 34 games (28 starts) in his first season for Texas. The 32-year-old started three of the five games he appeared in during the postseason, and his lone career playoff win came in Game 4 of the World Series against Arizona when he allowed one run over five innings.

With his 147 1/3 innings in the regular season, Heaney came up just short of the 150 innings that would have increased the value of his option to $20 million. There would have been a $500,000 buyout had Heaney not exercised his 2024 option.

Leclerc was 1-1 with four saves and a 3.29 ERA while appearing in 13 of the Rangers’ 17 playoff games. He was 0-2 with four saves and a 2.68 ERA over 57 relief appearances during the regular season. He would have gotten a $750,000 buyout if his option wasn’t exercised by the Rangers.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

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Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not receive supplemental discipline for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Geuntzel in Game 3, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

Tkachuk’s hit, in the third period of his team’s 5-1 loss, received a five-minute major. According to sources, the NHL Department of Player Safety determined that was enough, considering Guentzel had recently touched the puck and Tkachuk didn’t make contact with Guentzel’s head.

The department also believed that the force in which Tkachuk hit Guentzel was far lesser than the hit Tampa’s Brandon Hagel made on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, which earned Hagel a one game suspension.

The plays led both coaches to trade jabs in the media. After Barkov went down in Game 2, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said: “The only players we hit are the one with pucks.”

Barkov missed the end of the third period, but played in Game 3. Game 4 is Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.

At his postgame press conference, following Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper deadpanned the exact same line as Maurice.

Tkachuk leads the series in scoring with three goals and an assist through three games. Guentzel has two goals and two assists for Tampa Bay.

The Battle of Florida is living up to the billing as one of the most contentious rivalries in hockey; either Tampa or Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last five seasons.

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Jets’ Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

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Jets' Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

ST. LOUIS — Connor Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who is among the favorites to win the award again this season, allowed five goals before being pulled early in the third period as the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets fell to the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday, evening their Western Conference first-round series at 2-2.

Hellebuyck has now been pulled in back-to-back games in St. Louis, during which he has allowed 11 goals and posted a paltry .744 save percentage. Eric Comrie made five saves in relief of Hellebuyck on Sunday, but the game had long been decided by that point.

His performances have not only energized the Blues, the No. 8 seed who lost the first two games of this series, but their fans, as well. In the third period Sunday, the St. Louis faithful chanted, “We want Connor” as he sat on the Jets’ bench.

Brayden Schenn, Tyler Tucker and Justin Faulk each scored second-period goals to give the Blues a 4-1 lead, and Robert Thomas scored 2:01 into the third, ending Hellebuyck’s day.

Across the ice, St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington, who defeated Hellebuyck in the 4 Nations Face-Off final in February when Canada outlasted Team USA, made 30 saves in the win. The Blues have now won 14 straight regular-season and playoff games at home dating back to Feb. 23.

“The last 10 minutes, we gave up three goals,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said of the second period. “Those are coverage goals, and those are situations that we usually handle pretty well. They are finding ways to get that puck in the net.”

Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, staking the road team to a 1-0 lead, but the powerful Winnipeg offense that helped the club win the Presidents’ Trophy was never heard from again.

“This is obviously not what we wanted,” Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele said. “But it’s a best two-of-three series now.”

Hellebuyck has been pulled in consecutive games only one other time in his career, and given the Jets lost in Round 1 last season to the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg goaltending situation figures to be a storyline the rest of this series.

“At the end of the day, you know what, they took advantage of home ice,” Arniel said of the Blues. “We’ve put ourselves in this position. And our best players have to be better than their best players.”

The Jets and Blues return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Williams out as Yanks’ closer; Weaver to get a shot

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Williams out as Yanks' closer; Weaver to get a shot

NEW YORK — Devin Williams has been removed from his role as New York Yankees closer “for right now,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday.

The move comes two days after Williams endured another rough outing and was booed off the mound at Yankee Stadium in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 11.25 ERA with career-worst marks in strikeout rate (18.2%), whiff rate (24.1%) and walk rate (15.9%) in eight innings across 10 appearances this season.

“He’s still got everything to be great, right? This is a guy that is in the prime of his career and he’s just going through it a little bit,” said Boone, who informed Williams of the decision Saturday. “I tell our players all the time, you make a career that’s long enough and you’re going to face some challenging moments. You’re going to face some adversity along the way. And good news for Devin is he’s got everything to get through this and come out better on the other side. And that’s my expectation.

“But, for right now, I think it’s best for everyone that we pull him out of that role and try and start building some good rhythm and confidence and momentum and fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”

Boone said setup man Luke Weaver, who has a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings pitched this season, will assume “a lot of” the team’s save opportunities. Boone maintained he is open to using Weaver in high-leverage spots earlier in games and other relievers to close.

As for Williams, Boone said he won’t have a specific role — whether pitching in low-leverage situations or tight spots just earlier in games — as he seeks to re-establish himself for a team with the ninth-best bullpen ERA in the majors despite his struggles.

The key will be for Williams to avoid falling behind in counts as he did against the three hitters he faced Friday, leading to the home crowd again showering him with loud boos while adding a “We want Weaver!” chant.

Williams wound up surrendering two runs on three hits without recording an out to blow the save and continue his alarming troubles.

The Yankees hope his changeup-fastball mix will baffle hitters again and allow him to return to the pitcher he has been for his entire career.

“Count leverage is a big thing for pitchers, understandably, as it is for hitters,” Boone said. “And I think he’s been behind a number of times. He’s also had it not bounce his way in a number of these games where it’s gotten away.

“But I think the biggest thing for a guy as good as he is, as good as his track record is, and where he is from an age standpoint in the prime of his career, it’s just about, I think, man, having it start to click, getting in a good rhythm and then off we go.”

The Yankees acquired Williams in December to replace Clay Holmes as the club’s closer with one year of team control remaining before reaching free agency. The trade, which sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and prospect Corbin Durbin to Milwaukee, figured to cement the Yankees’ bullpen as one of the best in the majors.

Williams established himself as one of baseball’s premier relievers over six seasons with the Brewers using a singular screwball-like changeup known as “The Airbender.” The right-hander posted a 1.83 ERA with a 39.4% across 241 appearances in Milwaukee. He won the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award as a setup man for Josh Hader and made two All-Star teams. His status was undisputed.

But Williams’ Yankees tenure has been turbulent from start. After emerging as the catalyst to have the Yankees’ decades-long no-beard policy changed during spring training, he was booed at Yankee Stadium during his sloppy debut on Opening Day against his former club.

Boone acknowledged the fans’ treatment could have an impact on Williams’ performance.

“I think there’s that adjustment,” Boone said. “Devin’s really been nothing but successful at the big-league level. He’s dominated. So, that’s all part of it. That’s what I talk to these guys all the time about is like, again, you’re going to go through a tough moment. When I came here in 2003 at the trade deadline, Mariano Rivera was getting booed in August. I couldn’t believe it. And then he’s still Mariano Rivera, recoups and goes on to do what he does.

“So, I’m sure there’s some shock to that and some … getting settled. He’s with a new team in a new environment. That’s all part of it. But my reminder to him is you have all the equipment to do this at an elite level and that’s still a reality.”

In other developments, Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Award winner, started his throwing program Sunday. He has been sidelined since Feb. 28 because of a high-grade lat strain, is on the 60-day injured list and is projected to return in June at the earliest.

Also, right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, who is returning from internal brace elbow surgery, started his rehab assignment for Class A Tampa on Saturday and threw 11 pitches with one strikeout in a clean inning. He could rejoin the Yankees as early as late May.

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