The Reds finished near the bottom of the NL in runs last season despite playing in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks.The deal also includes standard perks given to Japanese players joining an MLB club, including a team-provided interpreter, personal trainer, one-time moving allowance, English lessons for himself and family, and round-trip business class airline tickets to the U.S. Outfielder Shogo Akiyama will hit the market with no strings attached as an international free agent.Tsutsugo has hit .285 with 205 home runs and a .910 OPS in 10 NPB seasons. From 2014-18, his worst ERA was 2.33 and he went under 2.00 twice.

Among the “kids” he took under his wing was Carfagno, a teenager who had lost both of his parents. In an interview with The Undefeated, Carfagno recalled how, when Allen learned of his parents’ deaths, he approached him. “Look, if you ever need anything, you come to me. And if you don’t, I’m gonna whup your butt,” Allen told the boy. Allen even gave him money so he could go on trips with the Phillies.

There are some services that merit being resumed ASAP. Sports do not. I’d love to be able to go cover a game right now; I’d also love to be able to go to the grocery without a face mask. My intent isn’t to get gloomier with every daily missive, and I understand how much ballgames mean to us. (For the umpteenth time: I’m a sportswriter.) But with the Masters and especially with MLB, the zeal to restart may be overriding the need to restart.

Doolittle: The only real highlights to the meetings I've been to the last couple of years is the announcement of the Hall of Fame Era committee selections that have taken place the first night of the meetings. Agree with the picks or not, these are mostly players who were overlooked while on the BBWAA ballot and it's always moving to see them glory in the knowledge that they are bound for Cooperstown. I won't miss standing around hotel lobbies. At all.Los Angeles Angels

Allen would be a top player for several seasons — including winning American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox in 1972 — but controversy followed him throughout his career. He didn’t go out of his way to ingratiate himself with his critics. He later said that he would sometimes drink before games and would skip batting practice or even games to go to the horse track. He often refused to speak with the media, which in turn painted him as selfish and entitled. After demanding a trade from the Phillies after the 1969 season, he was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals, and played for five different teams over the final eight years of his career (including a second stint in Philadelphia) before retiring in 1977.New York Mets

During these unprecedented times, most of us are following the CDC guidelines for wearing face masks in public to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. However, for the 64 percent of Americans who wear glasses – and countless others who wear sunglasses – this new public health mandate comes with an unexpected consequence: foggy lenses.Detroit Tigers

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It’s one thing to say Major League Baseball has welcomed seven Negro Leagues and an estimated 3,400 players into its embrace. It’s another to assimilate those players’ statistics into MLB’s bottomless sea of numbers.Pittsburgh Pirates