MARVIN MILLER

Major League Baseball has asked a federal mediator to intervene in stalled labor negotiations that likely will put off the start of spring training.

Tony Clark was a minor league prospect in the Detroit Tigers’ system and Rob Manfred a junior lawyer on management’s legal team during Major League Baseball’s last work stoppage.

Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani was voted player of the year and the American League outstanding player by fellow major leaguers in the annual Players Choice Awards from the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Former Yankees shortstop and captain Derek Jeter, Colorado star Larry Walker, Ted Simmons of the Cardinals and Brewers, and the late labor executive Marvin Miller have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons and the late Marvin Miller will be enshrined Wednesday at the Hall of Fame, a year after the induction ceremonies were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On the eve of Marvin Miller’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, leaders of the current players association say his philosophies and strategies remain foundational pillars of the organization.

Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench says he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this year’s induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York.

FILE - In this Sept. 27, 2020, file photo, Minnesota Twins' Nelson Cruz, center, smiles in the dugout after the Twins clinched the AL Central championship with the Chicago White Sox's loss during the tenth inning of a baseball game in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins finalized their $13 million, one-year contract with designated hitter Nelson Cruz on Wednesday, retaining the most valuable player from the AL Central champion teams of the last two seasons. Last season, Cruz batted .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in 53 games in the pandemic-shortened schedule. Cruz won the team MVP and leadership awards in each of the last two seasons as well.

The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz on a one-year, $13 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. (AP Photo/Craig Lassig, File)MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins are bringing back designated hitter Nelson Cruz and bolstering their bullpen with right-hander Alex Colomé, making two more major moves as spring training fast approaches. Cruz's one-year deal is worth $13 million, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The six-time All-Star won Silver Slugger awards in 2019 and 2020, and the Twins won the AL Central both seasons. Happ — on one-year commitments, as with Simmons, Colomé and Cruz — earlier this winter.

Like many baseball writers, C. Trent Rosecrans viewed the Hall of Fame vote as a labor of love. Schilling, a right-handed ace who won three World Series titles, finished 16 votes short of the 75% threshold necessary for enshrinement. Schilling, Clemens and Bonds will be joined on next year's ballot by sluggers Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz. Schilling wrote on Facebook that he would like the veterans committee to review his Hall case. “I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player,” Schilling wrote.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw celebrates with the trophy after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to win the baseball World Series in Game 6 Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)ARLINGTON, Texas – Clayton Kershaw stood in the Los Angeles bullpen in right-center field, watching Austin Barnes glove the final pitch, the one from Julio Urías that gave the Dodgers their first World Series title since 1988. “When people talk about him, it's World Series champion first, then future Hall of Famer,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. But he entered this year just 9-11 in postseason play, with poor outings in a pair of World Series Game 5s that resulted in a 2017 no-decision and a 2018 defeat. “We won the World Series, the 2020 Dodgers won the World Series.