BASEBALL
Padres trade for Davies
The San Diego Padres have acquired right-hander Zach Davies and outfielder Trent Grisham from the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Luis Urias and left-hander Eric Lauer. San Diego also will send cash or another player to the Brewers to complete Wednesday’s deal. Davies was 10-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 31 starts in 2019, his fifth big league season. He made $2.6 million and is eligible for salary arbitration. Grisham made his big league debut in 2019, hitting .231 with 6 home runs and 24 RBI in 51 games. He made 36 starts, playing all three outfield positions. He committed a key error in Milwaukee’s loss to Washington in the NL wild card game. Lauer, San Diego’s opening-day starter, went 8-10 with a 4.45 ERA in his second big league season. Urias split 2019 between the Padres and Class AAA El Paso.
Seattle, Edwards reach deal
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that reliever Carl Edwards Jr. and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $950,000, one-year contract. Edwards can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses, the person said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. A 28-year-old right-hander, Edwards slumped this year. He had an 8.47 ERA in 22 appearances for the Chicago Cubs and San Diego, which acquired him at the July 31 trade deadline. Edwards gave up six runs over 1 2/3 innings in two games for the Padres. Edwards was bothered this year by a thoracic strain that caused him to spend time on the injured list and was demoted twice to Class AAA Iowa. Edwards had a 2.60 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 52 innings for the Cubs in 2018.
Twins’ SS undergoes surgery
Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco is rehabilitating from arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and is expected to be fully recovered in plenty of time for spring training. The Twins announced Wednesday that Polanco underwent a debridement procedure Friday in Los Angeles with Dr. Richard Ferkel to address a chronic impingement injury stemming from repetitive stress. Polanco will be able to resume baseball activities in about six weeks, the team said. Polanco had a breakout season in 2019 for the Twins, making the All-Star team for the first time and hitting .295 with 22 home runs, 107 runs and 79 RBI.
D’backs, Vogt agree
Catcher Stephen Vogt and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract that guarantees $3 million, a deal that includes a 2021 option and could be worth $8 million over two seasons if he plays regularly. Vogt gets a $2.5 million salary next year as part of the deal announced Tuesday, and Arizona has a $3 million option for 2021 with a $500,000 buyout. The option price would increase to $3.5 million and become guaranteed if he has 45 starts and 75 games played next season. In addition, the option price would increase by $500,000 each for 70 starts or 100 games, and for 85 starts or 120 games.
Rays acquire Reds’ O’Grady
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired minor leaguer Brian O’Grady from the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named and cash. To make room for the first baseman/outfielder on the 40-man roster, the Rays designated first baseman Jesús Aguilar for assignment on Wednesday. The 27-year-old O’Grady spent most of last season with Class AAA Louisville. He also made his major league debut, hitting .190 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI in 28 games over three stints with the Reds.
MOTOR SPORTS
NASCAR punishes 4 teams
NASCAR has fined three car owners $50,000 each and penalized their teams for manipulating the season-ending Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in an alleged scheme to collect a higher bonus payout. Jay Robinson (Premium Motorsports), Rick Ware (Rick Ware Racing) and TJ Puchyr (Spire Motorsports) were fined. Each team penalized had cars fall out of the race, apparently to ensure that Premium’s No. 27 car advanced and finished with the most points for the season among unchartered teams. That would ensure the largest bonus, with the difference from first to second for unchartered teams totally some $175,000. Scott Miller, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said four teams were docked 50 points from the 2019 team owner standings The No. 15 of Joe Nemechek (Premium), the No. 77 of Reed Sorenson (Spire) and the No. 52 of Josh Bilicki (Rick Ware Racing) all retired from the Nov. 17 race with mechanical trouble within a 15-lap span late in the race. Among the uncharted teams, it led to a one-point margin in the standings for the No. 27 driven to a 35th-place finish by Ross Chastain (Premium). The penalties mean the No. 96 of Gaunt Brothers Racing is the top uncharted team finisher for the season. NASCAR also said competition directors Scott Eggleston (Premium) and Kenneth Evans (Rick Ware) had been suspended indefinitely and fined $25,000.
BASKETBALL
NCAA denies Memphis appeal
Memphis center James Wiseman won’t get any reduction in his 12-game suspension. The NCAA has denied Memphis’ appeal of the penalty Wiseman received last week. The heralded freshman won’t be able to play again for the 16th-ranked Tigers until Jan. 12 at South Florida. Memphis issued a statement Wednesday saying that “although [this is] disappointing, we look forward to a promising season.” The penalty surrounds the $11,500 that Memphis Coach Penny Hardaway gave Wiseman’s family for moving expenses from Nashville to Memphis in the summer of 2017. Although Hardaway wasn’t Memphis’ coach at the time, the NCAA ruled the payment wasn’t allowed because he was acting as a booster.
UK’s Sestina out 4 weeks
Kentucky said forward Nate Sestina will miss approximately four weeks after breaking his left wrist in practice. Coach John Calipari posted a nearly two-minute video on his verified Twitter account that the 6-9, 234-pound graduate transfer was injured Tuesday when he tried to brace himself after falling backward from a blocked layup attempt. A release from the school said he was scheduled to have surgery Wednesday. Sestina has averaged 7.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Wildcats (5-1) since transferring from Bucknell.
FOOTBALL
Falcons sign Meier
The Atlanta Falcons, again preparing to be without tight end Austin Hooper against New Orleans, have bolstered the position by signing Carson Meier to the 53-man roster. Hooper will miss his third consecutive game with a knee injury tonight against the Saints. Tight end Luke Stocker, who has started for Hooper, is listed as questionable with a back injury.
Titans place Walker on IR
The Tennessee Titans have placed three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker on injured reserve for a second consecutive season. The Titans announced the move Wednesday. Walker had missed the past four games and played only five snaps Oct. 20 against the Chargers after aggravating the right ankle he broke in the 2018 season opener. That injury cost him the 2018 season.