Stepan Havlicek, a 16-year-old pitching prodigy from the Czech Republic, has signed a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, the US Major League Baseball club announced Wednesday. Havlicek pitched for the Czech junior national team and struck out 13 batters in 11 1/3 scoreless innings during the European Junior Championships last August in Bonn, Germany. The Rays said ...

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to one-year contracts with All-Star shortstop Jason Bartlett, right-hander Matt Garza and left-handed reliever J.P. Howell. The team was unable to reach an agreement Tuesday with center fielder B.J. Upton, who is expected to go to an arbitration ...

Pitcher Tim Lincecum is earmarked for a huge raise as the two-time National League Cy Young award winner headlined a list of 128 players who filed for salary arbitration Friday. The San Francisco Giants ace Lincecum, who makes 650,000 dollars a year which is low by Major League Baseball salary standards, is the NL's first repeat Cy Young ...

Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum highlighted the list of 128 players who filed for salary arbitration Friday, with many likely to gain enormous raises in the annual process. Lincecum has been one of baseball's best bargains, earning $405,000 from the San ...