Just 102 days after a thrilling World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers becoming the first repeat champion in a quarter century, pitchers and catchers are back on the field Tuesday as spring training begins with an initial focus on ABS and WBC.

In what could be the last full season before a labor confrontation over a possible salary cap proposal, players are preparing for the Automated Ball-Strike system, giving teams a chance to appeal pitch calls by the plate umpire to so-called robot umps.

“I’m really excited about it. I’ve obviously seen it in Triple-A for a while,” said Washington's Blake Butera, among eight new managers and at 33 the youngest in 54 years. “You always hear the chatter from the dugout getting on the umpires. It’s like: Hey, challenge it. Let’s see what you got.”

ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026.

Each player will be measured for his strike zone starting at 10 a.m. to noon on a rolling basis during spring training — the time of day to maintain uniformity — and the data will be verified by the Southwest Research Institute.

Most teams appear reticent about allowing pitchers to challenge, preferring catchers and managers make the decisions.

“The first month will probably be the hardest month,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, a former catcher. “Maybe spring will help a little bit. But in the spring, you can try and fail and it’s not that penal. You do that in San Diego or Arizona or a home opener against St. Louis, and it’s a little more costly. We’ll have a running tab on who’s good at it and who is not. Because there might be some position players who get their optionality taken away from the challenged call.”

Tampa Bay will be preparing for a return to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, repaired after hurricane damage caused the Rays to play home games last year at the New York Yankees' Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Player turnover

Most top free agents had signed ahead of spring training, and the biggest deals included Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz joining the Dodgers, Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs, Pete Alonso the Baltimore Orioles, Dylan Cease the AL champion Toronto Blue Jays and Bo Bichette the New York Mets.

Free agents who stayed put included Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber and the New York Yankees' Cody Bellinger.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta was acquired by the Mets from Milwaukee in the most notable trade.

Among Japanese players joining MLB, infielder Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox, infielder Kazuma Okamoto the Blue Jays, and right-hander Tatsuya Imai the Houston Astros.

World Baseball Classic returns for first time since 2023

Japan will try for its fourth title and second straight when players leave their clubs for the sixth edition of the tournament, to be played from March 5-17 in Houston; Miami; San Juan; Puerto Rico; and Tokyo.

Rosters on the 20 national teams include 306 players under major league and minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars.

“It was something I really wanted to be a part of,” U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. “I think this team is going to be on a mission.”

Shohei Ohtani, who struck out Mike Trout to end Japan's 3-2 win in the 2023 final, will be limited to hitting.

Large dugout changeover

There will be eight new managers on opening day, one shy of tying 2003 and 2020 for the most who weren't the team's skipper at the end of the prior season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Butera is joined by Craig Albernaz (Baltimore), Skip Schumaker (Texas), Derek Shelton (Minnesota), Craig Stammen (San Diego), Kurt Suzuki (Los Angeles Angels), Tony Vitello (San Francisco) and Walt Weiss (Atlanta). In addition, Warren Schaeffer was made Colorado's permanent manager after getting the job on an interim basis last May 11.

All but Schumaker and Shelton are rookie big league managers.

Butera is the youngest since Frank Quilici with the 1972 Twins. A generational change has seen Ron Washington (73) and Bruce Bochy and Brian Snitker (both 70) leave managing jobs.

Vitello, who had been the University of Tennessee's coach, made the rare move directly from college coach to major league manager, following the path of Hall of Famers Hughie Jennings and Casey Stengel.

“I think for that direct jump, I think college baseball had to become closer to what pro baseball is,” Vitello said.

“If you want to call it guinea pig or sacrificial lamb or it goes well or doesn’t go well, who cares? I guess I should," Vitello said. "I wish there was somebody like with a shorter haircut and more reputable up here to say it’s time for college baseball and Major League Baseball to be married a little closer for a lot of different reasons."

Looming lockout

Players and teams are preparing for a confrontation when the five-year collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1.

A management lockout is likely, just as when the previous deal expired in 2021. A deal to preserve the 162-game schedule was reached after a 99-day lockout on March 10, 2022 —- 10 days after MLB's initial deadline to keep a full season.

Talk of a possible salary cap proposal has both sides preparing for the possibility of the first in-season stoppage since 1995.

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Right-hander Chris Paddack and the Miami Marlins agreed to a $4 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday.

Paddack can earn an additional $500,000 in performance bonuses, the person said, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.

Miami appears likely to slot him into its rotation after trading Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs and Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees.

Paddack, who turned 30 last month, was 5-12 with a 5.35 ERA in 28 starts and five relief appearances last year for Minnesota and Detroit, which acquired him on July 28. Paddack was 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts for the Twins and 2-3 with a 6.32 ERA for the Tigers.

He had a $7.5 million salary in the final season of a $12,525,000, three-year deal and earned $1 million in performance bonuses.

Paddack has a 32-36 record and 4.64 ERA in 110 starts and eight relief appearances over seven seasons with San Diego (2019-21), Minnesota (2022-25) and Detroit.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and the Yankees are working toward a one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press, another move by New York that makes its 2026 roster resemble last year's team.

The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the agreement was subject to a successful physical. The deal likely would be for $5 million or less, the person said.

A seven-time All-Star and the 2022 NL MVP, the 38-year-old Goldschmidt hit .274 with 10 homers, 45 RBIs and a .731 OPS after signing a $12.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent.

He tailed off badly, hitting .287 with eight homers, 36 RBIs and a .776 OPS before the All-Star break and .245 with two homers, nine RBIs and a .631 OPS after. The right-handed-hitting Goldschmidt lost playing time at first to lefty-batting Ben Rice and started just two postseason games.

A seven-time Gold Glove winner, Goldschmidt provides defense and a veteran presence to a team seeking its first World Series title since 2009. He has a .288 average with 372 homers, 1,232 RBIs and an ,882 OPS in 15 major league seasons with Arizona (2011-18), St. Louis (2019) and the Yankees.

Coming off an AL Division Series loss to Toronto, New York has had a relatively quiet offseason. The Yankees' major moves were re-signing outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger to a $162.5 million, five-year contract,acquiring left-hander Ryan Weathers from Miami in a trade and retaining center fielder Trent Grisham with a $22,025,000 qualifying offer.

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NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and Javy Báez were left off Puerto Rico's roster for the World Baseball Classic over insurance coverage, while defending champion Japan entered a top group Thursday led by World Series champions Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Cy Young Award winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal head what appears to be the strongest pitching staff the United States has had in the six editions of the tournament. American position players include AL MVP Aaron Judge, the U.S. captain, along with Bryce Harper and Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Trout, the 2023 U.S. captain, was left off.

Seventy-eight All-Stars, including 36 from last year, are on the 30-man rosters of the 20 teams. The U.S. has the most All-Stars with 22, followed by 16 on a Dominican Republic roster headed by Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Manny Machado.

Japan beat the U.S. 3-2 in the 2023 final for its third title and first since 2009 as Ohtani ended the game by striking out Trout. Ohtani will not pitch in this year's WBC.

This year's tournament runs from March 5-17 in Tokyo, Houston, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami, where the final will be played for the second straight time. The Americans won in 2017 and the Dominican Republic in 2013.

Both reigning MVPs and Cy Young winners are in the tournament for the first time.

Nolan Arenado will play for Puerto Rico after appearing for the U.S. in 2017 and 2023.

Edwin Díaz will be back with Puerto Rico after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a 2023 win over the Dominican Republic, an injury that caused him to miss the New York Mets entire season.

Puerto Rico's roster was impacted by insurance issues. The tournament is co-owned by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, and insurance is provided by National Financial Partners.

NFP's policy for the tournament has a cutoff for a position player with a major or minor league contract whose second guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37 and for a pitcher whose fourth guaranteed year is in the season in which he turns 37, a person familiar with the policy said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the details had not been announced. The insurer also reviews players who had offseason surgery, the person said.

Insurance could become an issue if major league players wind up being eligible for the 2028 Olympics.

Lindor, a 32-year-old shortstop who has a $341 million contract with the New York Mets through 2031, had a right elbow elbow debridement after last season.

Correa, a 31-year-old Houston Astros shortstop and third baseman with a $200 million contract through 2028, had surgery in 2014 to repair a broken right tibia and both San Francisco and the Mets failed to approve his physicals for a contract during the 2022-23 offseason.

Báez, a 33-year-old Detroit Tigers infielder and outfielder, has a $140 million contract through 2027. He missed time in 2024 because of lumbar spine and hip inflammation.

“We fully trust in the talent and commitment of each player that will be representing Puerto Rico,” Puerto Rican Baseball Federation president José Quiles said in a statement.

Clayton Kershaw and Miguel Cabrera missed the 2023 tournament because of insurance issues. Kershaw, who turns 38 two days after this year's final, is the oldest player on this year's U.S. roster but has retired from the major leagues and doesn't have a 2026 contract.

Cuban infielder Alexei Ramírez is the oldest player on any roster at age 44. Right-hander Adam Ottavino, who turned 40 in November is on Italy's roster.

Brazil's Joseph Contreras, a 17-year-old right-hander who is a son of former big leaguer José Contreras, is the youngest player on any roster.

Travis Bazzana, a 23-year-old Australian second baseman, joined Skenes and Harper as No. 1 overall draft picks in the tournament,

Cuban outfielder Alfredo Despaigne, the WBC career home run leader with seven, will be in his fifth tournament.

There are 306 players with major and minor league contracts, including 190 on 40-man rosters. In addition to Ohtani, Judge, Harper and Kershaw, MVPs include Venezuela's Ronald Acuña Jr. and the U.S.'s Paul Goldschmidt.

Second baseman Jose Altuve said last weekend the Astros asked him not to play for Venezuela. Altuve broke his right thumb when hit by a Daniel Bard pitch during the 2023 tournament, causing him to miss the Astros' first 43 games.

Colombia has the oldest roster at 29.9 years, followed by the U.S. at 29.7. Taiwan has the youngest at 26.7, just below Brazil at 26.9.

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