SAN FRANCISCO -- Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard said he has never seen anything like the rash of injuries the Golden State Warriors have endured dating back to the 2019 NBA Finals.

"I've never seen it," Lillard said in advance of Monday's game against the Warriors. "I think they might be the first to do a lot of things. At one point they had a starting five of five All-Stars, won 73 games, they've done a lot of great things, made a lot of history.

"It just seems like adversity has hit hard at this point for them. Those guys aren't old. They'll bounce back from it, but you just hate to see it."

Since Game 5 of last year's Finals, during which the Warriors lost All-Star Kevin Durant to an Achilles injury, the rest of their core pieces have gone down with various injuries that have shaken up the NBA.

Klay Thompson tore his left ACL in Game 6 of the Finals and may miss the entire season. Stephen Curry broke his left hand last week in a loss to the Phoenix Suns and will miss at least three months. Draymond Green tore a ligament in his left index finger and is expected to miss at least a week as he recovers.

Lillard understands that injuries are part of the game, but like many NBA players, he can't believe how many setbacks the Warriors have dealt with in succession.

"It's just unexpected," Lillard said. "You don't expect to see them go from being such a huge deal, big super team, to one guy [Durant] leaves and injuries. It's just an unfortunate situation that you hate to see. In that way, it's just different. It's kind of weird to see them not as the Warriors.

"I feel for the players. You never want to see any of your peers go down with injuries. Klay's a great dude, so it sucks to see him go down that way. Same thing with Steph. ... They'll recover and they'll be back hopefully at 100 percent. That's what we all want to see."

Aside from the differences on the floor, Monday's game also marks the first time Lillard, a proud Oakland native, will play inside Chase Center, the Warriors' new billion-dollar arena in San Francisco. As he spoke to reporters following Monday's shootaround, he noted several times just how much different the new arena felt compared to Oracle Arena, the Warriors' home in Oakland for the past 47 years.

"It's very weird," Lillard said. "It's very weird ... this is extra weird. Because I'm looking around like -- this place has no history. So it's definitely different."

Lillard acknowledged that while it was tough not being able to play closer to his home, he was frustrated by the fact that several professional teams are moving out of the Oakland area. The Raiders are expected to move to a brand-new stadium in Las Vegas next season.

"It just rubs me wrong," Lillard said. "Like I've watched games here [at Chase Center] on TV and the crowd's just not the same. ...The Black Hole is still there. You still see the Nation in support, why would you leave that behind? It's a real sense of pride in Oakland about everything that represents us.

"It's like the Warriors going across the [Bay] Bridge, the Raiders going to Vegas, it's almost like a money grab. The money moves is kind of pushing the real love and what's really behind these organizations to the side -- which is understandable, and also not understandable because I'm from Oakland. I know both sides [of the situation]. You hate to see it."

Lillard noted that he would still remain loyal to the Raiders after they relocate next year, but he didn't hide his feelings about teams leaving Oakland.

"I don't like it," Lillard said. "If that's what ya'll want to know, I don't like it."

New York Yankees greats Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly and Tommy John are among a 10-man ballot of candidates who will be eligible for selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year though the Modern Baseball Era committee.

Munson is on the committee's ballot for the first time, as are Dwight Evans and Lou Whitaker. Former players Steve Garvey, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons are again up for selection, as is former players' union executive Marvin Miller.

The Modern Baseball Era Committee, which will vote in December, considers individuals who contributed to baseball from 1970-87 and who are no longer eligible through the writers' election process. They must receive votes on 12 of the committee's 16 ballots to be elected to the Hall of Fame. In 2017, Jack Morris and Alan Trammell were elected through the Modern Baseball Era committee.

Munson won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1970 and the MVP in 1976 with the Yankees. He is one of only two catchers in history to hit .300 with 180 hits and 100 RBI over three consecutive seasons, but his career was cut short at age 32 when he died in a plane crash.

Mattingly, the 1985 AL MVP, was a career .307 hitter and won nine Gold Gloves in 14 seasons with the Yankees.

John played eight of his 26 major league seasons with the Yankees and enjoyed much of his greatest success in New York, finishing second in the Cy Young voting in 1979. He finished 288-231 in 700 career starts, pitching 14 years after undergoing the now-common ligament surgery that now colloquially bears his name.

Simmons, who fell one vote shy of election in 2017, played 21 seasons for the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves, being named to the All-Star team eight times. He is second all-time in both hits and RBIs among players who spent at least half their careers as a catcher.

Whitaker spent 19 years with the Detroit Tigers, making the All-Star team five times and winning three Gold Gloves at second base. He won the 1984 World Series while playing alongside Trammell.

Evans played 19 seasons for the Red Sox and one for the Orioles, racking up 2,446 hits while winning eight Gold Gloves. He hit 256 of his 385 home runs in the 1980s, more than any other American League player in the decade.

Garvey was a 10-time All-Star, hitting .294 in 19 seasons with the Dodgers and Padres. He won the NL MVP award in 1978 and 1984 and helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.

Murphy hit 398 homers in his 18-year career with the Braves, Phillies and Rockies and won back-to-back MVPs in 1982 and 1983.

Parker won two NL batting titles and the MVP in 1978 and won the World Series with the Pirates in 1978 and the Oakland A's in 1989.

Miller, who died in 2012, helped institute free agency as head of the players' association in the 1960s and '70s. He was highly critical of the Hall of Fame selection process during his lifetime and fell one vote shy of induction for the 2011 class.

Garvey, John, Mattingly, Murphy and Parker all received half or fewer of the votes required through the committee in 2017, as did Luis Tiant, who was left off the ballot this time.

ATLANTA -- The Braves have re-signed outfielder Nick Markakis and catcher Tyler Flowers to $4 million, one-year contracts for 2020 after declining their team options.

The team also declined a club option for longtime starting pitcher Julio Teheran, likely signaling the end of his tenure with the Braves, and made a $17.8 million qualifying offer to free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson.

The deals for Markakis and Flowers were essentially a financial wash. Both players made $4 million last season and had club options of $6 million for 2020. The team will pay $2 million buyouts to each and their new deals ensures both will take home a total of $6 million to remain in Atlanta another season.

Teheran became the first pitcher to make six straight Opening Day starts for Atlanta, but the team opted against exercising a $12 million option for 2020, instead paying a $1 million buyout. The move was not unexpected after Teheran was left off the postseason roster after going 10-11 with a 3.81 ERA, though he was added back to the squad after Chris Martin was injured.

Teheran completed a $32.4 million, six-year contract and becomes a free agent.

J.D. Martinez will not opt out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

By remaining with the Red Sox, Martinez can earn $62.5 million over the next three years. He also has an opt-out clause after the 2020 season.

Over the last three seasons, Martinez leads the league in home runs with 124, and is second in RBIs with 339, batting average at .313, slugging percentage at .619 and OPS at 1.007 over that span.

The Red Sox, who had the highest payroll in baseball last season, are looking to get below the luxury tax threshold. It remains to be seen how this will affect newly hired chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's ability to also retain Mookie Betts, the 2018 MVP who will become a free agent after next season. Betts made $27.7 million last season and is likely to get more in arbitration this season.

Martinez, 32, led the Red Sox in home runs, RBIs and hits in 2018, on the way to winning his first World Series title. His numbers in 2019 fell off as he battled back spasms, but in his two years in Boston, he hit 79 homers and drove in 235 runs. He was an All-Star both of his years in Boston.

While he played 38 games in the outfield this year, Martinez is primarily a designated hitter.

Martinez takes a meticulous approach to hitting, analyzing at-bats and opposing pitchers, and several Red Sox players credited him with helping them improve their approach.

Martinez broke in with the Houston Astros in 2011 and was released by the team in 2014. Martinez decided that he had to change his swing, and worked with Robert Van Scoyoc, now the Dodgers hittig coach, and Craig Wallenbrock.

He signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Tigers in 2014, then was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July 2017. In 62 games with Arizona, Martinez hit .302 with 29 home runs and 65 RBIs. That landed him the deal with the Red Sox.

In other roster moves on Monday, the Red Sox reinstated Dustin Pedroia and Chris Sale from the 60-day injured list. Catcher Juan Centeno, who played in seven games for Boston in 2019, elected to hit free agency and has been outrighted from the roster.

DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford is bringing its new Bronco R race prototype to Mexico later this month to compete in the SCORE Baja 1,000.

The reintroduction of the Bronco to the Baja 1,000 comes 50 years after Rod Hall drove a Ford Bronco to the overall victory in the 1969 Baja 1,000, something that hasn’t been done since by a 4×4 vehicle.

The truck will feature a race livery inspired by Hall’s winning vehicle. The Bronco R passes the torch to off-road racer Shelby Hall, Rod’s granddaughter, who will drive it for portions of this year’s race in honor of her late grandfather.

As a test, the Bronco R will head back to the Baja Peninsula later this month to take on the near 1,000-mile grueling off-road course and challenge the production Bronco’s powertrain and architecture.

The Bronco R was developed by Ford Performance in collaboration with builder Geiser Bros Design and Development and Baja 1,000 Trophy Truck champion Cameron Steele.

“Bronco’s win at Baja in 1969 was epic, something that even after 50 years has not been repeated,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford chief product development and purchasing officer. “Rugged endurance racing is such a big part of Bronco heritage. The Baja 1000 gives us not only the perfect setting to honor Rod Hall’s win, it also provides an authentic test bed to demonstrate our upcoming Bronco’s desert racing capability and durability.”

A small team led by Paul Wraith, Bronco chief designer, worked since July to make the race prototype unmistakably Bronco at first sight. The team worked in secret to create a one-off build that hints at the new Bronco to come, while paying homage to the first-generation Bronco’s styling and proportions.

The team focused on creating a race-ready look with an overall heritage-inspired design language. With its compressed body height and long-travel suspension, Bronco R features an ultra-wide stance, while a variety of aero components reinforce its performance intent. The prototype’s lightweight composite body includes a clamshell hood and roof, as well as clean body panels that harken back to the first-generation Bronco models (1966-77). A cut-roof design allows rear seat passengers to use a second-row hatch for access.

With its exterior inspired by the winning 1969 Baja 1000 Bronco livery, the Ford Performance Bronco R race prototype pays tribute with its red, white and black colors accented by its blue space frame. No. 2069 stretches across its rear quarter-panel and wing – 20 to signal the class in which it will race and 69 in honor of the year in which Hall and Minor roared to an overall victory in what was then known as the Mexican 1,000.

“My grandfather was so proud of the 1969 Baja race and of his Bronco,” said Shelby Hall. “More than just the memory of winning Baja, he loved that Bronco. I have no doubt he would be blown away by the Bronco R race prototype.”

The design team on the Bronco R used cutting-edge tools such as high-tech virtual reality, polygon modeling and 3D printing to develop parts, but also incorporated low-fidelity prototyping and role-playing to aid problem-solving and swift decision-making.

“This wasn’t our usual development process, but it was the right process for this project,” said Wraith. “We found, created or adapted the right tool for the task at hand – a cool and exciting blend of old and new creative techniques. We stretched ourselves, but it was worth it – and great fun.”

More than a celebration of Hall’s 1969 win, the Bronco R race prototype is designed with the production model’s body-on-frame architecture to test its capability and durability, while also energizing off-road enthusiasts who eagerly await the return of America’s original sport utility vehicle.

The race prototype is built on a modified Ford T6 architecture that will provide the base for the production model. Beefed up for Baja, the Bronco R features an independent front suspension with 14 inches of travel and a production-based five-link rear chassis design with up to 18 inches of travel, plus custom Fox shocks, 17-inch beadlock-capable aluminum wheels and 37-inch BFGoodrich tires.

“Like the original Bronco, we kept Bronco R’s design authentic and simple, with a roll cage on a production-style frame, and a five-piece lightweight body on top,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor. “For the endurance needs of Baja’s 1,000 grueling miles, we built in a limited number of race-focused parts. But even the twin turbos of the EcoBoost engine are representative of what the production Bronco will offer.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Questions have circulated for the last several years about the future of NASCAR racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

However Roger Penske, who announced Penske Corp. is buying the speedway on Monday, made it clear NASCAR has a place in the track’s future.

Penske was asked during Monday’s news conference announcing the sale of Hulman & Co., IMS, the NTT IndyCar Series and IMS Productions to Penske Corp. about his commitment to NASCAR and whether the stock-car sanctioning body would continue to have a long-term presence at the 2.5-mile oval.

“When you look at (NASCAR racing at IMS for) 27 years, there’s no reason to break that string of races,” Penske noted. “I had a chance to talk to Jim France late last night to tell him that we were going to have this conference here in the morning, and he obviously was excited. We’ve worked together. We were partners with ISC at Homestead. We actually sold our business to them back several years ago. So we have a very close relationship with Jim (France) and with Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell and the entire France family. We would expect to take this for many, many years.

“They (NASCAR) need to run at Indianapolis. We want them to and there’s no question that we’re going to look at opportunities to expand the relationship with them in the future.”

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debuted at IMS on Aug. 6, 1994, with California-born, Indiana-raised young gun Jeff Gordon winning in the inaugural Brickyard 400.

Since then, IMS has hosted 26 Cup Series races, with Gordon leading the wins category with five victories (’94, ’98, ’01, ’04, ’14). Fifteen different drivers have won Cup races at Indianapolis.

The track has also hosted NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series since 2012, with one of Penske’s drivers — Brad Keselowski — triumphing in that division’s debut race at IMS.

NASCAR Chairman & CEO Jim France praised both the outgoing and incoming IMS leadership on Monday in the wake of the historic announcement.

“The Hulman-George family has been instrumental in the growth of motorsports through their passion for racing, elevating Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series to a global scale, and we thank them for their leadership and significant contributions to NASCAR,” said France. “Roger Penske is incredibly accomplished across both motorsports and business and we look forward to the successful operation of these properties under his experienced leadership.”

With Penske now leading IMS into the future, additional questions quickly surfaced regarding the feasibility of a NASCAR/IndyCar doubleheader at Indianapolis.

Penske has been publicly quoted as saying he would be in favor of such a combined weekend.

While he stopped short of saying that IMS was a prime location to do so on Monday, Penske did confirm it was a prospect he’d take a look at going into the future.

“I think it was interesting to see Newgarden run around what they call the ROVAL down in Charlotte several weeks ago and I think it was pretty exciting. I think some of the fans had never seen an IndyCar on an oval or a race track,” Penske noted. “These are things that Tony will give us some of his input (on), and certainly Mark and the team … we’ll look at are those things we can do and can we execute those so we bring value here to the speedway.

“We’ve got to break some glass on some of these things, don’t we? We’ve got to try some of this,” Penske added. “I’m prepared to take a risk. No risk equals no reward in many cases. Those are the things that Mark, with him and him team, that we’ll take a look at. I wouldn’t say it’s out of the possibility.”

In fact, there were a lot of things that Penske said might be on the table as he shepherds IMS going forward, including the possibilities of endurance sports-car racing and Formula One racing at the track.

Of note, F-1 previously raced on the IMS grand prix road course from 2000 to 2007.

“We want to add capability … and ask, ‘What can we use this for?’” Penske said. “Can we run a 24-hour race here? Can we run a Formula One race here? What are the things we can do? This (track) is a great asset. Once the tradition had been broken in adding the NASCAR race, which we’re going to get behind in a big way because for 27 years they’ve run here, it opened up many possibilities. I look at all of these across the board to see what we can do.

“This business is not broken,” he pointed out. “This is a great business, and the leadership team that’s been here has done an outstanding job and what we want to do is be a support tool going forward.”

CORNER BROOK, Newfoundland and Labrador -- The Toronto Maple Leafs weren't about to let this birthday go unnoticed. Nor was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The father of an 11-year-old Maple Leafs fan tweeted that his son had a disappointing birthday, with none of his friends showing up for a Saturday night party.

Jason Foster asked those on Twitter to remember young Kade and "show him some love." A photo linked to the tweet shows Kade in a Maple Leafs T-shirt, a Maple Leafs cake in front of him.

Happy 11th Birthday Kade! All your friends on the team look forward to celebrating with you. I'm hearing it's going to be quite the surprise. @Marner93 @MapleLeafs https://t.co/knidhCar7G

— John Tavares (@91Tavares) November 3, 2019

The team got to work. Forward Mitch Marner tweeted that Kade's "friends from the Maple Leafs have a surprise gift coming your way!" Forward John Tavares added he was "looking forward to celebrating" with Kade.

By Sunday night, the father's post had been shared more than 10,000 times, drawing at least 25,000 responses. Apart from the prime minister, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. jumped in. He offered to meet Kade in Toronto when the team plays there in May. Even actor Ben Stiller got on board, stressing he doesn't play hockey.

The father was dumbfounded by the response.

"We can't comprehend what has happened today," he wrote. "Kade and the rest of us are just amazed."

Tiger Woods couldn’t possibly have personally responded to every single person who congratulated him after his Masters win in April, a list that includes fellow former world No. 1 Greg Norman.

In a wide-ranging interview with Men’s Health that focused on the 64-year-old’s fitness, Norman opened up a little bit about his relationship with the 15-time major winner, and revealed that he hand-delivered a congratulatory note to Woods’ house in Jupiter, Fla., after Tiger’s incredible return to the major championship winner’s circle.

While Norman, who lives nearby, admitted that he left the note with a security guard on Tiger’s property – and not Tiger himself – he seemed a little put off that he still hasn’t heard back nearly seven months later.

Here’s Norman’s full comment on the incident:

“Yeah, look, I’m happy to clear that up for you. Like, when you ask me a question, I’m going to give you an honest answer. I’m not going to bullshit to you. I’m also going to draw on my experience of the past in terms of what Jack Nicklaus did for me, what Arnold Palmer did for me … where there was that respect handed off from the generation before you. It’s a code of conduct in a lot of ways. Very few people know this: when Tiger won the Masters this year, I wrote him a handwritten note and drove down my road, maybe a quarter of a mile, and hand-delivered it to his guard at his gate. I said, ‘Hey, this is Greg Norman here. I’ve got a note for Tiger – can you please hand-deliver it to him?’ Well, I never heard a word back from the guy. When I won my first major championship, Jack Nicklaus was the first person to walk down out of the TV tower and congratulate me. I don’t know – maybe Tiger just dislikes me. I have no idea. I’ve never had a conversation with him about it. I’ve always been respectful about what his father did for him. I played nine holes with him at his father’s and IMG’s request when Tiger was 14 or 15 and I was the No. 1 player in the world, to give an assessment of this kid. So, I have always been willing.”

Perhaps this is all just a big misunderstanding and Woods never actually received the note ... perhaps Norman is right that Tiger dislikes him ...

But if the Aussie lives to the ripe age of 110, which he stated as his goal (seriously), the two have a little bit of time to sort things out.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump honored the World Series champion Nationals at the White House on Monday, though more than a half-dozen players skipped the ceremony on the South Lawn.

Reliever Sean Doolittle, who along with his wife has worked with Syrian refugees and military veterans and supports gay rights, did not attend the event. Also among those not listed as being in attendance Monday are National League MVP candidate Anthony Rendon, outfielders Victor Robles and Michael A. Taylor, and pitchers Joe Ross, Javy Guerra and Wander Suero.

Of the 25 players on Washington's World Series roster, 18 were in attendance. Principal owner Mark Lerner was the only member of the ownership group listed as attending.

Trump applauded the team's first title in franchise history, calling it a "comeback story for the ages" and predicting it will be the first victory of many. He singled out World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick and others.

Catcher Kurt Suzuki donned a "Make America Great Again" hat during the half-hour ceremony, and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman thanked Trump for keeping the country safe and making it the greatest on earth before presenting Trump with a No. 45 Nationals jersey.

Despite those moments and the president referencing impeachment, the Nationals' visit did not have as much political undertone as when the 2018 champion Boston Red Sox were honored by Trump but without manager Alex Cora, who did not attend that ceremony after citing his frustration with the administration's efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane.

Washington manager Dave Martinez, whose parents are Puerto Rican, was in attendance and made some brief remarks.

The Nationals' White House visit was the latest stop on their whirlwind victory tour around the nation's capital after coming back from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Houston Astros in Game 7 last week. The team parade down Constitution Avenue on Saturday and celebrated at the Washington Capitals hockey game Sunday night.

NEW YORK -- Carlos Beltran was back in familiar blue pinstripes Monday, buttoning up a New York Mets uniform while standing next to his new boss, Brodie Van Wagenen.

The first-time manager is taking over following a tenuous season at Citi Field, and his plan to calm the clubhouse works from the top down. That means Van Wagenen isn't just getting a new employee.

"When you're a manager, literally, your GM has to be your best friend," he said.

Beltran was introduced as Mets manager by Van Wagenen and Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon during a news conference in Queens. Beltran, who spent seven of his 20 seasons as a player with the Mets, identified inconsistency as the culprit for New York's rocky and disappointing 86-win season.

His solution: More cool-headed communication.

That's been an issue in Flushing. Recently fired manager Mickey Callaway was fined by the Mets for cursing out a beat reporter in June, and the next day, it took him two news conferences to issue an apology. Star pitcher Noah Syndergaard was irked when private conversations with the front office about his battery preferences became public in September.

And of course, there's the time Van Wagenen threw a chair in frustration during a meeting with the coaching staff before the All-Star break.

Van Wagenen thinks this hand-picked manager -- he inherited Callaway when he moved from player agent to GM last fall -- can clean up behavior behind the scenes.

"It was important for all of us in the ownership group and the baseball operations department to feel like we could exhale when we walked into the manager's office," Van Wagenen said. "We didn't want to inhale in anticipation of conversations.

"Instead, we wanted to feel comfortable, we wanted to feel welcome and we wanted to feel in partnership with the manager. We can trust Carlos, and that goes a long way."

Van Wagenen and Beltran spoke on the phone for 30 minutes before the interview process even began. A nine-time All-Star during 20 seasons as a player, Beltran was recommended highly by Mets assistant GM Allan Baird and special assistant Omar Minaya based on prior relationships.

Even though he's never managed, the 42-year-old from Puerto Rico made the Mets confident he was ready for the role over the course of five more interviews.

"My time one-on-one with Carlos was really the key in terms of my comfortability," Van Wagenen said.

Beltran retired as a player after helping Houston win the 2017 World Series and took a job before the 2019 season as special adviser with the New York Yankees. He worked closely with longtime general manager Brian Cashman, sitting in on crucial front office meetings and routinely operating as a bridge between number crunchers and the clubhouse.

"I went to the Yankees' organization willing to learn," he said.

He plans to be player-friendly -- "I'm not a rules person" -- and also wants to work closely with the analytics department. Based on his experience with the Yankees, he's seeking every edge available, even if it involves a little gory math.

"I like to call it information," he said. "It's going to be a collaboration."

Beltran has spoken to other former players-turned-first-time managers, including Boston's Alex Cora and the Yankees' Aaron Boone. They told him to "be authentic" and boosted his confidence about his readiness.

Even with that, Beltran is seeking a veteran coaching staff to cover for his inexperience at that end of the bench. He's working with the front office to select coaches now. The team is uncertain when that process will be completed.

"I do need experience, and there's no doubt about that," Beltran said. "We are reaching out. We're going to reach out to coaches that have experience, but most importantly, I don't want to bring names, I want to bring guys that are passionate."

Beltran and Van Wagenen declined to say whether former manager Terry Collins was a candidate to be bench coach, but Beltran said he's already spoken to Collins and will use him as a mentor whether he's on staff or not. Beltran played half a season under Collins in New York and said he'd draw from the 70-year-old's energy as inspiration. Collins is currently a special adviser to Van Wagenen.

WHEEL'S UP

Van Wagenen confirmed the Mets will extend a qualifying offer to starting pitcher Zack Wheeler. If Wheeler declines the one-year, $17.8 million offer and signs with another team, New York would receive a compensatory pick in next June's amateur draft. Van Wagenen said the Mets will try to re-sign the right-hander even if he declines the qualifying offer.

Righties Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are working this offseason to pitch in the rotation next year, Van Wagenen said. The club hopes to add pitching, but whether that's in the rotation or the bullpen may depend on whether Wheeler returns and where Lugo and Gsellman ultimately fit.

Van Wagenen also said improved defense is a priority. New York ranked 29th out of 30 teams with minus-93 defensive runs saved.

"We're going to be creative with the roster," he said.

YO, WHAT'S UP?

Van Wagenen said he's uncertain whether injured outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will play in 2020. Cespedes broke his ankle in May while recovering from surgery on both heels and has been out most of the past two seasons. The 34-year-old is entering the final season of a $110 million, four-year contract.