TORONTO -- — The Blue Jays expect to split the home portion of this year's regular-schedule among their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida, their Triple-A ballpark in Buffalo, New York, and the Rogers Center in Toronto.

Toronto announced Thursday it will play the first two homestands of the season in Dunedin because of Canadian government restrictions during the pandemic.

Team president Mark Shapiro said a return to Buffalo is a likely option in June because of the heat and humidity in Florida. He hopes for games in Toronto at some point during the summer.

“The alternatives for our season lie with some combination of Dunedin, Buffalo and Toronto," Shapiro said.

The Blue Jays played home games during the shortened 2020 season in Buffalo and were 17-9 at Sahlen Field, home of their Buffalo Bisons Triple-A farm team. The Canadian government didn’t allow the team to play at home because of the risk of spreading COVID-19, citing frequent travel required in the U.S. during a baseball season

Shapiro said he didn't ask the Canadian government to start the season in Toronto because public health has not yet improved sufficiently.

After starting the season with three-game series at the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, Toronto’s schedule has a homestand with four games against the Los Angeles Angels from April 8-11 and the Yankees from April 12-14.

The Blue Jays follow with a trip to Kansas City, Boston and Tampa Bay, then have home games against Washington on April 27-28 and Atlanta from April 30 to May 2. That is followed by a 10-game trip to Oakland, Houston and Atlanta.

It remains unlikely they would gain approval to play May games in Toronto. A return home in the second half may be more realistic, after players and large segments of the population in the U.S. and Canada are vaccinated.

The TD Ballpark in Dunedin seats about 8,500 fans and had a major renovation in 2019-20. The Blue Jays intend to limit capacity to 15%.

Toronto last played at 49,000-capacity Rogers Centre on Sept. 29, 2019, an 8-3 win over Tampa Bay.

"That's where we want to be," Shapiro said. “It's going to be clear to all all of us whether the circumstances present a meaningful and healthy case for us to get back home.”

Shapiro said Buffalo might not have to be used as an option if the Blue jays are allowed to play in Toronto sooner expected. He said the Triple-A affiliate team in Buffalo would shift games elsewhere if the major league team plays in Buffalo.

The border remains closed to nonessential travelers who are not Canadian citizens. Canada requires those entering the country to isolate for 14 days. And starting Monday, air travelers who arrive in Canada will be forced to quarantine in a hotel for up to three nights as they await the result of a coronavirus test.

Ongoing challenges with the pandemic and how that affects the process of crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada will also keep the Toronto Raptors in their adopted Tampa, Florida, home for the remainder of the regular season, the NBA team said last week.

Last year’s Major League Baseball regular season was played without fans.

The Blue Jays went went 32-28 last season, finishing third in the AL East behind Tampa Bay and the Yankees and qualifying for the expanded 16-team postseason. The Blue Jays were swept in two games by the AL champion Rays in a first-round series.

Toronto has been among the busiest teams on the free-agent market, agreeing to a $150 million, six-year contract with outfielder George Springer; an $18 million, one-year contract with shortstop Marcus Semien; a $5.5 million, one-year deal with right-hander Kirby Yates; a $3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and a $1.75 million, one-year contract with right-hander David Phelps.

The Blue Jays also re-signed left-hander Robbie Ray to an $8 million, one-year contract.

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AP Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

MIAMI -- Former Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria reached a final lawsuit settlement to reimburse local government $5.5 million for the cost of building Marlins Park, which opened in 2012.

The Miami-Dade County commission approved the deal after Loria agreed to a last-minute increase in the amount. A tentative settlement of $4.2 million was reached last month.

The payment stems from the $1.2 billion sale of team by Loria in 2017 to Derek Jeter and his ownership group. Loria bought the Marlins for $158.5 million in 2002.

In 2009, local government agreed to help pay to build Marlins Park in exchange for Loria's pledge to share profits if he later sold the team. That agreement called for Loria to pay 5% of net proceeds from the sale of the team.

Public money covered more than three-fourths of the $634 million cost for Marlins Park.

The settlement follows months of negotiations. The county will receive $4.8 million, and the city of Miami will receive $700,000 under terms approved Wednesday.

Designated hitter Mitch Moreland and the Oakland A's have agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million major league contract, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Moreland hit .328 with eight homers and 21 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox last season before being traded to the San Diego Padres in August, where he hit .203 with two homers and eight RBIs in 69 at-bats.

Moreland became a free agent after the Padres declined his $3 million option in November.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip is the latest driver to join the Superstar Racing Experience, a six-race short-track series airing this summer on Saturday nights in primetime on CBS.

SRX features sprint races with drivers from a variety of motorsports backgrounds competing in identically prepared racecars on a variety of tracks, including pavement and dirt. Waltrip joins a star-studded SRX lineup that already includes Tony Stewart, Tony Kanaan, Paul Tracy, Bobby Labonte, Willy T. Ribbs, Bill Elliott, Ernie Francis Jr., Marco Andretti and Helio Castroneves.

“This is an awesome opportunity and I’m genuinely excited to get back in a racecar,” said Waltrip, who owns 17 victories across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series, including the NASCAR All-Star Race. “I still love racing and I still want to compete. SRX is a great platform and all of us want to win. We might have gray hair and maybe even no hair, but when we put that helmet on and go race, the desire and talent is still there. You want to see a show? We’re gonna put on a show.”

SRX debuts June 12 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway. After Stafford, SRX visits back-to-back dirt tracks – Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on June 19 and Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, on June 26. SRX returns to pavement July 3 at Lucas Oil Raceway near Indianapolis and then ventures north to Slinger (Wis.) Speedway on July 10. SRX’s inaugural season culminates July 17 at the iconic Nashville (Tenn.) Fairgrounds Speedway.

Four of Waltrip’s NASCAR wins came at short tracks, including Lucas Oil Raceway, where the Owensboro, Ky.-native won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 1989.

“We all come from a short-track background. I mean, that’s where it all starts,” Waltrip said. “Aero doesn’t matter. You’ve got more horsepower than you can put to the ground. It’s all about what you do behind the wheel. As a driver, that’s all you want.”

In addition to its linear broadcast, CBS Sports’ coverage will be streamed live via its CBS All Access subscription service.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Novak Djokovic had a perfect record in Australian Open semifinals, and he was playing almost flawless tennis to protect it.

It didn't matter that across the net was Aslan Karatsev, a 114th-ranked, 27-year-old Russian who had come through qualifying to make his debut in a Grand Slam tournament after nine failed attempts.

Djokovic made only one unforced error in more than 50 minutes.

It was tight for the first seven games -- before Djokovic reeled off eight straight points to win the first set -- and again when Karatsev went on an all-or-nothing roll late in the second set.

Sensing a shift in support for the underdog -- there was a vocal crowd at Rod Laver Arena after a five-day span when fans were barred during a local COVID-19 outbreak -- Djokovic moved up a gear and finished off his opponent 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

He's now 9-0 in semifinals at the season-opening major, and one win from a ninth Australian title.

"The more I win, the better I feel coming back," the top-ranked Djokovic said. "The love affair continues."

Djokovic, 33, will have a day off Friday when No. 4 Daniil Medvedev and No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is coming off a five-set win over Rafael Nadal, meet in the other semifinal. He said he'd have a rest and get the popcorn ready to watch and see who he gets to face in Sunday's final.

Given his past success in Melbourne, Djokovic should feel confident going into another championship match. He already owns a record eight Australian titles, and he's aiming for an 18th major title, which would reduce the gap to Roger Federer and Nadal, who share the men's record at 20.

Djokovic also is aiming to be only the second man to win nine or more titles at one of the four Grand Slams. Nadal has 13 at Roland Garros. Djokovic, in Australia, and Federer, with eight at Wimbledon, currently share second place.

"Recovery is the priority right now," Djokovic said. "I've had enough match play, enough practice.

"Right now it's just gathering all the necessary energy for the most important match of the Australian Open."

Djokovic has played and beaten the likes of Federer -- four times -- Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals at Melbourne Park and was bringing that kind of game against Karatsev right up until he was serving for the second set.

Then the Russian qualifier lifted his game, as he did in wins over three seeded players as he became the first man in the professional era to reach the semifinals in his debut at a major.

After a difficult hold in the seventh game, Karatsev broke Djokovic's serve for the first time and then narrowed the gap to 5-4.

Djokovic regathered his composure to earn two set points but again got tight, losing them with a forehand long and a netted attempted drop shot at the end of a 32-shot exchange.

He had to save break points before getting another go. When Karatsev shanked a forehand, Djokovic leaped as he punched the air and went back to his changeover chair yelling, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

The crowd was back on his side, chanting "Nole, Nole, Nole."

He broke to open the third set and again twice more to finish off.

After the win, Djokovic said Karatsev deserved plenty of praise for his amazing major breakthrough.

"Well, first I want to give credit to Karatsev for a great tournament," he said. "Maybe it wasn't his day today but he had big wins and debut, first Grand Slam semifinals. Kudos for great result."

Karatsev will move into the Top 50 for the first time next week, meaning he won't have to go through qualifying for the majors.

"It's given me more confidence -- I've started to believe more," Karatsev said of his run.

The biggest thing he's learned in Melbourne, he added, is "that I can play with everyone -- to be there, to compete with everyone."

And that goes right to the top.

Djokovic has been bothered by an abdominal muscle problem since the third round. He initially said it was a tear, but has since refused to talk about the details until after the tournament.

After his win over Karatsev, he said it's "the best as I've felt the entire tournament."

"I felt great. I could swing through the ball. No pain. Best match so far," Djokovic said. "It came at the right time. I'm thrilled to feel this way."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

TOKYO -- Seiko Hashimoto appeared in seven Olympics -- four Winter Olympics and three Summer Olympics. According to historian Bill Mallon, her seven appearances are the most by any "multiseason" athlete in the Games.

Hashimoto made even more history on Thursday in Japan, where women are still rare in the boardrooms and positions of political power.

Hashimoto, 56, was named as president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee after a meeting of its male-dominated executive board. She replaces Yoshiro Mori, the 83-year-old former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign last week after making sexist comments about women.

Essentially, he said women talk too much.

"Now I'm here to return what I owe as an athlete and to return back what I received,'' she told the board, speaking through an interpreter in Japanese.

Hashimoto had been serving as the Olympic minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. She also held a portfolio dealing with gender equality and women's empowerment. She said she would be replaced as Olympic minister by Tamayo Marukawa.

She brought up the issue of gender while speaking to the nearly all-male audience. Although the leader is now a woman, the issue of gender inequity in Japan remains.

"As the background to my selection, I understand that there is a gender-parity-related factor,'' she said. She said she hoped to work on the issue but was not specific.

Hashimoto competed in three Summer Olympics ('88, '92 and '96) in cycling and in four Winter Olympics ('84, '88, '92 and '94) in speedskating. She won a bronze medal -- her only medal -- in 1992 in at 1,500 meters in speedskating.

Japan-born Naomi Osaka, speaking about Hashimoto after her semifinal tennis victory over Serena Williams at the Australian Open, said news of Hashimoto taking over as Tokyo Olympic president was a sign that "barriers are being broken down."

"I think for me, what it means is that there's a lot of things I think people used to accept the things that used to be said, but you're seeing the newer generation not tolerate a lot of things," Osaka said.

"I feel like it's really good because you're pushing forward, barriers are being broken down, especially for females. We've had to fight for so many things just to be equal. Even in a lot of things we still aren't equal. Yeah, I thought that was a good thing."

Hashimoto is tied to the Olympics in many ways. She was born in Hokkaido in northern Japan just five days before the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Her name "Seiko'' comes from "seika," which translates as Olympic flame in English.

According to widely circulated reports in Japan, Hashimoto was reluctant to take the job and was one of three final candidates considered by a selection committee headed by Fujio Mitarai, 85, of the camera company Canon.

The selection committee met for three consecutive days, a rushed appointment with the postponed Olympics opening in just over five months in the middle of a pandemic and facing myriad problems.

Polls show about 80% of Japanese want the Olympics canceled or postponed again. There is fear about bringing tens of thousands of athletes and others into Japan, which has controlled the coronavirus better than most countries.

There also is opposition to the soaring costs.

The official cost is $15.4 billion, though several government audits say the price is at least $25 billion, the most expensive Summer Olympics on record according to a University of Oxford study.

Naming a woman could be a breakthrough for gender equality in Japan, where females are underrepresented in boardrooms and in politics. Japan ranks 121st out of 153 countries on the World Economic Forum's annual gender equality ranking.

Mori, before stepping down, tried to offer the job last week to 84-year-old Saburo Kawabuchi, a former head of the country's soccer federation. But reports of the behind-closed-door deal were widely criticized by social media, on Japanese talk shows, and in newspaper reports.

Kawabuchi quickly withdrew from consideration.

Hashimoto is not without her critics. A Japanese magazine in 2014 ran photographs of her embracing figure skater Daisuke Takahashi at a party during the Sochi Olympics, suggesting it was sexual harassment. She later apologized, and Takahashi said he did not feel harassed.

Two other former Olympians also were reported to have been in the running for Mori's job: Yasuhiro Yamashita, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee who won gold in judo in 1984, and Mikako Kotani, who won two bronze medals in synchronized swimming at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Kotani is the sports director for the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. That committee's leadership is dominated by men, who make up 80% of the executive board.

Japan began to roll out vaccines on Wednesday, a critical move that might boost the Olympics. It is several months behind Britain and the United States.

Widespread vaccination is unlikely in Japan when the Olympics open on July 23 with 11,000 athletes, followed by the Paralympics on Aug. 24 with 4,400 athletes. The plan is to keep the athletes in a bubble at the Athletes Village, at venues and at training areas. The IOC has said it will not require participants to be vaccinated, but is encouraging it.

In addition to the athletes, tens of thousands of officials, media, sponsors and broadcasters will also have to enter Japan. Many of them will operate outside the bubble in an Olympics that is to be driven by television and the billions the IOC receives from selling broadcast rights.

The first challenge for Hashimoto could be pulling off the torch relay that begins March 25 in northeastern Japan. It will crisscross the country with about 10,000 runners, and end at the opening ceremony in Tokyo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Last week, I ranked the top 100 prospects and all 30 farm systems heading into the 2021 season. Now it's time to go deeper with my team-by-team rankings, starting with the American League.

A quick refresher on a key term you'll see throughout the team lists: Future Value, shortened to FV hereafter, as a term that sums up the value of a player into one number. It's graded on the 20-80 scouting scale. A low-end every-day player is a 50, which correlates to 2.0 WAR; a well above average position player, No. 3 starter or high-end closer is a 60, or somewhere around 3.0 WAR. I refrain from tossing out an 80 on minor leaguers because that would imply one is expected to be one of the top players in baseball.

While the top 100 is exactly that long, I rank every prospect who gets a 45+ or better FV grade that is 167 in total, so that rank is included here in the team lists. For every team, there are reports on the top 10 prospects and then varying numbers of others depending on the strength of the system. Broadly, it'll be everyone better than a 40 FV, then hand-picked interesting prospects who are 40 FVs.

And now on to my rankings.

Jump to a team:

BAL | BOS | CHW | CLE | DET
HOU | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY
OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR

Rashid Khan is likely to miss the majority of his maiden PSL season after being named in Afghanistan's squad for their two-Test series against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi next month.

Khan is in Karachi preparing for the start of the PSL after he was picked by the Lahore Qalandars as a platinum player in last month's draft, but will be available for only a couple of games before flying to the UAE ahead of the first Test on March 2.

Khan's compatriots Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Peshawar Zalmi), Qais Ahmad (Quetta Gladiators) and Noor Ahmad (Karachi Kings) will be available for much more of the PSL season after not being named in the Test squad, while Mohammad Nabi (Karachi Kings) retired from Tests in 2019. Mujeeb and Nabi are both, however, likely to miss the final stages to play in the T20I series from March 17-20.

Eight members of Afghanistan's 19-man squad are uncapped at the Test level: Abdul Malik, Munir Ahmad Kakar, Shahidullah Kamal, Bahir Shah Mohboob, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Sayed Ahmed Shirzad, Saleem Safi and Zia Ur Rahman Akbar. Asghar Afghan returns to the captaincy, while Zahir Khan and Abdul Wasi Noori have been named as reserves.

Zimbabwe named their squad earlier this week, with two senior players in Brendan Taylor and Craig Ervine missing through illness, and Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha and Peter Moor all absent because of injuries.

Afghanistan squad: Asghar Afghan (capt), Ibrahim Zadran, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Nasir Jamal, Abdul Malik, Munir Ahmad Kakar, Shahidullah Kamal, Bahir Shah Mohboob, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Sayed Ahmad Shirzad, Saleem Safi, Wafadar Momand, Zia Ur Rahman Akbar, Yamin Ahmadzai

Moeen Ali has ended a difficult week in India on an unequivocal high, after being picked up for Rs 7 crore (US$959,000) by Chennai Super Kings at the IPL auction.

The price tag is almost four times the figure that Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs 1.7 crore; US$265,000) paid for Moeen in 2018, and marks an immediate return to the tournament after he was released by RCB at the end of the 2020 season.

Having entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore (US$274,000), Moeen was the subject of significant interest from the newly rebranded Punjab Kings before being secured by CSK, where he will link up with his fellow England allrounder Sam Curran.

CSK are in the progress of a rebuilding phase, after failing to reach the IPL play-offs for the first time in the competition's history, and the signing of Moeen came after they had narrowly missed out on the services of his fellow spin-bowling allrounder, Glenn Maxwell, who was picked up by Moeen's old franchise, RCB, for Rs 14.25 crore (US$1.95million)

L Balaji, CSK's bowling coach, said of the signing: "We were focusing on an allrounder and power-hitting. Moeen is a good buy. He is handy with the ball and also can bat in the top order. [Shane] Watson gave us that flexibility in the top order. Now Moeen gives us depth and the option of a dual role - [I'm] 100% sure he'll fill in what we're looking at."

Moeen's IPL credentials are likely to have been enhanced by his performance in the second Test against India at the Chepauk Stadium this week, where he claimed eight wickets in the match - his first Test appearance for 18 months - then signed off with an explosive cameo of 43 from 18 balls in the final moments of India's 317-run win.

Either way, Moeen's involvement in the tournament is a boost to his prospects of playing a major role in England's T20 World Cup campaign, which is also due to be staged in India at the end of the year. Moeen was part of the squad that toured South Africa in December, but was left out for all three T20Is as England opted to field a single frontline spinner.

Though he has been named in England's T20I squad for their five-match series against India next month, Moeen's departure from the Test squad this week attracted controversy when it was implied by Joe Root, England's captain, that he had "chosen" to go home rather than compete for a place in the final two Tests, with the series currently locked at 1-1.

Root subsequently apologised to Moeen, as did England's head coach Chris Silverwood, who acknowledged that a request had been put in for Moeen to stay on tour, but that his absence from the Ahmedabad Tests had been decided by the ECB in advance, in accordance with their rest and rotation policy.

The request had been put in by England as a consequence of Moeen's disrupted winter schedule. He contracted Covid-19 on arrival in Sri Lanka in January and was required to spend a fortnight in quarantine, as a consequence of which he missed both Tests at Galle as well as England's victory in the first Test against India in Chennai.

Moeen's reluctance to accede to England's request stemmed in part from the prospect of him picking up a new IPL contract, which would have meant a stretch of five months away from his young family, with the tournament due to end in the first week of June.

To date, Moeen has played 19 IPL games for RCB, scoring 309 runs at a strike rate of 158.46, and taking 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.14.

Moeen was the star attraction among English players in the opening rounds of the auction. Dawid Malan, ranked the world's No. 1 T20I batsman by the ICC, was signed by Punjab Kings for Rs 150 lakh (US$204,000), while Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Sam Billings and Adil Rashid were all unsold at the first time of asking. Mark Wood withdrew from the auction on Wednesday.

Top seed Novak Djokovic overcame stern resistance from Aslan Karatsev to reach the Australian Open final and end the Russian qualifier's remarkable run.

The 33-year-old Serb won the final four games to finally shrug off Karatsev.

Djokovic, who is going for a record-extending ninth title in Melbourne, will face either Daniil Medvedev or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's final.

Russian fourth seed Medvedev meets Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas in the other semi-final on Friday, with both men trying to reach their first Australian Open final.

Neither player has won a major title yet and will face an opponent in Djokovic who is bidding for an 18th Grand Slam to close the gap on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

More to follow.