Brewers sign Voit, designate Hiura for assignment - MLB

PHOENIX — The Milwaukee Brewers signed first baseman Luke Voit and designated Keston Hiura for assignment as part of a flurry of moves they made to prepare for the start of the season.

Voit had arrived in camp on a minor-league deal at the start of spring training but opted out of that contract last week, enabling him to negotiate with other teams. The 2020 MLB home-run leader instead stayed with the Brewers on a one-year, major-league deal that includes a club option for 2024.

The 32-year-old Voit batted .226 with 22 homers, 69 RBIs and a .308 on-base percentage in 135 games with the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals last season. Voit’s best year came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he batted .277 with 22 homers and 52 RBIs in 56 games with the New York Yankees.

Hiura, 26, posted a .938 OPS in 84 games as a rookie in 2019 but hasn’t approached that production since. He batted .226 with 14 homers and 32 RBIs in 80 games last season and struck out in 111 of his 266 plate appearances.

The Brewers also indicated rookie second baseman Brice Turang, right-handed pitcher Gus Varland and utilityman Owen Miller have made the major-league roster.

Varland, 26, was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers. That means Brewers must keep him on their major-leaguer roster all season or place him on waivers. If he clears waivers, Varland must be offered back to the Dodgers for $50,000.

Turang, 23, batted .286 with a .360 on-base percentage, 13 homers, 78 RBIs and 34 steals in 131 games for Triple-A Nashville last season.

Miller, 26, batted .243 with six homers and 51 RBIs in 130 games for the Cleveland Guardians last season.

In other moves, the Brewers optioned infielder Abraham Toro to Nashville and reassigned outfielders Sal Frelick and Joey Wiemer to minor-league camp.

The Brewers open the season at Chicago against the Cubs.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.