Teams spend $1.4B in 1 day, then MLB locks out players

By JAKE SEINER
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball teams committed to an unprecedented $1.4 billion in salaries Wednesday, hours before the league locked out players following the 11:59 p.m. expiration of the sport’s collective bargaining agreement. It’s the first time clubs have combined to spend over $1 billion in a single day. The Texas Rangers led the spending spree, finalizing deals with shortstop Corey Seager for $325 million over 10 years and infielder Marcus Semien for $175 million over seven years. The Detroit Tigers locked up Javier Báez on a $140 million, six-year deal, and ace Max Scherzer got $130 million over three years from the New York Mets.