Here is the list of the seven players with new contracts, showing what they made in 2023 and what they will make in 2024:

• Pitcher Shane Bieber: $10.1 million in 2023, $13,125,000 in 2024.

• Pitcher Triston McKenzie: $739,000, $1.6 million.

• First baseman/DH Josh Naylor: $3.35 million, $6.5 million.

• Reliever Scott Barlow: $5.3 million, $6,7 million.

• Reliever James Karinchack: $1,5 million, $1.9 million.

• Reliever Sam Hentges: $730,200, $1.162,500.

• Reliever Nick Sandlin: $726,000, $1,075,000.

The increases total $9,617,300. Perhaps now that he has that figure in mind, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti will know how much if any he can spend to acquire a bat to add some power to the Guardians’ anemic outfield.

Randal Grichuk, 32, hit 16 home runs and drove in 44 runs for the Rockies and Angels in 434 at-bats in 2023. Grichuk is a free agent. He’ll never be confused with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, but 16 homers is four more than the Guardians’ starting outfield of Steve Kwan (five), Will Brennan (five) and Myles Straw (1), combined for in 1,532 at-bats last season.

Antonetti during a wrapup news conference at the end of the 2023 season said he wants more production from center field and right field. He is content to leave Kwan in left field. He especially wants more from center field. Straw is an excellent defender, but he hit a paltry .238 and drove in 29 runs in 147 games.

Straw walked 42 times and struck out 97 times. Striking out more than twice as many times as he walked for a hitter with zero power is unacceptable. To compare, Jose Ramirez walked 73 times and struck out 73 times. He led the team with 24 home runs. Josh Naylor led the Guardians with 97 RBI. He was very disciplined at the plate. He batted a team-best .308 and struck out 68 times. He drew 33 walks.

Shane Bieber and the Guardians have avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $13,125,000 contract for next season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Jan. 11.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.

Teams and players were set to exchange proposed arbitration salaries later Jan. 11.

Bieber, who was limited to 21 starts last season because of an elbow injury, finalized his deal ahead of the deadline, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced any agreements.

Bieber made $10.1 million last season.

The 28-year-old Bieber has been the subject of trade speculation the past two seasons, and the right-hander may have been moved last year had he not gotten hurt.

While he’s been their staff ace for several seasons, the Guardians know they probably can’t afford to sign Bieber to a long-term deal, which is they’ve considered trading him before he’s eligible for free agency.

The AL Cy Young Award winner in 2020, Bieber went 6-6 in 2023 with a 3.80 ERA. In six years with Cleveland, he’s 60-32 with a 3.27 ERA and has been an All-Star twice.

The Guardians have six other arbitration-eligible players: first baseman Josh Naylor, starter Triston McKenzie and relievers Scott Barlow, James Karinchak, Sam Hentges and Nick Sandlin.

But don’t close the book on 2023 just yet because the best story of the year is still being written.

1. Browns make playoffs despite injuries: The Browns’ march to the playoffs not only is the best thing that happened on the Cleveland sports scene in 2023; it has become such a feel-good story because of all the injuries they overcame to clinch that even Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel talked about them during a news conference in Miami. That’s noteworthy because the Dolphins were preparing for a huge Dec. 31 game with the Ravens in Baltimore. Normally a coach would say something like, “I’m just thinking about our team.”

McDaniel was responding to a question from a Dolphins beat writer who mentioned watching the Browns beat the Jets on Dec. 28 and compared the way they’re playing to the Texas Rangers winning the World Series despite being without starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.

“A lot of people were worried about what (the Browns) didn’t have except them,” McDaniel said. “When your focus is on the opponent and not what you don’t have, really cool things can happen. And because they were put behind the eight ball with injuries, now the accomplishments are that much more satisfying.

“Henceforth, adversity is opportunity. That’s kind of the name of the game in life and football. They’re doing a tremendous job providing that example.”

The Browns are 11-5. The only team in the AFC with a better record is the Ravens (13-3). Six Browns starters are on injured reserve — running back Nick Chubb, quarterback Deshaun Watson, right tackle Jack Conklin, left tackle Jedrick Wills, middle linebacker Jacob Phillips and kick returner Jakeem Grant.

Backup right tackle Dawand Jones and backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson are also on I.R. Kicker Dustin Hopkins, middle linebacker Anthony Walker, punter Corey Bojorquez and defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo are too injured to play but they are not on I.R.

2. Terry Francona retires: Terry Francona began managing the Indians in 2013 and quickly put his stamp on the team. The Indians were 68-94 in 2012. A year later they were 92-70 and an American League wild-card team. The Tampa Bay Rays eliminated them in a one-game playoff.

Francona, 64, on Aug. 22 during his routine pregame news conference casually hinted 2023 would be his last season, even though he didn’t come right out and say it until Oct. 3. He did not want the focus of the last six weeks of the season to be about him.

“I need to get healthy for my life, and this lifestyle is just too difficult,” Francona said in August. “I also know how I feel about doing the job a certain way, and I don’t think I can necessarily do that anymore. And that bothers me.

“When I got done as a player (1990), I had given everything I could — and I knew it and never looked back. I think that’s probably where I’m at now. I’m in a pretty comfortable place. I’m at peace with it.”

Francona was 921-757 as manager of the Indians/Guardians. He took them to the playoffs six times — four times as AL Central Division champions and twice as a wild-card team. The Indians played for the World Series title in 2016 and lost to the Cubs in the 10th inning of Game 7.

3. Browns sign Joe Flacco: Browns general manager Andrew Berry became infatuated with Dorian Thompson-Robinson because the rookie quarterback from UCLA played well against the Jets in the Hall of Fame game Aug. 3. DTR also completed nine of 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Commanders in a preseason game.

The confidence in Thompson-Robinson prompted Berry to trade veteran backup Joshua Dobbs to the Cardinals for a fifth-round draft pick in August. It was a bad miscalculation by Berry, because when the games began to count and Deshaun Watson was sidelined with a shoulder injury, DTR was exposed as not being ready to lead a team to the playoffs. P.J. Walker, who started the season on the practice squad, was even more unqualified.

Berry was in a jam, so he invited Joe Flacco to Berea for a tryout on Nov. 17. Flacco, 38, last played for the Jets in the 2022 season finale. He said as September, October and mid-November went by he became convinced he wouldn’t play football in 2023.

The call from Berry changed that, and it changed the course of the Browns this season. Had Berry not traded Dobbs, Flacco might still be on his couch back home in South Philadelphia.

4. Nick Chubb injured: Right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener. One week later, Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick took down Browns star running back Nick Chubb with a tackle at the knees.

Chubb suffered a torn ACL and MCL. His season was over. Injuries are part of football, but Chubb is much more than a 1,000-yard rusher for the Browns. He is the heart and soul of the team. Just imagine how formidable the offense would be if Flacco had Chubb in the backfield.

“I’m very disappointed for Nick,” Coach Kevin Stefanski said a day after the injury. “He means a lot to this team, means a lot to this organization. So he will be missed, but he will bounce back. Of that, I have no doubt.”

The MCL was surgically repaired in September. The ACL surgery was performed Nov. 14.

The Browns have been running back by committee without Chubb. Led by Jerome Ford (807 yards), the Browns have rushed for 1,913 yards (3.9 average) and 15 touchdowns,

5. Jim Brown dies: I remember talking with Jim Brown during training camp about 10 years ago. He still looked fit at 75 years old, but he sometimes had to lean on a cane.

“Father Time is undefeated,” he said.

Brown passed away on May 18 at age 87 after a long unspecified illness.

The Browns selected Brown with the sixth pick of the 1957 draft. He played nine seasons, all for the Browns, and was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 12,312 yards when he retired after the 1965 season. He was voted the NFL’s MVP in his final season.

Brown was an actor, an activist and in his later years an ambassador for the Browns when they returned to the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. He would speak to the team in training camp until his health began to decline. He commanded a room like few people can and told the players about the history of the Browns but also about how their position as a professional athlete gave them a platform to make a difference in the community.

The Browns are honoring Brown with a “32” patch on the front of their uniforms.

6. Browns hire Jim Schwartz: Jim Schwartz on Jan. 17 was hired as defensive coordinator to replace fired Joe Woods and immediately the personality of the Browns was transformed.

Schwartz let his players know he would use an attacking philosophy, and that is exactly how they’ve played all season. It helped, too, that Berry fortified the defensive line by signing defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris plus defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo in free agency. He acquired defensive end Za’Darius Smith plus a 2025 sixth-round pick and a 2025 seventh-round pick for the Browns’ fifth-round pick in 2024 and 2025. Smith has 5.5 sacks, second only to the 14 posted by Myles Garrett.

Third-year linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is having his best season with the Browns because of Schwartz’ philosophy. Garrett has been dominant even though he went five weeks without a sack.

“In my mind the definition of a great player is when an opponent starts their game plan with ‘we’re gonna take care of this guy,’” Schwartz said when asked about Garrett. “Like ‘we’re not gonna let this guy beat us’ and he’s still able to be effective and he’s still able to play at a high level.

“In my career, I’ve really seen that from three players. I’ve seen it from Myles. I’ve seen it from (Lions Hall of Fame wide receiver) Calvin Johnson and I saw it from (Ravens Hall of Fame linebacker) Ray Lewis. Guys that every week the opponent said ‘this guy’s not gonna beat us’ and every week that player still made plays.”

The Browns are on a four-game winning streak.

7. Cavs exit playoffs quickly: Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman boldly traded first-round draft picks in 2025, ‘27 and 2029 along with Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton and 2022 rookie Ochai Agbaji to the Utah Jazz for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell about a month before the 2022-23 training camp started. The Cavs and Jazz agreed to swap picks in 2026 and 2028.

The trade helped the Cavs improve from 44-38 to 51-31 in the regular season. It was good enough for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, but the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Knicks in five games in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks won twice at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the Cavs lost only 10 games in the regular season.

Altman declared the season a success despite the poor performance in the playoffs. He vowed to keep the core four — Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen — together. He held true to that vow but did tweak the roster (see No. 10). Altman believes the experience gained will pay off in the playoffs this spring. We shall see.

8. Guardians hire Steve Vogt: Francona managed 23 years in the Majors with the Phillies, Red Sox and Indians/Guardians. The man hired to take over in the dugout, Stephen Vogt, was a catcher for the Oakland A’s as recently as 2022.

Vogt was the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners in 2023. Despite his inexperience, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is confident Vogt is ready to be a big league manager.

“Steven is wise beyond his years,” Antonetti said Nov. 10 at Vogt’s introductory news conference. “He has a unique blend of self-confidence and humility. He has a great baseball mind. There were so many things that stood out as we thought about the leader we were trying to bring to the organization. He checks all the boxes for us.”

Vogt believes being a catcher for 11 seasons groomed him to be a manager.

“I know how to deal with position players because I was one, and I know how to deal with pitchers because I worked with them throughout my whole career,” Vogt said. “They are two very different breeds. To put it nicely.

“I also think the majority of my career was game planning and making in-game decisions. There are 150 to 175 in-game decisions that as a catcher you make every night. Any one of them could be the impact that leads to a win or loss. So having that ability and having gone through that process is really going to help.”

The Guardians were 76-86 in 2023.

9. Young pitchers come through: Injuries decimated the Guardians’ starting rotation. Pitchers normally make about 30 starts a year if they stay healthy. Triston McKenzie made four starts, Cal Quantrill 19, Shane Bieber 21 and Aaron Civale 13 before being shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays at the trade deadline. Zach Plesac made just five starts before being demoted to Triple-A Columbus. He subsequently was designated for assignment.

The injuries accelerated the promotions of Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Gavin Williams to the Guardians. They started 25, 24 and 16 games respectively and finished with a combined record of 20-17. Bibee was the best of the three. He was 10-4 until a hip injury ended his season.in mid-September. The injury is not expected to affect him when spring training begins in February.

No team has too much starting pitching, but the emergence of Bibee, Allen and Williams means the Guardians might trade Bieber. He will be a free agent in 2025 without a new contract.

10. Cavs add Strus, Niang: Altman figured the best way to improve the Cavs without breaking up the band was to acquire outside shooting. To that end, he traded with the Miami Heat for Max Strus and signed Georges Niang in free agency.

The Strus trade was not costly to the Cavaliers regarding assets used to facilitate the deal. The Cavs sent a 2026 second-round pick (via the Lakers) to Miami, and traded forwards Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens plus Cleveland’s own 2030 second-round pick to San Antonio in a three-team trade.

Strus has started all 32 games (18-14) and has helped the Cavs stay above .500 while Garland (fractured jaw) and Mobley (knee surgery) recover from their injuries. Strus is averaging 14 points a game.

Niang provides offense off the bench. He has played in all 32 games but started only once. He is averaging 8.1 points in 22 minutes a game.

Florial signed with the Yankees in 2015 and was rated their top prospect in 2019 by MLB.com before dropping to sixth in 2020, 10th in 2021 and 30th in 2022.

He made his big league debut in August 2020 and has played in just 48 major league games over four seasons, hitting .209 with one homer, 11 RBIs and six stolen bases.

Florial batted .230 with eight RBI and three steals in 19 games for the Yankees this year while hitting .284 with 28 homers, 79 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 101 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Morris, 27, made his big league debut in September 2022 and had a 6.75 ERA in six appearances with the Guardians this year, striking out nine and walking six in eight innings. He averaged 95.2 mph with his fastball in the majors, also throwing a cutter, curveball and changeup.

Morris was 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA in four starts and 17 relief appearances for Triple-A Columbus and Double-A Akron this year, striking out 56 and walking 27 in 39 innings.

New York appeared to have a glut of outfielders after acquiring Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from San Diego and Alex Verdugo from Boston. The Yankees traded right-handers Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez and Drew Thorpe to the Padres in the Soto swap along with catcher Kyle Higashioka.

The Guardians are reuniting with Austin Hedges, agreeing with the popular veteran catcher on a $4 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Dec. 10.

Hedges, who played in Cleveland from 2020-22, will sign the contract once he passes a physical, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be finalized until the medical tests are completed.

The Guardians made two moves with their catching on Dec. 10, trading Christian Bethancourt to the Miami Marlins. Cleveland, which claimed Bethancourt off waivers on Nov. 6, will receive cash considerations in the deal.

Although he’s not much of a hitter, Hedges is solid defensively and perhaps most importantly, he’s a clubhouse leader. The Guardians missed his presence last season and especially having him as an influence for younger players.

Hedges finished last season winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers. He got one at-bat against Arizona and struck out.

He’ll be an asset to new Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, who like Hedges, was a journeyman catcher.

The 31-year-old Hedges batted .184 (34 for 185) with Pittsburgh and Texas last season. The Rangers acquired him before the trade deadline and he wound up pitching in four games, posting a 4.91 ERA in 3 2/3 innings.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Major League teams stocked up on pitching Dec. 6 in the big league phase of the winter meeting draft of unprotected players, taking pitchers with eight of the 10 selections — including three from the New York Yankees’ system.

The Yankees lost a pair of right-handers in first two picks, with Oakland taking Mitch Spence and Kansas City selecting Matt Sauer. Texas, fresh off its first World Series victory, took right-hander Carson Coleman from the Yankees with the No. 23 selection.

The Guardians selected third baseman Deyvison De Los Santos from Arizona. He hit 50 home runs in three seasons and was ranked as the Diamondbacks fifth-best prospect.

Washington drafted shortstop Nasim Nunez from the Florida Marlins’ system.

Nationals General manager Mike Rizzo wants to see what manager Dave Martinez can do even with the challenge that the infielder from the Bronx likely won’t get a lot chances to bat at the big league level. Rizzo wants his coaches to iron out some mechanical issues with Nunez, 23, adding strength and flexibility.

“He gives Davey an option off the bench a defensive replacement, elite defensive skills and a base runner, base stealer and a guy that can help us win games at the big league level,” Rizzo said.

Teams pay $100,000 to take a player in the major league portion of what it called the Rule 5 draft. The players must stay on the big league roster all of next season or clear waivers and be offered back to their original organization for $50,000.

The Athletics plan on giving Spence every chance to make the roster as a starter. General manager Dave Forst said there’s always a chance Spence winds up in the bullpen if no rotation spot is available.

“But we’ll give him every opportunity to make the team,” Forst said.

Spence, 25, was a 10th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2019 amateur draft out of South Carolina Aiken. The native of Kirkland, Washington, spent this season in Triple-A in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 4.35 ERA.

“We’re not looking at his ERA,” Forst said. “There’s enough information now to break down his pitches his swing-and-miss stuff, his other metrics.”

The Chicago White Sox took left-hander Shane Drohan at No. 4 from the Boston system. Drohan was a fifth-round pick in 2020 out of Florida State, and White Sox general manager Chris Getz said they have some history with Drohan from his time with the Seminoles.

Drohan spent time at Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester in 2023.

“We got some early spring training looks on him this year, and we liked what we saw,” Getz said. “An opportunity to take a shot on an arm we feel has the potential to have some survival skills at the major level to begin with and long-term, a little bit of upside that could potentially be a rotation piece.”

The New York Mets took right-hander Justin Slaten from the Rangers’ system at No. 8, then traded him to Boston for minor league lefty Ryan Ammons.

Slaten, 26, had a 2.7 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A for the Rangers this year. Texas took him in the third round of the 2019 amateur draft., The Mets got Ammons, 22, who was a 10th-round pick in July’s amateur draft out of Clemson.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

The 2024 MLB Draft lottery on Dec 6. provided a jolt to that idea.

With 2.7% odds to land the No. 1 overall pick, the ping-pong balls pinged and ponged the Guardians’ way after the Washington Nationals drew the top overall pick, but were unable to keep it due to being a revenue payout team that picked in the top 10 the year prior (revenue payee teams cannot pick in the top 10 two years in a row in the new MLB lottery draft format).

The stroke of fortune can be a franchise-changing opportunity for the Guardians, who have never picked No. 1 overall in franchise history.

The 2023 draft had three (Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Wyatt Langford) to five (Max Clark, Walker Jenkins) players who could have been considered No. 1 overall picks in any given class. While the 2024 draft may not have that group of top selections, there are potentially impactful options for the Guardians to choose from.

• Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz is poised to be one of the first college bats off the board whether or not he goes No. 1 overall to the Guardians. The 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter has the coveted power Cleveland has been lacking. He swatted 39 homers over the past two seasons for the Demon Deacons, and pairs that with an elite eye at the plate (111 walks compared to 88 strikeouts, and a chase rate of 14.6%), while hitting .345/.499/.708 in his first two collegiate seasons. The track record of taking college first baseman early in the draft is a bit shaky, however, and Wake Forest’s home park is considered to be hitter-friendly.

• Over on the West Coast is infielder/outfielder Travis Bazzana, a native of Australia who is playing his college ball at always competitive Oregon State. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter has posted a .340/.463/.549 batting line over his two seasons in Corvallis, to go along with 17 homers and 56 steals in 60 tries. Like Kurtz, Bazzana rarely chases pitches out of the zone (15.5%). He also put up a huge .375/.456/.581 batting line, with six homers and 18 steals in the Cape Cod League in 2023, taking home MVP honors. He can play second base and perhaps some outfield.

• West Virginia infielder JJ Weatherholt is another bat who could be considered the top pick or could go in the top five. Over two seasons for the Mountaineers, the left-hander has hit .381/.466/.635 with 21 homers and 51 steals. Weatherholt is a bit more aggressive as a hitter (walk rate of 9.7% and strikeout rate of just 8.21%), and there are questions about his ultimate defensive position, but like the two others above him, the bat is what he will be drafted for.

• As for pitching options, right now Kurtz’s newest teammate, 6-4 right-hander Chase Burns appears to be the top option. After posting a 3.54 ERA in 152 2/3 innings with 217 strikeouts and just 47 walks at Tennessee the last two seasons, Burns transferred to Wake Forest, which is considered to have a strong pitching development program, for 2024.

A lot can change between now and July, especially for the high school class, where draft prospects often rise up boards late in their senior years. But the crop of college bats in the 2024 class appears to be the best bet for the Guardians.

At the moment, all four options could be quick risers through the minor-league farm system after playing three years of college ball in strong conferences and at high levels.

In addition to picking first overall in the draft, Cleveland now also holds the 36th (Competitive Balance Around A) and 48th (second-round) picks in the draft. The latter two could move up depending on how free agency plays out this winter.

In addition to landing the top overall pick, Cleveland also benefits from the draft bonus pool associated with those picks. The 2024 draft slots and overall bonus pools for teams aren’t currently known. But in 2023, the team that had the ninth pick (where Cleveland was projected to pick based on the odds) would have added over $4 million to its bonus pool if it had moved up to No. 1 in the draft. In 2023, the Guardians had a bonus pool of $8,736,700.00 allotted to their picks. They ended up spending $9,071,280 to sign 19 of their 21 picks, spreading the bonus pool money down the draft board in an attempt to collect more talent, as they typically aim to do every draft cycle.

Outside of 2020, Cleveland has spent above its bonus pool allotment to the point of paying a fine, but never losing a pick in the draft the following year. This windfall of picks and bonus money available to them in the 2024 draft has the potential to jolt a farm system and franchise in an otherwise stagnant position at the moment.

Major League Baseball and the players’ association agreed to the lottery in their March 2022 labor contract, an innovation to discourage struggling teams from deliberately trying for a top draft pick by getting rid of veterans.

The 18 teams that failed to make the playoffs entered the weighted lottery, and the first drawing of four ping-pong balls at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center came up with 3-9-11-13 — a winning combination for the Nationals among 1,001 combinations.

Washington was ineligible to pick in the top six because the collective bargaining agreement states a team that pays in the revenue-sharing plan cannot have a lottery pick in back-to-back years, and the Nationals chose outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 selection this year.

The ping-pong balls were redrawn, and 8-14-10-7 were selected, a Guardians combination. The results were presented about two hours later on MLB Network in the televised show from a ballroom at the winter meetings.

“It’s hard to describe,” Guardians president Chris Antonetti said on MLB Nertwork following the reveal. “Not something I was expecting at all waking up this morning. In fact, wasn’t really even on our radar. Knew it was happening, but given the odds, wasn’t spending a whole lot of time on it.

“When we got that inkling it might happen, it’s all I could think about. Because this is an extraordinary opportunity for us, and an opportunity we haven’t had in our franchise history.”

Cincinnati will pick second in the July 14 draft at Arlington, Texas, followed by Colorado, Oakland, the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City, St. Louis, the Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh and Washington.

Detroit selects 11th, followed by Boston, San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs, Seattle, Miami, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.

The Guardians were tied for the 22nd-best record among the 30 teams this year and had a 2% chance to win the lottery. Based on lottery odds, Cleveland jumped all the way up from the No. 9 slot, while Cincinnati moved from 13th to second.

Cleveland has selected second five times since the amateur draft started in 1965, most recently taking Paul Shuey in 1992.

West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt, Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz and right-hander Chase Burns, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana and Florida first baseman and left-hander Jac Caglianone are among the early projections as possibilities for top picks.

Oakland, which had the worst record in the big leagues at 50-112, dropped to fourth after falling to sixth last year when finishing with the second-worst mark. The Athletics, Rockies and Royals each had an 18.3% chance of winning the first pick, tied for the best percentage among all teams.

The Mets, Yankees and San Diego are each likely to drop 10 slots in the draft because they will exceed the threshold for the second luxury tax surcharge and were not winners of a top-six pick in the lottery. The Mets are projected to pick 19th, the Padres 25th and the Yankees 26th.

Oakland will be ineligible for a top-six selection in 2025 because it receives revenue-sharing money and already will have had two straight top-six picks.

Donovan Mitchell heard the boos directed at him and his teammates as the game slipped away in the fourth quarter.

He felt they were warranted.

“If you don’t play well,” Mitchell said, “that’s what you get.”

Cleveland had a major letdown following a solid win with its worst loss this season, 103-95 on Nov. 30 to the Portland Trail Blazers, who pulled off their second impressive road victory this week.

Shaedon Sharpe scored 29 points, rookie Duop Reath added a season-high 13 and Jabari Walker had 12 rebounds for Portland, which came in just 5-12 overall and 3-7 away from home. On Nov. 27, the Blazers won 114-110 at Indiana.

The Cavs may have been a little overconfident after playing so well in a 23-point win over Atlanta on Nov. 28 in the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. But whatever momentum Cleveland built, in what has been an up-and-down season so far, is gone.

“We’ve said this from the beginning, we want to be a championship-caliber team and we’re not playing like it,” said Mitchell, who termed the loss a “turning point.”

“Let’s go,” he said. “This is the worst loss of the season. Let’s go. That’s it and it starts with myself. We’ll be fine. We’ll fix it.”

Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff kept his locker room closed an excessive amount of time before holding a brief postgame news conference during which he seemed in a daze.

What was the message to his players?

“Just trying to get an understanding of where we’re going and how we’re going to get there,” Bickerstaff said.

Sharpe went 11 of 15 from the field and added 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter to separate from the Cavs. Cleveland went more than five minutes without a field goal.

Sharpe’s biggest bucket came with 1:33 left on a driving layup that put Portland ahead 99-91. After it dropped, he stood on the baseline and flexed for the crowd while shooting a glance at Cleveland’s bench.

“Shaedon was special tonight and everyone else chipped in,” said Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. “He made big shots and got some grown man rebounds. I got on him at halftime because he was playing like we was in the summertime, playing pickup basketball.”

Mitchell scored 23 and Evan Mobley 20 for the Cavs. Darius Garland had 15 points, but the All-Star point guard was sloppy with the ball, committing eight turnovers.

It was a poor performance for Cleveland, which is finally healthy and looked ready to start stacking some wins.

This is a setback.

Mitchell understood the crowd’s damning reaction.

“It’s part of the game,” he said of the booing. “I’m not one that’s anti that. You come in expecting us to perform a certain way, and we didn’t do that. If you want to prevent the boos, play well and win the game, so that’s part of it.

“I was booing when I was a kid too, so I understand. This city wants a championship and rightfully so, so we’ve got to go continue to strive for and handle our business.”

The Blazers trailed by 12 midway through the third before using a 16-3 run, capped by Matisse Thybulle’s short putback, to take a 74-73 lead.

The teams were tied at 83-all before the Blazers went on their game-deciding run, which Reath capped with a 3-pointer from the corner with 6:09 left.

Cleveland appeared on the verge of taking control early, outscoring Portland 15-2 in the first 5:38 of the second quarter to open a 40-24 lead.

However, Billups went back to his starting lineup and his club responded with a 14-2 spurt to pull within 46-40 at half.

The Cavs were guilty of settling for shots, a fact underscored by them attempting just one free throw in the first 24 minutes — on a defensive three-second technical.

“We didn’t play well enough,” Bickerstaff said. “We did good things and we created a lead and didn’t do enough to sustain it. We do the right thing and good things happen, and we don’t and they are able to go on those runs.”

Up next

Trail Blazers: At Utah on Dec. 2.

Cavaliers: At Detroit on Dec. 2.

THE SCORE

Trail Blazers 103, Cavaliers 95

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt rounded out his first staff, retaining Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carl Willis — two long-tenured coaches under former manager Terry Francona.

Vogt was hired this month by Cleveland despite not having any managing experience. He’ll have continuity in Alomar, who will coach first base and the catchers, along with Willis, who has had a major impact in the Guardians developing one of baseball’s best pitching staffs.

A six-time All-Star catcher with Cleveland, the popular Alomar has been on the team’s staff for 15 seasons, and Willis has been with the team for 14. They were instrumental in helping Francona, who stepped away after leading the Guardians to the playoffs six times in 11 seasons.

Also, Chris Valaika is returning for his third season as Cleveland’s hitting coach.

“It was paramount to have them come back,” Vogt said of the holdovers. “Especially the experience levels of Carl and Sandy and their wealth of knowledge and just their love for Cleveland and the players here. They’re going to be a huge, huge help for me.

“And bringing Chris back and having the continuity with the hitting group just going into this year I think was really important. So really feel good about everybody who’s coming back as well as the new guys.”

Vogt also appointed Craig Albernaz his bench coach, replacing DeMarlo Hale, who was recently named Toronto’s associate manager.

It’s a quick change for Albernaz, San Francisco’s bullpen coach last season who was hired as a major league field coordinator for Cleveland a few weeks back.

Vogt and Albernaz have known each other since playing in the minor leagues together. Vogt said a healthy relationship between the manager and bench coach is vital.

“He’s going to push me. He’s going’s going to challenge me in a lot of ways,” Vogt said. “He’s going to support me, but it’s not always going to be easy. And to have somebody that I know very well personally, and somebody who’s pushed me my entire career is going to continue to do that, and I want to do that for him.”

Kai Correa, who spent the past four seasons as San Francisco’s bench coach, will be Cleveland’s field coordinator. The 35-year-old was the Giants’ interim manager for the final three games this season.

The Guardians also promoted Rouglas Odor to infield coach — Vogt said Odor will also handle third base — and Brad Goldberg (Beachwood) to bullpen coach.

Former third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh left the organization after three decades.