Dominican Republic to host Tigers in Santa Domingo exhibitions ahead of World Baseball Classic

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — While announcing the Dominican Republic will host the Detroit Tigers for a pair of exhibitions on March 3 and 4 ahead of the World Baseball Classic, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred maintains playing regular-season games on the island nation is currently unfeasible.

“I think the limiting factor on regular-season games is just the size of the facility,” Manfred said Monday at the winter meetings. “You know how the economics of those games work. We replace the gate that the home team’s given up, and it’s just very hard in a stadium of this size that we’re talking about to do a regular-season game.”

Santo Domingo’s Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal has a capacity of about 13,000.

Since 2017, MLB has played a regular-season game at Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with a capacity of about 2,500. It also played a “Field of Dreams” game in 2021 and '22 at Dyersville, Iowa, a ballpark that can hold about 7,800, and will have Minnesota and Philadelphia play there on Aug. 13.

Games in the Dominican Republic are more costly to stage than in the U.S.

“The expense side gets to be really big,” Manfred said.

The Dominican Republic opens the WBC on March 6 against Nicaragua, part of a group that also includes Israel, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The exhibitions were sparked last offseason by a conversation between former big leaguer Nelson Cruz, the Dominican Republic's general manager, and New York Yankees special assistant Omar Minaya, the former GM of the New York Mets and Montreal Expos.

MLB then decided to dedicate the games to the memory of the victims of the April 8 roof collapse at Santo Domingo’s Jet Set nightclub. Former big league pitcher Octavio Dotel and Cruz's sister, Nelsy, were among the more than 200 people who died.

As part of the event, MLB and the promoter UEPA will donate to the Dominican Red Cross.

MLB has played four times in the Dominican Republic previously: exhibitions between the Mets and Expos (1999), Houston and Boston (2000), the Tigers and Twins (2020) and Tampa Bay and the Red Sox (2024). MLB is upgrading the field surface, as it did in 2024.

“Playing in the Dominican Republic again is an important step in our ongoing internationalization efforts, and equally important, it’s an opportunity for us to give back in the Dominican Republic where we have so many players that have entertained our fans for years,” Manfred said.

Cruz, a seven-time All-Star, attended the news conference along with three-time MVP Albert Pujols, the Dominican Republic's manager.

“I was talking to my mom about it, eight months since the tragedy,” Cruz said. “Every 8th of every month, she’s down as she can get. I know she’s going to be pumped, and she’s going to be happy for this. And the people who lost a member on that day, as well, they’re going to be happy.”

Pujols had spoken with the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego about their manager openings but wasn't offered either job.

“I didn’t have to make that tough decision,” he said.

Pujols is confident he will be an MLB manager at some point.

“My time will come,” he said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Rob Manfred, left, commissioner of Major League Baseball answers questions during a news conference as Nelson Cruz, former baseball player and general manager of the Dominican National team listens during a news conference at the MLB winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Nelson Cruz, former baseball player and general manager of the Dominican National team speaks during a news conference at the MLB winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Albert Pujols, former baseball player and manager of a Dominican professional baseball team, makes remarks during a news conference at the MLB winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Albert Pujols, former baseball player and manager of a Dominican professional baseball team, makes remarks during a news conference at the MLB winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Rob Manfred, left, commissioner of Major League Baseball, Nelson Cruz, center, former baseball player and general manager of the Dominican National team, and Albert Pujols, former baseball player and manager of a Dominican professional baseball team, take part in a news conference at the MLB winter meetings, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers added a proven pass catcher for quarterback Brock Purdy, agreeing to a three-year contract with Mike Evans at the start of the free agent negotiating period.

A person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that the sides came to the agreement to bring the 32-year-old Evans to San Francisco on Monday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be signed until the start of the league year on Wednesday.

ESPN reported that the deal is worth up to $60.4 million.

Evans is coming off an injury-filled 2025 season when he only played eight games and failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his 12-year career with Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers issued a statement thanking Evans and said the team will honor him in the future.

“Saying goodbye to a legend such as Mike Evans is never easy, but today we are filled with appreciation and gratitude for all that he did during his extraordinary 12-year career as a Buccaneer,” the team's owners, the Glazer family, said in a statement. “Our goal was always to ensure that Mike would play his entire career as a Buccaneer, but as we got further in the process it became clear he was looking for a new challenge.”

The Niners needed a proven receiver with the team planning to release Brandon Aiyuk on Wednesday after placing him on the reserve/left squad list last season after he stopped showing up to rehabilitate a knee injury that had sidelined him since October 2024. Aiyuk had signed a four-year, $120 million extension before the 2024 season but the $27 million that was guaranteed for the 2026 season had been voided.

Evans joins a receiving group that features 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, veteran Demarcus Robinson and unproven young players Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. Jauan Jennings, who was the team's top wideout last season, is set to be a free agent.

Evans became the first player in NFL history to have at least 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons when he hit the mark in the 2024 season finale.

But he has been hampered by injuries the past two seasons, missing three games in 2024 and nine last season because of a hamstring injury and broken collarbone. Evans had only 30 catches for 368 yards and three TDs last season.

Evans has been an Pro Bowler six times and was twice a second-team All-Pro. He has 866 career catches for 13,052 yards and 108 touchdowns. Evans ranks 10th all time in TD catches and his 11 seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving are second most ever to Jerry Rice's 14.

The 49ers also agreed to a two-year deal with swing tackle Vederian Lowe that could be worth up to $12 million with $5.75 million guaranteed, a person told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can't be finalized until Wednesday.

Lowe was picked in the sixth round by Minnesota in 2022 and spent the past three seasons with New England. He started 25 games and has experience at both left and right tackle.

San Francisco needed depth at tackle behind starters Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz. The Niners are looking to rework Williams' contract which carries a $38.8 million charge on the cap for 2026.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans runs during an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, file)