BASEBALL

Cleveland signs Alonso to replace Santana at first

After losing Carlos Santana to Philadelphia in free agency, Cleveland agreed to a $16 million, two-year contract with first baseman Yonder Alonso, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press.

The 30-year-old was to take a physical on Thursday to finalize the deal, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the agreement.

Alonso hit a career-high 28 homers last season and became a first-time All-Star. He batted .266 with 67 RBI in stints with Oakland and Seattle. A left-handed hitter, Alonso has credited changing his swing with the up-tick in power numbers.

• The Brewers boosted their starting rotation depth, finalizing contracts with free agent right-handers Jhoulys Chacin (two years) and Yovani Gallardo (one year).

Chacin, 29, went 13-10 with a 3.89 ERA in 32 starts last season for San Diego.

Gallardo, 31, went 5-10 with a 5.72 ERA with Seattle. Gallardo was drafted by Milwaukee in 2004 and went 89-64 with the team through 2014.

• The Texas Rangers signed right-hander Shawn Tolleson to a minor league contract.

The 29-year-old was 11-7 with 46 saves and a 3.84 ERA for the Rangers from 2014-16. He spent last season in the Rays organization and had season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on May 17. He is expected to continue rehabilitation through the upcoming season.

• Brandon Kintzler and the Nationals finalized a $10 million, two-year contract that keeps the relief pitcher in Washington.

GOLF

PGA: The Puerto Rico Open won’t be played next year because of the damage from Hurricane Maria. It will be replaced by an unofficial PGA Tour event for players, other athletes and celebrities to help with recovery work.

The PGA Tour and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company said the Puerto Rico Open will return as an official 72-hole tournament in 2019 and 2020.

HOLE-IN-ONE LAWSUIT: Most golfers like short par 3s, but West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice probably wishes No. 18 at the Greenbrier Classic in 2015 was a little longer – 33 yards longer to be exact.

In 2015, Justice’s charity promised fans at the 18th hole $100 for witnessing the first hole-in-one and $500 for the second in 2015. Professionals George McNeill and Justin Thomas aced the 137-yard hole, forcing the charity to give almost $200,000 to fans around the green.

The charity took out an insurance policy on the payouts, but a federal appeals court said the policy only covered holes at least 170 yards long.

Old White Charities Inc. accused the insurer of breach of contract for not covering the payout, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that claim.

SOCCER

U.S. WOMEN’S TEAM: The U.S. women’s national team will play Germany, England and France in March in preparation for North and Central American and Caribbean World Cup qualifying scheduled for Oct. 4-17.

The Americans play Germany on March 1 at Columbus, Ohio, in the second game of a doubleheader that opens with an England-France match. The series of three doubleheaders is called the SheBelieves Cup.

The Americans face France on March 4 at Harrison, New Jersey, when Germany and England meet in the second game.

The Americans play England on March 7 at Orlando, Florida, in the second game after France meets Germany.

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