Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz field a ball hit by Seattle Mariners' Michael Arroyo during the fourth inning of a spring baseball game in Goodyear, Ariz., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

NEW YORK — AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz’s contract was renewed by the Athletics, and shortstop Elly De La Cruz’s deal was set unilaterally by the Cincinnati Reds for the second straight season.

Seven players in all had their salaries specified by their teams, including two A’s, according to contract information obtained by The Associated Press. The total is the fewest in the major leagues since at least 2012.

Kurtz was renewed at $785,000 while in major leagues — $5,000 above the minimum — and $324,839 in the unlikely event he is sent back to the minors.

He made his major league debut last April 23 and hit .290 with 36 homers and 86 RBIs, then was a unanimous pick for Rookie of the Year. Kurtz earned $649,677 from a contract that paid at a rate of the then-minimum $760,000 while in the major leagues, and $123,900 while in the minors.

Right-hander J.T. Ginn also was renewed by the A’s, at $785,000/$352,641.

De La Cruz will make $800,000 this season while in the major leagues and $385,000 in the minors. He was renewed at $770,000 while in the major leagues last year, $10,000 above the minimum, and set career bests with a .264 average and 86 RBIs along with 22 homers and 37 stolen bases.

Kurtz also earned $1,297,017 last year from the pre-arbitration bonus pool established in 2022 and De La Cruz $631,080.

Also renewed were New York Mets right-hander Jonah Tong ($780,000/$127,100), Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas ($805,700/$385,000), Colorado right-hander Victor Vodnik ($790,000/$382,500) and St. Louis shortstop Masyn Winn ($799,450/$385,425).

Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players on their 40-man rosters from March 2-11. Renewals dropped from 11 last year, when six A’s were renewed; 12 in 2024; 15 in 2023; and 16 in 2022. There were eight in 2021.

Players become eligible for salary arbitration once they have three years of major league service, or are in the top 22% by service time of those with at least two years and less than three. They can become free agents once they have six seasons of service.

Any copycats out there?

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Teams aren’t rushing to copy contact, the Toronto Blue Jays’ blueprint for a revival that nearly resulted in a World Series title.

Toronto had a .265 team batting average last year and nearly became the first World Series champion since the 2018 Boston Red Sox to lead the major leagues in batting.

“We train to be able to do anything in the batter’s box,” said Bo Bichette, who finished second in the major leagues in batting average, then left Toronto as a free agent to sign with the New York Mets. “It’s not perfect all the time, but we train to be able to move a runner over, get a big hit when we need to, get the ball in the air, hit with two strikes, whatever the situation may call for. So I don’t think this is by accident. We’ve worked really hard for it.”

Toronto came within two outs of its first World Series title since 1993 before losing Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings. The Dodgers were sixth in batting average at .253 but were second in OPS at .768, trailing only the New York Yankees’ .787

Four Blue Jays were among the top 25 qualified batters in average, with Bichette joined by George Springer at .309 (fourth), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at .292 (12th) and Alejandro Kirk at .282 (24th). Toronto’s batting average was seven points ahead of second-best Philadelphia.

“We have always felt that contact would turn into more damage,” sad Ross Atkins, who became the Blue Jays’ general manager before the 2016 season.

Toronto also led the major leagues in hitting in 2022 and was second in 2021.

“The ability that they had to make contact and drive the baseball, really rare to be able to do that,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Something that I think all hitters are always working on is finding that ability to blend the hitting ability with the power.”

Toronto was tied for 11th in home runs last year but third in OPS at .761 behind the Yankees and Dodgers.

“Look, they made more contact. They also hit the crap out of the ball,” Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “If you don’t strike out and you’re impacting the ball for extra bases the way they were, that’s a really special combination.”

Wounded Mariner

PEORIA, Ariz. — Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller ended his first bullpen session in three weeks early after feeling some discomfort in his left oblique.

Miller threw a handful of warmup pitches, took a break and then elected not to throw any full-effort pitches after ramping up his session, according to reports.

Miller has been sidelined since Feb. 26, and is running out of time to appear in any more Cactus League games. He has made one start for Seattle this spring, and has two weeks before the Mariners begin their season on March 26.

“He’s definitely behind,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander told reporters. “It’s the type of injury where it seems wise not to push him too fast. Obviously, we won’t make any decisions until we need to.”