MLB

7:00 AM ET The start of spring training is just around the corner, and that means it is time for an annual rite of passage ahead of the new MLB season: ranking the top 100 prospects in baseball. The top of this year’s list is ruled by two up-and-coming teams that boast the strongest farm

11:16 PM ET ESPN News Services TORONTO — Free agent reliever Chad Green and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to an $8.5 million, two-year contract on Tuesday. The deal includes options for 2025 and 2026 and could be worth $29.25 million over four seasons. Green is likely to miss at least the early portion of

10:37 PM ET The Los Angeles Dodgers avoided arbitration with All-Star right-hander Tony Gonsolin on Tuesday, with the sides agreeing to a two-year, $6.65 million deal. Gonsolin had been seeking a $3.4 million salary for 2023, while the Dodgers were offering $3 million. The settlement will see him make $3.25 million this year and a

7:00 AM ET The MLB trade deadline is still six months away, but it’s never too early to start discussing who might be on the move, right? So, let’s pull out the old crystal ball and come up with a trade candidate from each team. Even though most trades at the deadline involve minor leaguers

4:23 PM ET Associated Press Longtime broadcaster Chip Caray is taking over as the television play-by-play voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, more than five decades after his grandfather and Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray became a baseball staple with the same club. Bally Sports Midwest announced Caray’s hiring in a statement Monday. The

6:05 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The Miami Marlins acquired reliever Matt Barnes in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Monday. Miami sent left-hander Richard Bleier to Boston for Barnes and cash considerations. The 32-year-old Barnes was designated for assignment when the Red Sox signed outfielder Adam Duvall last week. Barnes helped

7:00 AM ET Left field was a major problem area for the New York Yankees in 2022 — just ask any Yankees fan — and, heading into 2023, not much has changed. Last season, Aaron Hicks largely manned the position, leading the team with 46 starts in left field, but the team tried multiple solutions

1:48 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The New York Yankees agreed to a $9.95 million, one-year contract with Gleyber Torres, avoiding an arbitration hearing with the infielder by reaching a deal at the midpoint of proposed salaries. The team announced the deal on Sunday. The 26-year-old Torres hit .257 with 24 homers and

Jan 26, 2023 Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Houston Astros named Dana Brown their new general manager Thursday, choosing the longtime scouting executive to shepherd the team after it let go of former GM James Click, the architect of

Jan 27, 2023 Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Reliever Pete Fairbanks has signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Tampa Bay Rays that includes a club option for a fourth season, it was announced Friday. Fairbanks, 29, was

4:04 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” National League batting champion Jeff McNeil and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a four-year, $50 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN, ensuring one of the team’s

9:51 PM ET Associated Press ARLINGTON, Texas — Veteran right-hander Ian Kennedy and outfielder Clint Frazier were among five players the Texas Rangers signed Friday to minor league contracts that included invitations to major league spring training. Left-hander Danny Duffy, right-hander Reyes Moronta and outfielder Travis Jankowski also got invitations to spring training in Arizona.

5:08 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Braves manager Brian Snitker, coming off the team’s fifth consecutive National League East title, signed a contract extension Friday that runs through the 2025 season. Snitker, 67, guided the Braves to the 2021 World Series championship before the team won 101 games last season. Snitker said Saturday he

7:00 AM ET We’re calling these lineup rankings “way-too-early” — and while that might well be true, maybe it’s not. At this point of the winter, teams across MLB have largely completed their heavy lifting. We do still have a few free agents out there and some trades have continued to trickle in, but we

3:33 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Baltimore Orioles acquired left-hander Cole Irvin from the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, bolstering their rotation as they look to take a step forward in the ultracompetitive American League East. Irvin, who

7:35 PM ET Associated Press Ray Herbert, a 1962 All-Star Game winning pitcher who threw batting practice for his hometown Detroit Tigers for decades after retiring, died peacefully in Plymouth, Michigan, five days after his 93rd birthday. Herbert started his big league career with Detroit in 1950 and pitched for four teams over 14 seasons.

7:00 AM ET Baseball eras come and go faster than you think. The game you remember as a child is played differently than the one you are now enjoying as an adult. It’s not unrecognizable but it has changed. That’s true now, and it’s probably always been true. The game is played much differently now

The 2023 Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote is in — and Scott Rolen is the newest member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He joins Fred McGriff, who was elected in December via the inaugural contemporary baseball era committee. ESPN MLB experts Buster Olney, Bradford Doolittle, Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers examine the 2023