7:07 AM ET Scott Boras thought he was prepared when A.J. Preller called him around Thanksgiving. In front of him sat a list of available players who might fulfill the San Diego Padres‘ perceived needs, most of them first basemen and corner outfielders. Then Preller, the Padres’ ninth-year general manager, began to talk about high-priced
MLB
9:25 PM ET Two years and about two weeks ago — Dec. 2, 2020 — the deadline for teams to tender a contract offer to pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players was at hand. The Chicago White Sox did not tender an offer to Carlos Rodon, a pitcher they selected with the third pick of the 2014
7:00 AM ET At the news conference officially welcoming Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, he tried on a pin-striped Padres jersey emblazoned with “2” on the back as A.J. Preller, the team’s president of baseball operations and general manager, looked on with a smile as big as the USS Midway docked in San
6:19 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Right-hander Noah Syndergaard and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a one-year contract, sources told ESPN, as the 30-year-old hopes to be the latest pitcher to find a midcareer renaissance
9:00 AM ET Under the front-office leadership of Farhan Zaidi, the San Francisco Giants have streamlined their payroll outlook in recent seasons while overhauling their organizational processes, revamping everything from how they develop pitchers to supplying manager Gabe Kapler with a horde of instructors better described as a faculty than a coaching staff. The four-year
7:00 AM ET BENEATH THE PINSTRIPED No. 99 uniform, behind the home runs and the good-natured smile and the perfect sound bites emitted day after day during Aaron Judge‘s historic season, New York Yankees staffers knew he harbored at least some anger. But they did not know the depth of his resentment, which came spilling
11:53 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Shortstop Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a 13-year, $350 million contract, a record-long deal that is the richest ever for the position and gives the team
9:37 PM ET ESPN News Services KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Free agent left-hander Ryan Yarbrough signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday after spending the past five seasons with Tampa Bay. The deal is for $3 million guaranteed, with an additional $1 million in performance bonuses, a source told ESPN’s Kiley
7:00 AM ET There has already been a lot of action in what will likely end up as the biggest MLB free agent extravaganza of all time, but there are still plenty of solid players left on the market. After the most recent New York Mets-driven spending explosion and the flurry of activity Monday, it’s
8:07 PM ET The Minnesota Twins are in agreement with free agent catcher Christian Vazquez on a three-year, $30 million deal, sources confirmed to ESPN. The agreement is pending a physical. Vazquez, 32, was sought by a handful of teams after compiling a .714 OPS last season split between the Boston Red Sox and Houston
7:07 PM ET The trade: A three-team deal that lands C Sean Murphy with the Braves Braves get: C Sean Murphy (from A’s)Brewers get: C/DH William Contreras (from Braves), RHP Joel Payamps (from A’s), RHP Justin Yeager (from Braves)A’s get: LHP Kyle Muller (from Braves), RHP Freddy Tarnok (from Braves), RHP Royber Salinas (from Braves),
7:00 AM ET The return of the MLB winter meetings meant the opportunity to speak to all 30 managers in the same room for the first time since 2019. Not wanting to let an opportunity like that slip by, we asked the skippers for their take on baseball’s new rules debuting next season — the
Dec 9, 2022 Associated Press ST. LOUIS — For the first time in more than 18 years, the St. Louis Cardinals will have a new starting catcher. Catcher Willson Contreras signed a five-year contract with a club option for 2028, the team announced Friday at a news conference. “Willson is a proven All-Star performer who
Dec 9, 2022 Holiday bonuses came early for 100 MLB players who qualify for the first-ever pre-arbitration bonus pool. Chicago White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease will take home the most, a source told ESPN, over $2.4 million after finishing in second in AL Cy Young voting and sixth in WAR among qualified players. The new
12:30 PM ET Every year, Macy’s unveils its elaborate window displays for the holiday season. Many people walk by and admire the sights. Some enter to fight the crowds, hoping to find that perfect gift. Steve Cohen? He would probably just purchase the whole dang store. The New York Mets‘ owner has added to his
12:04 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Right-hander Kodai Senga and the New York Mets agreed on a five-year, $75 million contract Saturday night, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN, confirming reports, adding the prized pitcher from Japan
3:45 PM ET Veteran center fielder Kevin Kiermaier agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, according to reports. Kiermaier, 32, a three-time Gold Glove winner with the Tampa Bay Rays, joins a new-look outfield that lost right fielder Teoscar Hernandez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last month. Utilized in
6:16 PM ET Associated Press PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia Phillies ace and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels is plotting a comeback for 2023. Hamels, who turns 39 this month, hasn’t pitched since he made one start for the Atlanta Braves in 2020. The left-hander signed late in the 2021 season with the Los Angeles