9:00 PM ET Associated Press SAN DIEGO — It didn’t take long for Xander Bogaerts to be asked whether he expected to be the San Diego Padres‘ full-time shortstop even though the team already has two stalwarts at the position. “I play infield. I play shortstop,” a smiling Bogaerts said after pulling on a No.
MLB
2:25 PM ET SAN DIEGO — The industry’s executives and agents filed out of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in clusters late Wednesday afternoon, leaving behind the madness of an event that had somehow exceeded lofty expectations of extravagance. Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, back for the first time in three years, had seen money flow
1:19 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Trevor Williams and the Washington Nationals agreed to a two-year contract Friday, giving the rebuilding club a right-handed pitcher with experience as a starter and reliever. The agreement was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because nothing
2:00 PM ET It’s important to start with this context before diving into the industrywide reviews of the Boston Red Sox signing Masataka Yoshida, a free agent outfielder from Japan who received a five-year, $90 million contract from the Red Sox: Baseball is hard. The act of playing baseball is notoriously difficult, as is predicting
7:00 AM ET In the lead-up to the MLB winter meetings in San Diego, the buzz was that it could be a wild week of rumors, news and moves — and the meetings delivered all of that and then some. When the dust settled, we saw a stretch of moves that included Aaron Judge returning
12:00 PM ET Like the boxer who keeps getting knocked down to the canvas, San Diego Padres manager A.J. Preller kept getting right back up. Trea Turner didn’t want the Padres’ money, Aaron Judge didn’t want the Padres’ money, but Xander Bogaerts was willing and it’s a whopper of a deal: 11 years and $280
12:24 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” SAN DIEGO — Shortstop Xander Bogaerts and the San Diego Padres agreed on an 11-year, $280 million contract late Wednesday, sources confirmed to ESPN, a monumental move that brings the longtime Boston
6:49 PM ET SAN DIEGO — The Washington Nationals selected Thad Ward, a right-hander out of the Boston Red Sox‘s Triple-A affiliate, with the No. 1 overall pick Wednesday in the Rule 5 draft. But the most intriguing pick was the 11th, which saw the Philadelphia Phillies snag Noah Song, a once-promising starting pitcher who
8:40 AM ET SAN DIEGO — The New York Yankees are baseball’s flagship franchise and have been since the 1920s. You don’t have to be a fan of theirs to believe that. You only have to look at the championships, the names on the plaques at Cooperstown, the merchandise sales and so much else. That
1:20 AM ET The Chicago Cubs bolstered their starting rotation Tuesday night, reaching an agreement with free agent pitcher Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal, sources told ESPN. Taillon, 31, was among the top pitchers remaining in free agency and is the latest big acquisition for the Cubs, who earlier Tuesday reached a
8:32 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The San Francisco Giants agreed to terms with outfielder Mitch Haniger, the team announced Tuesday, filling a hole in the Giants’ outfield as they continue their free agent pursuit of American League
7:00 AM ET The first-ever MLB draft lottery is set to take place at the winter meetings tonight, so we’ll know the top order of the 2023 MLB draft, to be held in July at the All-Star festivities in Seattle. Tuesday night’s lottery will determine the top six picks in the draft, and the Washington
2:30 PM ET SAN DIEGO — When Jacob deGrom jumped to the Texas Rangers last week, it seemed certain that the New York Mets would move quickly to respond. There are only so many options at that stratosphere of the free agent market, and with the uncertainty over whether or not deGrom would return to
7:50 PM ET For the first time since 2019, baseball’s winter meetings are back! All signs point to an action-packed week of rumors, signings and trades in San Diego — and we’ve got it all covered for you right here, from our MLB experts’ predictions going into the meetings to the latest updates and analysis
12:27 PM ET ESPN News Services Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander has agreed to a two-year, $86 million deal with the New York Mets, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Monday. The deal includes a vesting third-year option, a source told ESPN. Verlander, who turns 40 in February, returned from Tommy John surgery
11:10 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO — Mike Clevinger says he thinks the Chicago White Sox have everything in place for a big 2023 season. Plus, he loves the mound at Guaranteed Rate Field. The move just made sense for the long-haired pitcher. Clevinger officially joined the White Sox on Sunday, finalizing a $12
8:25 PM ET SAN DIEGO — Former big league slugger Fred McGriff was selected as the newest member of the Baseball of Fame on Sunday, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling passed over once again. McGriff was a unanimous choice among the 16 members of the contemporary baseball era committee, which considered a
10:00 AM ET Chris Young, the head of baseball operations for the Texas Rangers, called Bruce Bochy on Thursday with news that stunned the new manager. “Jacob wants to come with us,” Young said. Bochy’s response: “Are you kidding me?” Bochy knew the Rangers were going to be aggressive in their negotiations with Jacob deGrom,