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
MLB
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
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.
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