1:19 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig has decided to withdraw his agreement to plead guilty to a charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation. Puig is changing his plea to not guilty because of “significant new evidence,” according to a statement Wednesday from
MLB
7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Just one year and one day ago, the wildest 24 hours in the history of baseball free agency unfolded. With the inevitability of a lockout by the league placing an artificial deadline
7:00 AM ET Nearly a month into the MLB offseason, we’re still awaiting the first big splash. While we wait for the movement to pick up entering next week’s winter meetings in San Diego, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in on what they think the rest of the offseason will bring. Where
7:24 PM ET Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Major League Baseball Players Association has voted to extend the contract of executive director Tony Clark through 2027. The 50-year-old Clark — who had a 15-year big league career, mostly with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks — helped broker the players’ current labor deal with
4:06 PM ET Associated Press HOUSTON — Jose Abreu has spent his entire nine-year MLB career with the Chicago White Sox, but Astros owner Jim Crane isn’t worried about how the newly signed first baseman will fit in with his teammates in Houston. “Jose pulled out his phone last night and had the phone numbers
7:00 AM ET There isn’t really such thing as a perfect offseason. A front office can dream of all the right moves to fill holes with the players at the top of its most wanted list. You might even have an owner with an open checkbook. But things rarely line up in exactly the right
8:56 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani has been voted the majors’ best designated hitter for the second consecutive season. The Los Angeles Angels‘ two-way slugger won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Monday, beating out Houston’s Yordan Alvarez as the top player at the position in 2022. Ohtani, who
8:05 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad has handed day-to-day operations of the club to his nephew Joe Pohlad, the third generation of family leadership of the franchise. Jim Pohlad announced the transition in a letter to staff on Monday that was made public by the Twins. He said he
7:00 AM ET With all the speculation about where Aaron Judge will sign, what about the question of where he should sign? The question is complicated. First of all, there is only one opinion that ultimately matters: Judge’s. To apply our own factors is to make wild assumptions about his decision-making process. But, hey, it’s
3:53 PM ET CHICAGO — Free agent pitcher Mike Clevinger is in agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a contract for the 2023 season, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Clevinger, 31, was 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA last season pitching for the San Diego Padres. He also threw 2⅔ innings in the playoffs, giving
7:42 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” First baseman Carlos Santana and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a one-year, $6.7 million contract, pending the results of a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. Santana, 36,
5:31 PM ET Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, according to the team. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. The Phillies said Harper is expected to return as a hitter only by the All-Star break and could return to playing right field
12:56 PM ET Associated Press The Texas Rangers hired Mike Maddux as their new pitching coach Wednesday, and added former Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore as a senior adviser in their baseball operations department. Maddux is returning to Texas to be on new manager Bruce Bochy’s staff. Maddux was first the pitching coach
1:54 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Joely Rodriguez agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, a deal that includes a team option for 2024. Rodriguez, 31, gets a $1.5 million salary next year, and the Red Sox’s option is for $4.25 million with a $500,000 buyout.
Nov 22, 2022 Associated Press NEW YORK — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander and St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols won baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards Tuesday night. Verlander, the American League recipient, returned from Tommy John surgery to lead Houston to its second World Series championship. He had the lowest ERA in
Nov 23, 2022 It’s time for something a little fun. We’re going to come up with one thing every team should do this offseason. We’ve already seen some important transactions: The Dodgers re-signed Clayton Kershaw, the Mariners acquired Teoscar Hernandez from the Blue Jays and the Angels signed Tyler Anderson. We’ll still make a move
9:36 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — A full postseason share for the World Series champion Houston Astros totaled a record $516,347 from a player pool of $107.5 million, also a record, in the first season the playoffs were expanded to 12 teams. The Astros split $38.7 million into 59 full shares, 14.14 partial
10:39 PM ET ESPN News Services ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels acquired power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for three young pitchers Tuesday night. Milwaukee received right-handers Janson Junk and Elvis Peguero, and minor league lefty Adam Seminaris. Renfroe batted .255 with 29 home runs, 72 RBIs and