MLB

7:00 AM ET At its conception, the Baseball Hall of Fame was meant to be a shrine to former players and their achievements. But over time, the Hall’s election process has become one sport’s most reliable sources of vitriol, with the tabulation and dissection of individual ballots dragging on for almost two months, an often-angry

7:15 PM ET The Los Angeles Angels are bringing in Phil Nevin, Bill Haselman and Benji Gil as part of their coaching staff under manager Joe Maddon, the team confirmed Wednesday. Their roles have yet to be determined, at least in part because of the uncertainty surrounding Adam Eaton, a prospective coach who played last

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” MORE THAN A month into Major League Baseball’s lockout, well aware that the league and players haven’t had a single substantive negotiating session since the work stoppage began and that spring training

1:02 AM ET The New York Mets are on the verge of hiring Joey Cora as their new third-base coach, a source told ESPN Tuesday night, confirming a report by the New York Post. Cora, the older brother of Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora, spent five years as third-base coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates

12:48 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS, Mo. — The St. Louis Cardinals have canceled their annual winter warm-up promotional event because of Major League Baseball’s lockout. The event, which was scheduled for Jan. 15-17, features players. MLB locked out the players’ association following the expiration of baseball’s collective bargaining agreement on Dec. 1. “The

7:00 AM ET $615 million. On three players. By two teams. In one day. It began at about 4 p.m. in Dallas on Nov. 28, when a Texas Rangers team coming off a 102-loss season agreed to terms on a seven-year, $175 million contract with Marcus Semien, a top-three finisher in MVP voting after two

10:24 PM ET Dan HajduckyESPN Close Hajducky is a reporter/researcher for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities. Global sports retailer, merchandiser, and now sports card and memorabilia giant Fanatics is acquiring Topps trading cards in a

8:28 PM ET Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin is retiring from MLB after 15 seasons, he announced on social media Monday. Maybin, 34, has played for 11 different teams in his career. He won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017 after being acquired off waivers one month before the postseason. In Game 2

7:15 AM ET It was, in the final quarter of the horrible 2020, when it seemed as though society had finally succumbed to its own appetites and irresponsibility, that baseball was somehow being made an example of. So much loss could not be happenstance. Six Hall of Famers — signatures to their time and instrumental

7:00 AM ET From 2012 to 2021, MLB teams spent a collective $16.66 billion on free agency. Thirty-one players received deals valued at $100-plus million and another 55 received $50 million or more. Some of those deals paid huge dividends — Max Scherzer‘s seven-year contract with the Nationals was the best of the big-money signings.

2:05 PM ET Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, who is coming off a career season in which he set highs for home runs and RBIs, is retiring after an 11-year career, according to a statement by him that was posted to Twitter by his wife. “Today I’m announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball,”

10:29 AM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com The Virginia Tech Hokies will sport the logo of their hosts, the New York Yankees, for Wednesday’s New Era Pinstripe Bowl (2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). The 6-6 Hokies will face the 6-6 Maryland Terrapins in the annual bowl game played at Yankee Stadium. The Hokies won’t be wearing pinstripes, but

7:00 AM ET Once upon a time (just two years ago!), Cody Bellinger was one of the best players in baseball on one of the best teams in baseball. Through the Dodgers outfielder/first baseman’s age-23 season, he had posted 15.0 WAR, with a 2019 figure of 7.7 WAR leading to a National League MVP. It

1:22 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Most of the time in professional sports, it’s easy to think it’s all been done before. With so many fine-tuned athletes constantly pushing each other to the peak of human potential, we can experience unprecedented demonstrations of sporting brilliance every week of our lives. But it’s truly

7:00 AM ET Indie rocker Faye Webster has spent a lot of time thinking — and singing — about Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. While off the road from touring her 2019 album Atlanta Millionaires Club, Webster — a native of Atlanta — found herself with a lot of free time. She spent much

7:00 AM ET The best word to describe Buck Showalter’s introductory news conference as manager of the New York Mets? Weird. He was hired as part of management’s attempt to maximize the potential of a roster full of talent, but because of the owners’ lockout of the players — and a policy forbidding club employees

1:19 PM ET Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Kiley McDaniel Close ESPN MLB Insider ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for four MLB teams. Slugger

2:44 PM ET MAYFIELD, Ky. — The air just didn’t feel right. Luis “Chili” Pardo didn’t like it. Didn’t like how the moisture felt on his skin inside the Soccer Factory, the indoor field he had opened a year before. A couple of parents came over to talk with him. Some suggested canceling the rest