MLB

7:00 AM ET It all begins today. Barring any postponements, for the first time since 1968 every team will begin play on the first day of the MLB season — the way it should be every season. The Los Angeles Dodgers begin their chase for history. They are trying to become the first team since

11:23 PM ET ESPN News Services The New York Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor have agreed to a 10-year, $341 million deal, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Lindor’s deal will be the third-largest based on total value in major league history, trailing only the deals for the Los Angeles Angels‘ Mike Trout ($426.5 million)

4:24 PM ET Associated Press A player for the Washington Nationals tested positive for COVID-19, and four teammates and a staff member have been quarantined on the eve of the start of the regular season after contact tracing, general manager Mike Rizzo said Wednesday. The result came from a test conducted Monday, while the Nationals

9:21 AM ET As the New York Mets‘ contract negotiations with Francisco Lindor approach their Opening Day deadline, one of Lindor’s teammates is going to bat for the star shortstop. “I hope they pay him $400 million,” Mets first baseman Pete Alonso told reporters Tuesday. “He’s worth every penny.” The Mets were widely expected to

3:56 PM ET Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout is the consensus betting favorite to win the MVP award entering the 2021 season, but dual-threat teammate Shohei Ohtani is attracting the most action at some sportsbooks, including one giant bet that could pay nearly $1 million. At Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, Trout is the

5:11 PM ET Associated Press Mike Soroka surrendered a homer while working two innings for the Atlanta Braves in his 2021 debut Tuesday, a big step in the former All-Star’s comeback from a torn Achilles tendon. Soroka, 23, got into the Braves’ final game of spring training at Fort Myers, Florida, taking over in the

7:00 AM ET After a shortened 60-game 2020 schedule in 2020, Major League Baseball returns to a full 162-game season in 2021. The Los Angeles Dodgers ruled last year’s unusual campaign, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in six games for L.A.’s first World Series title since 1988, but are they still the team to beat

1:51 PM ET Major League Baseball issued a memo to teams on Monday outlining relaxed protocols for vaccinated players, coaches and staff members, creating a path for them to gather indoors, eat at restaurants, bring family members with them on the road and mostly restore their normal lives after nearly a full year of stringent

7:00 AM ET It’s the little things in baseball, often the pointless stuff, that excite me. Arcane stats, wild coincidences, names that randomly connect. Here are 30 things, one per team, that excite me about this season, these teams and these players: Jump to a hole:AL EAST | AL CENTRAL | AL WEST | NL

7:00 AM ET The Millville Meteor. Kiiiiid. Trouty. God of WAR. King Fish. No matter what you call Mike Trout, you’ve also called him the unquestioned best player in baseball for nearly a decade now. In fact, Trout has held the top spot in our annual ESPN MLB Rank top 100 for eight consecutive seasons.

5:43 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Highly regarded prospect Jazz Chisholm was declared the winner of the spring competition for the Miami Marlins‘ second base job Sunday, and he’ll be in the lineup on Opening Day. Chisholm batted .268 with three homers and four stolen bases in spring training. He was competing with Isan

3:35 PM ET Pitcher Randy Dobnak and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a five-year, $9.25 million contract extension with three club options, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal can max out at $29.75 million with the options and can grow with escalators, sources told Passan. Undrafted out of

8:00 AM ET The intimidating rotation that lifted the Washington Nationals to a championship in 2019 is mostly intact, with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, et al. Right fielder Juan Soto is a popular pick to win his league’s Most Valuable Player Award. Washington also added the thump of Kyle Schwarber, who seems to be clicking

9:16 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Indians traded right-hander Adam Plutko to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, a move that brings some clarity to their bullpen situation. Cleveland will get a player to be named or cash in return for Plutko, who was out of minor league options and seemed to be destined

1:19 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Major league home run champion Luke Voit needs knee surgery to repair a partial meniscus tear, an injury that opened a New York Yankees roster spot for Jay Bruce on Saturday as a converted first baseman. Voit will not have any baseball activities for three weeks after

12:32 AM ET Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was hoping Clayton Kershaw could complete five innings in his final tune-up start before Opening Day on Friday, perhaps even log some pitches in the sixth. Instead, Kershaw recorded 10 outs and was charged with eight earned runs. His Cactus League ERA: 10.22. “It hasn’t been

12:01 AM ET Associated Press Colorado Rockies right-handed reliever Scott Oberg had surgery Thursday to remove blood clots in his pitching elbow. The procedure was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. There’s no timetable for his return. This marks the fourth time he has dealt with blood clots in his career. He was

3:20 PM ET Associated Press GOODYEAR, Arizona — The Cincinnati Reds on Friday released Dee Strange-Gordon, a non-roster invitee to spring training who auditioned at shortstop. Strange-Gordon, a 32-year-old former All-Star and NL batting champ, got a shot with Cincinnati after Freddy Galvis signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. But his chances