MLB

9:30 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” With just three weeks before spring training is scheduled to start, the free-agent market has finally headed up — well, for some teams at least — but one true ace remains unsigned.

8:00 AM ET Ryan Hockensmith There have been many thousands of words used to describe what life feels like for an addict at the very bottom. But perhaps none captures the last days of active addiction quite like one particular phrase from recovery literature: pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization. No checklist exists for what that entails.

8:27 PM ET Free-agent right-hander Adam Wainwright is returning to the St. Louis Cardinals on a one-year deal, sources told ESPN, confirming news that was first reported by MLB Network. Wainwright’s deal is for $8 million, according to MLB. Wainwright, 39, was mulling offers from several teams but ultimately chose to return to the only

5:55 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Limited to one inning in two years, Corey Kluber believes his ability will show with the New York Yankees. “I consider myself to be healthy at this point. I’m not rehabbing anything or tending to any issues with anything lingering or anything like that,” the right-hander said

11:09 AM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria reached a lawsuit settlement to reimburse the local government $4.2 million for the cost of building Marlins Park, which opened in 2012. The payment stems from the $1.2 billion sale of the team in 2017 by Loria to Derek Jeter and his ownership

9:42 PM ET The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade to acquire starter Steven Matz from the New York Mets for three prospects, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Matz, a 29-year-old left-hander, agreed to a $5.2 million, one-year deal with the Mets in December. That deal came after he had

7:27 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — The Hammer made one last trip to the spot where he hit No. 715. After a nearly three-hour funeral service Wednesday that featured two former presidents, a long-time baseball commissioner and a civil rights icon, the hearse carrying Hank Aaron’s body detoured off the road bearing his name

7:00 AM ET If you thought the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot was a contentious debate over statistics, character and PEDs, just wait until Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz join next year. Not only will it be the first chance for writers to weigh in on Rodriguez and Ortiz, it will be the final time

9:54 PM ET ESPN News Services Second baseman Tommy La Stella and the San Francisco Giants are finalizing a contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal is expected to be for three years. The Oakland Athletics, needing an everyday second baseman who could provide consistent offensive production, acquired La Stella

6:30 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN For the first time since 2013, no player received the 75% of votes needed for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Curt Schilling came the closest, appearing on 71.1% of ballots and three other players were over the 50% mark. Despite nobody getting in this year, there was still

7:00 AM ET Baseball Hall of Fame arguments used to be, dare I say … fun? Bert Blyleven is underrated! Jim Rice is overrated! Jack Morris? Show me the back of his baseball card and let’s debate. Well, welcome to the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot. It includes one player who was suspended for PED

10:40 PM ET A defamation lawsuit filed against Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Angels by Brian Harkins, the longtime clubhouse attendant who was fired for supplying illegal ball-doctoring substances to pitchers, has been struck down in Orange County Superior Court. Judge Geoffrey T. Glass granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss Harkins’ complaint, stating

5:58 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” After sending a letter to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred that suggested delaying spring training “to allow for the COVID-19 situation to improve here,” Cactus League executive director Bridget Binsbacher told

7:00 AM ET It’s Baseball Hall of Fame election week, and with nobody likely to get voted into Cooperstown when ballots are revealed Tuesday night, it seems like a perfect time to look ahead by predicting 40 active players who will eventually be Hall of Famers. Why 40? After all, that feels like a lot

7:52 PM ET ESPN News Services Closer Brad Hand and the Washington Nationals are in agreement on a one-year, $10.5 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday. Hand had another solid season as the closer for the Cleveland Indians, leading the major leagues with 16 saves, but he was

3:00 PM ET The year 2018 wasn’t that long ago. It really wasn’t, despite how it seems. The Red Sox beat the Dodgers in the World Series that year and while it feels like an epoch has passed since that happened, the highlight reels of that matchup are in full color, not black and white.

7:32 AM ET All along, the plan of the Toronto Blue Jays had been to start looking for opportunities — either in trades or in free-agent signings. The priority was to entrench the team’s core of promising young players — Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio and others — in the big leagues, and

2:01 PM ET Starting pitcher Garrett Richards and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Saturday. The deal is pending a physical. Richards’ biggest success during the pandemic-shortened season was staying healthy. The veteran right-hander made 10 starts for the San Diego Padres in