7:00 AM ET Yu Darvish is gone and many predict the next player the Chicago Cubs will trade is catcher Willson Contreras, even though president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer denied a report that the Cubs were extensively shopping Contreras, calling it “fiction.” “I think he’s one of the top handful of catchers in baseball,”
MLB
12:31 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Manny Ramirez has been released by the Sydney Blue Sox because of uncertainty over the Australian Baseball League season during the COVID-19 pandemic and a medical issue that is preventing him from playing or training with the club. Blue Sox chief executive Adam Dobb issued a statement Monday
7:32 AM ET At the contractual rate of roughly $1.1 million per start, Gerrit Cole is in line to make $20 million by August, if baseball has a full season at full pay this year. So it says a lot about how slow this offseason has been that two-and-half months into this winter, there has
10:59 AM ET Free-agent outfielder Kyle Schwarber, one of the heroes of the 2016 World Series title run for the Chicago Cubs, has signed with the Washington Nationals, a source confirmed to ESPN. A source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the one-year deal is for $10 million. Schwarber was non-tendered on Dec. 3, becoming a
3:30 PM ET Before we declare the National League East a two-team race between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, let us consider the Washington Nationals. You remember them: Won the World Series in 2019, feature the best hitter on the planet in Juan Soto, have a rotation with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and
7:00 AM ET When the New York Mets officially introduced Steve Cohen as the team’s new owner back in November, he made it clear this would be a new era in Mets history: “I can promise you we’re going to act like a major-market team,” he assured. He said all the other right things. That
1:42 AM ET A revealing text message from star pitcher Gerrit Cole has been submitted as evidence in Brian Harkins’ quest to prove he was unfairly made a scapegoat when the Los Angeles Angels fired him as their clubhouse attendant for supplying ball-doctoring substances to pitchers. The message — dated Jan. 17, 2019 — was
1:30 PM ET Tommy Lasorda became a Hall of Famer as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after a playing career that started when the team still called Brooklyn home, but it was his larger-than-life personality that made him a true icon of baseball and a fan favorite across the country. It’s no surprise
11:55 AM ET ESPN News Services Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda has died at the age of 93, the team announced. He suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at his home Thursday night and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Lasorda managed the Dodgers from
11:48 AM ET When Walter Alston retired at the end of the 1976 season after 24 years as the manager of the Dodgers, the great Vin Scully interviewed Alston’s replacement. How much pressure, Scully asked, would the new manager be under, following a legend? To which Tommy Lasorda said, “I’m not worried about the guy
5:30 PM ET It’s hard to concoct a more perfect baseball union in 2021 than Francisco Lindor and Steve Cohen’s New York Mets. The team needs a long-term solution at shortstop, someone who plays high-end defense. Check. The Mets need more lineup balance. 2 Related Done. Lindor’s a switch-hitter who hits with power on both
7:00 AM ET Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time — and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. As we wait, Buster Olney continues his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season, based on input from
12:37 PM ET The New York Mets have acquired star shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Indians. In return, Cleveland received shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez and two minor-league prospects — right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. The trade marks the first major move
6:06 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO –The Yomiuri Giants have agreed to a deal with first baseman Justin Smoak. Smoak played last season with the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants. The deal was announced on the Yomiuri Giants website on Thursday and confirmed by a team spokesman. The Yomiuri Giants did not provide
7:00 AM ET Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time — and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. As we wait, Buster Olney continues his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season, based on input from
10:52 PM ET Associated Press SAN DIEGO — South Korean slugger Ha-seong Kim left no doubt how he feels about his new team, the San Diego Padres. “The main reason I joined the Padres is that the Padres are not only a contender but will become the World Series champions this year. I want to
9:46 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Spring training could be delayed for Double-A and Class A players if major leaguers are not vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the time big league practice is scheduled to start in mid-February. Major League Baseball, which has taken over operation of the minors, gave notice to
8:36 PM ET Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, returning home for the first time in about seven weeks, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced. Lasorda, 93, was admitted to a hospital in California’s Orange County and placed in intensive care around the middle of November; he was then