7:05 AM ET Tristan H. Cockcroft Baseball’s labor negotiations forge on, but the past week has effectively confirmed a major development pertaining to fantasy. It’s clear from Commissioner Rob Manfred’s Feb. 10 statements that the universal designated hitter is looking very likely to return for 2022 and, if so, it will presumably be here to
MLB
2:23 PM ET Major League Baseball tweaked its proposal regarding the competitive balance tax in its meeting with the players’ association Saturday. The change eliminates draft pick penalties for teams exceeding the first threshold while raising the threshold from previous offers in the final three years of the deal, sources familiar with the deal told
11:13 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Chicago White Sox are mandating COVID-19 booster shots for all minor league players, telling them in an email Friday that they “will not be able to participate” in spring training without
9:12 PM ET FORT WORTH, Texas – A key question in determining whether former Los Angeles Angels communications director Eric Kay is responsible for the drug-related death of Tyler Skaggs is determining exactly what killed him. And if the jury ended week one of the U.S. v Eric Kay confused, it wouldn’t be a surprise.
3:58 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The death of former major leaguer Jeremy Giambi was a suicide, the office of the Los Angeles County medical examiner-coroner said Friday. Giambi, 47, died Wednesday at his parents’ home in suburban Claremont. The cause of death was a gunshot wound, according to the coroner’s online case
9:55 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” TAMPA, Fla. — The most important day in baseball’s attempt to salvage its season arrives Saturday. Major League Baseball plans to make a proposal it hopes will defibrillate negotiations on a new
9:35 PM ET FORTH WORTH, Texas — The medical examiner who did the autopsy on Tyler Skaggs in 2019 — and ruled his death accidental — testified Thursday that he could not say for certain that the dangerous opioid fentanyl is what killed the 27-year-old pitcher. But Dr. Marc Krouse also said that fentanyl made
1:20 PM ET Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. — Baseball officials “have a sense of urgency” to find a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays after scrapping a plan to split seasons between Florida and Montreal when the team’s lease at Tropicana Field expires following the 2027 season. Major League Baseball gave the Rays the
1:03 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” ORLANDO, Fla. — Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred called the possibility of missing regular-season games amid the league’s lockout of players “a disastrous outcome” but called himself an “optimist” and said,
12:54 PM ET Associated Press Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print ORLANDO, Fla. — Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick and Seattle Mariners chairman John Stanton have joined Major League Baseball’s eight-man executive council. They replaced Chicago White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Milwaukee Brewers chairman Mark Attanasio, commissioner Rob Manfred said following
9:37 PM ET FORT WORTH, Texas — Tyler Skaggs’ mother painted a portrait Wednesday of the late Los Angeles Angels pitcher as a loving son who first struggled with a Percocet “issue” in 2013. Debbie Hetman appeared as a prosecution witness in the federal criminal case against former Angels communications director Eric Kay, providing emotional
7:02 PM ET Former major league baseball player Jeremy Giambi died Wednesday at his parents’ home in Southern California, according to a statement from agent Joel Wolfe. He was 47. No cause of death was immediately provided. Giambi spent six seasons in the majors, including a stint with the Oakland Athletics with his older brother,
3:26 PM ET Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — Jim Riggleman was hired Wednesday as manager of the Billings Mustangs of the independent Pioneer League. He takes over for Joe Kruzel, who left to become a minor league coordinator with the Los Angeles Angels. Riggleman, 69, has a 726-904 record as manager of San Diego (1992-94),
9:00 AM ET The Major League Baseball uniform has been getting a modern makeover since the league joined forces with Nike in 2019, most (in)famously at last year’s All-Star Game and the launch of the City Connect series. With that evolution — and our recent ranking of the Top 100 MLB players of all time
10:30 PM ET FORT WORTH — Both sides in the United States vs. Eric Kay trial that began Tuesday said jurors will see a line of major league players who received opioids from Kay in the Los Angeles Angels‘ home clubhouse. Kay, the team’s former communications director, faces felony charges of distributing opioids and causing
4:53 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black, two wins shy of becoming the 66th manager in major league history to win 1,000 games, agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract extension through the 2023 season. Black has a 349-359 record over five seasons in Denver, including 91-72 in 2018. His 349
4:51 PM ET Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not be criminally charged by Los Angeles prosecutors, the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday. The ruling concludes a five-month review of the case, which stems from sexual assault allegations made against Bauer by a San Diego woman who sought a restraining order against him in
5:06 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Robin Ventura understands why some people might be suspicious of any players who appear bulked up when they report for workouts following the lockout. Now an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, Ventura was a two-time All-Star and a six-time Gold Glove third baseman from 1989 to 2004.