MLB

7:11 PM ET It looks like Christian Yelich will be signing a contract extension that could keep him with the Milwaukee Brewers through 2028 (or 2029 if both side exercise a mutual option), for a total value for the deal at about $215 million. Nine-figure contracts in Major League Baseball aren’t that common, but in

8:00 AM ET LAKELAND, Fla. — The New York Yankees are heavy favorites to win the American League East, after adding Gerrit Cole. The Tampa Bay Rays won 96 games last year, and nearly derailed the Houston Astros‘ run to the World Series. The Boston Red Sox, on the other hand, traded their best player,

3:39 PM ET Tampa Bay Rays minor league outfielder Garrett Whitley was struck by a foul ball in the dugout Monday during the team’s spring training game with the Orioles. The team said Whitley has “a right facial injury” and will undergo further testing. Orioles infielder Renato Nunez fouled a ball off and sent it

7:00 AM ET Only one World Series favorite entering the season actually won the World Series in the decade we just completed. Wait, let’s put that another way: A team that was one of the top five favorites entering the season won the World Series only once over the past decade. The 2019 Washington Nationals

8:30 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” Two years ago, before baseball had become consumed by the scandal of scurrilous teams trying too hard to win, we had the simmering crisis at the opposite end of the spectrum: teams

7:00 AM ET MESA, Ariz. — What’s different about spring training for players compared to the regular season? How about everything. It starts with being in the same place for six weeks, getting up daily before dawn and then playing half of a game before heading to the pool or golf course. None of that

7:00 AM ET Kiley McDanielESPN Close ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ This is my first stab at a top 100 prospects list for Major League Baseball at ESPN after doing

8:00 AM ET First, a warning: Don’t print out this article and take it to Vegas. Our 2020 MLB O/U’s aren’t bookie-approved — they’re just some debates we’ve been having this spring as we eagerly await baseball games that count. Still, the answers could tell us a lot about how the upcoming season will play

12:47 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” This relatively calm moment, between the cacophony that accompanied the Houston Astros‘ arrival at spring training and the impending clamor of the results of Major League Baseball’s investigation into the Boston Red

8:09 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — Corey Kluber faced major league hitters for the first time in 10 months — in a new uniform, no less — and said he didn’t feel any different. “Maybe a little bit beforehand,” the Texas Rangers right-hander said Sunday after throwing three innings against the Los Angeles

7:38 PM ET Associated Press MESA, Ariz. — Yu Darvish‘s spring training debut Saturday began exactly the way he predicted. First pitch, home run. Orlando Arcia connected right away, launching a drive over the fence in left-center field, prompting the Chicago Cubs right-hander to rapidly snap his glove open and closed, imploring the plate umpire

2:00 PM ET What Major League Baseball wants is for its product to move and flow in a way that attracts new generations of fans, many of whom now treat any hint of boredom with a touch of the next app, moving on to the next thing. This concern was the motivating factor behind the

4:10 PM ET With great risk comes great reward in baseball, whether played on actual diamonds or the ones found in digital fantasy leagues. It’s not a monumental challenge to assemble an 81-win team in Major League Baseball or finish fifth in your 12-team fantasy league. But who wants to be an also-ran? At some

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” For baseball players taking advantage of a new drug policy in which marijuana use is permissible, the commissioner has a warning: Just don’t show up to the ballpark high. Even though Major

7:12 PM ET Associated Press SURPRISE, Ariz. — Salvador Perez was back behind the plate Friday for the first time since Tommy John surgery. The six-time All-Star caught the first four innings of the Kansas City Royals‘ 3-1 loss to a San Francisco split squad. “I was super excited to be back behind the home

6:46 PM ET Associated Press PHOENIX — Clayton Kershaw struck out four batters without allowing a hit in his spring training debut Friday, the first step toward a possible Opening Day start for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw, the Dodgers’ longtime ace, faced a Milwaukee Brewers lineup with five expected regulars, including Brock Holt and

11:45 AM ET The narrative is spreading rapidly in the early days of spring training, told with a certain taste of glee. The Astros are getting hit by a lot of pitches! The cheaters are getting their comeuppance! They’re already being targeted and it’s not even the regular season! There are Twitter accounts with names

7:03 PM ET Associated Press WASHINGTON — Curt Flood’s widow has a simple explanation for why her late husband, who is revered by players for sacrificing his career to advocate for free agency, has not been enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame. “I think the holdup is that he got on a lot of people’s