5:22 PM ET Associated Press Franchy Cordero is a proud member of the Big Papi generation, growing up in the Dominican Republic watching Dominican stars like David Ortiz lead the Boston Red Sox to the 2004 World Series title. “Those are the games that were always on: Boston Red Sox games,” Cordero told reporters in
MLB
7:00 AM ET I have been making the rounds from my home in Atlanta for the past three weeks to watch high school and college games with the 2021 MLB draft now four months away. It’s not time to update my initial ranking of the top 50 prospects for this summer’s draft just yet, but
12:07 PM ET ESPN Fantasy Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print No matter how hard you study for your fantasy baseball draft, there’s simply too many names to keep track of from pick to pick. That’s why they invented cheat sheets. Unlike other cheat sheets, this one isn’t just rankings. We’ve taken the best
4:50 PM ET Associated Press TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Diamondbacks first base coach Dave McKay suffered a broken rib and lacerated spleen in a fall in the dugout earlier this week. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said 70-year-old McKay was wearing a new pair of shoes Tuesday, tripped on the bottom step of the dugout and
2:37 PM ET Associated Press BRADENTON, Fla. — Right-hander Trevor Cahill and the Pittsburgh Pirates finalized a $1.5 million, one-year contract on Friday, a deal that allows him to earn an additional $1 million in performance bonuses for innings. Cahill could earn $100,000 for 75 innings, $150,000 for 100, $200,000 for 125, $250,000 for 150
12:31 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians traded utility infielder Mike Freeman to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday for cash. Manager Terry Francona announced the deal from the team’s year-round training complex in Goodyear, Arizona, shortly after he said reigning Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber will start the opener at Detroit
9:35 AM ET Outfielder Nick Markakis is retiring after a 15-year career. A three-time Gold Glove winner, Markakis holds the record for consecutive games without an error for an outfielder at 398. He was as steady at the plate as he was in the outfield, finishing with 2,388 career hits and a slash line of
7:00 AM ET In a spring training game last weekend, Trevor Bauer pitched the first inning with one eye closed. That he did it against the Padres, the Dodgers’ new archrival in the National League West, suggests it was perhaps a bit of gamesmanship, although Bauer attempted a different explanation after the game. “I like
9:15 PM ET Major League Baseball announced that it would test a variety of experimental rules across different levels of the minor leagues during the 2021 season. Ranging from banning some forms of the defensive shift and using larger bases to implementing electronic strike zones and experimenting with 15-second pitch clocks, the new rules will
7:30 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians was among eight players whose contracts were unilaterally renewed by their team before Thursday’s deadline for all players on 40-man rosters to have deals for the 2021 season. Bieber will receive a $679,700 salary while in
6:15 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball on Thursday outlined a litany of experimental rules it plans to implement at different minor league levels this season, including banning some forms of defensive shifts, more games governed
10:49 AM ET John BarrESPN.com Close Joined ESPN in June 2003 Winner: 2013 Peabody Award; 2011 Edward R. Murrow Award/Video Investigative Reporting Covers breaking news, investigative pieces and human interest features Major League Baseball investigators have interviewed a woman who said free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig sexually assaulted her in a Staples Center bathroom, but have
2:47 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Outfielder Billy Hamilton won’t make Cleveland’s roster, and the Indians are trying to find him another team this spring. Manager Terry Francona said the club told Hamilton on Thursday that he wasn’t part of their plans. The Indians will try to trade the 30-year-old, who signed a minor
1:01 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino has thrown off a mound for the first time since Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27 last year. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the 27-year-old right-hander threw 20 pitches, all fastballs, during a bullpen session Tuesday. “It was a lot of
7:00 AM ET DAVID PRICE CALLED opting out of the 2020 MLB season “the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make.” He felt the strain and the doubt most on Opening Day and at the start of the postseason. But when Price watched from home as Julio Urias struck out Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Willy
6:50 PM ET Associated Press PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New Mets pitcher Carlos Carrasco is uncertain to be ready for the start of the season after elbow soreness forced him to stop throwing. New York manager Luis Rojas said the right-hander, who turns 34 on March 21, started spring training workouts behind other players
6:05 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — A sports gambler faces up to five years in federal prison for threatening social media messages sent to players with the Tampa Bay Rays. Benjamin Tucker Patz, 24, of Napa, California, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Tampa federal court to transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce, according
2:39 PM ET The New York Mets are hoping that positive thinking can manifest their dreams of a World Series title. On a Wednesday with no spring training games on the calendar, the Mets set up a drill called the 27-outs game, which requires a team to record 27 outs without making an error. With