7:30 AM ET In the days leading up to Friday’s podcast interview of Dr. Anthony Fauci, I canvassed team officials about what questions they might ask the infectious disease expert, and one staffer seemed to be looking for some help with the context leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. When does Dr. Fauci
MLB
8:24 PM ET ESPN News Services Chicago White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech, who opted out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season after missing all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, said he has regained his motivation after two years away from baseball. Kopech cited multiple reasons for opting out when speaking to reporters on Saturday,
3:37 PM ET CHICAGO — Former Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta is happy to be back in the city where he had his greatest success, saying Saturday that with the Chicago Cubs is “where I wanted to be.” Arrieta, 34, signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the team he helped to a World Series
1:53 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — Cy Young winner Shane Bieber has reported to training camp in Arizona with the Cleveland Indians after recovering from COVID-19. Cleveland’s ace recently tested positive with the virus. Bieber experienced only mild symptoms, but had to be isolated per MLB protocols before being medically cleared to join his
6:23 PM ET The New York Yankees and outfielder Brett Gardner have reached agreement on a one-year deal worth $4 million, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The contract includes a second-year player option that, if rejected, turns into a team option, sources said. Gardner, 37, became a free agent in November when New York declined
7:17 PM ET Marly RiveraESPN Writer Close Marly Rivera is a writer for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. TAMPA — Corey Kluber might be a three-time All-Star and a two-time Cy Young award winner, but he acknowledges that he is now just part of a group of aspirants for a spot in the 2021 new look Yankees
5:00 PM ET Dr. Anthony Fauci is cautiously optimistic about the prospect of fans returning to the stands for the 2021 MLB season, telling ESPN’s Buster Olney there’s a “pretty good chance” of it happening if the rate of COVID-19 infections continue to drop. “We could have a pretty good chance of having a baseball
3:35 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Thirteen of 4,336 tests for COVID-19 were positive during intake for Major League Baseball’s spring training, a rate of 0.3% The commissioner’s office said Friday that nine positive samples involved players and four involved staff members. Positive tests included 11 of the 30 teams. After the intake
3:52 PM ET Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ won his arbitration case with the club and will earn $4.1 million in 2021, a source familiar with the result confirmed to ESPN on Friday. The team had presented a $3.25 million salary to an arbitrator but the case was decided in favor of the four-year veteran
3:43 PM ET Associated Press Justin Turner‘s extended flirtation with free agency ended where it began – with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Along the way, the third baseman had doubts about whether he would return to his hometown team and wondered if his mask-less appearance on the field to celebrate the Dodgers’ World Series championship
3:08 PM ET Associated Press The last spring training of Max Scherzer‘s $210 million, seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals is not exactly beginning the way he — or the team — would prefer. The three-time Cy Young Award winner sprained his left ankle while running to get in shape for the season and so
2:51 PM ET Associated Press The Seattle Mariners finalized a $7 million, two-year contract with reliever Ken Giles on Friday that includes a club option for the 2023 season. Seattle signed Giles knowing he won’t pitch for the Mariners this season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Manager Scott Servais stressed that no matter how
12:07 PM ET Eduardo Rodriguez felt the effects of COVID-19 firsthand, missing the entirety of the 2020 season after being diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart linked to the coronavirus. An offseason later, Rodriguez is ready to take his spot at the top of the Boston Red Sox rotation, feeling the way he
10:19 AM ET Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. — Right-hander Edward Cabrera, one of the Miami Marlins‘ top prospects, will be sidelined indefinitely with an inflamed nerve in his right biceps. The team became aware of the injury earlier this winter, manager Don Mattingly said Friday. Cabrera is with the Marlins at their spring training complex
10:00 AM ET Last week, I ranked the top 100 prospects and all 30 farm systems heading into the 2021 season. Now it’s time to go deeper with my team-by-team rankings, wrapping up with the National League following Thursday’s American League lists. A quick refresher on a key term you’ll see throughout the team lists:
9:08 AM ET The New York Mets have reached a deal with free-agent starting pitcher Taijuan Walker, a source confirmed to ESPN on Friday. The right-handed Walker, 28, was 4-3 with a combined 2.70 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings for the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays in 2020. With the Mets,
1:22 AM ET Kenley Jansen watched from the bullpen as Julio Urias, a 24-year-old starting pitcher, preserved a two-run lead and recorded a save in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ long-awaited championship clincher last fall. Jansen, a three-time All-Star, had proven too unreliable in the postseason, leaving outsiders to wonder if his reign as the Dodgers’
9:01 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he had a conversation with Domingo German about his cryptic Instagram post on the day he returned to the team following a domestic violence suspension. “Everything is over,” German wrote in Spanish on Wednesday. German deleted his posts, then wrote: