11:53 PM ET ESPN News Services Designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year, $13 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Cruz, 40, has been a linchpin of the Bomba Squad Twins’ lineup. And he’ll be back right in the middle of it in
MLB
10:55 PM ET Shortstop Andrelton Simmons says that depression and thoughts of suicide led to his decision to opt out during the last week of the Los Angeles Angels‘ 2020 regular season, telling the Orange County Register that “the idea of finishing the season in a bubble was too much for me to handle.” Simmons,
5:52 PM ET ESPN News Services Right-hander Chris Archer and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a one-year, $6.5 million deal, pending a physical, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday. With the move, Archer is returning to the organization with which he debuted in 2012 and found his greatest success. Archer, 32,
3:48 PM ET The Los Angeles Angels announced Tuesday that they have suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway in the wake of The Athletic’s report that he sexually harassed female reporters in a span of five years. The team said it “will work closely with MLB to conduct a full investigation.” Callaway was accused by five
2:33 PM ET While Nolan Arenado took questions about the storied tradition of the St. Louis Cardinals, playing rivalry games at Wrigley Field and life on a perennial playoff contender, Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort was being asked whether he has thought about firing himself. Yes, the trade of the five-time All-Star and eight-time Gold
3:33 PM ET Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Grant Jackson, the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1979 World Series for the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates and a reliable left-hander for 18 seasons in the majors, died Tuesday from COVID-19 complications. He was 78. The Pirates said Jackson died at Canonsburg Hospital in Pennsylvania.
2:14 PM ET While indicating there were times over the last week he felt “nauseous” believing the deal might not get done, St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak couldn’t be happier with his acquisition of five-time All-Star Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies. “With the addition of Nolan we think we went
8:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” This story includes graphic descriptions of a suicide attempt. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
9:30 PM ET Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway sent unsolicited messages and photos, among other inappropriate and harassing behavior, five women who work in sports media told The Athletic in a report published Monday evening. Callaway, who is currently the Los Angeles Angels‘ pitching coach, “aggressively pursued” the women through messages, texts and
10:38 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals completed their blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. St. Louis dealt left-hander Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies: infielders Elehuris Montero and Mateo Gil along with right-handers Tony Locey and
9:58 PM ET The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected MLB’s proposal to delay the 2021 regular season until April, the union announced Monday night. MLB proposed pushing back the start of spring training to late March, with a 154-game regular season slated to start in late April. Players would be paid their full 162-game
4:48 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Hall of Famer Chipper Jones is returning to the Atlanta Braves in a part-time capacity as a hitting consultant. Jones, 48, played his full 19-year career with the Braves. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018, his first year of eligibility. The new role announced
4:00 PM ET Any undersized kid who is too short to play basketball or not big enough or fast enough to play football should read the scouting reports on Dustin Pedroia when he was at Arizona State. One White Sox scout gave him present and future grades of 20 on his power, 30 on his
2:51 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Michael Hill is taking over from Chris Young, who stayed just one season in the role of Joe Torre’s replacement as Major League Baseball’s disciplinarian. Hill was hired Monday by MLB as a senior vice president of on-field operations along with former major leaguer Raúl Ibañez. Hill
11:27 AM ET ESPN News Services Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who hasn’t played since 2019 because of a knee injury suffered two seasons earlier, announced his retirement Monday. Pedroia, 37, a four-time All-Star who was named American Rookie of the Year in 2007 and AL MVP in 2008, played his entire 17-season
Jan 1, 2021 A previously slow offseason has now picked up in large part to the trade market, so we’re taking a look at the top MLB prospects who have moved in trades this winter. Two teams, the Tampa Bay Rays with six players and Pittsburgh Pirates with nine, make up well over half of
6:27 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Major League Baseball Players Association is mulling over a proposal by MLB to delay the start of the 2021 season, and if the union does not provide a counteroffer early next
7:45 AM ET With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, Major League Baseball’s 2020 season was a pro sports version of “The Great Escape,” with the whole plan constantly on the verge of being destroyed. At the outset of the summer camp, the National Leaguer who would go on to win the MVP award, Freddie Freeman,