MLB

7:00 AM ET Yu Darvish is gone and many predict the next player the Chicago Cubs will trade is catcher Willson Contreras, even though president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer denied a report that the Cubs were extensively shopping Contreras, calling it “fiction.” “I think he’s one of the top handful of catchers in baseball,”

12:31 AM ET Associated Press SYDNEY — Manny Ramirez has been released by the Sydney Blue Sox because of uncertainty over the Australian Baseball League season during the COVID-19 pandemic and a medical issue that is preventing him from playing or training with the club. Blue Sox chief executive Adam Dobb issued a statement Monday

7:32 AM ET At the contractual rate of roughly $1.1 million per start, Gerrit Cole is in line to make $20 million by August, if baseball has a full season at full pay this year. So it says a lot about how slow this offseason has been that two-and-half months into this winter, there has

3:30 PM ET Before we declare the National League East a two-team race between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, let us consider the Washington Nationals. You remember them: Won the World Series in 2019, feature the best hitter on the planet in Juan Soto, have a rotation with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and

10:59 AM ET Free-agent outfielder Kyle Schwarber, one of the heroes of the 2016 World Series title run for the Chicago Cubs, has signed with the Washington Nationals, a source confirmed to ESPN. A source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the one-year deal is for $10 million. Schwarber was non-tendered on Dec. 3, becoming a

1:30 PM ET Tommy Lasorda became a Hall of Famer as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after a playing career that started when the team still called Brooklyn home, but it was his larger-than-life personality that made him a true icon of baseball and a fan favorite across the country. It’s no surprise

11:55 AM ET ESPN News Services Former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda has died at the age of 93, the team announced. He suffered a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest at his home Thursday night and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Lasorda managed the Dodgers from

11:48 AM ET When Walter Alston retired at the end of the 1976 season after 24 years as the manager of the Dodgers, the great Vin Scully interviewed Alston’s replacement. How much pressure, Scully asked, would the new manager be under, following a legend? To which Tommy Lasorda said, “I’m not worried about the guy

7:00 AM ET When the New York Mets officially introduced Steve Cohen as the team’s new owner back in November, he made it clear this would be a new era in Mets history: “I can promise you we’re going to act like a major-market team,” he assured. He said all the other right things. That

7:00 AM ET Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time — and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. As we wait, Buster Olney concludes his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season — based on input

1:42 AM ET A revealing text message from star pitcher Gerrit Cole has been submitted as evidence in Brian Harkins’ quest to prove he was unfairly made a scapegoat when the Los Angeles Angels fired him as their clubhouse attendant for supplying ball-doctoring substances to pitchers. The message — dated Jan. 17, 2019 — was

5:19 PM ET ESPN News Services Pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano did not come to an agreement on a contract with a major league team before his posting window expired and he will return to Nippon Professional Baseball for 2021. Sugano will be eligible to come to MLB as a free agent before the 2022 season. The

5:30 PM ET It’s hard to concoct a more perfect baseball union in 2021 than Francisco Lindor and Steve Cohen’s New York Mets. The team needs a long-term solution at shortstop, someone who plays high-end defense. Check. The Mets need more lineup balance. 2 Related Done. Lindor’s a switch-hitter who hits with power on both

5:59 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Switch-hitting outfielder Greg Allen was acquired by the New York Yankees from the San Diego Padres on Thursday for left-hander James Reeves. The 27-year-old Allen has a .239 average with eight homers and 57 RBI in 557 at-bats and 221 games over four seasons with Cleveland (2017-20)

3:06 PM ET When the Boston Red Sox announced Bianca Smith, 29, as a new minor league coach, the hiring broke barriers, with Smith becoming the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball. But during her introductory press conference on Thursday, she made it known that her coaching aspirations lie at the highest levels

2:45 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN The New York Mets made their first bold offseason splash since owner Steve Cohen took control of the team in November, acquiring star shortstop Francisco Lindor and veteran starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the Cleveland Indians for 22-year-old shortstop Andres Gimenez and two prospects. Who won the deal? How do

12:37 PM ET The New York Mets have acquired star shortstop Francisco Lindor and right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco in a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Indians. In return, Cleveland received shortstops Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez and two minor-league prospects — right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. The trade marks the first major move

7:00 AM ET Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time — and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. As we wait, Buster Olney continues his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season, based on input from