MLB

1:07 AM ET Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — – Mike Sadek, a popular backup catcher who played all eight of his major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants, has died. He was 74. The team announced Sadek died Wednesday in San Andreas, California, following a short illness. Sadek was a .226 career hitter with

5:07 PM ET Veteran left-hander J.A. Happ and the Minnesota Twins have agreed to a one-year deal, pending a physical, sources tell ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Financial terms weren’t immediately available. Happ, a free agent, will remain in the American League after spending the last two-and-a-half seasons with the New York Yankees. He will join a

4:38 PM ET Veteran outfielder Michael Brantley will be returning to the Houston Astros after the free agent agreed to a two-year, $32 million deal, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday. Brantley, 33, continues to boast a high contact rate, low strikeout ratio and polish at the plate. In 46 games with the Astros in

12:11 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” While the Toronto Blue Jays remain among the teams interested in free agent outfielder Michael Brantley, they have not reached an agreement on a contract, a source familiar with the situation told

12:11 PM ET The Toronto Blue Jays have added their second former Houston Astros slugger in as many days, agreeing to a three-year contract with outfielder/designated hitter Michael Brantley on Wednesday, a source confirmed to ESPN. The Jays reached agreement on a six-year, $150 million contract with former Astros center fielder George Springer on Tuesday

12:33 PM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Reliever Wade Davis is returning to the Royals, the team he helped pitch to the 2015 World Series title. The Royals and Davis agreed Wednesday to a minor league contract, and the 35-year-old right-hander will go to spring training trying to earn a spot on the

2:50 AM ET In the end, despite all the grumbling and fussing about the slow offseason, George Springer will get his money. All it took was the biggest contract in Toronto Blue Jays history, a six-year, $150 million deal, according to Jeff Passan, just the second $100 million contract the franchise has handed out. The

10:38 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda was memorialized during a private service at Dodger Stadium before his burial on Tuesday. Lasorda died Jan. 7 after a heart attack at age 93. His casket, covered with a huge assortment of blue and white flowers, was placed on the

10:55 PM ET Outfielder George Springer and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a six-year, $150 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Springer is headed to the Blue Jays’ spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida, for a physical. If all goes according to plan, Toronto will get the star it has been

11:35 PM ET The Los Angeles Angels, desperate to add starting pitching, agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with veteran left-hander Jose Quintana on Tuesday, a source confirmed to ESPN. Quintana, who previously pitched under current Angels manager Joe Maddon while with the Chicago Cubs, was limited to only 10 innings in 2020 largely

9:50 PM ET Free-agent reliever Kirby Yates has reached agreement on a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, The Athletic reported. The one-year deal has a $5.5 million guarantee, according to Sportsnet, and includes $4.5 million in performance bonuses for appearances and awards. The deal is pending a physical, which Yates underwent Tuesday at the

7:49 PM ET New York Mets president of baseball operations Sandy Alderson said Tuesday he will look for ways to ensure the team does a better job vetting potential hires in the wake of the firing of general manager Jared Porter for explicit, unsolicited texts and images he sent to a reporter in 2016. The

6:45 PM ET Associated Press SEATTLE — The usual dizzying offseason whirl of trades and signings have been replaced with a more pedestrian approach by the Seattle Mariners this year. General manager Jerry Dipoto said Tuesday that’s by design and an indication of where he believes the Mariners are with their roster entering the next

5:49 PM ET Don Sutton, the longtime Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander who won over 300 games in his Hall of Fame career, died Monday, his son, Daron, announced on social media. He was 75. “Saddened to share that my dad passed away in his sleep last night,” Daron Sutton wrote on Twitter. “He worked as

12:24 PM ET Associated Press ST. PAUL, Minn. — Toby Gardenhire, the son of former major league manager Ron Gardenhire, will manage Minnesota’s new Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints. The Saints and Twins made the announcement Tuesday. The 38-year-old Toby Gardenhire was supposed to manage Minnesota’s Triple-A team, the Rochester Red Wings, last season

8:10 AM ET The New York Mets fired general manager Jared Porter on Tuesday, according to owner Steve Cohen. The firing came a day after ESPN reported that he sent explicit unsolicited texts and images to a female reporter in 2016 while working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office. Cohen tweeted Tuesday that

7:00 AM ET After a very slow start, the free-agent market is finally starting to move with the Yankees inking deals with both DJ LeMahieu and Corey Kluber, and the Washington Nationals adding Jon Lester to their rotation. As the market heats up, ESPN MLB reporter Jesse Rogers weighs in with the latest offseason buzz

10:59 PM ET Mina Kimes Close ESPN Senior Writer Mina Kimes:• Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine• Joined ESPN in 2014• Former features reporter at Bloomberg• Wrote for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek• Spent five years at Fortune magazine Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports”