MLB

4:31 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Carlos Carrasco got a welcome call from new Mets owner Steven Cohen. “He was so excited. He can’t wait to meet me. I can’t wait to meet him, too,” the pitcher said Tuesday. “The way he talked, the way he said everything is — he looked like

9:26 AM ET Free agent Corey Kluber is out to prove he’s healthy, as the right-hander prepares for a bullpen session in front of major league teams Wednesday in Florida. The two time Cy Young winner has pitched in just eight games over the past two seasons but says his injuries are a thing of

8:20 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” While the trade market has brought most of MLB’s headlines this offseason, the Chicago White Sox spending big to land closer Liam Hendriks shows free agency could soon heat up as well.

10:57 PM ET Free agent closer Liam Hendriks and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a multiyear deal, pending a physical, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal is for three years and includes an option for a fourth, and guarantees Hendriks $54 million, sources said. Hendriks will make $39 million in the

12:25 PM ET The New York Mets have been searching for years for a superstar position player. They now have one in Francisco Lindor, and the big question on everyone’s mind: Will he sign a long-term deal with the Mets? Lindor, eligible for free agency after the 2021 season, said during a video call Monday

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

5:30 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)