Mark Madden’s Hot Take: It’s time to fix the Pro Football, Baseball halls of fame
Bill Belichick got excluded from the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. It didn’t happen randomly. Belichick won six Super Bowls as New England’s coach, but got caught cheating twice. The Hall’s voting process is flawed when it lumps in Belichick with old-timey candidates like L.C. Greenwood....
Joe Starkey: Which Hall of Fame is a bigger joke — baseball or football?
STARK RAVING Just when it didn’t seem possible any Hall of Fame could be a bigger farce than baseball’s, the Pro Football Hall of Fame stepped up and said, “Hold my Belichick.” Bill Belichick reportedly won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh well, at least Shedeur Sanders made...
Carlos Beltrán’s wife intently followed Hall of Fame vote-tracker
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Carlos Beltrán’s wife followed Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame vote-tracker with the intensity of an investor tracking the markets. “My wife would wake up every morning, and she was like, ‘Yes,’ and I was like, ‘What happened?’ ” he said Thursday during his first visit to the...
Mets acquire ace pitcher Freddy Peralta from Brewers in trade
NEW YORK — The active New York Mets acquired ace pitcher Freddy Peralta and right-hander Tobias Myers from Milwaukee on Wednesday night in a trade that sent two top prospects to the Brewers. Milwaukee received pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. Peralta gives the Mets a frontline...
Bo Bichette excited about challenge of moving to hot corner with MetsVideo
NEW YORK — From hitting in the clutch to testing free agency, Bo Bichette has soaked up plenty of baseball advice from his big league dad over the years. Dante Bichette doesn’t have much to offer about handling the hot corner, though. After signing a $126 million, three-year contract with...
Cody Bellinger stays with the Yankees, agrees to $162.5 million, 5-year contract, AP source says
Cody Bellinger became the last of the top free-agent hitters to reach a deal, agreeing Wednesday to stay with the New York Yankees for a $162.5 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement was...
Buster Posey takes center stage among the newcomers for next year’s Hall of Fame ballot
These days, Buster Posey’s focus is on trying to build a winner as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants. Eleven months from now, however, writers will be evaluating an earlier part of his career. Posey is expected to be the top newcomer on the 2027 Hall of...
Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame
NEW YORK — Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, center fielders who excelled at the plate and with their gloves, were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Beltrán, making his fourth appearance of the ballot, received 358 of 425 votes for 84.2% from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America,...
Cade Cavalli and Nationals agree to $870,000 contract, settle arbitration case with smallest gap
WASHINGTON — Right-hander Cade Cavalli and the Washington National avoided salary arbitration Sunday when they agreed to a one-year contract worth $870,000, a deal that includes a 2027 team option. When the sides exchanged proposed arbitration salaries on Jan. 8, Cavalli asked for $900,000 and the Nationals offered $825,000. The...
All-Star 3B Alex Bregman agrees to a $175 million, 5-year contract with the Cubs, AP sources say
CHICAGO — All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman agreed to a $175 million, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to two people familiar with the deal. The people spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday night on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The contract includes...
Infielder Kazuma Okamoto and Blue Jays agree to contract, AP source says
TORONTO — Infielder Kazuma Okamoto and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced and the person was not authorized to...
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai and Houston Astros agree to $54 million, 3-year contract, AP source says
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $54 million, three-year contract, according to multiple reports. Imai gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $16 million this year and $18 million in each of the final two seasons. He can earn an additional $3 million...
Former Pirates pitcher Andrew Heaney retiring after 12 major-league seasons
Pitcher Andrew Heaney says he is retiring after 12 major-league seasons. “I am now ready to return my focus and energy to being a husband, father, family man and active member of my community,” he wrote Sunday on social media. “I’m retiring from baseball, but I hope to give back...
Royals face tough stadium decision of their own as Chiefs move to Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Now that the Chiefs are moving across the state line from their longtime home in Missouri to a $3 billion domed stadium to be built in Kansas, attention in the area has swung to the Royals, who have a similar decision to make regarding their own...
Los Angeles Angels settles lawsuit with family of pitcher Tyler Skaggs over fatal overdose
SANTA ANA, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels reached a confidential settlement Friday in a lawsuit over the drug overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. The decision to settle was reached after a two-month civil trial in Southern California over whether the Angels should be held responsible for Skaggs’ 2019...
Twins add first baseman Josh Bell with agreement on $7 million contract, AP source says
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins and durable switch-hitting slugger Josh Bell agreed Monday on a one-year, $7 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations. The person, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because completion of the deal was pending a physical exam,...
Mets reach 2-year deal with infielder Jorge Polanco after losing Pete Alonso, AP source says
The New York Mets have agreed to a two-year deal with veteran infielder Jorge Polanco, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Saturday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced....
Guardians sign ex-Pirates reliever Colin Holderman to $1.5 million, 1-year deal
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians added to their bullpen Thursday, signing right-hander Colin Holderman to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. The 30-year old Holderman spent the past four seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, then became a free agent three weeks ago when the Pirates failed to offer a 2026 contract....
Orioles agree to $155 million, 5-year deal with slugger Pete Alonso, AP source says
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with slugger Pete Alonso, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The deal was pending a physical. It’s a major move for a Baltimore team that vowed to be aggressive after a last-place finish in the AL East. Alonso hit...
Schwarber going back to Philadelphia on a $150 million, 5-year contract
ORLANDO, Fla. — Kyle Schwarber is going back to Philadelphia. Multiple outlets reported on Tuesday that Schwarber had agreed to a $150 million, five-year contract with the Phillies. ESPN was the first to report on the deal, citing unidentified sources. Schwarber had been one of the biggest names in free...
Shohei Ohtani is the AP’s Male Athlete of the Year for record-tying 4th time
PASADENA, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani is catching up with more legends. The baseball superstar ends 2025 by winning The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the fourth time, tying him with Lance Armstrong, LeBron James and Tiger Woods for most among male honorees. “Receiving this award multiple times...
Jeff Kent elected to baseball Hall of Fame, which again keeps doors shut for Bonds and Clemens
ORLANDO, Fla. — Elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame more than 17 years after his final game, Jeff Kent couldn’t control his emotions. “Absolutely unprepared. Emotionally unstable,” he said after Sunday’s vote announcement. “Thoughts are so far clouded.” Kent received 14 of 16 votes from the contemporary era committee, two...
MLB players union gathers to prepare for potentially contentious labor negotiations in 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Roughly a month after the Los Angeles Dodgers finished a scintillating seven-game World Series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association gathered in Arizona this week to discuss the future of the game and look ahead to a possible lockout next December....
Blue Jays and free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease agree to $210 million, 7-year deal, AP source says
Free-agent pitcher Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a $210 million, seven-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not...
Red Sox acquire right-hander Sonny Gray from the CardinalsVideo
BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox acquired 36-year-old right-hander Sonny Gray, a three-time All-Star, from the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday for righty Richard Fitts and a prospect. Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow had said adding a starting pitcher behind ace Garrett Crochet was one of the team’s...
