Yankees get infielder Jon Berti from Marlins in 3-team trade
HOUSTON — Jon Berti could be at third base for the banged-up Yankees in their opener against Houston on Thursday after New York acquired the infielder as part of a three-team trade with Miami and Tampa Bay. New York sent catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Tampa Bay Rays and minor...
Dodgers, Will Smith agree to a long-term contract extension
LOS ANGELES — In what’s been a week of uncertainty and speculation surrounding the Dodgers, the team secured some important long-term clarity Wednesday afternoon. On the eve of their regular-season home opener, the Dodgers and catcher Will Smith agreed to a long-term contract extension for 10 years and $140 million,...
MLB free agency: No 2-way stars, but All-Star sluggers and Cy Young winners could be in ’24-25 classVideo
Baseball’s next free agency class won’t have a two-way star such as Shohei Ohtani and almost certainly no deals like his record-shattering $700 million over 10 years to switch teams in Los Angeles this year. But there could be All-Star sluggers and Cy Young Award winners available. Big hitters Juan...
MLB owners unanimously approve sale of Baltimore Orioles to a group headed by David RubensteinVideo
David Rubenstein’s purchase of the Baltimore Orioles was approved Wednesday by Major League Baseball owners, clearing the way for the Angelos family to finalize the sale after over three decades running the team. Approval of 75% of all owners was required, and MLB said the vote was unanimous. It came...
MLB preview 2024: Splashy signings boost Dodgers as teams try to dethrone Rangers
As the Los Angeles Dodgers made splashy signings with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason, other teams focused on modern baseball’s stark reality: pricey payrolls often don’t translate into titles. Baseball’s biggest spender has won the World Series just three times in the last 23 seasons: the 2009 New...
Phillies-Braves and Brewers-Mets openers postponed a day to Friday due to rainy forecastVideo
NEW YORK — Opening Day will have to wait in a couple of major-league cities. Openers in New York and Philadelphia were postponed a day until Friday because of rainy forecasts in both cities. Pete Alonso and the New York Mets were scheduled to host the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday...
In Year 2 with new rules, stolen bases in MLB could keep piling up
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Trea Turner’s speed and instincts helped him go perfect on the bases. The Philadelphia Phillies’ star shortstop set a major-league record for most steals in a season without getting caught, going 30 for 30 on the basepaths last year. He wasn’t the only player who had a...
Column: Greatest team or biggest flop? The 2024 Dodgers will decide their place in history
They opened the season surrounded by strangers in a tiny, rattling dome in South Korea. They played two games witnessed in Los Angeles only by those fans willing to awaken in the middle of the night. By the time they embarked on the 6,000-mile flight home, all hell had broken...
Mark Madden: Something seems sketchy with Shohei Ohtani, but does MLB want to know?
As MLB and the NBA face calamitous gambling scandals, one wonders how ESPN covers them without casting a bad light on ESPNBet, the company’s online sportsbook. Networks and leagues are sponsored so heavily by bookies. It’s everywhere. (My radio program, too.) Gambling and sports are directly and massively intertwined now,...
MLB’s new managers adjusting to jobs as Opening Day approaches
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Joe Espada has worked for an impressive group of managers. Espada was an assistant for three managers who have won a World Series in Joe Girardi, A.J. Hinch and Dusty Baker before becoming a skipper for the first time after the Houston Astros hired him...
Shohei Ohtani says he never bet on sports, interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money, told liesVideo
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani said Monday he never bet on sports, and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money from him and told lies. Ohtani held a news conference at Dodger Stadium, five days after Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers in the wake of reports from the Los...
Longtime Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos dies at 94
BALTIMORE — Peter Angelos, owner of a Baltimore Orioles team that endured long losing stretches and shrewd proprietor of a law firm that won high-profile cases against industry titans, died Saturday. He was 94. Angelos had been ill for several years. His family announced his death in a statement thanking...
White Sox release infielder Mike Moustakas, outfielder Kevin Pillar
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Chicago White Sox released infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Kevin Pillar on Friday. Both were in camp on minor league deals. The moves increase the likelihood of Gavin Sheets making the team’s opening-day roster. The 35-year-old Moustakas hit .247 with 12 homers and 48 RBIs in...
MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties...
In Japan, Shohei Ohtani’s ‘perfect person’ image could take a hit
SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” — the perfect person — because of his manners and impeccable behavior. That image may have taken a hit when the Dodgers fired his good friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Wednesday over allegations he...
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter fired by Dodgers after allegations of illegal gambling, theft
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend was fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers after allegations of illegal gambling and theft from the Japanese baseball star. Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged...
Ohtani, Dodgers rally to beat Padres in season opener and 1st MLB game in South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Shohei Ohtani’s RBI single capped a four-run eighth-inning rally in his Dodgers debut, and Los Angeles beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 in Wednesday night’s major league opener, the sport’s first game in South Korea. The game turned when a routine grounder went through the webbing...
Reports: Yankees ace Gerrit Cole expected to miss at least 1-2 months
TAMPA, Fla. — After days of uncertainty, New York Yankees ace and former Pittsburgh Pirates star Gerrit Cole is expected to miss at least one to two months, according to multiple reports. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Mark W. Sanchez were the first to report that, along with...
50 years later, Tommy John surgery remains a game-changer
GLENDALE, Ariz. — There is a bridge that runs from Tommy John and Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974, all the way to Shohei Ohtani, Justin Verlander and Bryce Harper. A thread that connects an increasing number of baseball’s biggest stars. Mostly on the mound, but at the plate, too. An...
Joey Votto says he has agreed to minor league contract with hometown Toronto Blue JaysVideo
TORONTO — Former NL MVP Joey Votto said he agreed to a minor league contract with his hometown Toronto Blue Jays. The 40-year-old first baseman became a free agent last fall after the end of a $251.5 million, 12-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds, his only team over 17 major...
A’s release renderings of new Las Vegas domed stadium that resembles famous opera house
LAS VEGAS — The Oakland Athletics and their design teams released renderings Tuesday of the club’s planned $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas that show five overlapping layers with a similar look to the famous Sydney Opera House. The A’s hope to move into that 33,000-seat domed stadium in 2028,...
Astros ace Justin Verlander to start season on injured list
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander will open the season on the injured list after dealing with right shoulder inflammation during the offseason, which could jeopardize his conditional $35 million option for 2025. Astros manager Joe Espada said Tuesday the 41-year-old Verlander hasn’t suffered any setbacks...
Phillies sign ace Zack Wheeler to $126 million, 3-year deal
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed with ace Zack Wheeler on a three-year contract worth a reported $126 million, and his $42 million average salary would be the highest in franchise history. The Phillies announced that Wheeler had agreed to the new deal Monday. The Phillies scheduled an 11...
Fanatics founder Michael Rubin says company unfairly blamed for new MLB uniforms
BOSTON — Fanatics founder Michael Rubin says his company is being unfairly blamed for new Major League Baseball uniforms that have see-through pants and other fit and design problems. “This is a little bit of a difficult position,” he said Friday at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. “We’re purely...
Stacy Wakefield had a passion for service that continued after husband Tim Wakefield’s deathVideo
Stacy Wakefield had somewhere she needed to be. Two months after her husband — longtime Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, died from cancer — and with the disease wreaking havoc inside her own body, she was back at Boston’s Dana Farber Children’s Hospital, delivering presents and some cheer to...
