MLB

7:00 AM ET Could Oscar Charleston be the best player of all time? The question is a big one, perfectly straightforward and ultimately, not even the real subject of this story. For now, just keep an open mind and take this as a jumping off point: it’s a reasonable one to ask. Bill James once

7:50 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Minor League Baseball announced Tuesday it is launching an outreach program focused on the Black community called “The Nine,” which is designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact of Black baseball pioneers and civil rights leaders. The Nine is named in honor of the number Jackie

7:00 AM ET Who are the best Major League Baseball stars ever to take the diamond? Dozens of ESPN writers and editors submitted more than 20,000 votes (see full methodology here) to rank the 100 greatest MLB players of all time. Which active stars made the cut? Who ranks too high? Who’s too low? We

7:00 AM ET As we begin our ranking of the top 100 Major League Baseball players to ever take the diamond, it’s time to debate the stars who landed just outside of our list. With that in mind, we asked our MLB experts to find the one player not in this week’s top 100 they

8:00 AM ET BACK IN 1997, when I was in my second year with the Cubs, I vividly recall watching batting practice when Mark McGwire stepped in the cage for the Cardinals. It was awesome. I saw how far the ball flew, and, like so many of us, I suspended disbelief. It was like watching

11:55 AM ET The Show is going Sho Time. Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani will grace the cover of Sony’s MLB the Show 22 video game following his historic 2021 season. Ohtani made history in the process, becoming the first Asian athlete to be featured on the cover of a video game in the

7:00 AM ET The MLB lockout is about to enter its third month. When it began back on Dec. 2, MLB and the MLBPA had 119 days before the start of a new season to figure things out. As the clock ticks down to Opening Day — now just 59 days away — without a

Jan 25, 2022 ESPN staff In November 2020, Peter Davis, proud proprietor of the Missoula PaddleHeads, was two years into life as a minor league baseball owner when disaster struck. The PaddleHeads, who had been a farm team for the Arizona Diamondbacks, were now “de-affiliated,” one of 43 teams jettisoned into life as an independent

11:39 AM ET Major League Baseball implemented a new housing policy for minor leaguers for the 2022 season without input from players. After months to gauge opinion, minor leaguers are identifying red flags in how the plan could be implemented. In a statement from the Advocates for Minor Leaguers player steering committee, the group identified

2:05 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball will not require minor league players to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to play in 2022 but will mandate on-field staff working with players be “up-to-date” on vaccinations, according to

8:00 AM ET Teammates and rival players have always sought out David Ortiz, because beyond his big-swing, big-moment stardom, he exudes a warmth and geniality that soften his sometimes blunt messages. The F-bomb that Ortiz dropped into the middle of a speech at Fenway Park in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings inspired a

4:15 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians have reached an agreement to extend their lease at their downtown ballpark through at least 2036 while making improvements to the facility, team owner and CEO Paul Dolan announced Thursday. Team officials said they’ve obtained financing to renovate Progressive Field, a ballpark that opened for

2:42 PM ET Associated Press PITTSBURGH — Gene Clines, part of the first all-minority lineup in Major League Baseball history and a line-drive-hitting outfielder for the 1971 World Series champion Pirates, died Thursday. He was 75. Clines’ wife, Joanne, told the Pirates that Clines died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, the team’s longtime spring

7:00 AM ET As the Baseball Hall of Fame prepares to enshrine David Ortiz, plus the six former players elected last month, let’s look ahead to see what might happen over the next three Baseball Writers’ Association of America elections. Oh, don’t worry — we haven’t heard the last of the Hall of Fame debates

6:30 PM ET The votes have been tallied and tabulated, and the Baseball Hall of Fame has a new class of one. Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz was inducted in his first year with 77.9% of the vote, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling all failing to make the 75% cutoff point

Jan 25, 2022 Brianna Williams Longtime Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2022. Ortiz, nicknamed “Big Papi,” was the only eligible candidate to receive at least 75% of votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Initially signed by the Seattle

7:13 PM ET Associated Pres ARLINGTON, Texas — Right-hander Nick Tropeano has agreed on a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers, a deal the team said Wednesday includes an invitation to major league spring training. Tropeano has seen big league action in seven of the last eight seasons. The 31-year-old pitcher was 1-0 with

6:25 PM ET David Ortiz has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot with 77.9% of the vote. He put up huge numbers at the plate, and Big Papi proved to be a larger-than-life presence off the diamond as well, with a boundless charisma that affected teammates