MLB

4:53 PM ET Associated Press PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired former Milwaukee assistant Andy Haines as hitting coach. Haines replaces Rick Eckstein, who was fired in August. Haines spent the last three seasons as the hitting coach in Milwaukee before being let go in October. Haines joins one of the worst offensive teams

5:57 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Veteran infielder Freddy Galvis has signed a two-year deal with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. The club in Nippon Professional Baseball confirmed the length of the contract with The Associated Press but declined to give financial details. Reports in Japan say the total contract could be worth 700 million

7:00 AM ET During the lockout, Major League Baseball personnel notably cannot speak with their major league players — not about free agency talks, rehab assignments, or spring plans. That gag order extends to the press, too — and early evidence shows that it has been effective, with some staffers mentioning fears of having their

7:00 AM ET Last week, we covered the late flurry of action before the CBA expired on Dec. 1, which saw an almost unprecedented levels of spending in a short period of time. Now that there’s a lockout that should last most of the winter, we don’t have any imminent action. But come February, we

11:28 AM ET Buck Showalter will be among the candidates to get a second round of interviews with the New York Mets concerning their vacant managerial position, sources told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Joe Espada will have his second interview on Thursday, while Matt Quatraro will also return to talk to the Mets, sources confirmed

7:00 AM ET If we think of the lockout that has mostly shut down baseball’s offseason as a holiday break, it’s not so bad, right? For a couple of weeks at the end of November and into the first day of December, the transaction wire was buzzing. Then: Nothing. The upside is that with 40-man

6:46 PM ET Associated Press Roland Hemond, whose 70-year career in baseball included three Executive of the Year awards as general manager of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, died Sunday night. He was 92. The Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he spent 19 seasons, announced Hemond’s death Monday. “He passed peacefully in his son

4:19 PM ET Justin Verlander‘s two-year, $50 million agreement with the Houston Astros has been given formal approval by Major League Baseball, industry sources told ESPN, even at a time when the owners have locked out the players in the ongoing labor battle. Verlander reached an agreement with Houston last month before the expiration of

7:00 AM ET At some point, maybe in January, probably not until February, the owners and players will agree on how to divvy up the billions of dollars of baseball revenue. For now, we wait for the return of what will be the abbreviated hot stove season, but we can still talk baseball. While there

3:10 PM ET Associated Press SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. suffered scrapes on a knee and his hands in a fall in the Dominican Republic but is doing fine, his father said Saturday. “He is fine, in perfect condition,″ said the Padres star’s father, former major league infielder

8:00 AM ET Mark Fainaru-Wada Close ESPN Staff Writer Investigative reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit since 2007 Co-author of New York Times best-selling books “League of Denial” and “Game of Shadows” Co-winner, 2004 George Polk Award T.J. Quinn Close ESPN Staff Writer T.J. Quinn joined ESPN in November 2007 as an investigative reporter

1:54 PM ET Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jim Fregosi Jr., a special assistant in the Kansas City Royals‘ front office and a son of the longtime major league manager, has died. He was 57. Fregosi died Thursday in Los Angeles, the Royals said. He spent 17 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as an

10:14 PM ET Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig has signed a one-year, $1 million contact with South Korean club Kiwoom Heroes. Puig, who turned 31 this week, hasn’t played in the majors since 2019, when he played 100 games for the Cincinnati Reds and 49 for the

8:38 PM ET Associated Press MILWAUKEE — Jonathan Singleton, a former heralded baseball prospect who hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2015, has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Singleton signed a $10 million long-term deal with the Houston Astros in 2014 before ever playing a big league game, then hit

4:03 PM ET Associated Press DENVER — The Colorado Rockies are bringing Clint Hurdle back to serve as a special assistant to general manager Bill Schmidt. Hurdle, who managed the Rockies to the World Series in 2007, will help with player development and the first-year player draft in his new role. “Clint has a long

1:00 PM ET Tory BarronESPN Editor Close Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports. Always look out for the people (and canines) who hold you down. This is a rule of

7:00 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” FOR FOUR DAYS in early November, baseball executives paraded in and out of Suite 6048 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. They had gathered in Carlsbad, California, for the annual

4:28 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Triple-A team at Oklahoma City selected right-hander Carson Fulmer from Cincinnati on Wednesday with the 39th and final pick of the Triple-A phase of Major League Baseball’s annual draft of unprotected players. The major league phase of the Rule 5 draft was postponed