7:00 AM ET $615 million. On three players. By two teams. In one day. It began at about 4 p.m. in Dallas on Nov. 28, when a Texas Rangers team coming off a 102-loss season agreed to terms on a seven-year, $175 million contract with Marcus Semien, a top-three finisher in MVP voting after two
MLB
10:24 PM ET Dan HajduckyESPN Close Hajducky is a reporter/researcher for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities. Global sports retailer, merchandiser, and now sports card and memorabilia giant Fanatics is acquiring Topps trading cards in a
8:28 PM ET Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin is retiring from MLB after 15 seasons, he announced on social media Monday. Maybin, 34, has played for 11 different teams in his career. He won a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017 after being acquired off waivers one month before the postseason. In Game 2
7:15 AM ET It was, in the final quarter of the horrible 2020, when it seemed as though society had finally succumbed to its own appetites and irresponsibility, that baseball was somehow being made an example of. So much loss could not be happenstance. Six Hall of Famers — signatures to their time and instrumental
7:00 AM ET From 2012 to 2021, MLB teams spent a collective $16.66 billion on free agency. Thirty-one players received deals valued at $100-plus million and another 55 received $50 million or more. Some of those deals paid huge dividends — Max Scherzer‘s seven-year contract with the Nationals was the best of the big-money signings.
2:05 PM ET Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, who is coming off a career season in which he set highs for home runs and RBIs, is retiring after an 11-year career, according to a statement by him that was posted to Twitter by his wife. “Today I’m announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball,”
10:29 AM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com The Virginia Tech Hokies will sport the logo of their hosts, the New York Yankees, for Wednesday’s New Era Pinstripe Bowl (2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). The 6-6 Hokies will face the 6-6 Maryland Terrapins in the annual bowl game played at Yankee Stadium. The Hokies won’t be wearing pinstripes, but
7:00 AM ET Once upon a time (just two years ago!), Cody Bellinger was one of the best players in baseball on one of the best teams in baseball. Through the Dodgers outfielder/first baseman’s age-23 season, he had posted 15.0 WAR, with a 2019 figure of 7.7 WAR leading to a National League MVP. It
1:22 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Most of the time in professional sports, it’s easy to think it’s all been done before. With so many fine-tuned athletes constantly pushing each other to the peak of human potential, we can experience unprecedented demonstrations of sporting brilliance every week of our lives. But it’s truly
7:00 AM ET Indie rocker Faye Webster has spent a lot of time thinking — and singing — about Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. While off the road from touring her 2019 album Atlanta Millionaires Club, Webster — a native of Atlanta — found herself with a lot of free time. She spent much
7:00 AM ET The best word to describe Buck Showalter’s introductory news conference as manager of the New York Mets? Weird. He was hired as part of management’s attempt to maximize the potential of a roster full of talent, but because of the owners’ lockout of the players — and a policy forbidding club employees
7:02 AM ET As we enter the final week of 2021, let’s review some of the wise, wild and outright weird wagers that stood out this year. We begin in Carteret, New Jersey, where a 64-year-old bettor was sweating what could be the largest win of his betting career. 1. In the history of Caesars
1:19 PM ET Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Kiley McDaniel Close ESPN MLB Insider ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for four MLB teams. Slugger
2:44 PM ET MAYFIELD, Ky. — The air just didn’t feel right. Luis “Chili” Pardo didn’t like it. Didn’t like how the moisture felt on his skin inside the Soccer Factory, the indoor field he had opened a year before. A couple of parents came over to talk with him. Some suggested canceling the rest
7:00 AM ET Carlos Correa is a generational talent. Carlos Correa is inconsistent and injury-prone. Carlos Correa is one of the best all-around players in the game. Carlos Correa is overrated. Carlos Correa is worth a $300 million contract. Carlos Correa is a risky investment. While MLB teams committed over $1.9 billion to 51 free
1:33 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball’s lockout has left the New York Yankees unaware of how DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hicks, Jameson Taillon and Darren O’Day are progressing following surgery. Hicks, rehabbing from a May 26 operation to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, hit .265 (13-for-49) in
7:00 AM ET The long-ballyhooed superstar shortstop free-agent class of 2021-22 is down to two: Carlos Correa and Trevor Story. Beginning with the 10-year, $341 million extension Francisco Lindor signed with the Mets just before the 2021 season, the shortstops have come off the board one by one: Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Javier Baez. That
6:33 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have finalized manager Aaron Boone’s coaching staff for 2022, including new additions at hitting coach, first-base coach and third-base coach. Bench coach Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Matt Blake are back for their third seasons in pinstripes, while bullpen coach Mike Harkey