MLB

9:46 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Spring training could be delayed for Double-A and Class A players if major leaguers are not vaccinated for the novel coronavirus by the time big league practice is scheduled to start in mid-February. Major League Baseball, which has taken over operation of the minors, gave notice to

10:34 AM ET The Boston Red Sox announced Monday that they hired Bianca Smith, 29, to be a minor league coach. Smith becomes the first Black woman to coach in professional baseball. Smith has worked as the assistant coach and hitting coordinator at Carroll University in Wisconsin since 2018. With the Red Sox, she will

7:00 AM ET Fingers crossed that the 2021 MLB season will begin on time — and that we get to see some live baseball at the ballpark this year. As we wait, Buster Olney continues his annual ranking of the 10 best players at each position heading into the coming season, based on input from

7:42 PM ET Sandra Scully, the wife of Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, passed away on Sunday night due to complications from a long bout with ALS, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced. She was 76. Sandra Scully leaves behind a large family that includes six children, 21 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She and Vin

7:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN Now that 2020 is (finally) behind us, baseball is entering a new year with uncertainty the only certainty across the sport, so we asked our team of MLB experts to each identify and lay out one storyline that will most define 2021 along with something they can’t wait to see

7:30 AM ET Because of Francisco Lindor‘s rapid ascension on Major League Baseball’s stage, and because of Cleveland’s long-standing payroll limitations and its history of dealing its biggest stars, a cottage industry of trade speculation has swirled around the All-Star shortstop since he turned down a big offer in the spring of 2017. The expectation

2:39 PM ET The San Diego Padres have added another big name this offseason, agreeing to a deal with Korean star infielder Ha-seong Kim, according to ESPN and multiple reports. Kim, 25, became one of the top infielders on the open market when he was posted earlier this month by the Kiwoom Heroes, his team

5:52 PM ET As he was introduced by his new team Thursday, Yu Darvish said he was shocked by his trade to the San Diego Padres and grew emotional talking about his time with the Chicago Cubs and the bonds he created there. “With what’s happening with the coronavirus, and the money the Cubs have,

3:30 PM ET CHICAGO — Cubs president Jed Hoyer didn’t want to become one of those organizations with little talent left at the end of its current window of contention. So, with a clear eye toward the future, he traded star pitcher Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres earlier this week for four young

8:00 AM ET CLYDE SUKEFORTH IS SMILING. He’s holding a Brooklyn Dodgers cap in one hand and pointing to the sky with the other. He’s one of the characters in the Norman Rockwell painting “Tough Call,” although you can barely see him poking out behind the three umpires at home. The men in black are

8:45 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Twenty-nine baseball teams had the opportunity to acquire one of the best pitchers in the world for little more than a handful of lottery tickets, and only one jumped at it. If

7:32 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN DIEGO — Blake Snell gave up the ball in Game 6 of the World Series, shaking his head after manager Kevin Cash’s curious pitching change. With three years left on his contract, Snell hardly considered that could be his final moment as a Tampa Bay Ray. The San

3:42 PM ET The Minnesota Twins signed former Los Angeles Angels closer Hansel Robles to a one-year contract on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. Robles saved 23 games in 27 chances in 2019 when he went 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA in a 71 appearances. Last season, however, he struggled with a 10.26 ERA

4:16 PM ET Veteran first baseman Justin Smoak is finalizing a deal with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The deal will guarantee him somewhere in the $6-7 million range, sources said. Smoak, 34, will join a Giants team that won the Central League but lost in the Japan Series this

2:06 PM ET The Philadelphia Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. In the deal, Tampa Bay sent Alvarado to Philadelphia, the Phillies sent left-hander Garrett Cleavinger to the Los Angeles and the Dodgers sent infielder Dillon Paulson and a player

2:30 PM ET The MLB offseason has been historically slow, mostly due to the coronavirus pandemic (and the associated revenue problems), but having a new collective bargaining agreement due next winter (and the associated labor fights until then) is also a factor. Although the major free agents in this winter’s class still haven’t signed, there

9:44 PM ET Jesse Rogers Close ESPN Staff Writer Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. Jeff Passan Close ESPN ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The San Diego Padres are on the verge of making their second trade

9:45 PM ET MLB InsidersESPN After a slow start to the offseason, the San Diego Padres have ignited the hot stove with a pair of blockbuster deals for starting pitchers. First, San Diego acquired 2018 AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell for prospects from the Tampa Bay Rays. Then the Padres turned around and added