Baseball Page 4 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Reports: Dodgers pick up options for Max Muncy, Alex Vesia
The Los Angeles Dodgers exercised their 2026 team options for third baseman Max Muncy and reliever Alex Vesia, multiple outlets reported Thursday.,The two-time defending World Series champions owe $10 million to Muncy and $3.55 million to Vesia.,Muncy, 35, is a two-time All-Star who batted .243 with...
Taking measure of playoff teams with the most work to do this offseason
The baseball offseason waits for no one. ,Opt-outs, managerial hirings and free agent filings are the talk of the day a mere five nights after one of the greatest Game 7s of all-time. ,Here's our look at the tasks ahead of the 12 teams who made the playoffs this season, leading off with the teams wi...
Where will the top 10 free agents land? Start in Los Angeles
As the light turns green to signal the open of Major League Baseball free agency, the looming threat of the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers casts a larger shadow than ever over the other 29 teams. ,Most of them are dealing with a level of wallet envy as Los Angeles collects World Se...
Report: Don Mattingly set to leave Blue Jays
Don Mattingly is stepping away from his position as bench coach of the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Post reported on Thursday.,Mattingly's contract expired after the Blue Jays' season ended with an 11th-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday.,Per the repo...
Ex-reliever Craig Stammen named Padres manager
The San Diego Padres named Craig Stammen, a former relief pitcher for the team, as their new manager on Thursday.,The 41-year-old signed a three-year contract.,He is well-known within the organization. Since retiring in March 2023, he has worked as a special assistant in the player development depar...
Five free agents worth the risk -- and five to avoid
The MLB offseason is underway, which means it's time to spend.,Let's take a look at five players who figure to be worth the big bucks no matter what and five others who could be worth it, but also have to come with warning labels attached.,--Free Agents Worth Every Penny,Josh Naylor, 1B,Though he sa...
Phillies pick up option for reliever Jose Alvarado
Even though he missed nearly half of this past season due to an 80-game suspension for a positive performance-enhancing substance test, the Philadelphia Phillies exercised their option to retain reliever Jose Alvarado for the 2026 season Wednesday.,He's set to receive $9 million next year and become...
Mariners postseason star Jorge Polanco declines player option
Postseason Mariners standout Jorge Polanco declined his player option for 2026 and will become a free agent, Seattle announced Wednesday.,Polanco passed on his $6 million option after having a big season that surely raised his worth on the open market. The Mariners will likely be interested in bring...
Yankees pick up option on Tim Hill, not Jonathan Loaisiga
The New York Yankees announced contract decisions Wednesday for two relievers, exercising their option for left-hander Tim Hill but declining their 2026 option for right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga.,Hill, 35, will earn $3 million next season after going 4-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 70 relief appearances duri...
World Series Game 7 most-watched MLB game globally in 34 years
Game 7 of the World Series averaged 51 million viewers combined across the United States, Canada and Japan, making it the most-watched MLB game globally in 34 years, the league announced Wednesday.,Spanning back nearly three-and-a-half decades was Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, which pitted the Mi...
Braves exercise $18M option to retain LHP Chris Sale for 2026
The Atlanta Braves are exercising the $18 million team option in Chris Sale's contract to keep the left-hander in the fold for 2026. ,Sale was 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA in 2025 but spent 10 weeks on the injured list with a fractured ribcage. He had 165 strikeouts, including four nine-K games in five start...
Reports: Shane Bieber picks up $16M option, stays with Jays
The free agent pitching market became a bit thinner on Tuesday when Shane Bieber decided to pick up his $16 million player option for 2026 and remain with the Toronto Blue Jays, multiple media outlets reported.,The former Cy Young Award winner didn't make his debut with the Blue Jays until August, h...
Royals award C Salvador Perez new two-year contract
The Royals and catcher Salvador Perez agreed on a new two-year contract Tuesday to keep the franchise icon in Kansas City through the 2027 season.,Contract terms were not disclosed, but several outlets reported it is worth $25 million.,Perez, 35, has played all 14 seasons of his major league career ...
Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty picks up $20M player option for 2026
Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty exercised his $20 million player option on Tuesday, electing to stick with the club as opposed to possibly becoming a free agent.,Flaherty was initially set to have a $10 million player option when he signed a two-year, $35 million deal with Detroit prior to...
Game 7 of World Series watched by 27.3M in U.S., most since 2017
Feverish interest in Game 7 of the World Series produced giant ratings for Fox Sports, which revealed Tuesday that 27.3 million viewers across the United States tuned into the championship decider.,The Los Angeles Dodgers' 5-4 comeback win over the Toronto Blue Jays was the most-watched World Series...
White Sox pick up OF Luis Robert's $20M option
The Chicago White Sox picked up center fielder Luis Robert Jr.'s $20 million option for 2026 on Tuesday.,The team also announced that left-hander Martin Perez declined his $10 million mutual option for 2026 and will receive a $1.5 million buyout.,Robert, 28, was limited to 110 games in 2025 and hit ...
Reports: Red Sox SS Trevor Story opts into contract, will return in 2026
Coming off a bounce-back 2025 season, Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is opting into his contract and returning to Boston in 2026, according to multiple media reports.,Story, who had an opt-out after the fourth year of his six-year, $140 million deal he signed ahead of the 2022 season, has two...
Padres RHP Yu Darvish out for 2026 season after UCL surgery
San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will miss the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon and an internal brace in his pitching elbow.,Darvish, 39, announced Tuesday over social media that was performed by Dr. Keith Meister last week in Arlington, Texas. The Padres, ...
Reds sign RHP Keegan Thompson to 1-year deal
The Cincinnati Reds signed free-agent right-hander Keegan Thompson to a one-year major league contract on Tuesday.,Thompson, 30, pitched last season for the Chicago Cubs' Triple-A affiliate in Iowa and was 6-2 with a 4.50 ERA, 25 walks and 83 strikeouts in 64 innings over 33 games (five starts).,Tho...
Orioles re-acquire reliever Andrew Kittredge from Cubs
The Baltimore Orioles have re-acquired relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, the team announced Tuesday.,Kittridge, 35, signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Orioles as a free agent in January but was sent to the Cubs at the trade deadline for shortstop prospect Wil...