MLB

11:07 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” IRVING, Texas — Separated by 12 miles physically and a million philosophically, the commissioner of baseball and his counterpart at the players’ union spent Day 1 of Major League Baseball’s lockout of

The contract numbers spent in free agency so far are record-setting, mind-bending. Max Scherzer‘s annual salary of $43.3 million is the highest ever for a pitcher. The Texas Rangers spent more money in two days on two players — Corey Seager and Marcus Semien — than they have on their entire roster the last four

NEW YORK — Within minutes of locking out players Thursday amid contentious negotiations on the next collective bargaining agreement, Major League Baseball scrubbed all remnants of player likenesses off its official properties such as MLB.com, replacing player photos with generic silhouettes. In response, players decided to lean all the way in. Players started to change

Marcus Stroman has reached a deal with the Chicago Cubs, the right-hander announced Wednesday on social media. “CHICAGO! @Cubs,” Stroman posted to Twitter. “Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities,” he added in a separate post. “Culture and passion everywhere. Beyond excited to pitch in front one of the best fan bases in

A day of negotiating brought Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association no closer to a new collective bargaining agreement, according to sources familiar with the talks. The sides met in Irving, Texas, on Tuesday, one day before the current agreement is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET Wednesday. Though the sides have

Left-hander James Paxton and the Boston Red Sox are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract with a two-year club option, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday. Paxton, 33, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and should be back pitching in 2022. Paxton’s 2021 season with the Seattle Mariners

The Baltimore Orioles were nearing a one-year agreement Tuesday night with second baseman Rougned Odor, according to The Athletic. Odor, 27, spent last season with the New York Yankees, hitting .202 with 15 home runs and 39 RBIs in 102 games. Odor played seven seasons with the Texas Rangers before joining the Yankees. He’s hit

If there seemed like one sure bet this offseason in the unpredictable world of MLB free agency, it’s that the Detroit Tigers would spend whatever it took to land one of the premier shortstops on the market. Now, that seeming inevitability has come to pass, with Detroit agreeing to a reported six-year, $140 million contract

MIAMI — Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings is coming to the Miami Marlins. The Marlins acquired Stallings from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday in exchange for pitcher Zach Thompson and prospects Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott. Stallings, 31, is coming off the best season of his career. He earned his first Gold Glove for his

The transaction orgy of the past few days has been stupendous for baseball fans accustomed to a more leisurely pace during the late autumn and winter months. That said, it’s been more stupendous for some fans than others, and no fan base ought to feel more adrenalized than that of the Texas Rangers. With the

Tracking the offseason MLB trades and signings with fantasy baseball implications for 2022, Eric Karabell and Tristan H. Cockcroft will analyze and provide an outlook for all of the key players involved. Check back often as players like Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman and Trevor Story begin to find their potential new homes for 2022. Players

Infielder Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers are in agreement on a seven-year contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday. The deal is worth $175 million, a source said. The Rangers were not done there, however. They also were finalizing a four-year, $56 million contract with right-hander Jon Gray, pending

Right-handed starting pitcher Kevin Gausman and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a five-year, $110 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday night. Gausman was a reliable back-end starter early in his career, posting a 4.22 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP and a 3.02 strikeout-to-walk ratio while averaging

The Tampa Bay Rays and free-agent right-hander Corey Kluber have agreed to a one-year contract, according to multiple reports. The deal is worth $8 million guaranteed and could be worth as much as $13 million if he pitches a full season, according to the reports. Kluber, who turns 36 in April, was limited to 80

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Wander Franco and the Tampa Bay Rays have finalized a $182 million, 11-year contract that includes a club option for the 2033 season. The shortstop’s deal, which could be worth up to $223 million if the club option is exercised and incentives are reached, was announced Saturday. “This is a great

11:41 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Seattle Mariners have acquired second baseman/outfielder Adam Frazier in a trade with the San Diego Padres. Going to San Diego will be hard-throwing left-handed reliever Raymond Kerr and outfielder Corey Rosier.

Black Friday, a great American tradition, is supposed to be about a frenzied, wild-eyed scramble for bargains. And on this particular Black Friday, the Mets were certainly frenzied — we can only imagine what the eyes of Steve Cohen looked like as his club signed three free-agent hitters over the span of a few hours.

The New York Mets are shoring up their infield and outfield depth with their first two big moves of the offseason on Friday. The team is in agreement on a two-year, $20 million contract with infielder Eduardo Escobar, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN. They are also nearing a two-year, $26.5 million