6:43 AM ET ESPN staff Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print At long last, the MLB regular season is just around the corner, and there are plenty of opportunities to make futures bets before the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day. The Dodgers sit as the favorites at 5-1 to win the Fall

5:07 PM ET Associated Press GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Cincinnati Reds informed Shogo Akiyama on Sunday that he would not make the Opening Day roster, leaving him to decide whether he’ll go down to Triple-A or become a free agent. A productive player for nearly a decade in Japan, the outfielder wasn’t able to duplicate

Apr 2, 2022 Associated Press PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets star right-hander Max Scherzer is dealing with a hamstring issue and isn’t sure when he will pitch next, another frustrating setback for the top of New York’s heralded but suddenly fragile rotation. A day after the Mets said Jacob deGrom will miss significant time

5:22 PM ET ESPN News Services CLEVELAND — After striking out in free agency, the Cleveland Guardians locked up one of their own, agreeing to terms with closer Emmanuel Clase on a five-year, $20 million contract, according to multiple reports. Clase’s deal is pending him passing a physical. The deal includes club options for 2027

2:44 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Braves reliever Luke Jackson has ligament damage in his right elbow, and there is no timetable for his return. A key part of the bullpen last year during Atlanta’s run to the World Series championship, Jackson is having a “comprehensive evaluation,” the team said Saturday. The Braves said

Apr 1, 2022 The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox swapped veteran outfielder AJ Pollock and veteran closer Craig Kimbrel on Friday, a rare one-for-one trade — with no money exchanged — that cleared up uncertainties for two championship contenders. From the Dodgers’ perspective, the deal frees up more playing time for the

7:30 PM ET NEW YORK – The Yankees appealed the release of an investigative letter commissioner Rob Manfred sent to the organization in 2017. In a 15-page document written by team president Randy Levine, the Yankees argued that the decision from a three-judge panel in March from the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upholding

12:38 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays extended manager Charlie Montoyo’s contract through the 2023 season on Friday. Montoyo, 57, has overseen a tumultuous period in Blue Jays history, with the team playing home games in three cities last season, including two minor league parks, because of border restrictions related to

4:01 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom will miss Opening Day after an imaging test showed a stress reaction in his right scapula. In a statement on Friday, the Mets said deGrom won’t

7:00 AM ET The universal DH, for all of its uniformity, practicality and Shohei Ohtani, saddens a small few of us, for it eliminates one of the game’s underappreciated elements: pitchers hitting, or not hitting, which, for 150 years, has provided great statistics, stories and smiles. Yes, we still have the amazing Ohtani, but he