11:41 AM ET Reliever Wade Davis, a three-time All-Star selection who has 141 saves in 12 major league seasons, is retiring, the Kansas City Royals announced Wednesday. The 36-year-old Davis, who led the National League with 43 saves in 2018, clinched the World Series title for the Royals in 2015 with a game-ending strikeout against
MLB
1:15 PM ET The Tampa Bay Rays saw enough in the 70 major league games that shortstop Wander Franco played to wrap him up with a massive contract. Sources confirm to ESPN that Franco, 20, has agreed to a 12-year contract that guarantees him around $185 million. The deal is worth a maximum of $223
10:06 AM ET New York Mets owner Steve Cohen called out Steven Matz‘s agent for “unprofessional behavior” in a tweet Wednesday morning, one day after the free-agent left-hander opted against rejoining his former team and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. “I’m not happy this morning,” Cohen said in his post. “I’ve never seen such
7:00 AM ET Here’s how to win the offseason: Spend a lot of money. In the constant swirl of the sports news cycle, that’s as good a proxy for aggression as anything. Right? Well, no. While stingy owners should often be taken to task for their frugal ways, we simply cannot say that spending big
9:58 PM ET Starting pitcher Steven Matz, a key component to a turnaround season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, has agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, pending a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday night. Matz could earn up to $48
4:00 PM ET The 2021-22 MLB free-agency hot stove is cooking, with teams already making some major moves in an effort to win a title next season. Below is a running list of notable transactions, along with analysis and grades for the most important ones. Remember: Trades and signings can happen at practically any hour
6:05 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Left-handed reliever Aaron Loup has agreed to a two-year, $17 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The club announced the deal Monday for Loup, adding one of the most effective relievers on the free-agent market to right-handed starter Noah Syndergaard in an impressive early offseason haul
6:05 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a three-year contract, the team announced Monday. The contract totals $36 million, as the club locked up the 31-year-old who thrived during
10:24 AM ET The Boston Red Sox have exercised Alex Cora’s club option through the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the team announced Monday. Cora, 46, is 284-202 in three seasons as Red Sox manager, having led the club to a winning record in all three seasons at the helm, including setting a franchise record with
7:00 AM ET We’re back with the fourth edition of free-agent superlatives — and this year’s free-agent class is certainly the most super we’ve seen in several years. What’s not so super is an offseason that may hit a wall thanks to the impending work stoppage at midnight on Dec. 1, when the owners will