8:15 AM ET Steve Cohen is the ghost of Christmas future for some Yankees fans who fear that the Mets’ new owner will begin hoarding the type of pricey players who have long been the exclusive domain of the Steinbrenner family. This is the context in which Brian Cashman has been answering questions lately, and

8:23 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion during the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion, and the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers led with $98.6 million — the smallest for the top spender in 20 years. Base wages for 40-man rosters tumbled to $1.54 billion, according

Dec 18, 2020 Major League Baseball’s decision to alter the status of the Negro Leagues to major league and incorporate Negro Leagues statistics into a historical record in which they did not participate is consistent with two opposing but defining forces of our time. One is the racial reckoning that has defined America post-George Floyd’s

4:12 PM ET Add Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly to the growing list of voices who think Major League Baseball needs more action. If that means continuing to change the playing rules, the reigning National League Manager of the Year is all for it. “As far as rules go in general, we have to continue

8:18 PM ET Jo Adell, quite possibly the best prospect the Los Angeles Angels have had since Mike Trout, struggled as a rookie in 2020, batting .161 while showing clear struggles defensively. And though Angels manager Joe Maddon considers it unfair to judge players based off such an unconventional season, he also said he believes

4:48 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — Each time Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo has made a pitch to free agents this offseason, there’s one topic he’s known will come up. “The number one question is if we’re going to play in Toronto,” Montoyo said Friday. “That’s rightly so. Our answer is, ‘Yeah, we’re hoping

2:52 AM ET Associated Press ESPN will open its Sunday Night Baseball schedule on April 4 when the Los Angeles Angels host the Chicago White Sox. The game will feature the past two American League MVPs, with the Angels’ Mike Trout facing reigning MVP and White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu at 8:30 p.m. ET.

10:00 AM ET ESPN News Services Right-hander Michael Wacha and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a one-year, $3 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Wacha spent the 2020 season with the New York Mets, going 1-4 with a 6.62 ERA in eight appearances (seven starts). The 29-year-old

7:00 AM ET Pedro GomezMLB Close ESPN’s Pedro Gomez covered the Oakland A’s home and away nearly every day from 1992-97 for the San Jose Mercury News and Sacramento Bee and then became the national baseball writer and later a general columnist at the Arizona Republic before becoming an ESPN bureau reporter in 2003. There

5:47 PM ET Associated Press BOSTON — Alex Cora is expecting to see the J.D. Martinez of old again in 2021. And the Red Sox manager wouldn’t be surprised if Andrew Benintendi and Eduardo Rodríguez bounce back with him. Cora predicted better things from some of the Boston players who had an off year during