11:49 AM ET Throughout the summer, each completed game signified hope that pandemic baseball could succeed, and each COVID-19 positive, seven-inning doubleheader and protocol breach reflected institutional recklessness. At a safe distance from the clamor, the referendum on the 2020 Major League Baseball season was not whether it was a success or an abomination —

7:00 AM ET Free agents on the whole tend to be a little older than the average player. The requirement of six or nearly seven big league seasons after some time in the minors puts most free agents around 30 years old or older. With most teams already slowing down the past few seasons when

5:24 PM ET ESPN News Services The San Francisco Giants added a veteran option for the rotation alongside ace Johnny Cueto by signing right-handed pitcher Anthony DeSclafani to a one-year contract, the team announced Wednesday. The deal is worth $6 million in salary, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The Giants still will look to

12:49 PM ET ESPN News Services NEW YORK — Willie Mays will add some hits to his record, Monte Irvin’s big league batting average should climb over .300, and Satchel Paige might add nearly 150 victories to his total. Josh Gibson, the greatest of all Negro League sluggers, might just wind up with a major

7:00 AM ET The last time we saw Blake Snell in a baseball uniform was Game 6 of the World Series and the Hook Heard ‘Round the World, when Kevin Cash removed him after 73 pitches despite Snell dominating the Dodgers. The next time we see him he could be wearing a new jersey if

6:57 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — – Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was discussing the state of his roster in baseball’s so-far quiet offseason, making no secret of the team’s desire to re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz. Baldelli pushed his interest in the 40-year-old free agent a step further, taking a few seconds out

2:34 PM ET Moments after his manager mentioned that Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant has “come up” in conversations, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo quashed any ideas of acquiring the former MVP. “We haven’t had a serious conversation about Kris Bryant in probably two years,” Rizzo said in a Tuesday Zoom call with reporters.

7:00 AM ET The most infamous trade in Cleveland Indians history involved a prodigious young slugger, a batting champion, a general manager nicknamed Trader Frank and, in a roundabout way, Terry Francona’s father. It took place 60 years ago, shocked fans in Cleveland and, some would say, cursed the franchise for the next three decades.

2:10 PM ET Associated Press CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are changing their name — they just don’t know to what or when. Expressing that “it’s time,” owner Paul Dolan said that after months of internal discussions and meetings with groups, including Native Americans who have sought to have the team stop using a moniker

2:50 PM ET The Kansas City Royals re-signed reliever Greg Holland on Monday. Sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan that the one-year contract is worth $2.75 million. He can earn as much as $4.5 million with performance bonuses in the contract, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney. Holland, 35, had a 1.91 ERA and was 3-0 with