1:53 AM ET PHOENIX — Playing for Team USA again in the WBC was never a question for third baseman Nolan Arenado. After helping the U.S. win the tournament in 2017, he desperately wanted a chance to defend that title. He’s off to a good start. Arenado, 31, had three hits and several highlight-reel defensive

3:33 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Outfielder Corbin Carroll and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on an eight-year, $111 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal confirmed to ESPN, tying one of the top prospects in

9:55 AM ET Associated Press TOKYO — Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic. Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament

Mar 8, 2023 AS TEAM USA raised the World Baseball Classic trophy in 2017, Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout felt the FOMO wash over him. “It looked like they were having so much fun, making the plays and winning,” said Trout, who was watching on TV from spring training camp in Tempe, Arizona. “That’s

8:54 PM ET ESPN News Services Former major league outfielder and two-time World Series champion Jesus Alou died Friday at the age of 80, the Boston Red Sox announced. Alou recently suffered two cardiovascular accidents, but he hadn’t been diagnosed with a serious illness, a family source told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas. Alou spent 15 seasons

5:30 PM ET Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The blonds are back. Puerto Rico on Friday broke the Guinness World record for the most hair dyed, with 192 men going blond to support the U.S. territory’s team that is vying to win the World Baseball Classic after finishing twice as runner-up. The team’s

6:53 AM ET Major League Baseball is getting everyone excited about the stolen base by adjusting its rules, but this hardly means fantasy managers should simply go with the same old speedsters from last season. Miami Marlins 2B/3B Jon Berti and Baltimore Orioles SS Jorge Mateo led their respective leagues in the category last season.

10:15 PM ET Associated Press Hunter Greene will be the Opening Day starter for the Cincinnati Reds. The 23-year-old is getting the nod as he begins his second season in the majors. Editor’s Picks “It means the world. It’s a huge honor considering the history in Cincinnati,” said Greene who went 5-13 in 24 starts

2:38 PM ET Associated Press CLEARWATER, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper has joined his teammates at spring training and hasn’t ruled out being back by the All-Star break following Tommy John surgery. “Things can change either way,” the two-time National League MVP said Thursday. “I could be after, I could be before. But

7:00 AM ET It’s that time of year: The projection systems for the 2023 MLB season have been released and baseball analysts are divulging their secret-sauce prophecies, so let’s dig into the five teams that are most likely to take a step forward and possibly emerge as playoff surprises in 2023. And, yes, no matter