5:25 PM ET ESPN News Services SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres signed 16-year-old catcher Ethan Salas of Caracas, Venezuela, to a $5.6 million bonus on Sunday, the first day of the international signing period. Salas is the consensus top overall prospect in this year’s class. The left-handed hitter is the younger brother of

2:42 PM ET Associated Press TORONTO — The Blue Jays are searching for a new bullpen coach. The team announced Sunday that Matt Buschmann has opted to leave the organization to pursue other opportunities. Toronto also said it would announce its complete coaching staff in the coming weeks. The 38-year-old Buschmann joined the Blue Jays

2:58 PM ET CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg will be immortalized outside of Wrigley Field in the summer of 2024 when the team unveils a statue of his likeness, the organization announced on Saturday at its annual fan convention. Sandberg’s statue will join those of Hall of Fame players

10:39 PM ET CHICAGO — Free agent first baseman Trey Mancini is in agreement with the Chicago Cubs on a two-year deal which includes an opt out clause after the first season, sources told ESPN on Saturday night. Mancini, 30, spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles before being traded last summer to the

9:53 PM ET Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso returned to his old high school Saturday for a charity event being held just a long home run away from the residence of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. It was only natural that a question would come up referencing

1:30 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — The resignation of Matt Holliday as the St. Louis Cardinals bench coach caught team President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak by surprise, but he’s happy with the hiring of Joe McEwing. Mozeliak addressed the media Saturday morning at Busch Stadium during the Cardinals Winter Up weekend. He

1:16 AM ET ESPN News Services MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins and right-handed pitcher Chris Paddack have agreed to a $12.5 million, three-year contract, according to multiple reports Friday night. The deal, which was first reported by The Athletic, was pending completion of a physical exam. Paddack is recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery, the

2:35 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Outfielder Juan Soto and the San Diego Padres agreed Friday on a one-year, $23 million contract to avoid arbitration, sources told ESPN, in what is expected to be the richest deal on

Jan 13, 2023 ESPN News Services Trevor Bauer became a free agent Friday when he went unclaimed on waivers, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers responsible for about $22.5 million owed to the former Cy Young Award winner whose unprecedented 324-game suspension over sexual misconduct allegations was reduced by an arbitrator. Los Angeles designated Bauer for

10:17 AM ET Andrew McCutchen is returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates, it appears. The 36-year-old, who was named the 2013 NL MVP when he was playing in Pittsburgh, has agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Pirates for the upcoming season, sources have confirmed. The finalization of the deal is pending a