8:56 PM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani has been voted the majors’ best designated hitter for the second consecutive season. The Los Angeles Angels‘ two-way slugger won the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Monday, beating out Houston’s Yordan Alvarez as the top player at the position in 2022. Ohtani, who

2:42 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” First baseman Jose Abreu and the Houston Astros are in agreement on a three-year contract, a source told ESPN, adding another run-producing bat to the World Series champions’ lineup that’s already filled

7:00 AM ET With all the speculation about where Aaron Judge will sign, what about the question of where he should sign? The question is complicated. First of all, there is only one opinion that ultimately matters: Judge’s. To apply our own factors is to make wild assumptions about his decision-making process. But, hey, it’s

3:53 PM ET CHICAGO — Free-agent pitcher Mike Clevinger is in agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a contract for the 2023 season, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Clevinger, 31, was 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA last year pitching for the San Diego Padres. He also threw 2 2/3 innings in the playoffs, giving

Nov 18, 2022 As New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke this week about his recent conversations with Aaron Judge, his words were confident, constructed on the power of his team’s staggering wealth. “He means a lot to this organization,” he told the YES Network, “and I’ve made it clear to him we’re going to

7:42 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” First baseman Carlos Santana and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in agreement on a one-year, $6.7 million contract, pending the results of a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. Santana, 36,

1:54 PM ET ESPN News Services BOSTON — Joely Rodriguez agreed to a $2 million, one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, a deal that includes a team option for 2024. Rodriguez, 31, gets a $1.5 million salary next year, and the Red Sox’s option is for $4.25 million with a $500,000 buyout.

12:56 PM ET Associated Press The Texas Rangers hired Mike Maddux as their new pitching coach Wednesday, and added former Kansas City Royals general manager Dayton Moore as a senior adviser in their baseball operations department. Maddux is returning to Texas to be on new manager Bruce Bochy’s staff. Maddux was first the pitching coach

5:31 PM ET Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, according to the team. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. The Phillies said Harper is expected to return as a hitter only by the All-Star break and could return to playing right field

9:36 AM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — A full postseason share for the World Series champion Houston Astros totaled a record $516,347 from a player pool of $107.5 million, also a record, in the first season the playoffs were expanded to 12 teams. The Astros split $38.7 million into 59 full shares, 14.14 partial