The out-of-the-box franchise blueprint proposal championed by the Rays — to split their seasons between Montreal and Tampa, after new ballparks/multi-use facilities were built in both locations — has been squashed by Major League Baseball, more than two years after it was originally given the green light, and despite comments by Rays ownership that they were very happy with how […]

Previously a Staff Writer at Bleacher Report Cornell University graduate Shohei Ohtani isn’t shying away from his status as the face of baseball. In an interview with GQ, the Angels’ two-way star reflected on his historic season that landed him unanimous MVP honors and the rare Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award. In the process, Ohtani became one of the game’s biggest […]

ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” MORE THAN A month into Major League Baseball’s lockout, well aware that the league and players haven’t had a single substantive negotiating session since the work stoppage began and that spring training is fast approaching without an iota of progress toward a […]

Folks, there’s no long lead-in for this year’s Hall of Fame ballot explanation column.  Let’s just jump in: Here are the eight players I voted for, in alphabetical order by last name: Bobby Abreu, Barry Bonds, Mark Buehrle, Roger Clemens, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen and Gary Sheffield.  For the players who are ballot hold-overs, you’ll see a lot […]

How deeply does baseball pulse through the veins of The Sporting News? It was the reason TSN was established in 1886 (more to come on that soon). Before there was an American League, which, by the way, TSN played a outsized role in founding, The Sporting News covered the National League and the American Association. TSN was “the Bible of […]

Before the MLB offseason was locked out, teams were spending left and right trying to nail down all the top free agents. The Rangers and Mets spent the most, signing big names such as Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to Texas and Starling Marte and Max Scherzer to New York. Whenever the new collective bargaining agreement is settled, there could […]

Donnie Yantis spent 10 minutes watching Gavin Sawchuk’s freshman tape. Then he picked up the phone. The Valor Christian coach, then an Arizona State assistant, came to Highlands Ranch to recruit the running back in 2018. Yantis quickly recognized what every college recruiter’s known for the past couple of years: Sawchuk is a rare breed, especially for the state of […]

Covers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995 At some point, maybe in January, probably not until February, the owners and players will agree on how to divvy up the billions of dollars of baseball revenue. For now, we wait for the return of what will be the abbreviated hot stove season, but […]

Winter is here, and the expected long layoff until MLB and the MLBPA agree to a new collective bargaining agreement will be a lot colder for some teams and their fan bases than it will be for others.  The Rangers were aggressive before the lockdown hit, signing middle infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to massive deals and bringing Jon Gray […]

Buck O’Neil, a champion of Black ballplayers during a monumental, eight-decade career on and off the field, joined Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso and three others in being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. Former Minnesota Twins teammates Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat, a longtime television analyst after his playing days, also were chosen along with Bud Fowler […]