New York Mets owner Steve Cohen called out Steven Matz’s agent for “unprofessional behavior” in a tweet Wednesday morning, one day after the free-agent left-hander opted against rejoining his former team and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. “I’m not happy this morning,” Cohen said in his post. “I’ve never seen such unprofessional behavior exhibited by a player’s agent. I […]

Starting pitcher Steven Matz, a key component to a turnaround season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, has agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, pending a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday night. Matz could earn up to $48 million in the deal and will receive a […]

Joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Los Angeles Rams Previously covered the Angels for MLB.com Shohei Ohtani, coming off a sensational, largely unprecedented 2021 season, was crowned the American League’s Most Valuable Player unanimously on Thursday. The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way star claimed all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and became the fifth unanimous […]

ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” CHICAGO — Major League Baseball owners have not yet decided to lock out players if there is no new labor deal after the Dec. 1 expiration of the current one, commissioner Rob Manfred said Thursday, but he highlighted the folly of not […]

Shohei Ohtani had already proven that he could be one of the most exciting players in baseball coming into 2021, but health had proven an obstacle. Could he really stay healthy over a full season? Could he have an entire year spent as a starting pitcher and put everything together at the plate? It seemed possible, but far from inevitable. One bettor […]

NEW YORK — First baseman Brandon Belt accepted an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday rather than pursue bidders as a free agent. Belt was the only one to accept among the 14 free agents who received the offers from their former clubs on Nov. 7. Players who turned down offers included first baseman Freddie […]

Joined ESPN in 2016 to cover the Los Angeles Rams Previously covered the Angels for MLB.com Kevin Cash, who led the cash-strapped Tampa Bay Rays to a second consecutive division title, captured his second consecutive American League Manager of the Year Award on Tuesday. Cash captured 19 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Scott Servais […]

Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com. Last year’s breakout postseason star is this year’s American League Rookie of the Year as Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena took home the honors on Monday while beating out teammate Wander Franco and right-handed starter Luis Garcia of the Houston Astros. Arozarena received 124 points in the […]

Former Boston Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a five-year deal worth $77 million, sources confirmed to ESPN. Rodriguez, 28, went 13-8 with a 4.74 ERA last season with the Red Sox after missing all of 2020 because of coronavirus-related myocarditis. Rodriguez was Boston’s best starter in 2019, finishing sixth in the American […]

Veteran right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, a mostly solid presence in the Rockies’ shaky bullpen, will be back with the team in 2022. The club announced Saturday that it had signed Chacin to a one-year contract. According to MLB.com, the deal is for $1.25 million. Chacín, who turns 34 on Jan. 7, began 2021 as a long reliever after signing with the […]