PITTSBURGH — Did you hear the news? The Pirates are going to have "a little more flexibility" on their payroll this offseason!

That is what general manager Ben Cherington told Randy Miller of nj.com at the general managers meetings in Las Vegas the other day, invoking a phrase made infamous by Pirate GMs past, beginning with Dave Littlefield ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — After back-to-back winters in which they aggressively pursued the free-agent market, the early signs this offseason suggest the Dodgers could explore a different path.

They have not materialized as the kind of clear-cut frontrunner for top free-agent prize Kyle Tucker, as many around the industry had expected over the summer.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The players could be locked out after next season. Once-reliable broadcast revenue is being threatened by a shifting media landscape. The proliferation of sports gambling has already ensnared multiple players.

Baseball could have a reckoning in the relatively near future, but it certainly doesn't feel as if that's the case, does...Read more

NEW YORK — The agent for star Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase stepped out of an MLB players union meeting to make sure his high-profile client was free on bond in his sports betting conspiracy case Thursday.

“I’m walking outside the room right now,” pro agent Kelvin Nova said over the phone during Clase’s arraignment in ...Read more

NEW YORK — With Aaron Judge’s average sitting above .400 on May 20, Kyle Higashioka stood in Yankee Stadium’s visiting clubhouse and eagerly accepted an invitation to praise his former teammate.

“It’s just the continual drive to be better every year,” the Rangers catcher said when asked what about Judge impresses him the most. “A ...Read more

SEATTLE — Cal Raleigh produced the single greatest season for a catcher in MLB history, putting up historical numbers at the plate while enduring the physical beating of playing behind it all while embracing the many responsibilities that come with playing baseball’s toughest position.

Yet he was most proud to help lead the Mariners to ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — When it came to Major League Baseball’s history of the most valuable player award, there used to be Barry Bonds — and everyone else.

Over his 22-year career, Bonds won baseball’s highest individual honor a record seven times. Before this year, no one else had more than three.

But, like Bonds, accomplishing things no one ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Seidler family’s stewardship of the Padres appears headed to a close.

The team announced Thursday that the Seidlers are exploring their strategic options, which could result in the sale of part or all of the team. The announcement comes one day shy of exactly two years after Peter Seidler died.

“The family has decided to ...Read more

DETROIT — Tarik Skubal continues to entrench himself in the pantheon of great Detroit Tigers pitchers.

On Wednesday, by a vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Skubal won his second straight American League Cy Young Award.

He is the first American League pitcher to win the award in consecutive years since Boston Red Sox Hall ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — It’s more than likely the first of several.

It also wasn’t much of a surprise given Paul Skenes’ dominance in 2025.

A year after he burst onto the scene by winning National League Rookie of the Year, Skenes took both an impressive and logical next step Wednesday when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced...Read more

DETROIT — Tarik Skubal continues to entrench himself in the pantheon of great Detroit Tigers pitchers.

On Wednesday, by a vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America, Skubal won his second straight American League Cy Young Award.

He is the first American League pitcher to win the award in consecutive years since Boston Red Sox Hall ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — In between meetings this week, the Phillies’ highest-ranking baseball official said he recently had a“good conversation” for “quite a while” with the face of the franchise and “everything went well.”

And with that, Dave Dombrowski declared an end to l’affaire Harper.

Swell. What says Bryce Harper?

“Well, look,�...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Frank McCourt’s proposed gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium hit what appears to be its most significant roadblock yet on Wednesday, when the Los Angeles City Council voted to urge Metro to kill the project.

The resolution, approved by an 11-2 vote, is not in itself any kind of formal decision. It would not take ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans have gotten used to accepting Timberwolves and Lynx co-owner Alex Rodriguez as a buttoned-up exec, willing to hang just outside the spotlight.

“Alex vs. ARod,” a three-part documentary that clocks in at over 200 minutes, takes us back to his bad-boy days, but not without lots of explanations and excuses. The ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Almost everyone in baseball, it seems, is waiting to see how aggressive the Dodgers will be this offseason.

For now, that appears to include the two-time defending champions themselves.

As the club's front office arrived at The Cosmopolitan Hotel for MLB's annual general managers' meetings this week, the team's plans for this ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Dave Dombrowski had a “good conversation” with Bryce Harper since the end of the season, he said at the general managers meetings on Tuesday.

Shortly after the Phillies were ousted from the National League Division Series by the Los Angeles Dodgers, controversy began to develop around Dombrowski’s comments about Harper’s ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Trout National does not formally open until April. But, when you're Mike Trout, you can invite your friends to play a couple rounds on the course that carries your name.

And so it was that Trout, the best player in Angels history, last week welcomed Torii Hunter, one of the most popular and respected players in Angels history. ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Debating whether Paul Skenes should win the National League Cy Young Award is a waste of time.

Not only did the Pirates ace lead the league in ERA (1.97), FIP (2.36), WHIP (0.95) and ERA+ (217), but what Skenes has done through 55 career MLB starts (1.96 ERA) is nothing short of incredible.

The last MLB pitchers with a sub-2.00 ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nick Kurtz is earning hardware for his impressive rookie campaign with the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif.

The 22-year-old domineering first baseman on Monday was named the American League Rookie of the Year for 2025 after clubbing 36 home runs with 86 RBI while batting .290/.383/.619. Kurtz won the award unanimously...Read more

ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin won the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year award, which was announced Monday evening on MLB Network.

Baldwin, 24, hit .274 with an .810 OPS in 124 games while drawing rave reviews for his work with the team’s pitching staff. His play and maturity appeared beyond his years throughout the ...Read more