Beltrán, Andruw earn much-coveted Hall call
Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have gone from center field to center stage. Beltrán and Jones were elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in results revealed Tuesday night on MLB Network. The game’s highest individual honor went to Beltrán in his
With Tucker in the fold, Dodgers lineup could reach rare air
In the wake of reports that Kyle Tucker has agreed to a mammoth four-year contract with the defending champs, you don’t need us to tell you this 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers lineup is nuts. But we’re here to tell you it could be historically nuts … which is the best
AUSL sets permanent home cities for all 6 teams, releases '26 schedule
After barnstorming its way into softball fans’ hearts in its inaugural season, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League has selected the six cities that will serve as the lasting homes of its newly expanded field of teams. Say hello to the Carolina Blaze, Chicago Bandits, Oklahoma City Spark, Portland Cascade, Texas
Picking potential landing spots for top remaining free agents
It’s a lot of fun Photoshopping new uniforms on popular players this time of year, but there’s also something to be said for stability. This offseason, a record four players – Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga and Tigers infielder Gleyber Torres – accepted
10 teams that have been busy, while raising eyebrows at the same time
Most acquisitions are pretty straight-forward. If you don’t know what’s for dinner and then your spouse comes home with a pizza, boom: That’s dinner. But some acquisitions create more questions. If your spouse comes home with a Himalayan salt rock, it might lead you to wonder: What is a Himalayan
A way-too-early attempt at predicting 2026 award winners
Oh look, the guy who didn’t pick Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani to win MVP honors in 2025 is back with more awards predictions. This ought to go well. Hey, I could have used this space one year ago to predict repeats in those races, as well as the AL
Are we witnessing the greatest peak for a righty hitter ... ever?
Aaron Judge was welcomed into a certain guild of greatness when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted him the 2025 American League MVP. Having also won the AL award in 2022 and 2024, Judge became just the 13th player with at least three MVP honors in his career, joining:
Here's the most important trait for today's modern manager to succeed
It was 65 years ago next month that owner Philip K. Wrigley used the Cubs’ annual press luncheon to make a bold announcement about the club’s next manager. Namely, that there would not be one.
How college baseball, Major Leagues are growing significantly closer
Tony Vitello might be first. But he’s also fate. When the Giants made Vitello the first college head coach to go directly to managing an MLB team earlier this offseason, people understandably described it as a shocking, sea-changing move. And people are justifiably curious to see whether Vitello, who won
Here is the 'All-Awardless' team for 2025
A bounty of boxes remains untouched beneath holiday trees, but when it comes to awards from MLB, those have all been handed out already. There were a lot of them in 2025, including: *BBWAA Awards (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year) All-MLB First and Second Teams Hank Aaron Awards
Armed with Skenes, Team USA amped to change Classic pitching narrative
ORLANDO, Fla. – From the moment Mike Trout swung through strike three against then-teammate Shohei Ohtani to hand Japan the crown in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has had his mind on vengeance. And pitching. “You see it from every other country,” DeRosa said Tuesday
The best baseball players born on Dec. 11
Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar. Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Dec. 11:
Schwarber, Turang, Gunnar, Will Smith named to USA squad for '26 Classic
The star-studded squad that will represent the United States in the 2026 World Baseball Classic is taking shape. Looking to avenge its frustrating finals finish in 2023 and win the WBC for the first time since 2017, Team USA continues to add some of the sport’s top talent. Designated hitter
Cleveland writer Hoynes earns HOF call with renamed Platinum Pen Award
ORLANDO, Fla. -- It’s called the “Hawk Call.” For decades, a highlight of the experience of covering baseball games at old Cleveland Municipal Stadium or Progressive/Jacobs Field was that midgame moment when Paul Hoynes, the Indians/Guardians beat reporter for the Plain Dealer and then Cleveland.com, would suddenly spring to his
The biggest free-agent deals in Winter Meetings history
The Winter Meetings are often the setting in which baseball's Hot Stove activity escalates, so you should prepare for a busy week of franchise-changing deals once the 2025 Meetings begin Monday from Orlando. Will any of this year's transactions make the list below? Here are some of the biggest free-agent
7 ridiculous trades we’d like to see
You are allowed to yell at me for what you are about to read here. And many of you probably will. But the goal of this annual column is not to make friends. The goal is to make trades. Big ones. Star-for-prospect swaps? Sure, those are cool. Big leaguer for
Cease's deal tells us about the market -- but more about the Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t play like underdogs in the 2025 World Series, and they didn’t pay like underdogs in their new agreement with Dylan Cease. Canada’s only MLB franchise was inaccurately billed as the David to the Dodgers’ Goliath going into the Series, but it had been billed as
Skubal to Mets? Framber by the Bay? Bold (but plausible) Hot Stove predictions
Eight months have passed since I used this space to make bold predictions for the 2025 MLB season, including but not limited to: • The Phillies winning the World Series (nailed it!) • The A’s and Rays both making the playoffs (bingo!) • The Cubs trading for Sandy Alcantara (boomshakalaka!)
MLB announces new 3-year rights deals with ESPN, NBC, Netflix
On the heels of a 2025 season that saw large viewership increases -- including the most watched postseason in eight years and a World Series Game 7 that was the most watched Major League Baseball game in 34 years -- MLB announced Wednesday that it has formed new three-year media
Stephen Vogt's doppelganger is ... his new bench coach?!
CLEVELAND -- They look alike if you squint. Or better yet, if you don’t. Should Stephen Vogt need a stunt double for the (currently non-existent) movie about the Cleveland Guardians -- or just someone to deliver bad news on his behalf -- his new bench coach, Tony Arnerich, kinda/sorta looks
In MLB first, Ohtani and Judge go back to back as MVP Award winners
Barring an ultra-rare tie, a deserving Most Valuable Player candidate in the American League was going to come away empty-handed Thursday night. Such was the reality of a year in which both Yankees captain Aaron Judge and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had legitimate statistical and narrative claims to the MVP.
Cy Young winners Skubal, Skenes join exclusive lists among pitching greats
The award call came in as expected, and now two of the absolute best pitchers in the sport find themselves on short and lofty lists. Surprising no one after wowing everyone, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was named the American League Cy Young Award winner and Pirates prodigy Paul Skenes the
Central skippers' back-to-back wins a first for Manager of the Year Award
Manager of the Year is a prize generally based on prediction. The voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America have traditionally bestowed the honor upon skippers of squads who defy preseason prognostication and exceed the expectations of the very writers casting the ballots. That’s why there have been
MLB, sportsbook partners announce limits on pitch-level wagers
Major League Baseball has created new safeguards to limit pitch-level betting markets, according to a league release issued Monday. The new measures, which are effective immediately and made with MLB’s sportsbook partners, will cap wagers on the so-called “micro-bet,” pitch-level markets at $200 and exclude those bets from parlays. The
The best baseball players born on Nov. 6
Who are the best players born on each day of the year? We have a list for every day on the calendar. Here’s a subjective ranking of the top five for Nov. 6: