The Cubs were able to avoid arbitration hearings with all of their eligible players this season, reaching agreements with Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, and Javier Assad. Assad was the last to be reported, but both sides reached a deal before the day ended. Maddie Lee of the Sun-Times was first to report that Assad will earn $1.8 million in 2026, which is just $100,000 less than MLB Trade Rumors projected. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com also reported that Assad's deal includes a team option for the 2027 season.
The lefty missed most of 2024 due to an elbow injury that required an internal brace repair, but he is expected to return at some point in the first half. Internal brace procedures typically result in much quicker return to play than traditional Tommy John replacement, sometimes as soon as six months, but the Cubs are not going to push Steele.
For the brokerage community, if the Buyers Broker Agreement (BBA) is written up and executed properly and the Buyer purchases, it means we will get compensated for the work we have done. That is reassuring on our end and a sigh of relief as most every other profession gets paid as they do their job and with health and 401k benefits, Lichtenstein wrote in an email.
Insisting they had no choice but to 'walk away' in a statement posted online, DAZN admitted that it 'proved impossible' to secure commercially viable carriage agreements and that it 'constructively tried to find a solution'. The London-based streaming service adhered that they have met all financial commitments for the 2025/26 season so far, which included coverage of 15 matchdays of the Jupiler Pro League, 14 of the Challenger Pro League, 10 of the Lotto Super League, plus the Croky Cup Round of 32.
The administrative whirlwind at the Philadelphia Art Museum (PhAM) continues. After former Director and CEO Alexandra "Sasha" Suda filed a complaint accusing the museum of unlawful termination, PhAM is countering with its own legal filing, alleging that Suda misappropriated thousands of dollars in museum funds. On November 20, the museum filed a petition with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to shift the conflict out of the courts and into the hands of a confidential arbitrator.
Tyler Heineman is projected to earn a salary of $1 million in 2026, and considering how well he played last season, he could represent the easiest decision of the offseason. 1 more Blue Jay could be on non-tender chopping block after three others have left Daulton Varsho, Eric Lauer, and Ernie Clement are "no-brainer" picks to be retained at higher salaries next season, and Heineman should be nearly as easy a call for the front office.
The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we'll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing. These so-called 'pre-tender deals' usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline.
Florida East Coast Railway, the company that owns the railroad tracks Brightline trains run on, sued Brightline in August over an alleged breach of contract. FECR argues the private passenger train company violated its agreement with the railway by negotiating a commuter rail deal with the county governments without bringing FECR into the conversation. Since FECR owns the tracks, it has a joint use agreement that lets Brightline run its trains on those tracks. FECR says Brightline should have included the company in its conversations with Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County, and that a commuter rail service is not feasible on the same railroad that FECR's freight trains run on.
The 10th NHL game has long been a milestone of sorts for young players looking to break into the league, especially teenagers. That's because it's an indication of whether the player is ready to play at the sport's highest level or if he needs more time to develop. A team that thinks the player needs more time to develop will often decide to send the player back to his junior team before that 10th game, preserving the first year of the player's entry-level contract (ELC) for another season.
Manchester City and the Premier League have reached a settlement in their dispute over the rules governing associated party transactions (APTs). Under the settlement, City accept that the current rules governing APTS are "valid and binding". City had launched arbitration proceedings on January 20 against the current rules, which are designed to ensure that deals between clubs and entities linked to their ownership are done at fair market value.
