Last season, the Angels were on FanDuel Sports Network West, owned by Main Street Sports. The company has been in a rough financial spot for a while and recently missed some payments to teams. In response, the Angels and the eight other teams who were signed with Main Street terminated their deals last month. Six of those clubs will now have their broadcasts handled by Major League Baseball itself, though the Angels are (for now) one of the holdouts.
Martinez was traded to the Blue Jays in 1981, thinking it was going to be the end of his playing career. The veteran catcher got a second wind and wound up playing in 454 games over the next six years with the Blue Jays, producing a 3.5 bWAR with 35 home runs. One of his most memorable moments came on July 9, 1985 when he broke his leg and severely dislocated his ankle
The New York Mets have acquired All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Wednesday night. Top prospects Jett Williams, an infielder, and Brandon Sproat, a right-handed pitcher, are headed to Milwaukee, sources said. Speaking earlier Wednesday, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns strongly hinted that the Mets, one of baseball's busiest teams this offseason, weren't done.
When you have momentum like we have that you've worked as hard as we have to get, you know that is a force that puts people in a frame of mind that they should understand they need to make an agreement, OK? Despite that momentum, we have a couple of issues that we hear about from our fans all the time: blackouts and the perception that some teams are not competitive. We got to address those issues. How we figure out the way to address those issues is the challenge of the bargaining process, and jumping to the idea that it's going to be salary cap, no salary cap is a premature thing to do. To maintain the momentum we all understand we have, I think we need to address those two issues and I think we'll figure out a way to do it.
The Mets and free agent infielder Bo Bichette are in agreement on a three-year contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. He'll be guaranteed a hefty $126MM on that short-term pact, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Bichette can opt out after the first and second season of the contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic adds. There's no deferred money in the contract, which is still pending a physical.
The Cubs have completely rebuilt their bullpen after saying goodbye to 2025 stalwarts Brad Keller and Drew Pomeranz, adding Maton, Hunter and Milner. But their biggest addition comes at third base, where Bregman takes over for Matt Shaw. Shaw showed promise in the second half as a rookie, but he's not Bregman, who brings leadership and championship experience to the mix to go along with his hitting prowess.
Main Street, which holds 29 NBA, NHL and MLB teams in its portfolio and broadcasts their games under the name FanDuel Sports, emerged from a lengthy bankruptcy proceeding at the start of 2025 but finds itself in deep financial trouble again. Recent reports from Sports Business Journal stated that the company will dissolve at the end of the current NBA and NHL seasons if it does not execute a sale to another platform.
Ten-year MLB veteran Andy Kosco passed away earlier this month. He was 84 years old. Kosco played in 658 games for the Twins, Yankees, Dodgers, Brewers, Angels, Red Sox, and Reds from 1965-74. Primarily a corner outfielder, he appeared at all three outfield positions, as well as first and third base. Born October 5, 1941 in Ohio, Kosco grew up a multi-sport star but ultimately chose baseball, signing his first professional contract with the Tigers in 1959.
After a handful of decent outings to open his career, the righty was slowed by an arm issue that ended up being an aneurysm in his throwing shoulder. Surgery knocked him out until the final month of the 2021 season. He was hammered for nine earned runs over 12 innings once he returned to the mound. Arihara made it back up with the Rangers the following year, but posted a 9.45 ERA across 20 innings.
Perhaps no fan base in Major League Baseball experienced as many highs and lows that the Toronto Blue Jays fans experienced over the course of the 2025 season. It started with pretty low expectations coming off a year in which their team finished dead last in the American League East. There was also the impending free agency of the two star players, Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Teams pay escalating penalties for exceeding the threshold in consecutive seasons. The Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Rangers have all paid the tax in at least three straight years - subjecting them to the highest escalator fees. The Astros went over the line for the second straight season. The Blue Jays, Padres and Red Sox had gotten below in 2024 and are categorized as first-time payors.
As the hot stove season plays out and we wait to see where the top remaining free agents sign, MLB teams are already looking ahead to how they'll use a major rule change coming to the sport in the new season. After more than a decade of the video review challenge system being used for plays on the bases, MLB is set to do the same for balls and strikes. Beginning in 2026, the batter, catcher or pitcher will be allowed to challenge a ball/strike call made by the home plate umpire, utilizing a system that's been in use in the minor leagues for several seasons.
Flexen, 31, parlayed his first KBO stint into a two-year, $4.75MM contract with the Mariners. That contract included a club/vesting option that Flexen vested at $8MM with a strong performance in 2021-22, when he tossed a combined 317 1/3 innings of 3.66 ERA ball. His 16.5% strikeout rate was well below average, but Flexen showed good command (6.8% walk rate) and did a decent job avoiding hard contact.
The Los Angeles Dodgers addressed their bullpen by adding All-Star closer Edwin Díaz on a three-year, $69 million contract that includes more than $13 million in deferrals and a $9 million signing bonus. The $23 million average annual value (AAV) of the contract set a new record for relievers, surpassing the $20.4 million mark Díaz received in his last deal with the New York Mets.
MLB The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Jordan Romano, the Markham, Ont.,-born relief pitcher, has inked a one-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Angels in 2026. (Carolyn Kaster/The Associated Press) Canadian relief pitcher Jordan Romano has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels.
Which slugger would your favorite team's manager least like to face with the game on the line? Which ace would they most want to have on their side? And which manager do other managers respect the most? With all 30 MLB skippers on hand at last week's winter meetings in Orlando, Florida, we took the opportunity to find out the answers to those questions, plus get their thoughts on the state of the game, next year's biggest rule change and more. Here are our favorite responses.
In late July, before a game against the Boston Red Sox, Bryce Harper sat slumped in a chair in the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse, a baseball bat in hand. Philadelphia was the latest stop on Rob Manfred's leaguewide speaking tour; ahead of a CBA negotiation that virtually everyone in baseball expects to involve a 2027 work stoppage, the MLB commissioner spent the summer visiting all 30 teams, trying to get players on board with his plans to restructure the league's economics. When the subject of a salary cap came up late in the meeting, Harper rose from his seat. He walked closer to Manfred until their noses almost touched, and told the commissioner that if Manfred wanted to talk salary cap, he could "get the fuck out of our clubhouse."
The Blue Jays whiffed on the brightest stars of the past two free agent classes -- Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto -- and Rogers Communications still has money to spend after investing $500 million in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in April and another $210 million recently in free agent starter Dylan Cease. Tucker visited the Blue Jays' facility in Florida last week. Pairing the left-handed-hitting outfielder with the right-handed-hitting Guerrero would give Toronto a scary tandem for years.
The players remain strongly against an MLB salary cap as it would limit their potential earnings, while the league believes implementing one is necessary to improve competitive balance across the sport. As it currently stands, MLB is the only major North American professional sports league without a salary cap. The NFL, NBA and NHL all use one with their own variations and intricacies.
