MLB

8:21 PM ET Left-handed starter Jon Lester and the Washington Nationals are in agreement on a one-year deal, pending a physical, sources familiar with the contract told ESPN. Lester rejoins his bench coach from Chicago, as Nationals manager Davey Martinez has now added two players from his time with the Cubs. Left fielder Kyle Schwarber

1:34 PM ET Chris Sale is under contract for four more years with the Boston Red Sox — plus an option for 2025 — and with the team hoping that he can contribute throughout the length of the contract, the pace for his return from Tommy John surgery is expected to be deliberate, according to

7:41 AM ET I write this with great respect for my many friends who are Mets fans: It might be redundant to say they are irrational. It wasn’t surprising, then, that within a few weeks of Steve Cohen being installed as the team’s new owner, some among the Mets’ faithful — their suffering made possible

12:46 AM ET Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Dave Stewart submitted a $115 million bid to buy the city of Oakland’s share of the Coliseum with plans to develop the site, he told the San Francisco Chronicle. With both the NBA’s Warriors and NFL’s Raiders leaving the site in recent years, the A’s are the last

10:30 PM ET Associated Press TROY, N.Y. — Left in the lurch by minor league contraction, the Tri-City ValleyCats have filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros. The suit, filed Thursday in New York State Supreme Court, seeks more than $15 million, ValleyCats chairman Doug Gladstone told the Albany Times-Union. The

7:28 PM ET Veteran left-hander Martin Perez has agreed to a one-year, guaranteed $5 million contract to return to the Boston Red Sox, a source confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Perez’s agreement, which was first reported by the Athletic, includes a club option for a second year for 2022. The 29-year-old spent last season with

12:40 PM ET The New York Yankees finally crossed off the top item on their to-do list, agreeing with second baseman DJ LeMahieu on a six-year, $90 million contract. The deal keeps the 2020 batting champion in the Bronx through 2026, his age-32 though age-37 seasons. Here are some thoughts on the signing and what

9:00 PM ET Timing is everything, in sports as well as life. If the timing is right between Corey Kluber and the New York Yankees, with whom the longtime ace was finalizing a one-year, $11 million deal late Friday, it will be good news for the pitcher in the long term — and perhaps even

6:30 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — The New York Mets agreed to one-year contracts with eight players Friday to avoid salary arbitration, including shortstop Francisco Lindor, outfielder Michael Conforto and first baseman-outfielder Dominic Smith. Lindor will earn $22.3 million and Conforto gets $12.25 million in their final years before potentially becoming free agents.

2:40 PM ET ESPN News Services Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger has agreed to a one-year, $16.1 million contract Friday with the World Series champions to avoid salary arbitration, according to multiple reports. The Dodgers outfielder and first baseman was the 2019 National League MVP and 2017 NL Rookie of the Year. He hit

9:15 AM ET International amateur baseball is a confusing market to these not well acquainted with it. It used to be that the first day of the new signing period, when the top 16-year-olds around Latin America are first eligible to sign with MLB teams, was July 2. Due to the pandemic, it was moved

4:45 PM ET Associated Press LOS ANGELES — New Dodgers reliever Corey Knebel agreed to a one-year, $5.25 million contract on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration. The 29-year-old was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on Dec. 2 ahead of the deadline for teams to offer 2021 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. He

6:01 PM ET Relief pitcher Archie Bradley has reached a one-year, $6 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday. Bradley was not re-signed by the Cincinnati Reds after he was acquired in a midseason trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-hander pitched well in his six regular-season appearances with Cincinnati,

8:00 AM ET A Mickey Mantle baseball card has shattered a 5-month-old record for highest-selling sports card of all time, going for $5.2 million, PWCC Marketplace announced on Thursday. The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 9 — PSA is a grading system that ranges from 1-10 — took the record from a one-of-one Mike Trout

6:32 PM ET Right-handed reliever Pedro Baez has agreed to a two-year contract with the Houston Astros, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Passan, confirming multiple reports. The deal is pending a physical. Baez, 32, finished the 2020 season as the third-longest-tenured member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, behind only Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen.

3:24 PM ET Associated Press NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is suspending all political contributions in the wake of last week’s invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a mob loyal to President Donald Trump, joining a wave of major corporations rethinking their efforts to lobby Washington. “In light of the unprecedented events last week

7:00 AM ET MLB InsidersESPN On Jan. 13, 2020, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released his findings and announced the Houston Astros‘ punishment for electronically stealing signs during the team’s 2017 World Series run. Manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow were each suspended one year by MLB before they were both fired by the Astros,

7:38 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — Right-hander Michael Fulmer and the Detroit Tigers agreed Tuesday to a $3.1 million, one-year contract that avoided arbitration. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year went 0-2 with an 8.78 ERA in 10 starts last season after missing all of 2019 because of Tommy John surgery. He earned