17+ hour, 40+ min ago (482+ words) The 2025-26 MLB free agent class is fascinating despite lackingAaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani or Juan Soto, the three superstar MLB free agents of the past three winters. It's deep in sluggers and late-game relievers, with a helping of starting pitchers and third basemen. It feels hard to predict where players will land, and that should make this a fun offseason. The domino effect of one or two surprise signings -- such asKyle Schwarber not returning to the Philadelphia Phillies or Pete Alonso not returning to the New York Mets -- will create chaos. As always, a lot of money will be spent -- not all of it wisely. Last year's top-10 domestic free agents did pretty well, historically speaking, going from a combined 34.2 WAR in 2024 to 28.2 in 2025 to retain 82% of their value. In 2023-24, that figure was just 57% and in 2022-23, just 54%. Let's dig into the…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (1783+ words) As MLB's hot stove season kicks off, baseball's top executives gathered in Las Vegas for the annual general managers meetings, providing the first opportunity to hear front offices discuss their priorities for the offseason ahead. From teams looking to make a big splash in free agency to those with trade decisions to ponder, ESPN MLB reporters Jorge Castillo, Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers found out what every franchise will be focused on this winter. AL East: BAL | BOS | NYY | TB | TORbr/>AL Central: CHW | CLE | DET | KC | MINbr/>AL West: ATH | HOU | LAA | SEA | TEX NL East: ATL | MIA | NYM | PHI | WSHbr/>NL Central: CHC | CIN | MIL | PIT | STLbr/>NL West: ARI | COL | LAD | SD | SF The Guardians gambling scandal news broke as GMs were headed to the meetings. What was the conversation on the topic this week? Several team…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (460+ words) For months, debate has swirled about the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Would the honor go to New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge for the third time in four years after another extraordinary offensive season? Or would it go to Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who smashed his way into the record books with 60 home runs? In the end, voters chose Judge, who continued to cement his place among baseball's all-time greats by becoming the 13th player to win MVP three or more times. He joins Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees to have accomplished that feat. Judge finished ahead of Raleigh and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez on Thursday in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Judge won the award for the first time in 2022 when he cracked an…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (1927+ words) Let's celebrate the past 30 years of playoff baseball by handing out awards and superlatives as we look back at the greatest October players, the games we won't forget, the moments that make us cry tears of joy -- and tears of anguish -- and more. October legends were once made in one moment or one series. With more rounds and more games, October greatness is now accumulated over many moments and series. Here's the All-October team from the past 30 years, considering results only since 1995. C: Yadier Molina (.273/.326/.357, 4 HR, 36 RBIs, 104 G, 2 rings) Catcher was the hardest position to fill as nobody stands out as a lock. Jorge Posada leads in home runs (11) and RBIs (42) and played in six World Series, although he didn't hit particularly well in them (.211). Molina can't match Posada's power but did hit .328/.395/.403 in four World Series. 1B: Albert Pujols (.319/.422/.572, 19 HR, 54 RBIs,…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (460+ words) SCP Auctions has collected two World Series home run baseballs that a father and son say they caught during Game 7 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, a company executive told ESPN. SCP Auctions chief operations officer Mike Keys said the company's inventory manager flew to Ontario this week to retrieve the balls from John Bains and his son Matthew, who were sitting in the first row of Rogers Centre's Section 143 for the 2025 MLB Postseason. The balls need to go through the auction house's authentication process, which could take a couple of days, Keys said. Bains, a Blue Jays season ticket holder, said he caught the tying home run ball hit by Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas in the top of the ninth inning. Then, in the 11th inning, Matthew caught Dodgers catcher Will Smith's series-winning home run…...

3+ week, 8+ hour ago (699+ words) COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy were held over on the Hall of Fame's contemporary baseball era committee ballot and will be joined next month by Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield and Fernando Valenzuela. The 16-person committee meets on Dec. 7 at the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida, and a 75% vote is necessary for election. Anyone elected will be inducted on July 26, along with anyone chosen in the Baseball Writers' Association of America vote, announced on Jan. 20. Albert Belle, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling were dropped after appearing on the previous contemporary era ballot in December 2022, when Fred McGriff was unanimously elected with 16 votes. Mattingly received eight, Schilling seven, Murphy six and Belle, Bonds, Clemens and Palmeiro less than four, the Hall said then. The Hall in 2022 restructured its veterans committees for the third time in…...

3+ week, 10+ hour ago (362+ words) Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger and New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz are among the players to have opted out of their contracts Monday and will become free agents. Bregman, as expected, decided to forgo the final two seasons of a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox and will be entering free agency for a second consecutive season, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. Bregman, 31, got off to a fast start in Boston, hitting .299 with 11 homers and 35 RBIs before suffering a quad injury that sidelined him from May 24 to July 11. He finished the season with a .273 average, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. More than 140 players have become free agents in the two days following the end of the World Series, with more expected to join that list through Thursday, depending on…...

3+ week, 16+ hour ago (202+ words) LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' dramatic 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night in one of the wildest Game 7s in World Series history is ranking as the most-watched Fall Classic game since 2017. The game averaged a combined 25.98 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes and Fox Sports streaming services, according to Nielsen Panel Only Fast Nationals and Adobe Analytics. Final numbers are expected to be released Tuesday. The early numbers would mark a 10% increase over the 23.19 million average from the last Game 7, which was the Washington Nationals defeating the Houston Astros 6-2 in 2019. Houston's 5-1 victory over the Dodgers in Game 7 in 2017 averaged 28.29 million. The Dodgers tied Saturday's game on a solo home run by Miguel Rojas and then took the lead in the 11th on Will Smith's home run to left. Los Angeles overcame 3-0 and 4-2 deficits and escaped a bases-loaded…...

3+ week, 17+ hour ago (970+ words) "He is one of the greatest pitchers on the planet,'' Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. "What he did tonight was amazing.'' "Are you OK?'' Clement asked her. "You're going to be OK. Don't worry. We're going to be OK, too. Don't worry.'' The game was broken open in the sixth on a pinch-hit grand slam -- a first in World Series history -- by Addison Barger, who slept the night before on a pullout couch in the hotel room of teammate Davis Schneider. "I woke up on my friend's couch the morning of the game, and after the game, the Hall of Fame asked me for my spikes,'' Barger said. The aptly named Barger, one of several Toronto players who became folk heroes in October, was asked why he swings so hard on every pitch. "I was the smallest kid on our…...

3+ week, 17+ hour ago (1001+ words) There is no Juan Soto in MLB free agency this year. There is definitely no Shohei Ohtani. But although there might not be a player who will inspire people to track the flight paths of private jets on social media, it's an intriguing class of free agents nonetheless -- one especially deep in power hitters. Let's look at 13 of the most interesting free agents, assuming a few likely player opt-outs, and some potential best fits for each player. We'll leave out some of the top relievers -- Edwin Diaz (opt-out), Robert Suarez (opt-out), Devin Williams -- and instead focus on the top position players and starting pitchers available this winter. Players are ranked in order of their Baseball-Reference WAR from 2025. 2025 stats: .272/.334/.480, 29 HR, 98 RBIs, 13 SB, 5.0 WARbr/>2026 age: 30 Best fit: New York Mets Another possible fit: New York Yankees 2025 stats: .240/.365/.563, 56 HR, 132 RBIs, 4.7 WAR Best fit:…...