30+ min ago (132+ words) Right-hander Cody Ponce, the KBO MVP, and the Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a three-year, $30 million deal, sources told ESPN. Right-hander Cody Ponce and the Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a three-year, $30 million contract, pending a physical, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday. Ponce, 31, is a former 2015 second round pick who played briefly for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020 and 2021 before signing overseas. He most recently won MVP of the Korea Baseball Organization after going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA for the Hanwha Eagles. He struck out 252 in 180" innings. Ponce is the latest addition to the reigning American League champions' pitching staff -- the Blue Jays signed right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal last month....

30+ min ago (235+ words) Sources: Jays adding KBO MVP Ponce to staff (0:36) Right-hander Cody Ponce and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a three-year, $30 million contract, sources told ESPN, doubling the largest contract ever for a domestic player returning from the Korea Baseball Organization. Ponce, 31, won KBO Most Valuable Player this year, going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts against 41 walks in 180" innings for the Hanwha Eagles. A former second-round pick who threw 55" innings with Pittsburgh in 2020-21, Ponce remade his arsenal and joins a deep Blue Jays rotation that last week added right-hander Dylan Cease for $210 million over seven years. The highest previous contract for a player coming back from the KBO was a two-year, $15 million deal the Chicago White Sox gave right-hander Erick Fedde before the 2024 season. Ponce comes with higher expectations -- and superior stuff. Ponce added strength and turned his 6-foot…...

1+ hour, 28+ min ago (215+ words) Former Korea Baseball Organization pitcher Ryan Weiss is in agreement with the Houston Astros on a one-year contract that guarantees him $2.6 million, sources told ESPN. The deal, which is pending a physical, includes an option for 2027, allowing him to potentially exceed $10 million over the two years. Weiss, 28, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, eventually pitching in the Independent League in 2023 and 2024 before signing with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO. The right-hander was 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 30 starts last season, leading to at least a half dozen MLB teams having interest in him this winter, according to sources familiar with his situation. Weiss will be given a chance to make the Astros' rotation, which is in flux as ace Framber Valdez is a free agent and might not return. Weiss uses a fastball, curve and changeup combination that he…...

4+ hour ago (739+ words) COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Hall of Fame players Ferguson Jenkins, Jim Kaat, Juan Marichal, Tony P'rez, Ozzie Smith, Alan Trammell and Robin Yount are among 16 members of the contemporary era committee that will consider an eight-man Hall ballot that includes Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy. Owners Mark Attanasio of the Milwaukee Brewers and Arte Moreno of the Los Angeles Angels also are on the committee that gathers Sunday at the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida. They will be joined by former major league general managers Kim Ng, Doug Melvin, Tony Reagins and Terry Ryan, and media members Tyler Kepner and Jayson Stark of The Athletic and historian Steve Hirdt, the Hall said Tuesday. Hall chair Jane Forbes Clark will be the non-voting chair of the committee, which considers a ballot that also includes Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Gary Sheffield…...

6+ hour, 6+ min ago (160+ words) Giants infielder Casey Schmitt had surgery on his left wrist Tuesday and is expected to recover in eight to 10 weeks, putting his timetable right around the start of spring training in February. SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants infielder Casey Schmitt had surgery on his left wrist Tuesday and is expected to recover in eight to 10 weeks, putting his timetable right around the start of spring training in February if the rehab process goes as planned. The procedure was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles to remove a carpal boss -- a small mass of bone -- and the team announced it was successful. Schmitt, 26, batted .237 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs playing 95 games for the Giants this year. He played 53 games at second base, 26 at third and 18 at first. The club missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season and fired manager Bob…...

7+ hour, 14+ min ago (398+ words) NEW YORK -- Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are facing a May trial on federal charges that they took bribes to help gamblers betting on their pitches. U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto on Tuesday said jury selection would tentatively begin May 4 in Brooklyn federal court, with the trial opening the following week or sooner. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Sherman told the judge at the brief hearing that prosecutors anticipate the trial could last two weeks. He said that both sides have been in discussions since the pitchers were arrested last month but that they have not yet talked about a possible plea deal in the case to avoid trial. Matsumoto initially proposed a February trial date, but prosecutors and defense lawyers pushed for a spring start. Sherman said prosecutors began providing defense lawyers with evidence and other materials this…...

11+ hour, 5+ min ago (185+ words) Tom Brady's niece, former UCLA star shortstop Maya Brady, was selected by the Oklahoma City Spark with the top pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League's expansion and allocation drafts on Monday. The Cascade took former University of Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry at No. 2. The Cascade picked former Oklahoma and Oklahoma State pitcher Kelly Maxwell as the top pick in the allocation draft. Former Sooner Kinzie Hansen went to the Spark at No. 2, and another former Oklahoma star, Jayda Coleman, went to the Talons at No. 3. Yet another ex-Oklahoma player, slugger Jocelyn Alo, went to the Bandits as the No. 10 overall pick in the allocation draft, In all, nine of the 43 players chosen were former Sooners. The league currently has 78 players, and the remaining roster spots will be filled out with a college draft. The additions of the Spark and…...

11+ hour, 55+ min ago (394+ words) NEW YORK -- Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz are facing a May trial on federal charges that they took bribes to help gamblers betting on their pitches. U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto on Tuesday said jury selection would tentatively begin May 4 in Brooklyn federal court, with the trial opening the following week or sooner. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Sherman told the judge at the brief hearing that prosecutors anticipate the trial could last two weeks. He said both sides have been in discussions since the pitchers were arrested last month, but have not yet talked about a possible plea deal in the case to avoid trial. Matsumoto initially proposed a February trial date, but prosecutors and defense lawyers pushed for a spring start. Sherman said prosecutors began providing defense lawyers evidence and other materials this week in anticipation of…...

12+ hour, 30+ min ago (1801+ words) With baseball's annual winter meetings set to begin next week in Orlando, Florida, and some intriguing moves already stoking the fire of this hot stove season, it's time to rank the top players who could be included -- or at least rumored to move -- in trades the rest of the winter. Baseball's trade market is constantly evolving, and to keep you updated, we have ranked the top 25 potential trade candidates based on players' performance -- and identified the teams that could be involved in potential deals. Though some of the players on this list are unlikely to be dealt, they're at least being discussed in potential deals, and other names could emerge in updates to this list as the offseason plays out. Note: Players ranked by value for their new team if traded, not likelihood of being dealt. The buzz: Despite several…...

21+ hour, 50+ min ago (387+ words) Sources: RP Williams, Mets agree on 3-year deal (0:43) The New York Mets and reliever Devin Williams agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal, league sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday night, giving the club a replacement for Edwin Diaz should the All-Star closer sign elsewhere. The contract has no opt-outs or options but includes a $6 million signing bonus spread over the three seasons. Williams will bolster the back end of a bullpen that the Mets are determined to substantially improve this winter. The question is whether he will be used as a setup man or a closer. Williams' role depends on whether the Mets re-sign Diaz, who opted out of his contract last month and is considered the top free agent reliever this offseason. The addition of Williams does not erase the possibility of a reunion with Diaz, and the…...