14+ hour, 52+ min ago (329+ words) CHICAGO (OSV News) " A stakeholder " and next owner " of the Chicago White Sox baseball team said Pope Leo XIV told him that he'd "love to" throw a season opening first pitch in the future " "schedule permitting." Pope Leo's favorite sports team is the White Sox, and much has been made of his being a huge fan of the Chicago South Siders. He grew up as a diehard Sox fan in Chicago's south suburb of Dolton. Justin Ishbia, a Chicago billionaire, owner of a private equity firm and a co-owner of the team, told several major news outlets he met the pope outside St. Peter's Basilica at his general audience Nov. 19 and shared with him his vision for the future of the White Sox. The now-famous video footage of then-Father Robert Prevost's game 1 appearance at the 2005 World Series between the White…...

16+ hour, 15+ min ago (343+ words) CHICAGO (OSV News) "A stakeholder " and next owner " of the Chicago White Sox baseball team said Pope Leo XIV told him that he'd "love to" throw a season opening first pitch in the future " "schedule permitting." Pope Leo's favorite sports team is the White Sox, and much has been made of his being a huge fan of the Chicago South Siders. He grew up as a diehard Sox fan in Chicago's south suburb of Dolton. Justin Ishbia, a Chicago billionaire, owner of a private equity firm and a co-owner of the team, told several major news outlets he met the pope outside St. Peter's Basilica at his general audience Nov. 19 and shared with him his vision for the future of the White Sox. The now-famous video footage of then-Father Robert Prevost's game 1 appearance at the 2005 World Series between the White…...

1+ day, 3+ hour ago (282+ words) Aaron Judge is on many lists of the greatest baseball players ever. But there's one such list the New York Yankees' 6-foot-7 slugger would gladly leave as soon as possible. It's the one of guys who have never won a World Series player despite being a legend. Mike Lupica broke this down for MLB.com: Baseball is a tricky game when it comes to this stuff. One player truly can't lead a team to a championship by himself. That showed itself quite a bit in the recent past with Trout and the Angels. The greatest player of his generation had a stretch of more than a decade in which he didn't play in the postseason. Williams played in a very different era, where the Yankees pretty much just kept winning the American League pennant and there was no other path…...

1+ day, 8+ hour ago (203+ words) Aaron Judge is on many lists of the greatest baseball players ever." But there's one such list the New York Yankees' 6-foot-7 slugger would gladly leave as soon as possible. It's the one of guys who have never won a World Series player despite being a legend. Mike Lupica broke this down for MLB.com: Baseball is a tricky game when it comes to this stuff. One player truly can't lead a team to a championship by himself. That showed itself quite a bit in the recent past with Trout and the Angels. The greatest player of his generation had a stretch of more than a decade in which he didn't play in the postseason. Williams played in a very different era, where the Yankees pretty much just kept winning the American League pennant and there was no other path…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (215+ words) The New York Mets and Texas Rangers made a surprising and significant trade on Sunday. The Mets acquired second baseman Marcus Semien from the Rangers in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, as first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal marks a rare swap of everyday players for each other. Semien is the more accomplished player in the deal. The 35-year-old is a three-time All-Star and was a key part of the Rangers" 2023 World Series team. He is also regarded as an excellent defender and won a Gold Glove last season. On the other hand, his bat has regressed over the last few seasons, and he hit just .230 with 15 home runs last season. Nimmo, primarily a left fielder, hit .262 with 25 home runs last season, and turns 33 next March. He is the slightly more expensive player, as he is due…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (839+ words) The Chicago Cubs opened the gates of Wrigley Field on April 4 with a 7-1 win over the San Diego Padres, kicking off what would be a wild season on the North Side. The Northwestern Wildcats closed those gates Saturday with a nail-biting 38-35 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, shutting the doors on the old ballpark one last time until the Cubs home opener March 26 against the Washington Nationals. Turn out the lights. This party is over. A year in the life of Wrigley Field is filled with sights and sounds that many will remember for a lifetime, even if some are moments they'd just as soon forget. I witnessed quite a few of those moments in '25, though my personal favorite was the arrival of a goose that decided in April to nest in a planter box under the old scoreboard in…...

1+ day, 20+ hour ago (878+ words) " It's going to take a while to find out how the offseason is going to unfold for the Red Sox. The team has said it intends to add another front-line starting pitcher and an impact bat. But in reality, one bat won't be enough. Let's say the Sox are successful in bringing back Alex Bregman, which would be the right move. Simply retaining Bregman won't be enough of an upgrade for the team's lineup, however. That much should be obvious by now. The Sox lacked sufficient power a year ago, and that was never more obvious that in the postseason, when slug becomes even more of a necessity. Retaining Bregman would merely get them back to where they were. They need Bregman and another bat. Or, if Bregman leaves to sign elsewhere, they need to make two additions. They could…...

2+ day, 12+ hour ago (523+ words) After what was a successful 2025 season, the Chicago Cubs will be entering next season with expectations that they are unfamiliar with. While they aren't expected to re-sign him, Kyle Tucker remains one of the top free agents in this year's class. However, there are other ways to get involved in MLB's hot stove season, and it's by making meaningful trades. At the top of the Cubs' offseason wishlist is starting pitching help, and a trade with the Minnesota Twins for starter Joe Ryan would be ideal for having a successful offseason. More MLB on Heavy: Mets Trade Idea Lands Cardinals' All-Star Infielder In MLBTradeRumors.com's list of the top 40 trade candidates this offseason, Joe Ryan comes in at No.2 on the list, and he is practically the only player still on the Minnesota Twins who was not traded back in…...

2+ day, 22+ hour ago (368+ words) The New York Mets just finished a humiliating season, and now are facing the possible departure of their superstar first baseman, Pete Alonso. If he does leave, they're going to have to find a player to replace his star power. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes that the Mets could find their superstar replacement in Minnesota Twins two-time All-Star Byron Buxton. He hit around the same number of home runs as Alonso, while also being a much better defender. MORE:Mariners predicted to make blockbuster trade for $116.5 million three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger to replace Leo Rivas "The 31-year-old is now willing to reconsider his no-trade clause, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. He's one of the last good trade chips the Twins have to cash in, though his age, injury history, and $15.1 million salaries for the next three seasons…...

3+ day, 7+ hour ago (273+ words) The non-tender deadline has come and gone, and the Atlanta Braves made the decision to tender left-hander Dylan Lee. The two parties did not come to an agreement on a salary, so an arbitration hearing may be in the future. The Braves non-tendered just two players in right-handers Alek Manoah and Carson Ragsdale. Though non-tendered, there is a chance they return to the Braves on a minor league deal. Here are lists of every non-tendered player across the league. The Braves continued to make moves on Friday and agreed to deals with left handers Jos" Suarez and Joey Wentz, infielder Mauricio Dubon, and outfielder Eli White. Our 2025 player review series continues with Nathan Wiles. Down on the farm, we take a look at Cory Wall and Justin Janas. The Chicago Cubs reportedly signed reliever Phil Maton to a two-year deal....