TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Jake Fraley. They traded Jake Fraley. They waived Jake Fraley.

And now, all these years later, they appear ready to play Jake Fraley

Fraley, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Rays on Tuesday nearly a decade after they selected him in the second round out of LSU. The deal is reportedly for $3 million...Read more

Fans of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs might want to hold their ears when the wrongful death trial brought by his widow and parents against the Angels resumes Monday.

The Angels are about to present their defense and, according to people with knowledge of the Angels' strategy, their attorneys plan to portray Skaggs as a selfish, secretive opioid ...Read more

NEW YORK — Marcus Semien understands who he is replacing. He knows what outfielder Brandon Nimmo meant to Mets fans and to the clubhouse he has helped lead over the better part of the last decade. The newest Mets infielder understands this because he held a similar status with his old team as a captain.

“I feel for the Mets fans,” Semien ...Read more

CHICAGO — Bullpen volatility from year to year often presents one of the biggest challenges a major league team faces when constructing a roster.

The Chicago Cubs pulled all the right levers this past season in building a relief corps that was one of the best in baseball in the first half and helped them win their first postseason series ...Read more

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox have made their first big move of the offseason.

The Red Sox announced Tuesday they have acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray and cash considerations from the St. Louis Cardinals. The club will send right-hander Richard Fitts, minor league left-hander Brandon Clarke and either a player to be named later or cash...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear.

On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career.

In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament...Read more

DENVER — Warren Schaeffer is getting his shot to help turn around the Colorado Rockies.

The club announced Monday that the 40-year-old Schaeffer will be retained as manager of a team facing a daunting rebuild in 2026. The club did not release the terms of the contract, but a source said it was a “mult-year deal.”

“We’re confident ...Read more

NEW YORK — The last time Hal Steinbrenner held a press conference, he primarily focused on his decision to trim the New York Yankees’ long-standing ban on facial hair, which his father, George, implemented in the 1970s.

On Monday, however, Steinbrenner was repeatedly asked about potentially shaving his team’s payroll as he spoke to ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Twenty-four hours after throwing 96 pitches to shove the World Series to a seventh game, the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto ran in from the bullpen to this: ninth inning, one out, winning run at second base.

It was a legend-making moment.

Halfway around the world, Tora Otsuka chuckled.

In 2023, his first season as a Japan-...Read more

LOS ANGELES — When spring training rolls around, it will be one dozen years since the Angels last appeared in a postseason game and two dozen years since they won their first and only World Series championship. If baseball were scripted, two of the Angels' World Series heroes would take charge of the team and make it a winner again.

As it ...Read more

SEATTLE — Randy Johnson will officially join Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Ichiro in having his number retired by the Mariners on May 2, 2026 in a pregame ceremony. It will be the highlight of a weekend celebration of the Big Unit at T-Mobile Park.

While the Mariners had already announced the plans to retire Johnson’s No. 51 last ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Trust me, I would not even broach this topic — other than a quick laugh — if not for the reporter involved.

ESPN's Jeff Passan is the best insider in the baseball business. Outstanding reporter. Outstanding writer. Great on television. High integrity. Rightfully rips the Pirates and cheapskate owner Bob Nutting every chance ...Read more

BALTIMORE — I haven’t exactly been handing out praise for Mike Elias lately, but the Grayson Rodriguez trade earns a different response. After weeks of wondering whether the Orioles would match their words with action, they made a stunning move Tuesday that feels aligned with the moment they’re in.

By acquiring outfielder Taylor Ward in a...Read more

ATLANTA — Raisel Iglesias will be closing games for the Braves in 2026.

The team re-signed Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal, it announced Wednesday evening. The signing addresses one of the team’s most significant needs this winter. It also retains Iglesias at the same salary he earned last season.

Iglesias, 35, has spent the past ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — After walking away from its TV rights deal with Major League Baseball earlier this year, ESPN has a new package that will provide additional games for its streaming customers.

The deal announced Wednesday by the league will also return baseball to NBC and bring three MLB events — an opening night game, the Home Run Derby and ...Read more

SEATTLE — The word of the day from Jerry Dipoto on Tuesday was tenacious.

As in, the Seattle Mariners made a tenacious appeal to Josh Naylor to retain the free-agent first baseman on a new five-year, $92.5-million contract.

Over the next couple months, the team’s president of baseball operations suggested he will have a similar approach to...Read more

DETROIT — Second baseman Gleyber Torres is returning to the Tigers for the 2026 season.

Torres Tuesday accepted $22.025 million qualifying offer.

Torres, who will turn 29 next month, is coming off an All-Star season. He played in 145 games and started every postseason game. He finished with a .358 on-base average, fourth in the American ...Read more

NEW YORK — Instead of chasing a multi-year deal, Trent Grisham is returning to the Bronx for another season.

The center fielder has accepted the one-year qualifying offer that the Yankees extended him earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed with the New York Daily News ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The offer, worth $22.025 ...Read more

CHICAGO — Shota Imanaga is staying with the Chicago Cubs for at least one more season.

Imanaga accepted the Cubs’ qualifying offer ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline, a source confirmed to the Chicago Tribune. Kyle Tucker declined his qualifying offer as expected, which will net the Cubs draft-pick compensation if the 28-year-old right ...Read more