9:44 AM ET The Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a two-year, $6 million contract with Japanese right-hander Shun Yamaguchi, a source confirmed to ESPN. Yamaguchi was 15-4 with a 2.91 ERA and 188 strikeouts in 170 innings for the Yomiuri Giants in 2019. He led the Central League in wins and strikeouts, helping Yomiuri
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7:41 AM ET Two World Series rings belonging to Terry Francona have been recovered after they were stolen from the former Boston Red Sox manager last month, according to the Pima County (Arizona) Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff’s department said in a release Tuesday that the rings — for the Red Sox’s 2004 and 2007 World
10:04 PM ET Associated Press ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Cardinals searched all over the world, looking for the right kind of left-handed pitcher. They think they’ve found him in Kwang Hyun Kim. The NL Central champions announced Tuesday they had signed the 31-year-old South Korean to a two-year contract, and formally introduced their
7:07 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Corey Kluber is returning to Texas to pitch for the Rangers. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will leave it to others to say whether his hometown team has its next ace. “I think having a starting pitcher you can rely on every fifth day to give your
4:07 PM ET Associated Press DETROIT — The Detroit Tigers are retiring Lou Whitaker’s No. 1 this coming season. The team announced its plans Tuesday on Twitter in what can be seen as a clear show of support for Whitaker after the standout second baseman was passed over for Hall of Fame selection earlier this
7:00 AM ET The starting pitching market in free agency has moved very quickly this offseason. The frenetic pace has likely been too fast for some teams. And it isn’t just Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner coming off the board. Teams that may have been hoping to wait out the market have seen
2:57 PM ET ESPN News Services WASHINGTON — Naturally, Stephen Strasburg thought of himself pitching for a team other than the Nationals. After winning and being MVP of the World Series, Strasburg opted out of his contract and hit the open market. The possibility was real that he’d played his last game in a Washington
1:56 PM ET Associated Press HOUSTON — Reliever Joe Smith and the Houston Astros have agreed to an $8 million, two-year contract. The 35-year-old Smith spent the last two seasons with the Astros and is 6-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 84 appearances for Houston. Smith missed the beginning of last season recovering from Achilles
8:00 AM ET Sam MillerESPN.com Close ESPN baseball columnist/feature writerFormer editor-in-chief of Baseball ProspectusCo-author of “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” In late August, Cleveland Indians reliever Oliver Perez entered a game in the sixth inning to face a left-handed hitter. It was his 55th appearance of the year, and with that his
7:30 AM ET Steve RichardsESPN Baseball’s owners voted to make a major rule change beginning in the 2020 MLB season, requiring pitchers to either face a minimum of three batters or complete a half-inning, a switch pushed by commissioner Rob Manfred with an eye toward quickening the pace of play and shortening the length of