7:09 AM ET MESA, Ariz. — It was hidden in plain sight. And everyone in the locker room saw it. At the bottom of the daily schedule, on Day 1 of full-squad workouts for the Chicago Cubs, was a prediction for their season. Baseball Prospectus’ proprietary PECOTA formula had the Cubs going 80-82, finishing in
MLB
12:27 PM ET Doug KezirianESPN Close SportsCenter anchor Behind The Bets podcast host Sports fans questioned Tom Brady for recently adopting the underdog label. However, the Boston Red Sox have a legitimate claim to that mantra, even coming off a World Series title and franchise record in wins. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has posted
9:29 AM ET The home opener for the San Diego Padres should be an absolute blast on March 28. Bruce Bochy, the Padres’ former longtime manager, will be in town with the Giants, and now that Bochy has announced that he will retire at year’s end, he’s likely to get a nice ovation when he’s
6:58 AM ET In the end, after weeks of consternation and grumbling and one prominent player suggesting the free-agent freeze could lead to a midseason player strike, Manny Machado received a contract commensurate with predictions at the start of the offseason: 10 years and $300 million. That the deal is with the San Diego Padres
11:56 PM ET Major League Baseball is putting new rules in place this season to guard against high-tech sign stealing, according to an SI.com report. After several incidents of alleged stealing of catchers’ signs last season, including during the postseason, commissioner Rob Manfred had promised to have new directives in place this year to curtail
7:14 PM ET Associated Press FORT MYERS, Fla. — Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano will miss at least the first week of full-squad workouts after he cut his foot while celebrating his team winning the Dominican Winter League championship. Sano has been wearing a walking boot to protect the wound, which is above the
6:29 PM ET Associated Press GLENDALE, Ariz. — Hours after Manny Machado agreed to a $300 million, 10-year deal with San Diego, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said the slow free-agent market is “a little much ado about nothing if in fact those players all sign at the end of the day.” As Manny Machado signing
6:04 PM ET Associated Press JUPITER, Fla. — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez has been shut down for two weeks to build up shoulder strength after an injury-plagued season. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that Martinez, 27, won’t throw before being re-evaluated on March 5. Shildt said an MRI this week showed Martinez’s
6:53 AM ET Position-by-position tiers: C | 1B | 2B | SS | 3B | OF When you think about it, pitchers are kind of pre-sorted into tiers through the machinations of their managers and organizations. No. 1 starter, No. 2 starter, opener, bulk guy, LOOGY, closer, set-up man, multi-inning reliever — these are all
2:36 PM ET One of the clown-sized shoes on the feet of the 2018-19 free-agent season has finally dropped: According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Manny Machado has agreed to a reported 10-year, $300 million contract with the … San Diego Padres? Manny Machado is headed to the Padres on the richest deal ever signed by