6:49 PM ET The Tampa Bay Rays acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday in a four-player trade. The Twins received minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in exchange for Cruz and minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher. The 41-year-old Cruz, a seven-time All-Star, is hitting .294 with 19 home runs
MLB
5:32 PM ET ESPN News Services CHICAGO — One day after announcing he was stepping away from baseball, Yermin Mercedes was back with the Chicago White Sox‘s Triple-A affiliate. The White Sox confirmed Thursday that Mercedes, the surprising rookie who carried the team with his booming bat early in the season and got sent to
7:00 AM ET With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, teams will make the difficult decision between standing pat and potentially not being good enough to win a championship, or mortgaging their future for a forlorn hope. It’s not an easy position to be in, and it could affect both the standings and our rankings over
3:27 AM ET Kenley Jansen served up the go-ahead home run to Wilmer Flores in Wednesday’s ninth inning, blowing his second consecutive save in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 4-2 loss to the first-place San Francisco Giants, then was booed vehemently by the home fans as he made his way back to the dugout. Dodgers manager
11:07 PM ET Chicago White Sox rookie Yermin Mercedes wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday night that he is “stepping aside” from baseball indefinitely while also apologizing to the team for not “accepting some of their decisions.” The post was accompanied with a picture of the words “it’s over.” “I want to apologize to
11:44 PM ET ESPN News Services BUFFALO, N.Y. — For the city of Buffalo, it was fun while it lasted. After not hosting a Major League Baseball game since its days as a Federal League outpost in 1915, Buffalo made the most of its opportunity, hosting the Toronto Blue Jays over two seasons because of
4:38 PM ET Associated Press CINCINNATI — The New York Mets traded outfielder Billy McKinney to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday for minor league outfielder Carlos Rincon and cash. The NL East-leading Mets also claimed right-hander Roel Ramírez off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets acquired McKinney from Milwaukee on May 25.
1:11 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Baltimore Orioles placed left-hander Keegan Akin and outfielder Anthony Santander on the COVID-19 injured list before Wednesday’s game at Tampa Bay. Akin had been scheduled to start against the Rays. Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde learned about the situation late Tuesday night. “We’re following the protocols,”
3:11 PM ET Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval stood somewhere near the south side of the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday morning, with the Cosmopolitan and Planet Hollywood within eyesight. Kaval will be there alongside his architect over the next two days, he said, sitting in on a series of meetings and analyzing where a
7:00 AM ET The 2021 MLB trade deadline is approaching fast, with front offices weighing their biggest needs before 4 p.m. ET on July 30 arrives. Will the Chicago Cubs deal away some of their most well-known players, including Kris Bryant, Craig Kimbrel, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo, before they hit the free-agent market this