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Anthony Rendon will have hip surgery and be out for an extended period, his latest injury setback since joining the Los Angeles Angels.
General manager Perry Minasian told reporters that the 34-year-old third baseman will be out long term. A timetable for Rendon’s return wasn’t provided.
Rendon, in the sixth season of a $245 million, seven-year contract, has played in just 205 games over the past four seasons and has been on the injured list 12 times since 2021.
The Angels signed Rendon in 2020, a year after he batted .319 with 34 home runs and a big league-high 126 RBIs while helping the Washington Nationals win their first World Series title.
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In 257 games with Los Angeles, he has hit just .242 with 22 home runs and 125 RBIs. Rendon batted .290 with 136 homers and 546 RBIs in seven seasons with the Nationals.
The recently-signed Yoan Moncada will likely take Rendon’s place at third base for the time being. Moncada only played 12 games last season due to an adductor injury. He hit .260 with 11 homers and a .730 OPS in 2023.
Moncada joined the Angels on a one-year, $5 million deal.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Aaron Boone hopes Yankees would handle title with ‘more class’ than Dodgers
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Three months after the World Series, Yankees manager Aaron Boone remained unhappy with some of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ remarks after they beat a sloppy New York team in five games for the title.
Speaking on Tuesday at the start of spring training, Boone was asked whether his players took the comments personally.
“Probably a little bit,” he said, “but the reality is we didn’t play our best in the series and they won, so they have that right to say whatever. Hopefully, we’re in that position next year and handle things with a little more class but the reality is it’s a great team, it’s a great organization with a lot of great people that I happen to know and respect, too. So a few people sounding off isn’t necessarily how I would want to draw it up. But they’re the champs. They have that right.”
Los Angeles pitcher Joe Kelly said on his “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast the Dodgers entered each game saying: “Just let them throw the ball into the infield. They can’t make a play.”
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‘It stings forever’ – Aaron Boone on New York Yankees losing to Dodgers in World Series | MLB on FOX
Jake Cousins sidelined and could miss opening day
Ahead of the opening workout, Boone said right-hander Jake Cousins has a strained right forearm and could resume throwing next week. Boone said the reliever is uncertain to be ready for the March 27 opener.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Alex Bregman isn’t the first MLB All-Star whose free agency went to February
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(Former?) Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman remains a free agent and the best player available on the MLB open market. While Bregman, a Gold Glover and two-time All-Star, is definitely living the Will Smith Bel-Air meme all alone in the family room, he’s not the first high-level MLB player whose free agency went into February.
In chronological order, here are 10 All-Stars who didn’t sign a contract until February (contracts signed in the 2021-22 offseason aren’t included due to the lockout) — and in some cases beyond.
Ivan Rodriguez and the Detroit Tigers (2004)
Rodriguez signed a four-year, $40 million deal with the Tigers on Groundhog Day, giving them one of the best catchers in the game and a future Hall of Famer. The backstop continued to rake upon arrival, hitting .334 and driving in 86 runs in 2004. Rodriguez also led catchers in caught stealing percentage in both 2005 and 2006.
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He went on to post a combined .298/.328/.449 slash line across his four-plus seasons in Detroit, which includes an appearance in the 2006 World Series.
Magglio Ordonez and the Tigers (2005)
Despite an injury-plagued 2004 season with the Chicago White Sox (52 games), the Tigers plucked Ordonez from their American League Central rivals on a five-year, $75 million deal. While his first season in Detroit was also limited by injury (82 games), Ordonez went on to hit at an MVP level from 2006-08. Registering 20-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs in each of those three seasons and winning the 2007 batting title (.363) while also hitting a league-high 54 doubles, Ordonez justified Detroit’s financial conviction in him.
If it weren’t for Alex Rodriguez blasting 54 home runs and driving in 156 runs in 2007, Ordonez, a three-time Silver Slugger and six-time All-Star, would’ve also won an MVP.
James Shields and the San Diego Padres (2015)
Shields was part of a lively Padres offseason that also saw the franchise add All-Star outfielders Matt Kemp and Justin Upton and star closer Craig Kimbrel, among others. After Shields helped the Kansas City Royals get to the 2014 World Series and firmly established himself as one of the best right-handed pitchers in the sport, the Padres brought in the veteran on a five-year, $75 million deal to be their ace.
While Shields was respectable in his first season in San Diego (3.91 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 33 starts), his tenure didn’t go as planned, as his output declined and the Padres later traded him to the White Sox in 2016 — but received a future star by the name of Fernando Tatis in the deal.
Yu Darvish and the Chicago Cubs (2018)
Chicago chose to let a pitcher who was arguably its ace walk in free agency (we’ll revisit that) to bring in Darvish, an ace-caliber arm in his own right, on a six-year, $126 million deal. Darvish, a five-time All-Star, had a mixed bag of a career in Chicago. In year one, he pitched just eight games before suffering an eventual season-ending elbow injury, which he followed by posting a 3.98 ERA in 31 regular-season starts in 2019.
In the truncated 2020 season, Darvish was spectacular, posting a 2.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 224 ERA+ and 93 strikeouts in 76.0 regular-season innings (12 starts). He was then traded to San Diego in an effort by the Cubs to shed payroll.
Eric Hosmer and the Padres (2018)
One of the last remaining core pieces of the 2015 World Series-champion Royals following the 2017 season, Hosmer signed an eight-year, $144 million deal with the Padres, which was the largest contract in franchise history at the time. Hosmer, a four-time Gold Glover, provided some credibility for the Padres, a building block and a proven left-handed bat.
However, his Padres’ career left some to be desired, as he posted an OPS north of .750 just once and was ultimately traded in the fifth year of his contract.
J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox (2018)
It seemed inevitable that these two would find each other, and they did; it just happened post-Valentine’s Day on a five-year, $110 million deal. Coming off a career-high 45 home runs, Martinez came to Beantown and gave the Red Sox the extra oomph their lineup needed. In his first season with the Red Sox (2018), Martinez totaled 43 home runs and an MLB-high 130 RBIs en route to them winning the World Series.
Martinez finished his five-year stint in Boston with a combined .526 slugging percentage, three seasons with 25-plus home runs and three seasons with 95-plus RBIs. His well-rounded, impact bat from the right side was just what the doctor ordered for Boston.
Jake Arrieta and the Philadelphia Phillies (2018)
Yeah, the 2017-18 MLB offseason was extremely tedious. Putting a bow on it, Arrieta, one of the premier starting pitchers in the sport, didn’t sign until March, agreeing to a three-year, $75 million deal with the Phillies. For context, the right-hander established himself as a high-level starter in 2014, followed by winning the National League Cy Young with a remarkable 1.77 ERA and four complete games — three of them shutouts — in 2015. Part of the Cubs team that broke the Curse of the Billy Goat in 2016, Arrieta posted a combined 2.67 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 151 ERA+ over his four complete seasons in Chicago (2014-17). Yet, the right-hander’s market didn’t develop the way he likely anticipated it would.
Unfortunately for Arrieta, while he had a respectable first season in Philadelphia (3.96 ERA over 31 starts), he suffered an elbow injury in 2019 and began to fizzle out; he last pitched in MLB in 2021.
Manny Machado and the Padres (2019)
The Padres wanted a franchise player and got just that — albeit late in the offseason — inking Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal. Coming to San Diego in the prime of his career, Machado immediately became the face of the Padres and their veteran leader. He continued to wreak havoc in Southern California after six-plus seasons with the Baltimore Orioles and a half-season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Across his six seasons with the Padres, Machado, a two-time Gold Glover and six-time All-Star, boasts a combined .275/.341/.490 slash line and has been electric at the hot corner.
Machado’s Padres’ tenure has been highlighted by helping them win their first playoff series in 14 years in just his second season (2020) and helping them reach the NL Championship Series in 2022.
Padres’ Manny Machado hits a two-run homer to deep left-center field, tying the game against the Twins
Bryce Harper and the Phillies (2019)
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Washington Nationals, Harper signed with the NL East-rival Phillies for a then-stunning 13-year, $330 million deal. The deal included no opt-outs and a no-trade clause. Harper has lived up to every penny of that deal, as he won the NL MVP in 2021, the second such honor of his career, and helped the Phillies reach the World Series in 2022 and make the playoffs in each of the past three seasons.
Across his six seasons in Philadelphia, Harper boasts a combined .285/.391/.533 slash line and has hit 30-plus home runs in three of his six seasons with the Phillies (2020 was a 60-game regular season, and Harper missed extensive time in 2022 and 2023). On top of it all, the formidable, left-handed hitter now plays first base. Harper was money well spent for the Phillies — and worth the wait.
Blake Snell and the San Francisco Giants (2024)
Snell has a case for the most distinct season and then free agency for any player in the history of American sports.
In 2023, Snell won the NL Cy Young, the second such honor of his career, with an MLB-best 2.25 ERA … and an MLB-high 99 walks with the Padres (they’re mentioned in this list a lot). Then, he didn’t ink a long-term deal all winter and settled for a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants in March, which included an opt-out. After not making his first start until April 8, Snell struggled and was later placed on the injured list twice due to adductor and groin injuries, respectively. Then, he rebounded in emphatic fashion after returning to the mound in July, posting a 1.23 ERA across his final 14 starts, including throwing a no-hitter. Snell opted out after the season and proceeded to sign a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers. In the end, it all worked out for the left-hander.
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Spring training preview: Can Dodgers be first repeat champ in a quarter-century?
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Miguel Rojas gladly gave up his No. 11 to Roki Sasaki and went back to No. 72, his jersey as a Los Angeles Dodgers rookie in 2014.
“I’m not asking for anything,” the 35-year-old infielder said. “I have everything that I want in life. All I ask [from] him is [to try] to get us another championship.”
He’s in the right spot. Spring training workouts start Sunday with the Dodgers trying to become the first repeat champion since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000.
Coming off their second title in five seasons, the Dodgers added Sasaki, the prized 23-year-old right-hander from Japan, and left-hander Blake Snell to a pitching staff expecting two-way star Shohei Ohtani to return to the mound in April or May after recovering from elbow surgery.
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“Kudos to them,” said Toronto pitcher Max Scherzer, who pitched for the Dodgers briefly in 2021. “They’re doing everything right. They have a well-oiled machine.”
Los Angeles opens the season in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs with a two-game series starting March 18. The Cubs are the first team to start practice, on Sunday in Mesa, Arizona, and all clubs will be on the field by Thursday.
Chicago manager Craig Counsell also is switching numbers, to 11, yielding No. 30 to Kyle Tucker, the All-Star outfielder acquired from Houston. Counsell chose 11 in honor of Jim Leyland, one of his early big league skippers. When Leyland led the Florida Marlins to the 1997 World Series title, he reminded players they needed 11 postseason wins for the title, matching the number on his back.
“I’m hoping to use that speech a little bit later in the month of September,” Counsell said.
Chicago’s other team, the White Sox, is coming off a 121-loss season, the most in the major leagues post-1900,
“I hope our fans at some point understand that this is going to pay off long-term and us being very committed and disciplined is going to serve us well in the future,” general manager Chris Getz said.
Hooray for Hollywood
Los Angeles committed $452 million to eight players during the offseason. The Dodgers kept utilityman Tommy Edman with a $74 million, five-year contract, outfielder Teoscar Hernández with a $66 million, three-year deal and right-hander Blake Treinen for $22 million over two years.
In addition to Sasaki ($6.5 million signing bonus) and Snell ($182 million for five years), the Dodgers added reliever Tanner Scott ($72 million for four years), outfielder Michael Conforto ($17 million for one season) and second baseman Hyeseong Kim ($12.5 million for three years).
[Related: 2025 MLB free-agent signing tracker, trades: Pete Alonso returning to the Mets]
Tyler Glasnow is projected for the rotation after finishing last season on the injured list. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw is expected to re-sign and return after he recovers from knee and toe operations.
“The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules. They’re trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives. I recognize, however, and my emails certainly reflect that there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their team’s ability to compete. And we always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something. But pinning it on the Dodgers, I’m not in that camp.”
Mets also paying top dollar
In search of the team’s first World Series title since 1986, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen gave a record $765 million, 15-year contract to outfielder Juan Soto, luring him from the rival Yankees, part of a $925 million splurge on eight free agents.
“If you want something that’s amazing, it’s going to be uncomfortable. It’s never going to be comfortable,” Cohen said. “And so I always stretch a little bit because I know that’s what it takes to get it done.”
Following an NL Championship Series loss to the Dodgers, the Mets also added right-handers Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning along with left-hander A.J. Minter, and re-signed first baseman Peter Alonso, left-hander Sean Manaea, right-hander Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesse Winker. They acquired outfielder Jose Siri in a trade with Tampa Bay.
Searching for ruby slippers
Tampa Bay and the Athletics will be preparing for vagabond seasons in minor league ballparks. After 57 years in Oakland, the A’s will play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for at least three seasons before moving to a planned ballpark in Las Vegas. The Rays will play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees, for 2025 because of damage at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg caused by Hurricane Milton.
A pair of rules changes
MLB increased the penalty for a violation of the shift rule requiring two infielders to be on the infield dirt on each side of second base when a pitch is thrown. A batter will now reach on an error, with a manager having the option of taking the result of the play. During the 2023 and ’24 seasons, the penalty was a ball being added to the count or the manager taking the result of the play. There were just four violations of the shift rule in 2023 and two last year.
If a baserunner runs through second or third base on a potential force play and doesn’t try to hold the base or advance, he will be called out for abandonment. If a lead runner crosses the plate, a video review would determine whether he touched the plate before the trailing runner’s second foot touched the ground on the other side of the base. The intent is to discourage baserunners from going through second and third with no attempt to hold the base in order to allow a lead runner to score.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Pete Alonso deal embodies Mets’ rise to power under Steve Cohen: ‘We’re seeing it’
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NEW YORK — When the Mets originally offered Pete Alonso a contract extension, Steve Cohen was the owner but a different executive was running the front office. Then-general manager Billy Eppler hoped to lock up Alonso to a long-term deal reported to be $158 million over seven years.
The terms weren’t extraordinary, yet Alonso rejected them.
Just two years later, and three months into free agency, the Mets convinced Alonso to settle for a two-year, $54 million contract — or, about $100 million less in guaranteed money.
A long-term offer was no longer on the table for Alonso because second-year president of baseball operations David Stearns wouldn’t present it to him. Sure, the Polar Bear had a down year in 2024, which made for an underwhelming market in free agency. But he hadn’t dramatically changed as a player. He still hit 34 home runs in the regular season, followed by a .999 OPS in the postseason, including the most memorable home run of his career.
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What did change was Alonso’s age. He turned 30 in December, a number that wasn’t lost on the Mets’ current front office given its historical correlation to a player’s decline.
The Mets always wanted Alonso back, but Stearns wasn’t going to throw around Cohen’s money and flex that financial might just because he could. The deal had to make sense for them now and later. Alonso can take solace in being the highest-paid first baseman in MLB this year, earning a reported $30 million with an opt-out after the season, while the Mets got him to agree to the shorter-term deal they now desired.
”If he performs well, good for him, right? I mean, how fantastic is that,” Steve Cohen told FOX Sports in a phone call on Thursday. “He just has to be Pete. Go do his thing. Hopefully he’s more relaxed. Not saying he wasn’t relaxed. But hopefully he can go focus on what he does, which is baseball, and enjoy the season with his teammates. Let’s go win something.”
The Mets certainly won this negotiation with Alonso.
They simply were not going to budge on a short-term contract, which marks a stark difference from the previous execs working under Cohen. Stearns was given the leeway to lead the negotiations with all free agents, from Juan Soto to Alonso, with Cohen sometimes involved in the process in a supportive role to show players that he cares. With Alonso, a star player he’s known personally since the start of his ownership, Cohen took on a more active role while sticking to Stearns’ direction regarding the terms.
The Alonso deal perfectly embodies the Cohen-Stearns era in Queens thus far. The Mets weren’t sentimental, they didn’t overspend, and they refused to give in to the demands of superagent Scott Boras. Stearns demonstrated his discipline, with Cohen spending where it was necessary.
Since Cohen named Stearns the Mets’ president of baseball operations in October 2023, their partnership has been marked by success. Stearns was the architect behind a reimagined 2024 Mets roster that exceeded all expectations while reaching the National League Championship Series. In December, Cohen and Stearns plucked one of the greatest young hitters in history from the Yankees.
Through 16 months on the job, Stearns has seemingly pushed the right buttons at every turn for the Mets.
“That’s why I hired him,” Cohen said. “He’s very good at what he does. He’s very patient and disciplined and thoughtful and that’s the kind of thing you start to see paying dividends over time. We’re seeing it.”
What we know about Stearns is that he’s a shrewd executive who will rely on the data when making deals. He entered the baseball industry fresh out of Harvard and made his mark by leading the small-market Brewers to four consecutive playoff appearances through savvy deals. That blueprint hasn’t changed since coming over to the big-money Mets. He just has a deeper well to draw from in Cohen, the richest owner in the sport with a net worth of around $20 billion, who actually prefers to follow the lead of the executives he hires.
Since Cohen bought the franchise and became the Mets’ owner in November 2020, he has worked alongside five front-office executives: Sandy Alderson, Jared Porter, Zack Scott, Eppler and Stearns. A hedge-fund CEO and childhood Mets fan, Cohen is still relatively new to the business side of baseball, so he relies heavily on leaders of the front office to guide the club’s financial decisions while building a competitive roster.
Just two years ago, the Mets had the largest payroll in MLB history at roughly $350 million, and they finished in fourth place, well below .500. With Stearns leading team brass, Cohen is beginning to see his vision for the Mets come to fruition.
“We got better as we went along,” Cohen said of the turnover in the front office. “David has a way of doing things that kind of really fits into my philosophy. I totally get where he’s coming from and why he’s doing what he’s doing. I share those philosophies.”
As early as the day he was formally introduced as the Mets’ new owner, Cohen said he wanted to model the Mets after the Dodgers. Specifically, he wanted to achieve sustained success. Such ambition sounded lofty, if not fanciful. But now, entering Year five of his ownership tenure, Cohen’s dream is manifesting.
The Mets’ farm system quickly went from bad to respectable. Their 26-man roster is potent. Between Stearns’ astute ability to add on the margins and Cohen’s resources, they’ll continue taking advantage of opportunities in the marketplace via free agency and trades. If there’s still concern about the Mets’ rotation, just remember that was also the case heading into last season, only for Stearns to prove how great of a talent evaluator he is.
Where the team is incomplete, there is an underlying sense that they’re never done adding to the roster.
Just look at the Mets from 2024 Opening Day compared to where they stood in October, after key minor-league promotions (and demotions), trade-deadline acquisitions, and a budding clubhouse culture that was evident to anyone who watched them take the field.
It sounds a lot like the forces behind the Dodgers’ sustained excellence over the past several years. Similar to Cohen’s commitment to winning at any cost, the Dodgers have the Guggenheim Baseball Management ownership group funding their exorbitant spending. Much like Stearns’ sharp oversight, the Dodgers have esteemed president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman calling the shots.
No wonder, after meeting in the NLCS, the two ballclubs were the two biggest winners of the offseason.
Cohen brought Stearns over to Queens in part to become the East Coast Dodgers. The Mets have roster flexibility. They have shown discipline in free agency. And they have better awareness of short, intermediate and long-term roster implications while satisfying their fan base.
Much of that can be compromised when dealing with a homegrown star. But the Mets chose to play hardball and still managed to make it work for all sides. It really is a new era in Queens.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to 4 years, 9 months for fraud
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The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to four years and nine months in prison and three years’ supervised release for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.
Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana, California, after pleading guilty last year.
He was ordered on Thursday to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was ordered to surrender to authorities to begin serving his sentence by March 24.
Mizuhara acknowledged using the money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
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His attorney declined to comment after the hearing.
The case affected arguably the world’s most famous baseball player — who previously pitched for the Los Angeles Angels — and stoked an international media frenzy. It stemmed from a broader probe into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas that has netted a dozen defendants.
“His years-long theft of funds from Mr. Ohtani and the myriad lies he told to Mr. Ohtani’s agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft represent a calculated betrayal of the very person he was hired to help,” prosecutors wrote in court papers.
In a letter to the court, Mizuhara described his financial strain and addiction to gambling, which he had hoped would alleviate his money problems. He also professed his admiration of Ohtani, and his remorse.
“I am asking for a little mercy from the court concerning my sentence you will hand down,” Mizuhara wrote. “I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being, and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field. I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”
Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s account beginning in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate him to authorize wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used the money to buy about $325,000 worth of baseball cards at online resellers and had bet tens of millions of dollars that weren’t his to wager on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football.
[Read more: Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter impersonated MLB star for $200K transfer, per audio]
Prosecutors said Mizuhara never bet on baseball, and Ohtani was an unknowing victim of the scheme.
“Let there be no doubt, Mr. Ohtani is truly a victim and has suffered, and will continue to suffer, harm from defendant’s conduct,” prosecutors wrote.
Michael G. Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, wrote in court filings that his client is a gambling addict who made a “terrible mistake” and has suffered from a loss of a job and reputation. Mizuhara takes responsibility for his actions and expects to be deported to his native Japan after serving time, Freedman wrote while asking for a sentence of one and a half years.
Mizuhara was born in Japan and moved to California with his parents when he was 6. He struggled to learn English but eventually did, and he returned to Japan in 2013 to become an interpreter for a Japanese baseball team and later for Ohtani, according to court filings.
The two formed a tight-knit bond, and Mizuhara moved with Ohtani in 2018 to the U.S., where he took on numerous errands for the player, such as grocery shopping, Freedman wrote.
Inside baseball, Mizuhara stood by Ohtani’s side for many of the athlete’s career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara was Ohtani’s friend and confidant. He famously resigned from the Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout so he could keep speaking to Ohtani, and he was rehired after a deal was struck.
Last year, Ohtani and the Dodgers won the World Series, and the baseball star won his third Most Valuable Player award.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Pete Alonso stays with Mets on 2-year, $54 million deal after lingering on market
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First baseman Pete Alonso is staying with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $54 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday night because the agreement, first reported by The New York Post, was subject to a successful physical.
Alonso gets a $10 million signing bonus and gets salaries of $20 million this year and $24 million in 2026. He can opt out after the 2025 season to become a free agent again.
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New York also offered a $71 million, three-year deal with salaries of $27 million in 2025 and $22 million in each of the following two seasons, with the ability to opt out after each of the first two years, the person said.
Alonso, who turned 30 on Dec. 7, lingered on the market longer than other top players. Among other free-agent first basemen, Christian Walker agreed to a $60 million, three-year contract with Houston, and Paul Goldschmidt (New York Yankees) and Carlos Santana (Cleveland) accepted one-year agreements.
Mets owner Steve Cohen expressed frustration last month, saying the negotiating was more difficult than the talks that led to a record $765 million, 15-year contract with Juan Soto, who like Alonso is represented by agent Scott Boras.
“I don’t like the structures that are being presented to us,” Steve Cohen said. “It’s highly asymmetric against us and I feel strongly about it. I will never say no. You know, there’s always a possibility.
“But the reality is that we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players. And as we continue to bring in players, the reality is, it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have.”
Alonso hit 226 homers over six seasons with the New York Mets and became a four-time All-Star, but his strikeouts steadily increased to a career high 172 last year while his OPS has dropped to a career-low .788.
Nicknamed the Polar Bear, Alonso became a Citi Field fan favorite as a home-grown member of the Mets.
He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, when he hit .260 with a major league-high 53 homers — a rookie record — and 120 RBIs. He had a career-high 131 RBIs in 2022.
Alonso batted a career-low .217 in 2023 while hitting 46 homers and driving in 118 runs and hit .240 with 34 homers and 88 RBIs this year. His three-run, ninth-inning home run off Devin Williams lifted the Mets over Milwaukee in the decisive third game of their NL Wild Card Series.
After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series, the Mets added Soto and right-handers Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and Griffin Canning along with left-hander A.J. Minter, and re-signed left-hander Sean Manaea, right-hander Ryne Stanek and outfielder Jesse Winker.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Yankees’ Aaron Judge, wife Samantha welcome first child: ‘Can’t wait for the memories’
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New York Yankees star and two-time AL MVP Aaron Judge received a new title on Jan. 27: first-time dad.
The 32-year-old outfielder and wife, Samantha Bracksieck, announced the arrival of their first child on Wednesday, a daughter named Nora Rose Judge.
Judge revealed the news on his Instagram account with an adorable black and white picture of the baby’s toes.
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“1/27/25 Nora Rose Judge. What an incredible week it’s been, can’t wait for the memories the three of us make,” the six-time All-Star captioned the post.
Judge and Bracksieck were married in December 2021 after meeting at Linden High School, and attending Fresno State University together.
On January 25, Judge revealed Baby Nora was on the way “any day now” in a video thanking his fans, family and team as he accepted the 2024 AL MVP award and apologized for missing the awards dinner as they awaited her arrival.
Judge is coming off of a heck of a year with New York. The three-time 50 Home Run Club member helped lead the Yankees to their first World Series appearance in 15 years this past season, but the team fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Judge finished the 2024 season with his fourth Silver Slugger Award, second Hank Aaron Award and as the AL leader in home runs and RBIs. He hit 58 home runs, had 144 RBIs and finished with a .322 batting average.
Spring training begins for the Yankees on Feb. 21 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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What are the 10 most shocking trades of all time?
FOX Sports Research
Every once in a while, there’s a trade in the sports world that makes everyone stop in their tracks and dive into their group chats to share the shock of the deal.
Saturday night, NBA fans experienced a different kind of alarm, wondering if reports of a Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis blockbuster trade were real. There was no hacking involved, though, and once reality set in, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks had agreed to a three-team deal that stunned the sports community.
Days later, even as more details emerge, the trade still seems outrageous.
But is it the most shocking in sports history? Here’s our list of 10.
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10 most shocking trades
Junior Griffey was arguably the biggest star in baseball when he was unexpectedly traded by the Mariners at the peak of his career. Already a 10-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner before turning 30, Griffey appeared destined to break the all-time home run record and was in the midst of one of the greatest ever starts to a career.
But behind the scenes, Griffey wanted out of the Pacific Northwest for family reasons. He’d grown up in Cincinnati and welcomed the idea of raising his children there. Moreover, his father was a bench coach with the Reds.
Griffey got his wish after the 1999 season. After vetoing a trade to the Mets, he was sent to Cincinnati — in exchange for Mike Cameron and Brett Tomko — where he quickly signed a long extension. Alas, Griffey wasn’t able to stay healthy and his play soon declined. A compromised second half of his career has perhaps dampened the memory of how much this trade rocked the baseball world at the time.
After two unfulfilling seasons in Oakland, the Raiders and Moss were more than ready to part ways. The Packers were ready to pounce in hopes of pairing the future Hall of Famer with Brett Favre. Green Bay offered a young Aaron Rodgers, who’d attempted all of 31 passes after two seasons in the league.
The Raiders declined, however, and drafted JaMarcus Russell instead. That allowed the Patriots, who were annual contenders and coming off an AFC title game appearance, to swoop in and acquire Moss during the draft for a mere fourth-round pick. Moss later shared that he got a surprise phone call from Bill Belichick in the middle of the night, asking him to fly from Texas to Foxborough and clear a physical that day.
Moss and the Pats made history a few months later. New England became the first team to go 16-0 in the regular season, setting the record for points in a season, while Tom Brady broke the TD passes mark and Moss the TD receptions mark. The Pats experienced a shock of their own in the playoffs when their perfect season was spoiled by the Giants in the Super Bowl. Moss would play two-and-a-half more seasons in New England, but nothing matched his connection with Brady during that 2007 campaign.
Rodriguez was just three years into his landmark 10-year, $252 million deal when the Rangers, who’d finished in last place all three years, surprisingly began to shop the reigning MVP. The shock lies in what happened next.
The Red Sox orchestrated a three-team deal that also included the Chicago White Sox that would’ve involved A-Rod, Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra, Jon Lester and Magglio Ordonez switching teams. The deal was nixed at the 11th hour, however, when the MLBPA wouldn’t allow Rodriguez to take the pay cut that he and the Red Sox had agreed to.
As Rodriguez remained with the Rangers late in the 2003-04 offseason, Yankees third baseman Aaron Boone tore his ACL playing basketball right before spring training. That prompted the Yankees to gauge A-Rod’s interest in playing in the Bronx. With Derek Jeter entrenched at shortstop, and Rodriguez having just won back-to-back Gold Gloves and widely regarded as the best all-around player in baseball, the thought of A-Rod switching positions and joining the Yankees seemed unfathomable.
But he consented, and the Yankees sent fellow young star Alfonso Soriano to Texas.
The move added a fascinating wrinkle to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry just months after the two heavyweights squared off in the postseason. They would, of course, meet again the following October, with Boston rallying back from the first 0-3 deficit in MLB history. Rodriguez would go on to earn two more MVPs and eventually win a World Series with the Yankees while spending the final 13 years of his career in New York.
7. Shaquille O’Neal to Miami Heat (2004)
Shock waves were felt across ther NBA landscape in the summer of 1996 when the Orlando Magic allowed O’Neal to sign with the Lakers just four years after making him the No. 1 pick in the draft. Predictably, he became a cultural icon and grew into the most dominant player in basketball. But while leading the Lakers to a three-peat and winning Finals MVP for each series, he and Kobe Bryant began to feud publicly. The situation had became untenable by the summer of 2004, and the Lakers had to decide which of them they were keeping.
Bryant figured it would be Shaq and had already begun exploring his options in free agency. That plan was put to an immediate halt when the Lakers stunningly sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat in exchange for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round pick.
The Heat were initially the big winners, as a motivated Shaq finished second in MVP voting the following season and helped lead Miami to its first NBA crown in Year 2. The Lakers, meanwhile, scuffled for three seasons before executing another stunning trade, acquiring Pau Gasol in 2008. His arrival gave Kobe the support he needed to lead the Lakers to back-to-back titles (and three consecutive Finals appearances). He’d spend his entire 20-year career with the Lakers.
Three years after an MVP season and a deep playoff run, and Minnesota in desperate need of a rebuild, Garnett and the Timberwolves agreed it was time to part ways. The only question was where he’d land. The Lakers and Phoenix Suns were initially at the forefront of the sweepstakes, with each offering a budding star (Los Angeles offered Andrew Bynum, Phoenix offered Amar’e Stoudemire) to try to form a top-tier contender in the West. The Suns eventually bowed out, which seemingly gave the edge to the Lakers.
Boston, which was coming off two losing seasons, wasn’t an attractive destination for KG. Years later, Garnett shared that the Lakers were his first choice, only he was unable to get in contact with Kobe Bryant despite numerous attempts. The Celtics, meanwhile, acquired perennial All-Star Ray Allen in a draft-day deal to pair alongside Paul Pierce, tipping the scale enough for Garnett to eventually sign off on a trade to Boston. The Celtics gave up a five-player package centered around young center Al Jefferson plus two first-round picks for Garnett, marking the largest deal for a single player in NBA history.
More importantly, the transaction unofficially ushered in the modern superteam era. The three stars proved to be a perfect fit and took the league by storm, winning 66 games in their first season before toppling the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Boston would remain a title contender for four more years and appear in another Finals with Garnett. The Timberwolves went another decade without making the playoffs.
The Cowboys became the NFL’s team of the ‘90s thanks in large part to one trade.
In the middle of the 1989 season, first-year Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson decided to part ways with their best player, two-time Pro Bowler Herschel Walker, in order to rebuild a roster that would finish the year 1-15. After creating a bidding war behind the scenes and nearly trading the running back to the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys took advantage of an opportunistic Vikings team seeking to make a title run and parted with Walker for three draft picks and five players.
Dallas then utilized a loophole by cutting four of those players to recoup four conditional picks (two firsts, one second and a third) and trading Darrin Nelson to the Chargers for another conditional pick (1992 second round). The Cowboys turned all that draft capital into future standouts Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, Clayton Holmes and Darren Woodson, and would soon become a dynasty.
Walker, meanwhile, helped the Vikings reach the playoffs in 1989 but would spend just two more years in Minnesota before bouncing around the league and eventually ending up back with the Cowboys.
The deal that saw the San Francisco Warriors trade Chamberlain to the 76ers might be the NBA trade most comparable to the Dončić deal.
The move came during All-Star weekend in 1965, with the Warriors trading a 28-year-old Wilt after he helped them reach the NBA Finals the season prior. The Warriors’ poor start to the season and Chamberlain’s unpopularity in San Francisco made him expendable in the eyes of management, which moved him for three players that had a combined one All-Star appearance (with one of the players retiring shortly after the trade) plus $150,000.
The Hall of Fame center responded by winning three consecutive MVPs with the 76ers and leading them to the title in 1967, all while the Warriors struggled. Wilt wasn’t long for Philadelphia, however, despite having started his career there with the Warriors before the franchise moved to the Bay. After four seasons with the Sixers, he orchestrated a trade to the Lakers in what some regard as the first example of the player empowerment movement.
You know a trade is controversial when the government tries to get involved. That was the case when the Edmonton Oilers moved Gretzky shortly after winning their fifth Stanley Cup with the all-time great in 1988. The trade had actually been in the works for much longer than anyone had known at the time, with Gretzky’s father informing him just hours after their Cup win that he learned months prior that Gretzky was on the market. As Oilers owner Peter Pocklington was in financial trouble, they agreed to deal Gretzky to the Kings for center Jimmy Carson, left wing Martin Gélinas, two first-round picks and $15 million in cash. The Oilers also gave up a pair of lesser players (Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski) at Gretzky’s wish.
The deal proved traumatic for Gretzky, who tearfully said goodbye to the Oilers in a press conference. Edmonton wound up having more team success than L.A. in the immediate aftermath, winning another Stanley Cup two years later (while sweeping the Kings in the process). Still, it’s hard not to imagine the Oilers’ dynasty lasting into the ‘90s had they not traded Gretzky, who won an MVP and led the league in scoring three more times after the deal. He eventually led the Kings to their first Stanley Cup. More importantly, he helped popularize the sport in the United States, as the NHL has added 11 franchises stateside since Gretzky’s monumental transfer.
2. Babe Ruth to New York Yankees (1920)
The baseball player many regard as the best of all time was moved for a sum of cash to help finance a theater play. No, really. Ruth was only 24 years old at the time, had just set the single-season home run record and had already helped the Red Sox win three World Series, thanks to his two-way exploits. But new team owner Harry Frazee was facing financial pressure and agreed to sell Ruth’s contract to the Red Sox for $100,000 along with a $325,000 loan from Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert ahead of the 1920 season.
The stunning swap changed the fortunes of the two franchises overnight.
Boston, which had won five of the first 16 World Series, didn’t make the playoffs again for 26 years. The Yankees, who had never played in the postseason, appeared in 29 of the next 45 World Series. Ruth would play 15 years in New York, winning four titles and becoming the all-time home run leader. (He also started just four games on the mound while in pinstripes.) It would be 86 years before the Red Sox finally won a World Series, while the Yankees lead all North American pro franchises with 27 championships.
That’s why they call it the “Curse of the Bambino.”
1. Luka Dončić to Los Angeles Lakers (2025)
Dončić is, conservatively, one of the five best basketball players in the world. Many would assert he’s behind only the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić. Whatever the case, the 25-year-old Slovenian superstar was assumed to be untouchable. Dončić had just won the scoring title and led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last summer.
So, calling their decision to trade the perennial MVP candidate to the Lakers a shock actually feels like an understatement. The move, which featured future Hall of Fame center Anthony Davis in return, came completely out of nowhere and involved zero speculation prior. Credit to the Lakers on that front. As Dallas general manager Nico Harrison confirmed, he contacted the Lakers a few weeks back to gauge their interest in Dončić. There were seemingly no leaks, as other teams and the players directly involved in the eventual swap were completely unaware of these conversations.
While the deal — and the Mavericks not holding a bidding war before unloading Dončić — still has the NBA community reeling, one potential motivating factor for them might have been Dončić being eligible for a $345 million extension this summer. Time will tell if the Mavericks’ bet on a soon-to-be 32-year-old Davis, promising guard Max Christie and a future first-round pick pays off.
Dončić, meanwhile, like so many of the greatest players in basketball history, will play for the Lakers.
HONORABLE MENTION
- Mike Piazza to the Marlins/Mets
- Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors
- Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers
- Matthew Stafford to the Rams
- Chris Paul to the Clippers
- James Harden to the Rockets
- Curt Schilling to the Red Sox
- Justin Verlander to the Astros
- Eric Dickerson to the Colts
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers
- Chris Webber to the Bullets
- Marshall Faulk to the Rams
- Ricky Williams to the Saints
- Frank Robinson to the Orioles
- Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins
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Shohei Ohtani looks ‘really strong,’ could make pitching return in May for Dodgers
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Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in May is “about right,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday at the team’s annual fan fest.
He reiterated Ohtani won’t pitch in the season-opening Japan Series against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19 in Tokyo.
The two-way superstar hasn’t pitched in the majors since August 2023, when he was with the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander had surgery on his left shoulder on Nov. 5 after dislocating it on a stolen base attempt in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
“He looks really strong,” Roberts said. “I saw some videos recently and you just wouldn’t think that there was any shoulder surgery this past winter.”
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The Dodgers begin reporting to spring camp in Arizona on Feb. 10.
“As of now, it seems like I’m on schedule,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I’ve been able to work out every day and I’m really looking forward to being on time for spring training and the season.”
However, Ohtani said he cannot pinpoint when exactly he will take the mound.
Jack Flaherty on playing with Shohei Ohtani, the ‘Ohtani Rule’ & his mental toughness
“The shoulder surgery is a complicated surgery compared to the elbow,” he said, referring to his right elbow surgery in September 2023. “I had to work on the range of motion. There’s some residual effect in the labrum.”
Ohtani said he’ll know more after he throws his first bullpen session.
“Then I think we’re going to really get a feel for when I’ll be able to be on a big league mound,” he said.
Freddie Freeman
World Series MVP Freddie Freeman said he started hitting this week for the first time since having ankle surgery on Dec. 5. The first baseman partially chipped off cartilage, which floated to his Achilles tendon right above his ankle.
“It was quite a nasty injury I had,” he said.
Freeman has yet to be cleared to start running and doesn’t think he’ll appear in early spring training games. “As of right now, I’m on track to be able to play in Tokyo,” he said.
Clayton Kershaw
Clayton Kershaw has begun a throwing progression and he and the team are in contact to finalize a contract for the upcoming season.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner, who turns 37 next month, had foot and knee surgeries on Nov. 7. His season ended early because of a left big toe injury, which never got better and kept him out of the postseason.
Days before the operations, he declined his player option for this year and became a free agent.
Kiké Hernández
Dodgers fans registered their support to bring back utilityman Kiké Hernández by chanting his name during fan fest.
General manager Brandon Gomes indicated the team is still considering signing him.
“Obviously, we’ve never closed the door to Kiké,” Gomes said. “A lot of it is just making sure he and his family feel like it’s the best position for him. We’ll have those conversations.”
Roberts extension
Roberts is heading into the final season of his current contract and the team is talking to him about an extension, Gomes said.
Los Angeles Dodgers: MINI-MOVIE of 2024 Postseason | MLB on FOX 🎥
He last signed a three-year deal with the team in March 2022. He won NL manager of the year honors in 2016, his first season with the Dodgers. Roberts has a regular-season record of 851-506 and has led the team to the postseason every year since he joined the team. They’ve won four NL pennants and two World Series titles.
Roberts was heavily criticized after consecutive first-round playoff losses in 2022 and 2023. But overcoming a slew of injuries and then beating the Yankees in the World Series last year has alleviated that.
“It’s good to be liked,” he said.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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