As part of my prospect rankings, I rank all 30 major-league teams’ farm systems, with a brief explanation of why they’re in this order — although I think you’ll get an even clearer picture of each by reading the team reports that are rolling out next week. Bear in mind that these rankings only consider … Read more
Going into the final day of Hall of Fame voting, public balloting showed there was a real chance that the BBWAA would not elect a player for the second time in three years. Ultimately, Scott Rolen got in with 76.3 percent of the vote, while not electing Todd Helton (72.2 percent) and Billy Wagner (68.1 … Read more
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Some Hall of Fame third basemen make it easy. George Brett cruised into the Hall with 98 percent of the vote. Chipper Jones was never in doubt, with 97 percent. Mike Schmidt was just behind them at 96.5 percent. They all breezed into Cooperstown on the first ballot. No fuss. No muss. … Read more
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is under investigation by Major League Baseball following allegations of domestic violence involving the mother of his 10-month-old daughter and child abuse. Olivia Finestead, the 24-year-old mother of Clevinger’s child, told The Athletic on Tuesday that she has been in contact with individuals from MLB’s Department of Investigations since … Read more
Major League Baseball’s 2023 international signing period opened Sunday and teams kicked it off by handing out significant bonuses. The biggest splash on Sunday’s opening was made by the Padres. They signed Ethan Salas, a Venezuelan catcher widely regarded as the best available prospect in this year’s signing class, for a $5.6 million bonus. Salas … Read more
Baseball’s international signing period for 2023 opens Sunday, which means this would be a good time to see which clubs have most effectively tapped into this critical talent pipeline. We asked The Athletic’s baseball writers to name each team’s best international free agent signing of the last decade. The answers reveal which teams have done … Read more
The San Diego Padres and free-agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts have agreed to an 11-year, $280 million contract, major-league sources confirmed to The Athletic. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman was first to report the news. Here’s what you need to know: Bogaerts slashed .307/.377/.456 with 73 RBIs and 15 home runs in 150 games last season. He … Read more
SAN DIEGO — Aaron Judge agreed to return to the New York Yankees early Wednesday morning on a landmark nine-year, $360 million contract, but only after a last-minute push from a surprise entrant in the sweepstakes for the free-agent slugger — the San Diego Padres. Judge’s deal, which is pending a physical, gives him the … Read more
SAN DIEGO — John Middleton spent Sunday afternoon where he spends many Sunday afternoons in the fall. He sat with his wife, Leigh, alongside Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie in the executive suite at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. As the Eagles imposed their will upon the Tennessee Titans, those in the stands near Middleton and … Read more
By: David O’Brien, Keith Law and Andrew Baggarly Fred McGriff was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame through the Contemporary Era Committee Sunday night. Here’s what you need to know: The Contemporary Era Committee consists of 16 members, comprised of members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives and veteran media members. McGriff … Read more