AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:54 p.m. EST
Left-hander Max Fried agrees to $218 million, 8-year contract with Yankees, AP source says
DALLAS (AP) — A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Max Fried and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest deal for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history. New York made the move two days after outfielder Juan Soto left for a pending $765 million, 15-year contract with the rival Mets. Fried, who turns 31 in January, gets the fourth-highest contract among pitchers behind the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and Washington’s Stephen Strasburg. Fried broke the mark for lefties set by David Price at $217 million.
Rangers agree on $75 million, 3-year deal to keep RHP Nathan Eovaldi, AP source says
DALLAS (AP) — The Texas Rangers and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi have agreed on a $75 million, three-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal tells The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Tuesday night because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Bringing back Eovaldi was one of the primary goals for the Rangers this offseason. He became a free agent after declining a vested $20 million player option for the 2025 season. The two-time All-Star was the winning pitcher in their World Series-clinching game at Arizona in 2023. He was also part of Boston’s 2018 title.
Guardians trade Gold Glove 2B Andrés Giménez to Blue Jays, get RHP Luis Ortiz in deal with Pirates
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians pulled off two trades at the winter meetings, first sending three-time Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to the Toronto Blue Jays. Giménez, considered one of baseball’s best defensive middle infielders, was dealt by the Guardians along with reliever Nick Sandlin to Toronto for infielder Spencer Horwitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell. Cleveland then shipped Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates for three pitchers: right-hander Luis Ortiz and lefties Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle. Ortiz could slide immediately into a starting slot after going 7-6 with a 3.32 ERA last season. The Guardians re-signed ace Shane Bieber last week, but he may not be ready to pitch until June.
Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham on target as Real Madrid beats Atalanta 3-2. Liverpool wins again
Real Madrid’s big stars turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a 3-2 win at Italian league leader Atalanta. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champion in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. In contrast Liverpool leads the way after maintaining its perfect record in Europe this season after a 1-0 win against Girona. Mohamed Salah scored his 50th Champions League goal to seal it for Liverpool.
Lanier scores 22 points as No. 1 Tennessee beats Miami 75-62 at Jimmy V Classic
NEW YORK (AP) — Chaz Lanier scored 22 points, and No. 1 Tennessee beat struggling Miami 75-62 on Tuesday night at the Jimmy V Classic in Madison Square Garden. Igor Milicic Jr. added 16 and nine rebounds for the Volunteers, who took the top spot in the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since February 2019. Zakai Zeigler added 13 points and nine assists for Tennessee, which pulled away late in the first half and withstood a Miami comeback attempt for its first 9-0 start since 2000-01. Lynn Kidd scored 14 as the Hurricanes (3-8) dropped their seventh straight game.
Analysis: After Juan Soto’s megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soon
For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter, with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that’s the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. The way it’s going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn’t seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future.
Joe Burrow’s home broken into during Monday Night Football in latest pro-athlete home invasion
ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into during Monday Night Football in the latest home invasion of a pro athlete in the U.S. Authorities said Tuesday no one was injured in the break-in, but the home was ransacked. Deputies weren’t immediately able to determine what items were stolen. Both the NFL and NBA issued alerts to players following prior break-ins, urging them to take precautions. The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. In the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. had their homes broken into.
Scottie Scheffler in a landslide to win PGA Tour player of the year for third straight time
Scottie Scheffler is the PGA Tour player of the year in a vote that had about as much drama as some of his victories. Scheffler earned 91% of the vote in winning the Jack Nicklaus Award for the third straight season. He joins Tiger Woods as the only players to win three straight times. Woods won it five times in a row, and three straight times on another occasion. Scheffler won seven times on the PGA Tour against only the strongest fields. He also won the FedEx Cup. He also won the Masters green jacket and an Olympic gold medal.
MLB investigated to ensure no early Sasaki deal in place, pitcher likely to pick team mid-January
DALLAS (AP) — Major League Baseball investigated to ensure no team had an advance deal in place for Roki Sasaki, and the agent for the Japanese pitcher says picking a club will be “like the draft in reverse.” On the first day of Sasaki’s 45-day window to sign with an MLB team, agent Joel Wolfe says the 23-year-old right-hander likely will sign shortly after the 2025 international signing pool window opens on Jan. 15 and wouldn’t wait until the Jan. 23 deadline. Sasaki helped Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic and has a fastball clocked at 102.5 mph.
Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg says cancer has returned, spread
CHICAGO (AP) — Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg says the prostate cancer he thought had been eliminated by radiation has returned and spread. The Chicago Cubs great made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday. Sandberg announced in January that he had metastatic prostate cancer and in August said he was cancer-free after chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Sandberg was the National League MVP in 1984 and a 10-time All-Star during 15 seasons for the Cubs from 1982 to 1997, with 282 home runs and 344 stolen bases. After his playing career, he served as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies from 2013 to 2015, going 119-159.
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