SAN DIEGO — The Padres have walked away from the last two international signing periods with arguably the best prospects on the board.

Expect crickets when this year’s window opens Wednesday — at least until Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki makes his decision.

The Padres have joined the Dodgers and Blue Jays as finalists for the Japanese ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Former Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz likely died last week of a drug overdose, according to Phoenix police.

Matusz, 37, died Jan. 6 at his home in Arizona. His mother, Elizabeth Matusz, found him with drug paraphernalia on the floor next to his body and a white substance in his mouth, according to a police report obtained by The ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A little more than a year ago, the Dodgers saw an opportunity on the horizon.

Entering last offseason, the team knew two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani was entering a historic free agency. They knew decorated Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was planning to come from Japan to the majors. And they knew another generational ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It is getting close to announcement time for Roki Sasaki, and the chances the Padres will have him in their starting rotation in 2025 appear as strong as ever.

The Japanese pitching star met with the Padres in San Diego last week, two sources confirmed Monday. The Athletic was the first to report Sasaki was in San Diego over the ...Read more

NEW YORK — Yes, they lost out on retaining Juan Soto, but if you were to grade the Yankees on their offseason, you would still have to give them a “B” for more than adequately addressing their primary needs — Cody Bellinger for center field to hopefully offset a lot of the lost offense from Soto, Max Fried for the top of the rotation and...Read more

CHICAGO — When the Chicago Cubs went into the offseason, they had two key areas to upgrade offensively.

They landed the superstar bat they needed when they acquired slugger Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros on Dec. 13. That same day the Cubs announced the signing of veteran catcher Carson Kelly to bolster the other area of their lineup that...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was opened in 1923 with public financing. The University of Southern California campus is adjacent. It has remained the home for Trojans football for over a century.

Notre Dame and USC started a football series on Dec. 4, 1926, at the Coliseum. A crowd of 78,000 attended Notre Dame’s 13-12 ...Read more

SEATTLE — This is a column in which being wrong would be welcomed. If the Mariners are stacked when the season begins, or 20 games above .500 in August, or winning a division title in October, I will welcome the emails with “You were saying???” in the subject line.

Seattle deserves a World Series run. An MLB championship might mean more ...Read more

NEW YORK — Mookie Betts made the catch in Game 4 of the World Series last October. And this week, Major League Baseball ruled the New York Yankees' fans who tried interfering with him out, for good.

Three months after Betts had his glove and arm grabbed by two spectators at Yankee Stadium during last year's Fall Classic, MLB has decided to ...Read more

NEW YORK — Remember when Brian Cashman said, “I think we’re pretty f------ good” at the 2023 GM meetings?

Yankees fans who saw that quote out of context may have fumed at the general manager after the pinstripers missed the playoffs in 2023. But Cashman, who spoke for over 100 contentious minutes that day, wasn’t referring to the ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins again are signaling they want to play at Target Field until at least 2059, if they have an ongoing source of taxpayer funding to help keep the ballpark in top shape.

The Minnesota Ballpark Authority, the public entity created to manage the Minneapolis stadium, approved a “principles of agreement” with the Twins ...Read more

DETROIT — The Tigers and lefty ace Tarik Skubal might not have been able to work out a multi-year extension this offseason, but the reigning American League Cy Young winner got a handsome pay raise nevertheless.

The two sides on Thursday agreed on a one-year deal for 2025 worth $10.15 million. Skubal, who was eligible for arbitration, earned ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A.J. Preller’s most important pursuit of this offseason became more difficult Monday, when a dispute among Padres shareholders over control of the team went public via a 97-page legal complaint filed by Sheel Seidler against two brothers of her late husband, Peter Seidler.

This month, Preller is attempting to persuade Japanese ...Read more

NEW YORK — When you think of great players linked throughout Mets history, you think of players who played on the same team. Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry as young phenoms. Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling, teammates on the 1986 World Series squad and now teammates in the SNY booth calling Mets games on TV.

Tom Seaver might have retired ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Brian Matusz, a former Orioles left-handed pitcher and first-round draft pick, died Tuesday, the ballclub announced. He was 37.

Matusz pitched parts of eight seasons in Baltimore after the club selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft.

“Our hearts are heavy tonight as we mourn the passing of former Oriole, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Beyond the addition of left fielder Max Kepler, the Phillies have so far refrained from overhauling their offense this offseason.

As the Phillies look to keep pace with the Mets and Braves in the National League East, it seems that any offensive changes will likely involve moving around the pieces they already have in place. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — By removing a key piece from their puzzle this week, the Dodgers might have made their roster picture somewhat clearer.

Gone is Gavin Lux, the homegrown infielder who, after years of trade speculation, finally was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds for a prospect and draft pick Monday. What remains is a lineup trait the Dodgers desire...Read more

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants already have history with one another. Now, they’ll be joining forces.

Verlander and the Giants have agreed on a one-year contract pending a physical, according to multiple reports. Per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Verlander’s deal is worth $15 million.

Verlander, who...Read more

SAN DIEGO — It’s fair for Padres fans to reach for the antacids after learning about a 97-page lawsuit filed Monday, nearly 1,200 miles east of Petco Park in Travis County, Texas.

The widow of late and beloved franchise owner Peter Seidler is suing two of his brothers, Matthew and Robert, for “fiduciary breaches of trust” and “fraud�...Read more