Top News:
Jeff Passan / ESPN:
Sources: Tarik Skubal wins arbitration over Tigers, to make $32M — Detroit Tigers star left-hander Tarik Skubal will be paid $32 million this year after a three-person salary arbitration panel ruled in his favor Thursday over the $19 million salary the team proposed, sources told ESPN.
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Tim Stebbins / MLB.com:
Framber, Tigers agree to 3-year deal worth $115 million (source) — A Tigers rotation already led by the best starting pitcher in the American League is about to become even more fearsome. — The Tigers have agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with left-hander Framber Valdez, sources told MLB.com on Wednesday.
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Andrew Birkle / Detroit Free Press:
Tarik Skubal's message to Framber Valdez after signing with Tigers — Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had a simple message for his new teammate Framber Valdez. — “Dinners on you” Skubal said in a post on his Instagram story shortly after the Valdez signing went public.
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Michael Baumann / FanGraphs Baseball:
Skubal Becomes Ta-Richest Player in Arbitration History — Seldom, if ever, has the baseball world waited on tenterhooks to hear the result of a salary arbitration case, but most arbitration-eligible players are not Tarik Skubal. On this point, the arbitrator seems to have agreed …
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Sports Illustrated, SportsNet Pittsburgh, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, MLive.com and Plain Dealer
Evan Petzold / Detroit Free Press:
Javier Báez suspended from 2026 World Baseball Classic for marijuana — Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez won't play for Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic due to marijuana use. — Báez is not eligible to participate in the 2026 WBC because he is serving …
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Cody Stavenhagen / The Athletic:
Tigers' Javier Báez suspended from 2026 WBC for marijuana usage: Source — Share full article — Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez is ineligible to play for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic because of marijuana use, a league source confirmed Thursday.
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Associated Press, Yahoo Sports and MLive.com
Michael Clair / MLB.com:
Reigning MVPs, Cy Youngs among 78 All-Stars on Classic rosters — Twenty years ago, the first World Baseball Classic in history began, forever reshaping the global game. Plenty of superstars and future Hall of Famers took the field that year, with Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki …
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Yahoo Sports and Dodger Blue
David Purdum / ESPN:
Guardians' Clase allegedly rigged pitches in 48 games, document says — Indicted Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches to benefit bettors in at least 48 games over two years, significantly more than was initially revealed by federal prosecutors …
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Yahoo Sports, Plain Dealer, New York Post and Fox News
Sean McAdam / masslive.com:
State of the Sox: Signing of Isiah Kiner-Falefa leaves Red Sox incomplete — When it comes to evaluating a signing or a trade, it's important to take context into account. … Those are all worthwhile questions to consider after the Red Sox earlier this week agreed to a one-year …
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Associated Press:
MLB players strike deal to be turned into AI characters that can chat with fans — Major League Baseball players have agreed to let a tech company create AI characters of themselves that can chat and interact with fans. Under an agreement announced Thursday between Genies and MLB Players Inc. …
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New Jersey Online and Yahoo Sports
The Athletic:
Initial bids in Padres' sale process expected near end of February: Sources — Share full article — The San Diego Padres appear to be moving closer to a potential sale, with initial bids expected around the end of February, people briefed on the process told The Athletic.
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Bleacher Nation, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Rumors
Fabian Ardaya / The Athletic:
Can Dodgers' former top prospect Bobby Miller recapture his sizzle? — Share full article — LOS ANGELES — The restoration of Bobby Miller continues as a yearslong project. So much has changed since he was the Los Angeles Dodgers' top pitching prospect, a beacon of the organization's future.
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Yahoo Sports and Forbes
