Owner John Middleton on Phillies' huge offer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, saving the ‘powder’ for July, and more  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — John Middleton's private jet seats nine people.  Seven were on board in December for a flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

MLB expansion: History, teams, potential cities and hurdles  —  FOR THREE DECADES, Major League Baseball treated expansion as its own manifest destiny.  If the game was truly America's Pastime, it needed to be everywhere.  Almost as soon as the league began expanding from its original 16 teams …

Rays sign Amed Rosario to 1-year, $1.5M contract  —  Infielder Amed Rosario has signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, the team announced Tuesday.  —  The deal is for $1.5 million, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.  —  Rosario, 28, will bring a strong bat against left-handed pitching …

Shohei Ohtani homers in first live batting practice with Dodgers  —  GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani hit a towering home run in his first batting practice against live pitching since he underwent reconstructive elbow surgery — another step toward him playing in the Los Angeles Dodgers' season-opening series …

Cubs ‘waiting’ on Cody Bellinger for serious contract talks  —  MESA, Ariz. — Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts said on Monday the team is “waiting” on free agent Cody Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, to engage in contract negotiations.  Though the sides have had “discussions,” …

Kenley Jansen trying to come to grips with his new world  —  ANOTHER HONEST SIT-DOWN WITH KENLEY JANSEN  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. - Five months ago, Kenley Jansen sat in the Fenway Park home dugout and offered his honest assessment on the frustrations that came with the 2023 season.

Brayan Bello says extension talks with Red Sox are ongoing, may be heating up  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — On Sunday, Triston Casas told reporters that despite the Red Sox having approached him for early extension talks, the team had yet to present anything enticing enough for him to consider.

Aaron Judge: Toe to require ‘constant maintenance’ rest of career  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge's big toe is more than a footnote for the New York Yankees.  —  Judge missed 42 games after tearing a ligament in his right big toe when he crashed into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium last June 3 …

Blue Jays starter Bassitt no fan of latest ‘annoying’ rule change  —  DUNEDIN, Fla. - When it comes to discussing the ongoing saga of rule changes in baseball, Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt is most definitely not on the fence.  —  STORY CONTINUES BELOW  —  This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Nationals are no longer for sale, managing principal owner Mark Lerner says  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Lerner family is no longer exploring a sale of the Washington Nationals, Mark Lerner, the club's managing principal owner, told The Washington Post on Monday.

Anaheim Ducks |  Frank Vatrano scores twice as Ducks rebound to top Sabres  —  Troy Terry delivers go-ahead goal in the second period and hands out two assists, Mason McTavish adds three assists and John Gibson stops 34 shots in a 4-3 win  —  BUFFALO, N.Y. — Long out of the playoff picture …

Four questions the Mariners face in spring training  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — As the third day of workouts for Mariners pitchers and catchers ended Saturday afternoon with a cloudless sky and the temperature reaching 76 degrees, and Tuesday's first official full-squad workout just days away, this spring training has been, well, normal.