Connect with us

Published

on

The 2023-24 MLB hot stove is upon us. All eyes are on the top free agent, two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who many predict will become the first $500 million player in North American professional sports history.

Which teams will go all-in to contend for a 2024 World Series title? Where will other top free agents, such as Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell, land? Who will make the trades that has everyone buzzing?

Below is a running list of notable transactions and updates from throughout the MLB offseason.

Key links: Ranking the top 50 free agents | Ohtani tracker

Notable MLB offseason transactions

Nov. 19

Phillies re-sign Nola

Right-hander Aaron Nola and the Philadelphia Phillies have agreed on a seven-year, $172 million contract, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN on Sunday. Story


Nov. 17

Brewers acquire OF from Yankees

The Milwaukee Brewers acquired outfielder Jake Bauers from the New York Yankees for minor league outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sanchez, Jeff Passan reports.


Negotiating window for Yamamoto to begin soon

Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be posted Monday, a source tells ESPN’s Buster Olney. That means the 45-day negotiating window for MLB teams will start Tuesday.


Nov. 16

Braves, White Sox make pitcher swap

The Atlanta Braves receive left-handed reliever Aaron Bummer, under club control through 2026, while the Chicago White Sox get right-handed starter Mike Soroka, left-handed starter Jared Shuster, shortstop Braden Shewmake, infielder Nicky Lopez and right-handed starter Riley Gowens.


Nov. 6

Braves bring back RHP Charlie Morton

Atlanta is exercising its $20 million option on the right-handed starter, sources tell ESPN, despite significant discussion within the organization about declining it.

Key MLB offseason dates

Nov. 6: Free agency begins

Nov. 14: Deadline for teams to add minor leaguers to the 40-man roster to protect them from Rule 5 draft

Nov. 14: Deadline for free agents to accept or reject the qualifying offer

Nov. 17: Non-tender deadline

Dec. 4-7: Winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee

Dec. 6: Rule 5 draft

Jan. 12: Deadline for teams and arbitration-eligible players to submit salary figures

Jan. 29: Arbitration hearings begin

Feb. 22: 2024 spring training games begin

Continue Reading

Sports

Sources: Tulane RB Hughes enters transfer portal

Published

on

By

Sources: Tulane RB Hughes enters transfer portal

Tulane running back Makhi Hughes has entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday, sources told ESPN.

Hughes has been one of the most productive running backs in college football during his two seasons as a starter with the Green Wave, earning first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors in back-to-back seasons.

He has two more seasons of eligibility and will be one of the most coveted players in the portal now that he has put his name in ahead of the Dec. 28 deadline for the winter transfer window.

The 5-foot-11, 210-pound redshirt sophomore has 3,022 yards from scrimmage since 2023. He currently ranks ninth among FBS running backs with 1,401 rushing yards this season, and he scored 17 total touchdowns for a Tulane team that went 9-5 and played for an AAC conference title.

All eight running backs currently ahead of Hughes on the FBS rushing leaderboard are entering the NFL draft after this season, making him arguably the top returning back in the country for 2025.

Hughes enjoyed a breakout season as a redshirt freshman in 2023, rushing for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns while earning Freshman All-America recognition. The Birmingham, Alabama, native has produced 100 or more yards from scrimmage in 14 games over the past two seasons.

Hughes’ younger brother, cornerback Na’eem Offord, was the No. 4 overall recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2025 and signed with Oregon earlier this month.

Under first-year coach Jon Sumrall, the Green Wave played in the AAC championship game for the third consecutive season. They’ve now lost 12 scholarship players to the transfer portal this month.

Former Tulane starting quarterback Darian Mensah, the No. 2 player in ESPN’s transfer rankings, signed with Duke earlier this month.

Continue Reading

Sports

Toledo outlasts Pittsburgh in bowl-record six OTs

Published

on

By

Toledo outlasts Pittsburgh in bowl-record six OTs

DETROIT — Tucker Gleason ran for one overtime score and threw for four more as Toledo beat Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field on Thursday.

The game surpassed the previous mark set 48 hours earlier when South Florida beat San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawai’i Bowl on Tuesday.

“It felt like we had to win the game three or four times today, but we are so proud of this team,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said.

“To hang in there and to keep fighting like we did today, we were able to keep up with the emotional swings over the course of the game. It was a sloppy game at times, but I am proud of our response. Today’s game was ultimately defined by who made the last play and who threw the last punch.”

This is the third bowl game to go to multiple overtimes this season, already the most in a bowl season since OT was established in 1996. Northern Illinois beat Fresno State 28-20 in double overtime in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Monday. There had never been a bowl game to go to four overtimes before this week.

This also is the first season with multiple games to go to at least six overtimes, after Georgia beat Georgia Tech 44-42 in eight overtimes last month. Toledo’s last multi-OT game was a win in double overtime against Iowa State in September 2015.

Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, ran for two overtime scores and threw for two more, but his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game. The Panthers, who started the season 7-0, became just the second team in FBS history to end a season on a losing streak of six or more games, including a bowl game.

After Gleason and Dugger traded rushing touchdowns in the first overtime, each team got a field goal in the second. Each threw 2-point passes in the third overtime, and Gleason got another in the fourth to make it 44-42.

Dugger was sacked, apparently ending the game, but the Rockets were called for holding. Dugger was ruled short on a sneak attempt, sending Toledo rushing onto the field for a second time, but replay showed he crossed the plane.

In the fifth overtime, Dugger made it 46-44 with a scoring pass to Gavin Bartholomew, but Gleason tied it with his fifth scoring pass of the game. The sixth put Toledo back in front, and Dugger was pressured into a bad throw to end the game.

“We didn’t make the moment bigger than it was,” Gleason said. “When we got to the later overtimes, it was one play to end the season. That’s what our mindset was. We just went out there and had fun.”

The Panthers played without starting quarterback Eli Holstein (leg) and backup Nate Yarnell (transfer portal). David Lynch, a redshirt freshman walk-on, started his first game but was pulled in the third quarter after throwing two interceptions.

Dugger led the Panthers to two touchdowns and a field goal on his first three drives, turning a 20-12 deficit into a 30-20 lead.

However, Toledo got its second pick-six of the game when Darius Alexander returned Dugger’s interception 58 yards for a touchdown. The extra point made it 30-27 with 7:49 left, and the Rockets kicked a tying field goal with 1:45 to play.

Toledo started quickly, driving for a Gleason touchdown pass on the game’s opening drive, but Kyle Louis blocked the extra point attempt and returned it for Pitt’s first defensive 2-point conversion since 1990.

Desmond Reid‘s 3-yard run and Ben Sauls‘ 57-yard field goal gave Pittsburgh a 12-6 lead, but Gleason’s 67-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III put the Rockets up 13-12 midway through the second quarter.

On the next play from scrimmage, Braden Awls picked off Lynch’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown and a 20-12 halftime lead.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Vols’ record-setting RB Sampson entering draft

Published

on

By

Vols' record-setting RB Sampson entering draft

Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, who set school single-season records for rushing yards and touchdowns this season, is foregoing his final season of eligibility and will enter the 2025 NFL draft, he announced on his Instagram account Friday.

Sampson, a junior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ran 258 times for 1,491 yards with 22 touchdowns this past season. He was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and helped lead the No. 9 Volunteers to a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Sampson wasn’t much of a factor in Tennessee’s 42-17 loss at Ohio State in the first round of the CFP on Dec. 21. He aggravated a left hamstring injury and was limited to two carries for 6 yards.

“Vol Nation, your support has been nothing short of amazing,” Sampson wrote on Instagram. “Knoxville has become my home and has made me a better human over the years. I’m going to miss the feeling of rolling up to the Vol Walk, running through the ‘T,’ and hearing the Pride of Southland band play ‘Rocky Top.’ I poured my heart and soul into this program and this community.”

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. rated Sampson as the No. 10 running back prospect eligible for the 2025 draft. Sampson, 5-foot-11 and 201 pounds, ran for 2,492 yards with 35 touchdowns in three seasons.

Continue Reading

Trending