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ARLINGTON, Texas — The World Series champion Texas Rangers finalized deals Friday with veteran reliever David Robertson and outfielder Travis Jankowski, but still have no agreement with AL Championship Series MVP Adolis García in advance of salary arbitration hearings.

Robertson will get $10 million in 2024 and has a mutual option for $7 million in 2025 that includes a $1.5 million buyout. The speedy and versatile Jankowski, who led the Rangers last season with 19 stolen bases, got a one-year deal for $1.7 million.

García was the only of eight Rangers eligible for salary arbitration who didn’t reach a deal with the team two weeks ago. The two-time All-Star slugger, who set an MLB postseason record with 22 RBI last fall, requested $6.9 million and Texas offered $5 million. That was the widest gap among the 23 players around the league who exchanged salary proposals with their teams.

“Everybody knows the situation we’re in. Right now, we’re waiting on the hearing that’s coming, and everything’s been the same as of right now,” García said through a translator before the team’s annual awards dinner Friday night.

General manager Chris Young said there has been good dialogue with García and his representatives, and described being “very encouraged by the back and forth.”

Robertson’s deal was finalized after he completed a physical. He has pitched for five teams since coming back from Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and much of 2021. He made 120 appearances over the past two seasons.

The right-hander has pitched for seven teams in his 15 big league seasons, the first seven with the New York Yankees. He has been to the playoffs nine times, winning the 2009 World Series with the Yankees and the 2022 National League pennant with the Phillies. He is 63-42 with 175 saves and a 2.90 ERA in 793 regular-season games, along with a 6-0 record and 3.04 ERA in 42 postseason games.

Jankowski hit .263 with a career-high 30 RBI in 107 games last season. His 63 starts were spread among all three outfield spots.

Texas traded outfielder J.P. Martínez to Atlanta for minor league right-hander Tyler Owens, and designated for assignment right-handed pitcher Daniel Duarte to make room on the 40-man roster.

García will get a large raise no matter what happens. The Cuban outfielder, who turns 31 in March, was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time after making $747,760 last season when he set career highs with 39 homers and 107 RBI. He had 27 homers and 101 RBI in 2022.

Asked about reconciling the business of baseball, García responded in English.

“It’s hard for me because you know how I play, everybody know me. I just go out there and try to and try every time to get the win for the team,” he said. “Try to be a good teammate and sometimes I cannot understand how this works. But just a little bit disappointed. But it is what it is. I’m here to help the club, be the same guy.”

García said he didn’t know if there was a chance to avoid a hearing. The Rangers haven’t been to one since 2000 with designated hitter Lee Stevens.

An emotional leader with a big bat for the Rangers, García hit .357 with five homers and 15 RBI in the ALCS against Houston. He went deep in five consecutive postseason games, including his 11th-inning winner in Game 1 of the World Series against Arizona. But he missed the last two World Series games with an oblique issue.

“I feel good,” García said through a translator, adding he took about a month off after the season before resuming workouts. “Still very happy and proud of what the team was able to accomplish, and looking forward to next (season) and helping my team repeat it.”

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Secretariat Triple Crown jockey Turcotte, 84, dies

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Secretariat Triple Crown jockey Turcotte, 84, dies

DRUMMOND, New Brunswick — Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to the Triple Crown in 1973, has died. He was 84.

Turcotte’s family said through his longtime business partner and friend Leonard Lusky that the Canada-born jockey died of natural causes at his home in Drummond, New Brunswick, on Friday.

Turcotte won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes twice each from 1965-73 before his riding career ended when he fell off a horse and suffered injuries that caused paraplegia. Secretariat’s record time in the Belmont still stands 52 years later.

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Who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff?

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Who will make the 12-team College Football Playoff?

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2025 preseason College Football Playoff predictions

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2025 preseason College Football Playoff predictions

It’s August and no games have been played, but that’s not keeping ESPN’s college football reporters from predicting the 12 schools that will make up the College Football Playoff beginning in December.

Ohio State won the inaugural 12-team bracket last season, despite starting as the No. 8 seed, demonstrating that the playoff truly gives new life to any team that gains entry.

There’s a slight alteration to the format this year. The tournament will still comprise the top five conference champions and seven at-large schools. But the top four seeds — and the first-round bye that comes with each of those seeds — will no longer go to the four highest-ranked conference champions (last season that was Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State). This season the committee has moved to a straight seeding model, so the four highest-ranked schools in the committee’s final top 12 will get the top four seeds.

Ahead of Week 0, here are the slates our reporters picked. Let the chase begin:

Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson 2. Penn State 3. Texas 4. LSU 5. Georgia 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Miami 9. Alabama 10. Iowa State 11. Nebraska 12. Boise State

Kyle Bonagura: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Ohio State 4. Clemson 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. LSU 10. Arizona State 11. Miami 12. Boise State

Bill Connelly: 1. Penn State 2. Alabama 3. Texas 4. Ohio State 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Texas A&M 8. Clemson 9. Oregon 10. Boise State 11. Miami 12. Kansas State

Heather Dinich: 1. Penn State, 2. Clemson, 3. Texas 4. LSU 5. Georgia 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Alabama 9. Miami 10. Oregon 11. Kansas State 12. Boise State

David Hale: 1. Ohio State 2. Texas 3. Clemson 4. Penn State 5. Notre Dame 6. Georgia 7. Oregon 8. LSU 9. Texas A&M 10. Kansas State 11. Miami 12. Toledo

Eli Lederman: 1. Penn State 2. Texas 3. Clemson 4. Ohio State 5. Notre Dame 6. Alabama 7. Oregon 8. Georgia 9. Arizona State 10. LSU 11. Miami 12. Boise State

Max Olson: 1. Texas. 2. Penn State. 3. Notre Dame. 4. Clemson. 5. Alabama. 6. Oregon. 7. Georgia. 8. Ohio State. 9. Texas Tech. 10. LSU. 11. Utah. 12. Boise State

Adam Rittenberg: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Clemson 4. Georgia 5. Alabama 6. Ohio State 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. Iowa State 11. Boise State 12. Illinois

Mark Schlabach: 1. Texas 2. Clemson 3. Penn State 4. Georgia 5. Ohio State 6. Alabama 7. Notre Dame 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. LSU 11. Arizona State 12. Boise State

Jake Trotter: 1. Texas, 2. Clemson, 3. Penn State, 4. LSU, 5. Ohio State, 6. Notre Dame, 7. Georgia, 8. Oregon, 9. Illinois, 10. South Carolina, 11. Texas Tech, 12. Tulane

Paolo Uggetti: 1. Ohio State, 2. Georgia, 3. Texas 4. Penn State 5. Notre Dame 6. Clemson 7. Oregon 8. LSU 9. Arizona State 10. Miami 11. South Carolina 12. Boise State

Dave Wilson: 1. Texas 2. Penn State 3. Clemson 4. Ohio State 5. Georgia 6. Notre Dame 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. LSU 10. Arizona State 11. Miami 12. Boise State

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