Federal prosecutors disputed claims by Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter that he stole from the slugger to pay back massive gambling debts, saying there was no evidence he suffered from a gambling addiction before he started draining the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account, according to court documents filed Thursday.

Ippei Mizuhara is due to be sentenced Feb. 6 after his June guilty plea. Last week, he asked U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb for an 18-month sentence, instead of the nearly five years prosecutors seek. Mizuhara said he was remorseful and blamed the crime on what he called a “long-standing” addiction to gambling in which he “frequented casinos four to five times a week.”

But in their new response, prosecutors doubled down on their sentencing recommendation and said their research showed there was no evidence of a long-standing addiction other than Mizuhara’s “self-serving and uncorroborated statements to the psychologist he hired for the purposes of sentencing.”

“All defendants claim to be remorseful at the time of sentencing,” prosecutors wrote. “The question courts must answer is whether the defendant is truly remorseful or whether they are just sorry they were caught.”

Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, declined to comment Thursday.

Prosecutors said the government’s investigation found “only minimal evidence” of Mizuhara’s past legal gambling, stating that investigators had looked at more than 30 casinos across the country and that “the only evidence found was defendant spending $200 at the Mirage casino during a weekend in 2008.”

Prosecutors attached a document containing a color photocopy of Mizuhara’s California driver’s license, along with spreadsheet images showing bets he placed at the Mirage.

Mizuhara registered for an account on FanDuel in 2018 but never placed a bet on the website, according to prosecutors. He began betting with DraftKings in 2023 after he “had already stolen millions of dollars from Mr. Ohtani,” the filing states.

Other exhibits showed Mizuhara placing bets ranging from $5 to $1,400 on NBA, NHL, soccer and college baseball games.

Prosecutors contend Mizuhara did not accumulate a “tremendous debt” that forced him to steal from Ohtani, as Mizuhara has claimed. At the time of the first fraudulent wire transfer from Ohtani’s bank account, for “a modest $40,000” in September 2021, Mizuhara had more than $34,000 in his checking account, prosecutors said.

“[Mizuhara] could have used his own money to pay the bookie but instead chose to steal from Mr. Ohtani,” prosecutors wrote.

They allege Mizuhara deposited money he received from his winnings from the bookie and DraftKings into his personal account and “had no intention of repaying Mr. Ohtani.”

In his filing to Holcomb, Mizuhara claimed that he “had to rent a place” near Ohtani and “paid hefty rent” where he ultimately settled in Newport Beach, California, while simultaneously paying rent for an apartment in Japan. He also stated in his filing that he was “living paycheck to paycheck.”

“But this is also not true,” prosecutors wrote in their filing, submitting bank statements as evidence showing “he was using Mr. Ohtani’s debit card to pay his rent” without Ohtani’s “knowledge or authorization.”

“He had no expenses,” the prosecutors continued. “He had no loans, car payments, or rent expenses,” noting Ohtani gave Mizuhara a Porsche to drive.

Mizuhara always had a “significant balance” in his checking account, prosecutors state, noting it was more than $30,000 in March 2023 and more than $195,000 in March 2024, when inquiries from ESPN led to his firing from the Dodgers and to Ohtani’s attorneys calling the wire transfers a “massive theft.”

Prosecutors also said Mizuhara turned down book and commercial deals in spite of Ohtani encouraging him “to accept the deals.” Mizuhara “did in fact write at least one book” — an illustrated children’s book about Ohtani, according to an exhibit.

Prosecutors concluded their filing by stating “a significant period of incarceration is necessary,” and reiterated their request for a sentence of 57 months in prison, three years supervised release, more than $16 million in restitution to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the IRS.

“There is no doubt” Mizuhara “feels ashamed from the international attention he received from his fraud schemes and web of lies,” the prosecutors wrote. “But instead of showing true remorse,” they allege, Mizuhara is trying to “justify stealing millions from Mr. Ohtani.”

Right-hander Max Scherzer and the Toronto Blue Jays are in agreement on a one-year, $15.5 million contract, sources told ESPN on Thursday, uniting the future Hall of Famer with a Toronto team trying to salvage the winter after missing on high-profile free-agent pursuits.

The 40-year-old Scherzer, one of the best pitchers of his generation and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, is coming off an injury-plagued season with the Texas Rangers in which he made just nine starts and went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA. He didn’t make his first start until June 23 following surgery in the offseason to repair a herniated disk in his back. He then missed all of August with shoulder fatigue, returning to make one start in September before a hamstring injury ended his season.

Toronto nevertheless will slot Scherzer into its rotation, pending a physical, and add to what was already a strength, with veterans Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, plus Bowden Francis, who was one of the best pitchers in baseball down the stretch in 2024.

The Blue Jays had aimed to sign multiple nine-figure players this winter, going after outfielder Juan Soto and starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried. Each opted to sign elsewhere, as did Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese star who’s now No. 1 on Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100 prospect list for ESPN. Toronto did strike a five-year, $92.5 million deal with outfielder Anthony Santander to bolster its outfield, and in Scherzer, it adds a veteran whose postseason experience should help if the Blue Jays can navigate the American League East gauntlet.

Once a durable workhorse who made 30-plus starts each season from 2009 through 2018, Scherzer has now missed significant time each of the past three seasons, making 23 starts in 2022 while missing time with an oblique strain and making 27 starts in 2023 due to a strained shoulder and back spasms.

While Scherzer’s fastball took a step back last year, he wields a five-pitch arsenal and will rely on control that has been a hallmark throughout his 17-year career. His strikeout rate last year dropped to 22.6%, down from 28%, and was well below his 2021-22 seasons, when he was over 30%. He allowed a .724 OPS, higher than the MLB average of .711.

Scherzer was a free agent for the third time in his career. Ahead of the 2015 season, he agreed to a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Washington Nationals that proved to be one of the best signings ever for a free-agent pitcher. Scherzer won the second and third Cy Young Awards of his career, finished in the top three in three other seasons and helped the Nationals win the World Series in 2019, going 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA that postseason and starting Game 7 of the World Series while pitching through a neck injury.

He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 in the final year of that contract and then signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the New York Mets, the highest annual average value for a player at the time (matched a year later by Justin Verlander and then surpassed by Shohei Ohtani in 2024). The Mets made the playoffs that first year as Scherzer posted a 2.23 ERA, but he was traded to the Rangers in 2023 — and helped them to a World Series title, although injuries limited him to just 9.2 innings in three postseason starts (he did pitch three scoreless innings in his one World Series start).

The eight-time All-Star is 216-112 in his career with the three Cy Young Awards and 75.4 WAR. Among active pitchers, only Verlander has more wins, and only Verlander and Clayton Kershaw have a higher WAR.

The New York Post first reported the agreement between Scherzer and the Blue Jays.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield contributed to this report.

Friday marks the final night of games for the month of January in the 2024-25 NHL season. In addition to our latest updated Power Rankings, let’s check in on how all 32 teams performed this month.

How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Jan. 24. Points percentages, paces and January stats are through Thursday’s games.

Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 72.55%

Alex Ovechkin or no Alex Ovechkin, this team just keeps winning, and January was no different; the Caps racked up 22 points in 14 games, extending their lead atop the Metropolitan Division.

Next eight days: vs. WPG (Feb. 1), vs. FLA (Feb. 4), @ PHI (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 70.75%

No, this isn’t the dominant team that was setting records in the season’s first weeks. But they’ll take an 9-3-2 record any month, given the sizable lead they built in October and November.

Next eight days: @ WSH (Feb. 1), vs. CAR (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 66.67%

Some teams that lose in the Stanley Cup Final swoon in the following season. That hasn’t been the case for Edmonton, and a 10-3-1 January has them atop the Pacific Division.

Next eight days: vs. TOR (Feb. 1), @ STL (Feb. 4), @ CHI (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 65.38%

Carolina’s point percentage was the fifth highest in the league in January — and most of those games were played without Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall. Are those two additions enough to finally get the Canes back to the Stanley Cup Final?

Next eight days: vs. LA (Feb. 1), @ WPG (Feb. 4), @ MIN (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 65.38%

Just as some other teams quietly crept up the standings in the month of January, the Knights stumbled a bit (at least in a relative sense); a 6-6-3 record isn’t in line with what we’ve come to expect out of one of the NHL’s elite contenders.

Next eight days: @ NYR (Feb. 2), @ NYI (Feb. 4), @ NJ (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 65.00%

An injury this week to Miro Heiskanen puts his participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off in jeopardy. What’s not in jeopardy is the Stars’ playoff positioning, particularly as they have gone 10-4-0 in January.

Next eight days: vs. VAN (Jan. 31), vs. CBJ (Feb. 2), @ ANA (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 60.58%

The Panthers started strong this season, which was good because January wasn’t their best month ever: the Cats had a 7-6-1 record, despite a plus-6 goal differential.

Next eight days: vs. CHI (Feb. 1), vs. NYI (Feb. 2), @ WSH (Feb. 4), @ STL (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 60.78%

If the Maple Leafs are playing the long game, dropping to second in the Atlantic might make sense — they’ll likely avoid the Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. In that regard, a 7-6-0 January gets a thumbs-up?

Next eight days: @ EDM (Feb. 1), @ CGY (Feb. 4), @ SEA (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 63.46%

Given their negative goal differential in January, the Wild are lucky to escape with a record north of .500. And thanks to their early success, there remains a gap between Minnesota and the teams behind it.

Next eight days: @ OTT (Feb. 1), @ BOS (Feb. 4), vs. CAR (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 60.38%

Some nights, the Devils look as strong as any team in the league; other nights, not so much. (Just look at the two different results against the Flyers this week.) Accordingly, they’ll finish January with a 5-5-3 record.

Next eight days: @ BUF (Feb. 2), @ PIT (Feb. 4), vs. VGK (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 59.18%

The Kings are looking up at the Oilers and Golden Knights in the Pacific Division, as those two clubs appear to be on another tier at this point. A 5-7-1 January didn’t help the cause, and they are teetering close to being caught from behind (though they have games in hand on all the teams chasing them).

Next eight days: @ CAR (Feb. 1), vs. MTL (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 57.69%

The Avalanche remain in the driver’s seat for a wild-card spot (if not a higher position in the Central Division), although their January results leave a bit to be desired, with a 6-6-2 record.

Next eight days: vs. STL (Jan. 31), vs. PHI (Feb. 2), @ VAN (Feb. 4), @ CGY (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 56.86%

Is this the season the Senators make it back to the playoffs? An 8-5-2 January — despite a minus-10 goal differential — has kept them right in the mix.

Next eight days: vs. MIN (Feb. 1), @ NSH (Feb. 3), @ TB (Feb. 4), @ TB (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 57.00%

The good news for the Lightning: Racking up a bunch of points earlier this season meant they had some wiggle room. The bad news: a month of 46.90 points percentage hockey has reduced that space to the smallest of wiggles.

Next eight days: vs. NYI (Feb. 1), vs. OTT (Feb. 4), vs. OTT (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 57.00%

The Flames have more or less held serve in January, with a 7-6-0 record. Thanks in large part to rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf, they remain on the wild-card bubble.

Next eight days: vs. DET (Feb. 1), @ SEA (Feb. 2), vs. TOR (Feb. 4), vs. COL (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 57.00%

It’s unquestionable that the Blue Jackets are the best “story” of the 2024-25 season, and their quest for a playoff return was greatly aided in January: a record of 9-3-1 generated the sixth-best points percentage for the month.

Next eight days: @ UTA (Jan. 31), @ DAL (Feb. 2), @ BUF (Feb. 4), vs. UTA (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 56.00%

The well-reported locker room strife between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller was confirmed by general manager Jim Rutherford this week, lending more credence to the idea that one of the two stars will be traded. Hopefully that will spur the team to earn more wins, as a month of .500 hockey isn’t a great sign looking ahead.

Next eight days: @ DAL (Jan. 31), vs. DET (Feb. 2), vs. COL (Feb. 4), @ SJ (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 52.83%

The Bruins have gone 5-7-2 this month and appear more in need of the 4 Nations Face-Off break than many other teams. Is there a trade in the works to shake things up?

Next eight days: vs. NYR (Feb. 1), vs. MIN (Feb. 4), @ NYR (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 52.00%

As the Rangers collapsed earlier this season, there was no shortage of fan frustration along with takes on how to properly fix them. Quietly, they’ve charged back up the standings, due in part to an 8-3-3 January.

Next eight days: @ BOS (Feb. 1), vs. VGK (Feb. 2), vs. BOS (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 53.92%

Detroit’s 2024-25 season has been a bit of a roller coaster, including the dismissal of coach Derek Lalonde and hiring of Todd McLellan. This month has been a high point, with a 10-3-1 record that has the Red Wings back on the wild-card bubble.

Next eight days: @ CGY (Feb. 1), @ VAN (Feb. 2), @ SEA (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 51.96%

The fact that the Canadiens remain on the fringes of the playoff race into February is remarkable, and their 7-5-2 record in January is a big part of that. Does the front office add to the roster before the trade deadline, or keep the slow build process going?

Next eight days: @ ANA (Feb. 2), @ SJ (Feb. 4), @ LA (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 53.00%

Are we all sleeping on the Islanders? Patrick Roy has his team pointed back in the right direction after a rough start, going 9-3-0 in January.

Next eight days: @ TB (Feb. 1), @ FLA (Feb. 2), vs. VGK (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 49.06%

The Flyers’ build back into a contender continues apace, though their minus-8 goal differential for the month would surely be helped if they had better goaltending on a consistent basis.

Next eight days: @ COL (Feb. 2), @ UTA (Feb. 4), vs. WSH (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 50.00%

The Hockey Club remains mathematically alive for a playoff berth but will have to reverse trends from a month in which it had fewer standings points (12) than games played (13).

Next eight days: vs. CBJ (Jan. 31), vs. STL (Feb. 2), vs. PHI (Feb. 4), @ CBJ (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 49.02%

Does this week’s Brandon Saad contract termination mean that an addition is on the way? Something must be done if the Blues are going to make a move back into the playoff mix during a 5-7-0 January.

Next eight days: @ COL (Jan. 31), @ UTA (Feb. 2), vs. EDM (Feb. 4), vs. FLA (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 47.17%

How much of the Penguins’ current roster will be on the team after March 7? The club’s 4-7-3 record in January was better than only the “fun bad” Sharks; Pittsburgh’s results seem way less fun, and simply bad.

Next eight days: vs. NSH (Feb. 1), vs. NJ (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 43.88%

The Predators are no strangers to wild turnarounds within the same season — they pulled one off last season. It’s not entirely out of the realm of mathematical possibility that they make the playoffs, and a 7-4-0 mark since the calendar turned to 2025 is a strong start.

Next eight days: @ BUF (Jan. 31), @ PIT (Feb. 1), vs. OTT (Feb. 3)

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Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 47.06%

Although it hasn’t made a huge dent in the overall standings, the Ducks have been a middle-of-the-flock team in January — with a 6-7-2 record despite a minus-8 goal differential. In which direction will they fly from here?

Next eight days: vs. MTL (Feb. 2), vs. DAL (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 46.23%

Goaltender Philipp Grubauer — one of the Kraken’s early, big free agent signings — was put on waivers recently, and it wouldn’t be shocking if the club made additional moves ahead of the trade deadline. A 6-8-1 January record has kept them well below expectations.

Next eight days: vs. CGY (Feb. 2), vs. DET (Feb. 4), vs. TOR (Feb. 6)

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Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 43.00%

A 45.83 points percentage in January has actually raised the Sabres’ seasonlong mark, but it’s still not good enough to get them out of the Atlantic Division basement.

Next eight days: vs. NSH (Jan. 31), vs. NJ (Feb. 2), vs. CBJ (Feb. 4)

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Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 36.27%

This hasn’t been the best season in Blackhawks history. But at least for the month of January, they haven’t been dead last. (Chicago’s points percentage is 29th for the month.)

Next eight days: @ FLA (Feb. 1), vs. EDM (Feb. 5)

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Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 33.33%

The Sharks began the month among the NHL’s basement dwellers in the standings, and that trend will continue into February.

Next eight days: vs. MTL (Feb. 4), vs. VAN (Feb. 6)