SAN DIEGO — Here at baseball’s annual Winter Meetings, it doesn’t take long to understand the hottest issues on the table.

The Yankees’ pursuit of Aaron Judge is clearly No. 1.

But No. 2? Pressure. Pressure on the Mets to replace Jacob deGrom and continue the upward trajectory the franchise has been striving for. Pressure on the Angels...Read more

With the Winter Meetings happening in person for the first time since 2019, Major League Baseball’s executives got going right away on Monday.

Justin Verlander jumped to the Mets on a two-year, $86 million deal, marking two years in a row that the Mets lured a future Hall of Fame pitcher on the strength of Steve Cohen’s money. The Yankees, ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — The Mets have their ace.

Just one day into the winter meetings the Mets are reportedly in agreement on a two-year contract with right-hander Justin Verlander. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal is for $86 million with a vesting option for a third year.

One of the most accomplished pitchers in baseball and a future Hall-...Read more

In the least surprising signing in the Bronx this winter, the Yankees announced they had re-signed General Manager Brian Cashman to a four-year deal on Monday. Cashman, who has been at the helm of the Bombers since 1998, had been working without a contract since the Yankees’ season ended in October.

Yankees managing partner Hal Steinbrenner ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Last season, the Dodgers won 111 games. They had a Cy Young Award finalist. They boasted the best rotation earned-run average in Major League Baseball.

Still, as this offseason has progressed, their need for more starting pitching has been clear.

And while they did the expected on Monday morning, officially re-signing Clayton ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Karl Keglovits got a phone call a few weeks ago from one of his former baseball teammates at North Carolina State, Johnny Piedmonte.

Piedmonte asked if Keglovits had heard the big news. He had not.

“It’s possible that Carlos and Trea end up in Philly,” Piedmonte said.

Keglovits could barely contain his excitement. Carlos �...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Bryan Reynolds remains under contractual control through the 2025 season, but it's hard to see him remaining a Pirate for that long.

No, impossible.

In fact, after Saturday's news that Reynolds wants to be traded, it's honestly hard to see the All-Star outfielder returning in 2024.

The Pirates issued a statement Saturday saying ...Read more

The winter meetings should be a hectic time for Jed Hoyer and Rick Hahn, the two men consigned with the task of making baseball in Chicago relevant again.

Hoyer, the Cubs president, and Hahn, the White Sox general manager, are fortunate enough to have the complete support of their respective owners and have been around long enough to know what ...Read more

The Crime Dog is headed to Cooperstown, but Donnie Baseball is not.

Fred McGriff is officially a Hall of Famer. The slugger was unanimously elected to the Class of 2023 by the Contemporary Era committee on Sunday night and was the only player selected. Former Yankee Don Mattingly fell four votes shy of the 12 out of 16 needed to get the nod to ...Read more

SEATTLE — For those clamoring for Jerry Dipoto to make a big-ticket splash in the free-agent market, Friday's trade with the Milwaukee Brewers was probably a disappointment by implication.

The biggest ticket of them all, outfielder Aaron Judge, was realistically above the Mariners' pay grade from the start. The team has no need to dip into ...Read more

NEW YORK — Every athlete’s playing days have to come to an end eventually.

Some are lucky enough to make it all the way to the professional ranks, collecting a fortune along the way. Others max out in college, while an overwhelming majority give up their game during childhood, the iron curtain of adulthood separating them from competitive ...Read more

BALTIMORE — The Orioles have supplied their rotation with a veteran presence for 2023, agreeing to terms with right-hander Kyle Gibson on a one-year contract, according to multiple reports. ESPN and The Athletic reported the deal is pending a physical.

Gibson, 35, has made 25 or more starts in every full season since 2014, pitching for the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper left an operating room in Los Angeles on Nov. 23 with a reconstructed ligament in his right elbow and a giant question mark over his head.

When might he play again?

In a tightly worded news release issued on Thanksgiving eve, the Phillies announced that the face of the franchise will be back in the lineup, ...Read more

SEATTLE — Gaylord Perry used to call the spitball "my survival pitch," and by the time he got to Seattle in 1982 — barely hanging on at 43 years old, 21 years into his career — survival was his preeminent goal.

Perry was three wins shy of 300, the magic number he knew was needed to reach the Hall of Fame, considering the specter of ball-...Read more

SAN DIEGO — A.J. Preller appears to be at it again.

Or perhaps the Padres President of Baseball Operations is simply doing his usual uniquely exhaustive due diligence.

While there is no real clarity on how advanced discussions are, the Padres have at least waded further into the deep free agent shortstop market.

A league source said Friday ...Read more

Free agent pitcher Jacob deGrom has agreed to a five-year deal with the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers announced the signing Friday night and said a press conference to introduce deGrom would be held at Globe Life Field after the Winter Meetings, which are Sunday through Wednesday in San Diego.

The Rangers did not disclose terms, but Jeff Passan ...Read more