MLB

8:34 PM ET Associated Press HOUSTON — After collecting his MLB-leading 12th win Saturday, Justin Verlander wasn’t ready to reflect on how far he’s come this season. But the 39-year-old did take a moment to note how his almost two-year absence from the game after Tommy John surgery has made him appreciate his success a

12:48 PM ET The Washington Nationals are willing to listen to trade offers for Juan Soto after the star outfielder rejected their most recent long-term offer, league sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday. Sources said Soto turned down a 15-year, $440 million offer that would have been the largest contract in baseball history. Soto had

7:02 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Major League Baseball will pay $185 million to settle the federal class-action lawsuit filed by minor league players who sought pay for minimum-wage and overtime violations by teams, pending a judge approving

11:59 PM ET ESPN News Services ARLINGTON, Texas — Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray doesn’t recall being part of a run quite like what the Seattle Mariners are on these days. Everything is a new experience in the big leagues for All-Star rookie center fielder Julio Rodriguez, and he just keeps doing

2:10 PM ET Dodger Stadium concession workers have relinquished plans for a strike during next week’s All-Star Game after threatening to do so in an effort to secure higher wages. In a joint statement Friday by union Unite Here Local 11 and employer Compass Group/Levy Restaurants, the two sides said they “have made substantial progress”

6:50 AM ET The MLB draft is a bewildering blend of college prospects and high school prospects, present ability weighed against future projection, taking the best player available or spreading your bonus pool money throughout the draft. It’s less exact than the NBA or NFL drafts because, frankly, baseball is a harder sport to play.

7:00 AM ET Multiple Contributors The 2022 MLB draft is just around the corner, so we asked three of our own MLB experts to get in on the fun by selecting their own teams consisting of top 2022 draft prospects. The rules were simple: Jeff Passan, David Schoenfield and Bradford Doolittle snake drafted through 10

7:00 AM ET Some teams will use the upcoming All-Star break as a reset in the hopes of finishing their 2022 campaign strong. Others may not be thrilled with the three-day gameplay stoppage. Teams that potentially fit into the latter category are Seattle and Baltimore — two of the hottest clubs in the American League

7:00 AM ET CHICAGO — The last time the Baltimore Orioles took the field vying for their 10th consecutive win, Cal Ripken Jr. was starting at third base and Albert Belle was manning right field. It was Sept. 18, 1999. The oldest player on the Orioles’ current roster was 9. Most were 5 or 6.

5:16 PM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Ten Kansas City Royals players, including four of their top hitters and their best two starting pitchers this season, will not travel to Toronto this week for the four-game series with the

8:00 AM ET IT’S WEIRDLY INSTRUCTIVE to watch how baseball scouts watch baseball players. Everything they do is intended to hide what they’re actually doing, which has the unintended effect of making even their most subtle movements glaringly obvious. They also have another endearing quirk: They all know one another but don’t want anyone to

9:45 PM ET ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani will help make up the American League’s All-Star Game starting lineup 30 miles from here at Dodger Stadium on July 19. They entered Tuesday within the top 10 in the majors in FanGraphs wins above replacement, trending toward potential MVP consideration. And yet the

11:13 PM ET ESPN News Services ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chris Sale worked five scoreless innings in his season debut, but the Boston bullpen couldn’t hold a two-run lead in a 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. Sale, out all season with a fracture in his right rib cage, allowed three

4:05 PM ET New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will participate in the Home Run Derby next week in Los Angeles. Major League Baseball made the announcement Monday on its official Twitter page, confirming the return of one of the Derby’s most successful hitters. “It’s a really fun event,” Alonso told reporters in the

4:43 PM ET Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco will have surgery Tuesday on his right wrist. Franco has a hamate injury. He left Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Cincinnati after fouling off a 100.2 mph Hunter Greene pitch before striking out. Manager Kevin Cash said Monday that the 21-year-old

4:05 PM ET Who’s ready for some MLB All-Star Home Run Derby excitement? The most anticipated event of the summer is heading to Hollywood with some of the biggest names in the sport set to take aim at the Dodger Stadium bleachers on Monday, July 18 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN) With the first participant

11:42 AM ET Jeff PassanESPN Close ESPN MLB insiderAuthor of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” The Atlanta Braves acquired the 35th pick in Sunday’s Major League Baseball draft from the Kansas City Royals for center-field prospect Drew Waters, right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Hoffmann and Double-A third baseman

6:00 PM ET Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani was elected to the American League All-Star team as a pitcher and hitter for the second consecutive season, while brothers William Contreras and Willson Contreras will both start for the National League. Ohtani, 28, was voted in as the designated hitter for the AL team, then