MLB winter meetings takeaways: Judge, Contreras, others

Every offseason, MLB teams hand out lucrative, long-term contracts with the hope that players can replicate their past success well into the future. There have been a staggering number of megadeals handed out this winter and a few other head-scratchers that could leave clubs in trouble in the future. Let's...

Houston Astros icon Jeff Bagwell believes the team made the right decision in hiring Dana Brown as its new general manager. Bagwell - now an Astros community outreach executive and special adviser to owner Jim Crane - thinks Brown can blend traditional scouting with newer forms of talent evaluation, giving the front office what he feels is a much-needed balance.

San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is chomping at the bit to put his lost 2022 season behind him. Now several months removed from wrist and shoulder surgeries, Tatis said he's nearly back to full strength. The 24-year-old - who remains suspended for his positive performance-enhancing drugs test last August - is back in San Diego doing full workouts and started hitting this week in anticipation of spring training.

The Washington Nationals signed right-hander Alex Colome to a minor-league contract, the team announced Friday. Colome's deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training. The 34-year-old reliever spent the 2022 campaign with the Colorado Rockies, authoring a 5.74 ERA and 4.54 FIP with four saves in 47 innings. Colome will...

The Texas Rangers signed five players to minor-league contracts on Friday, including former New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Danny Duffy, the team announced. Frazier appeared in 19 games for the Chicago Cubs last season. The 28-year-old struggled to a .216/.356/.297 slash line with zero home runs and...

The Tampa Bay Rays have locked up another key pitcher, agreeing to a three-year extension with reliever Pete Fairbanks, the team announced Friday. Fairbanks' extension is worth $12 million and includes a $7-million club option for 2026 with a $1-million buyout. A series of escalator clauses could raise the option's total value to $11 million.

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor-league deal with right-hander Jeurys Familia, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman. The deal includes an invite to major-league spring training. He'll earn $1.5 million with $500,000 more in performance bonuses if he makes the big-league club. Familia, 33, split last season...

The Atlanta Braves very nearly went the entire 2022 campaign without laying down a sacrifice bunt. Then, in the penultimate game of the season, Michael Harris II laid one down against the Miami Marlins. "I was in the clubhouse, and our players were there. And they were all talking about...

The Atlanta Braves signed manager Brian Snitker to a contract extension that runs through the 2025 campaign, the team announced Friday. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Snitker took over as Braves manager in 2016 and has led the club to five straight NL East championships along with the 2021 World Series title. The 67-year-old was the NL Manager of the Year in 2018 and has received votes for the award in each of the last four seasons.

Jeff McNeil is sticking around Flushing for the foreseeable future. The New York Mets agreed to a four-year, $50-million extension with the reigning National League batting champion Friday, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. McNeil also gets a club option for 2027 that could increase the deal's total value to $63.75...

Cody Bellinger said he's excited to see the impact of Major League Baseball's new shift restrictions in action once the 2023 season gets underway. "It just opens up a completely different part of the game," one of the newest Chicago Cubs additions said during a live taping Wednesday of "The Compound Podcast," hosted by teammate Ian Happ. "Your whole life, growing up, (if) you hit a line drive ... back (at the pitcher) ... that's a hit your whole life. In these last five years, it's an automatic out. ... There's a shortstop right there."

Jeff Kent isn't thrilled with the Baseball Writers' Association of America after coming up short in his final year on the ballot for induction into the Hall of Fame. "The voting over the years has been too much of a head-scratching embarrassment," Kent told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Detroit Tigers and second baseman Cesar Hernandez agreed to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training, a source told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Hernandez will reportedly earn $1.5 million along with incentives if he makes the Opening Day roster. The 32-year-old is coming off...

When the NHL announced its Reverse Retro series for the 2022-23 season in October, there was a rush to rank the 32 new jerseys. The New York Islanders' entry - a remix of an infamous 1990s look - graded well, ranked fifth, 11th, 12th, 15th, and 17th by various media outlets, including theScore.