Dodgers sign baseball's top free agent (again)
The rich get richer in Los Angeles, the Midway Rising project isn't (officially) dead yet, an NCAA point-shaving scandal, World Cup travel ban exemptions announced and more.
Welp, let’s get into the (bad) news.
MLB / San Diego Padres
Dodgers, Kyle Tucker agree to deal, add No. 1 free agent to championship roster: Sources - The Athletic
After months of waiting for a resolution, Kyle Tucker, the consensus No. 1 player in this offseason’s class of free agents, agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract on Thursday with the Los Angeles Dodgers, league sources told The Athletic, signing on to be part of a franchise that is looking for a third straight World Series title.
Tucker’s deal includes opt-outs after the second and third years, a league source confirmed. His agreement contains $30 million in deferrals, with $10 million in each of his final three seasons, bringing the net present value of his deal to $57 million per season.
Broken Record: Dodgers Land Top Free Agent Kyle Tucker While Setting a New Contract Standard - FanGraphs
The Dodgers have struck again. For the second winter out of the past three, they’ve snuck in and landed the top free agent on the market, just when he was expected to sign elsewhere. But unlike Shohei Ohtani, who in December 2023 nearly signed with the Blue Jays before agreeing to a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, one in which all but $2 million per season was deferred, Kyle Tucker has gone for a short-term deal of four years and $240 million.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal includes a $64 million signing bonus; $30 million of the total salary is deferred, reducing the net present value to $57.1 million a year. That still means that Tucker, who will turn 29 on Saturday, has set a record for the highest average annual value of any contract, exceeding that of last year’s record-setter, Juan Soto, by about 12%.
Padres sign 3 top-100 prospects to open 2026 international window - San Diego Union-Tribune
Cuban shortstop Joniel Hernandez topped the day’s activity, signing for $1.4 million, according to Baseball America, of the Padres’ $5.94 million bonus pool. Mexican left-hander Diego Serna signed for $1 million, while Curacao shortstop Timothy Mogen also signed for a yet-to-be reported amount.
Hernandez (No. 31), Serna (No. 45) and Mogen (No. 76) are all ranked in Baseball America’s top-100 international prospects list.
The Future of MLB: Navigating Potential Labor Disputes Ahead - Sportsnaut
“Yeah, I think it’s probable that we’re gonna see a work stoppage,” Nightengale said, eyeing the horizon after the 2026 season. “The current collective bargaining agreement will end on December 1, 2026, so the situation remains stable, but it could turn into chaos at any point.”
Nightengale pointed to the lack of real talks as a red flag, as MLB owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association continue to be at odds over several key points standing in the way of a new collective bargaining agreement.
“The bitterness between the two sides is boiling over much earlier than usual,” Nightengale added. He said he thinks a stoppage is likely “just because there haven’t been any really concrete negotiations yet,” he explained.
San Diego FC
Where does Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano go next? Five realistic options for San Diego FC and Mexico forward - GOAL
San Diego FC’s abrupt decision to move on from Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano has raised questions about his future at both club and international level. Once the face of the expansion project, the Mexico international is now weighing his next move as interest grows from MLS and Liga MX. GOAL examines five realistic landing spots as Cruz Azul and Atlanta United lead the race.
San Diego FC re-sign forward Emmanuel Boateng - MLSsoccer.com
San Diego FC have re-signed forward Emmanuel Boateng to a new contract through the 2026 MLS season with an option through June 2027, the club announced Thursday.
The 31-year-old Ghana native scored one goal in 15 appearances across all competitions during SDFC’s historic debut 2025 season, helping the Chrome-and-Azul set expansion records for wins (19) and points (63) while clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
A graduate of San Diego’s global academy affiliate Right To Dream, Boateng has totalled 20g/27a in 231 all-time MLS appearances across previous stints with the LA Galaxy (2016-19), D.C. United (2019-20), Columbus Crew (2020) and New England Revolution (2021-25).
UCSD Tritons / USD Toreros
Big Night from Chaikin Not Enough as Tritons Fall to CSUN - UCSD Tritons
Five Tritons scored in double figures led by a season-high 22 from Alex Chaikin but visiting CSUN earned an 84-79 win Thursday night in front of 3,117 at LionTree Arena. The Matadors also had five in double figures led by Mahmoud Fofana’s double-double of 12 points and 17 rebounds. CSUN (11-8 overall, 4-3 Big West) held a 46-32 rebounding edge on the night.
The Tritons (13-5, 5-3) got six three-pointers from Chaikin, who made his first start of the season. Tom Beattie chipped in 13, Leo Beath 12, Hudson Mayes 11 points and nine rebounds, and Emanuel Prospere II added ten for UC San Diego.
USD Comeback Effort Thwarted in Seattle - USD Toreros
The Toreros were led again by junior guard Ty-Laur Johnson, who entered the game third in WCC play in scoring. He posted another 18 points to go with nine assists, his third straight game with seven-plus assists, just one shy of his second 10-assist double-double in the last three games. Torero bigs had a solid night, as junior Assane Diop and redshirt-freshman Gavin Ripp scored Torero bests.
Odds & Ends
Many college players among dozens charged in point-shaving plot - ESPN
A college basketball point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 players on 17 NCAA Division I teams resulted in dozens of games in the previous two seasons being fixed by a gambling ring that included a former NBA player, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Twenty of the 26 defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Four of the players charged -- Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Camian Shell and Oumar Koureissi -- have played for their current teams in the past week.
Major sporting events including World Cup, Olympics exempt from visa ban: Report - The Athletic
President Donald Trump’s administration had previously said that athletes competing in the upcoming FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics would be exempt from a visa ban that targeted several nations. On Thursday, the administration added several other athletic events to that list.
The State Department sent a cable to all U.S. embassies and consulates Wednesday, saying athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics and events endorsed or run by many collegiate and professional leagues and associations would not be subject to the travel ban, the Associated Press reported, which applies to 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority.
LeBron’s Agent Openly Suggests A Trade For The Lakers On His Podcast - Defector
As much as James insists that “I’m a grown man, he’s a grown man and I think people should realize that grown men can say whatever the fuck they want to say and it shouldn’t reflect somebody else is saying it,” per ESPN, that’s an odd sentiment in this context. This isn’t two men discussing their respective favorite movies to rewatch; this is an agent discussing how to secure a championship for his own star client. It would be weird if they weren’t on the same page there.
The Big Implications of Dante Moore’s Surprising Decision - The Ringer
Moore is returning to school instead of entering the NFL draft, a move that could signal yet another significant shift in both the college football landscape and how the NFL evaluates quarterbacks
Katie Ledecky posts second-fastest 1,500m freestyle time ever in first race of year - The Athletic
Katie Ledecky’s historic domination of the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle isn’t showing any signs of slowing.
The 28-year-old American swimming star on Wednesday posted the second-fastest time ever in the event, racing in a TYR Pro Series meet in Austin, Texas, in her 2026 debut.
Ledecky finished in 15 minutes, 23.21 seconds, less than three seconds off her world record of 15:20.48, set in May 2018. Ledecky touched the wall to finish her race just a few seconds ahead of the swimmers in the adjacent lanes, all of whom still had a lap to go.
In Minnesota, Everywhere Is a Front Line - Discourse Blog
On January 7, 37-year old mother Renée Nicole Good was shot three times in the face by an armed ICE officer — later identified as Homeland Security agent Jonathan Ross —as she attempted to pull her car away from an active immigration raid she’d been monitoring in South Minneapolis. Although federal deportation troops had already been operating in and around the Twin Cities, where I live, for some time, Good’s death, and the incandescent city-wide rage that followed, have inspired the Trump regime to double down on its reflexive need to terrorize and subjugate its enemies. As things currently stand, there are currently more than twice as many ICE agents roaming Minneapolis and St. Paul as there are local police.