Nine MLB teams ended agreements with the FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports) last week, citing the financial uncertainty facing Main Street Sports Group, which owns and runs the networks. Major League Baseball reportedly could take over broadcast responsibilities for the group, as it already does for the Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Guardians, Twins, and Mariners.

The nine teams impacted by this change: the Cardinals, Braves, Reds, Tigers, Royals, Angels, Marlins, Brewers, and Rays.

Diamond Sports Group owned and managed the Bally Sports broadcast networks until the group missed a payment to the Padres in May 2023 and to the Diamondbacks that July. Following Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the company would rebrand under the Main Street name and partner with FanDuel.

Main Street missed a scheduled payment to the Cardinals in December 2025.

Main Street has made a three-year proposal to teams in an effort to retain broadcast rights, according to The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. That proposal is contingent on Main Street finding a buyer for the group, however. Drellich notes that it’s unclear which, if any, of the nine teams will remain with Main Street and which will let the league take over.

On Wednesday, the Nationals announced plans to also move their local broadcast operations under league control. Washington’s longstanding (and unbalanced) agreement with MASN (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network) concluded following the 2025 season. MASN was established in 2005, when the Montreal Expos were destroyed by corporate greed and a whole new franchise was born in Washington, relocated to D.C. Since the area was part of the Orioles’ “territorial rights”, Baltimore has long held a majority stake in MASN’s ownership. After 20 years, the fight between the two clubs finally comes to an end.

Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen released a lengthy report chronicling the world’s highest-paid athletes. Just nine MLB players appear on the list, with Juan Soto at the top. Soto’s $129.2 million in total earnings this year was boosted by an MLB-record $75M signing bonus as part of the 15-year, $762M contract he signed with the Mets last offseason.

Shohei Ohtani came in second on the list, having generated roughly $100 million in marketing revenue in 2025. The figure makes him the highest-grossing athlete from marketing agreements, memorabilia sales, and endorsement deals. Ohtani is followed by Lakers forward LeBron James ($85M), soccer stars Lionel Messi ($70M) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($60M), and golfer Rory McIlroy ($55M).

Ohtani, additionally, is just the fourth athlete ever to top $100M from non-salary earnings in a calendar year, joining Warriors guard Stephen Curry, golfer Tiger Woods, and tennis legend Roger Federer.

With deferrals included in his $700M contract with Los Angeles, Ohtani only took home $2M in salary this past season.

We’re under 50 days from the start of the World Baseball Classic, with more players committing to play in the tournament. Team USA manager Mark DeRosa made a handful of notable additions this week. As of Thursday evening, only three spots remain open on Team USA’s 30-man roster.

Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has committed to playing, just days after signing a $175M free agent contract to join Chicago. He hit .273/.360/.462 in 495 PA this past season.

Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement will join the squad, likely providing a spark (and some added versatility) off the bench. Clement had a career year at the plate in 2025, hitting .277/.313/.398 in 588 PA during the regular season and .411/.416/.562 during the postseason.

Rays right-hander Griffin Jax and Mariners left-hander Gabe Speier have also been added to the roster, giving the team some strong options in the bullpen. Speier had a 2.61 ERA (145 ERA+) in 62.0 IP, while Jax posted a 4.23 ERA (101 ERA+) in 66.0 IP with the Twins and Rays last season. Jax was the first Air Force Academy graduate to reach the majors. He (and Paul Skenes, who attended Army/West Point before transferring to LSU) will now get to represent his country on an international stage.

Recently retired Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw will also reportedly join the team. Kershaw has shown an interest in playing in the WBC before, but was denied permission by the Dodgers. Kershaw was 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 112.2 IP last season.

Hideki Kuriyama was announced as the sole inductee this year to the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Kuriyama had a brief playing career in the NPB, batting .279/.308/.341 over seven seasons with the Yakult Swallows. He spent almost 20 years as a broadcaster on TV after retiring, before being named the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2012. The Fighters were 684-672-54 under his leadership (he retired following the 2021 season and was replaced by Tsuyoshi Shinjo), winning the Japan Series in 2016. Kuriyama also managed the Samurai Japan team to the 2023 World Baseball Classic title.

Former Yankees and A’s minor leaguer Dérmis Garcia has signed with the Kochi Fighting Dogs in the Japanese independent league with the hope of working his way back to an affiliated league. Garcia, 28, spent parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues, but his only MLB experience totaled 39 games during the 2022 season, in which he hit .207/.264/.388 in 125 PA.

Angels minor league outfielder Rio Foster was involved in a serious car accident in early September. Four months later, The Athletic’s Sam Blum (who, frankly, has one of the toughest beats around covering this team but does so superbly) checked in on Foster, speaking with his mother, Iris Cleveland, and others impacted by his recovery. The whole piece is worth a read, but Foster remains confined to a wheelchair, unable to do basic things like feed himself or even hold a conversation, and in danger of losing his spot in a rehabilitation facility due to a lack of progress. The Angels, unsurprisingly, have done little to contribute or support Foster, and have not indicated whether they will even keep him under contract for insurance purposes.

San Diego made a pair of notable hirings in their front office. Former manager Bud Black, who led the team from 2007 to 2015 before managing the Rockies from 2017 until last May, will return to the club as a senior adviser to baseball operations. Former outfielder Wil Myers, who spent 8 seasons of his 11-year career with the Padres, will serve as a special assignment coach in player development.

A court in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Emmanuel Clase and Luís Ortiz seeking to be reinstated by the LIDOM. The pair of Guardians pitchers were in training camp before the Dominican Winter League season when news broke about their connection to a gambling probe in Ohio. MLB placed the duo on administrative leave pending the results of their May trial for federal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to influence sporting events; the LIDOM soon followed suit, preventing both pitchers from playing this season.

There may actually be a sliver of hope on the horizon for a new stadium in Tampa for the Rays. Since taking control of the team in September, the Rays’ new ownership group has “sought a site with at least 100 acres to build a stadium and surround it with homes, offices, and restaurants inspired by The Battery, the home of the Atlanta Braves.” Per a report from The Tampa Bay Times, the team has settled on a target: Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. The campus occupies 108 acres of land “tucked beside Raymond James Stadium, George M. Steinbrenner Field, and the Tampa International Airport.” The college’s board of directors is scheduled to vote on an agreement next week.