Shohei Ohtani's free agency takes center stage at MLB's GM meetings  —  PHOENIX − The confetti shot into the air at Chase Field has been swept up.  The hundreds of champagne bottles sprayed throughout the visiting clubhouse has finally dried.  The powerful cigar aroma has cleared the air.

'There's an end to every story': Joey Votto reflects on his Reds career at end of an era  —  In 2012, Joey Votto was sitting in front of Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, and they were talking about potential opt-outs in the eventual long-term contract extension he signed.

No. 19 UCLA football falls to Noah Fifita, Arizona  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — No. 19 UCLA left Tucson battered and bruised with a 27-10 loss Saturday night to upstart Arizona.  —  UCLA (6-3 overall, 3-3 Pac-12) lost safety Kamari Ramsey, quarterbacks Ethan Garbers and Dante Moore …

White Abarrio captures $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita  —  ARCADIA — Trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. is back winning big races again after saddling White Abarrio for a one-length victory in Saturday's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita.

Breeders' Cup: Fierceness bounces back to win Juvenile for trainer Todd Pletcher  —  ARCADIA — Conventional wisdom might have told us to steer clear of Fierceness in Friday's $2 million Grade I Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.  In the race that oftentimes determines the early favorite …

Volpe becomes 1st Yankees rookie to win Gold Glove  —  NEW YORK — As the Yankees crossed their remaining games off the calendar, beginning a lengthy internal evaluation, Aaron Boone pointed to his shortstop as one of the season's bright spots.  On several occasions, the manager voiced …

Another lawsuit against Chicago Blackhawks: Ex-player, ‘Black Aces’ teammate of Kyle Beach alleges 2010 sexual assault by former video coach  —  A former member of the Chicago Blackhawks' “Black Aces” squad and teammate of Kyle Beach has alleged in a lawsuit that former video coach Brad Aldrich …

Miami Marlins' Josh Bell makes decision on player option for 2024 season  —  Josh Bell is staying with the Miami Marlins.  —  The veteran first baseman, acquired at the trade deadline from the Cleveland Guardians, has exercised his $16.5 million player option for the 2024 season.

Marcus Stroman Opts Out Of Deal With Cubs  —  Marcus Stroman has enacted the opt-out clause in his contract and will now become a free agent, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reports (X link).  Stroman's three-year, $71MM deal with the Cubs from the 2021-22 offseason allowed Stroman to opt …

Sources: Colorado's Pat Shurmur to call plays in new role  —  Colorado has stripped offensive coordinator Sean Lewis of his offensive playcalling duties and is elevating analyst Pat Shurmur to an on-field role where he will take over as the team's playcaller, sources told ESPN.

2023 MLB Farm System Statcast Hitting Rankings  —  For the first time, Baseball America is measuring performance based on underlying metrics via the Hawkeye data gathered across the minor leagues.  —  The benefit of using this data versus other statistical analysis is, presumably …