World Series champs!  How Dodgers validated their dominance  —  NEW YORK — Two days before the Los Angeles Dodgers' postseason began, Freddie Freeman felt a twinge in his rib cage when he took a swing during a simulated game.  He vowed to ignore it.  It's not as if he wasn't already in pain.

Giants' Zack Minasian joins Angels' Perry as brothers GMs  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Zack Minasian and was promoted to general manager of the San Francisco Giants on Friday, joining the Los Angeles Angels' Perry Minasian to make the brothers both big league GMs.  —  The 41-year-old Zack Minasian …

Bob Costas retires from MLB play-by-play duties after 4-plus decades  —  Bob Costas is retiring as a Major League Baseball play-by-play caller, marking the end of a legendary run in which he became synonymous with the game over four decades and earned a place in the broadcasting wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Juan Soto eyeing a historic $700 million MLB free agency contract  —  Top free agent hitter Juan Soto's new magic number is thought to be $700M (or more) — and that's a solid $700M, not the record $700M contract that's 97 percent deferred that Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani received from the Dodgers.

Angels land slugger Jorge Soler from Braves for RHP Griffin Canning  —  The Atlanta Braves traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Griffin Canning on Thursday, kicking off the hot stove season with a deal that sends a power bat to Los Angeles and adds pitching depth …

John Middleton expects the Phillies to spend more in 2025.  And they have options beyond Juan Soto.  —  It wasn't about only LA vs. NYC, or Hollywood vs. Broadway, or even Ohtani vs. Judge.  And certainly not Ice Cube vs. Fat Joe, a mismatch of pregame rap performances if ever there was one.At its core …

White Sox officially make Will Venable new manager  —  Will Venable agreed to terms on a multiyear contract to serve as the manager of the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Thursday.  —  Specific terms of the deal were not disclosed for Venable, who spent the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers as an associate manager.

Scott Kingery traded after nearly a decade in Phillies organization  —  Scott Kingery traded after nearly a decade in Phillies organization originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia  —  Nearly a decade after being drafted in the second round and 6½ years after signing …

Cubs planning to add Quintin Berry to Craig Counsell's coaching staff: Sources  —  The Chicago Cubs are planning to hire Quintin Berry as their new third-base coach, team and league sources told The Athletic, adding a base-running expert who previously worked with Craig Counsell and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Fisher offers $1B for Vegas stadium; A's post night-heavy '25 plan  —  Athletics owner John Fisher and his family will invest $1 billion into the construction of a stadium in Las Vegas while U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs will offer a $300 million loan, club executive Sandy Dean said Thursday.