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A’s top prospect Jesus Luzardo is no longer an Opening Day rotation option. The much-hyped lefty has been shut down with a muscle strain in his left shoulder for four to six weeks, A’s general manager David Forst announced prior to Thursday’s Opening Series finale with the Mariners in Tokyo. It’s an unfortunate setback for the 21-year-old Luzardo, who had hoped to push his way into the rotation despite minimal experience at the Triple-A level. “He’s disappointed,” Forst said, “but he knows he just has to take his time with this.” The A’s have three remaining candidates for two spots, and the […]

The Los Angeles Angels and All-Star outfielder Mike Trout are finalizing a new 12-year contract extension worth more than $430 million, which would be the richest deal ever awarded to an athlete, according to ESPN. The deal is superlative in every way. The $430 million total would top the Major League Baseball-record $330 million deal that outfielder Bryce Harper signed with the Philadelphia Phillies last month. The per-year average of $36 million would also be an MLB record. Trout, 27, was due to be a free agent following the 2020 season, at which point he was expected to set off a […]

In a move that has been expected ever since the season ended, the Jaguars have finally moved on from Blake Bortles. On Wednesday, the team announced that they’ve cut their former first-round pick, who never developed into the quarterback they so desperately wanted him to become during his five-year run as the team’s starter.  The Jaguars will move on with Nick Foles, who they signed to a four-year, $88 million contract in free agency while Bortles will likely seek a backup job elsewhere just one year after he earned an extension from the Jaguars with a surprising playoff run that fell just short of the Super Bowl.  That playoff […]

The New York Jets are about to land a major contributor for Gregg Williams’ defense. Monday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Jets are set to sign standout linebacker Anthony Barr, who previously spent time with the Minnesota Vikings. This followed a report from earlier in the day that New York was upping their pursuit of the UCLA product. The move won’t be made official until the new league year begins on March 13, but the Jets can rest assured that they will now have a focal point in this defense. Over the weekend, Connor Hughes of The Athletic said that the […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and offensive tackle Donovan Smith reached an agreement Tuesday on a reported three-year, $41.25 million contract extension.  Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported the financial details and noted the deal includes $27 million in guaranteed money. The Bucs were planning to utilize the franchise tag on Smith if a long-term extension wasn’t in place before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa selected Smith in the second round of the 2015 draft. He’s started all 64 of the team’s regular-season games across the past four seasons. The 25-year-old Penn State product ranks 15th among tackles in […]