Month: March 2023

The Cleveland Guardians and All-Star second baseman Andrés Giménez have agreed to a seven-year, $106.5 million contract extension.  According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the deal begins in 2024 and includes a 2031 club option, and covers three arbitration years and potentially five free-agent seasons if the team picks up the 2031 option.

An international free agent in 2015, the Venezuelan native began his MLB tenure with the New York Mets during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Mets traded him after the season to Cleveland alongside infielder Amed Rosario and minor leaguers Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf for shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

Giménez struggled as a part-time player in 2021, hitting just .218 in 68 games. However the 24-year-old broke out as one of Cleveland’s top players in 2022, earning All-Star and Gold Glove honors last year after hitting .297 (.837 OPS) with 17 home runs, 69 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He ranked fifth among all American League players in defensive WAR (wins above replacement) at 2.4, and finished sixth in American League Most Valuable Player voting and Gimenez’s strong defensive play also earned him his first Gold Glove.

Cleveland’s 2023 season kicks-off on Thursday, March 30th on the road against the Seattle Mariners.

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Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal is under investigation by police in Orlando, Florida after a confrontation with a fan stemming from a gambling loss.  NBA spokesman Mike Bass said the league is “aware of the report and in the process of gathering more information.”

According to police reports obtained by ESPN, the 29-year-old NBA star was exiting the court inside Amway Center following a loss on the road to the Orlando Magic last Tuesday, March 21st and walking toward the locker room when an attendee shouted at him.  The unidentified man told Beal he lost $1,300 on a bet due to the athlete’s performance that night, which allegedly prompted Beal to approach the man’s friend and “swatted his right hand toward him,” which forced the man’s hat off his head.  Beal can be heard on video footage of the incident telling the man he takes his job as an NBA player seriously, which seemingly led to the outburst. Additionally, the report said that the man apologized to Beal and did not mean to offend him.

The official complaint against Beal states that charges will be filed with the state attorney’s office. According to the report, the complaint claims that “probable cause exists” to charge the NBA with “simple battery.” However, as of Tuesday, no charges have been filed.

In a statement the Washington Wizards said, “We are aware of the situation regarding Bradley Beal in Orlando but won’t have further comment until we’ve gathered more information.”

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson tweeted on Monday that he requested a trade earlier this off-season. Jackson wrote in a series of tweets titled as a “letter” to his fans: “I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show toward me. All of you are amazing and I appreciate y’all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me  Let me personally answer your questions in regards to my future plans. As of March 2, I requested a trade from the Ravens organization.” Jackson said the Ravens have “not been interested in meeting my value,” adding, “you all are great, but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore flock nation and the entire state of Maryland. You’ll see me again.”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who spoke to reporters at the annual NFL owners meeting Sunday in Phoenix, said he didn’t see Jackson’s tweets, but he anticipates he will be the Ravens starting quarterback in 202. When asked if he thinks Jackson will stay with the Ravens, Harbaugh said:  “I do. You gotta plan for all the contingencies for sure, but I’m pretty fired up about Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson is a great player. He came back in great shape last year and was fired up to play. That’s the Lamar I’m looking forward to seeing. I can’t wait to getting back on the grass and go to work. I’m confident that’s going to happen.”

Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said earlier this month that the Ravens would continue to negotiate with Jackson for a long-term contract, and have until July 17 to agree to terms of a deal. The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson in mid-March, which allowed Jackson to negotiate with other teams. However, the Ravens retain the right to match another team’s offer, and will receive two first-round draft picks if they decide not to match an offer. If Jackson decides to play in 2023 under the terms of the franchise tag, he would make an average of the Top 5 salaried quarterbacks from 2022 — $32.4 million.

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The Texas Longhorns and head coach Rodney Terry agreed on Monday to a five-year deal worth $15.3 million.  The news comes mere hours after a report from ESPN indicated that Terry and the Horns were finalizing the deal, which will keep Terry in Austin through the 2028 season.  A press conference is expected to take place to announce the hiring this week.

Terry is coming off a successful run as the interim head coach with the Longhorns; his season came to an abrupt end after falling 88-81 to the Miami Hurricanes on Sunday night in the Elite Eight. Since taking over as the acting head coach in the wake of the suspension and subsequent firing of Chris Beard, Terry led the Longhorns to a a 22-7 record.  Terry then followed that up with a Big 12 Tournament championship win over Kansas taking the Horns to their first Elite Eight since the 2007-2008 season.

Terry was previously an assistant coach for the program under Rick Barnes before he was the head coach at Fresno State from 2011-12 through 2017-18 and UTEP from 2018-19 through 2020-21. Texas brought him back as associate head coach under Chris Beard and then gave him the interim head coaching position when it fired Beard in January.

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