Baseball

12/24/2025 |  Inside Chicago White Sox's Calculated Gamble on Japanese Star Munetaka Murakami (DEADSPIN) The Chicago White Sox generated a lot of buzz in Major League Baseball by signing free-agent slugger Munetaka Murakami, a move they made official Monday at a press conference at Rate Field.
It rates as a surprise that Murakami left Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan and signed for two years and $34 million to play first base for the White Sox. Those analyzing the free-agent field projected at the outset that Murakami would make a bigger splash (more like $100-$150 million) with a longer deal somewhere. At those prices, it would need to be somewhere else beside Jerry Reinsdorf's team, which has never signed a free agent for more than $75 million.

12/24/2025 |  Steph Curry Exits Under Armour, NikeSkims Debuts + More of 2025’s Surprise Sneaker Partnership Moves (ESPN) Under Armour allowed the most famous athlete in its history to walk with his brand name and logo, ending a 12-year relationship with Steph Curry that never quite reached its full potential. As the greatest shooter of all time continues to look for a new home — provided Curry Brand doesn’t become a fully solo endeavor, his shoe choices as a free agent are being closely monitored. Meanwhile, Under Armour is trying to find a way out of a prolonged slump.   

12/23/2025 |  It’s been 50 years since a lawyer’s decision unlocked free agency in MLB and changed sports forever (Associated Press (AP)) NEW YORK (AP) — Sports were turned upside down 50 years ago Tuesday by a man who never threw or kicked a ball.

A lawyer with expertise in labor relations struck down Major League Baseball’s reserve clause, which had bound players to their teams since the 1870s.

12/23/2025 |  Chiefs’ New Stadium Site Is Set. Now It’s Royals’ Turn (Front Office Sports)

Now that the Chiefs are officially headed to neighboring Kansas for a new, domed stadium, the spotlight shines brighter on MLB’s Royals, who are also seeking a new facility.
The Royals have been on a parallel path as their current Truman Sports Complex neighbor in pursuit of a new ballpark to succeed Kauffman Stadium, and are aiming to close their own facility deal. Since a stinging April 2024 defeat at the ballot box on a joint measure with the Chiefs for stadium funding, the Royals have conducted their own search, apart from the NFL team.

12/23/2025 |  MLB Teams Fear League Will Pick Winners and Losers in Tech (Front Office Sports) In modern baseball, scouting isn’t just an eye test—it’s an arms race.
Whether fleshing out holes in a swing with motion capture or using high-speed cameras to find the next killer curveball, each MLB team seeks an edge by modernizing how it scouts and develops prospects. Teams regularly hire outside firms to obtain data straight from the ballpark, then deliver the info to front office staffers in an effort to gain an edge over their peers.