Gerrit Cole says he always intended to remain with the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old right-hander exercised his right to opt out of his contract on the third day after the World Series, giving up

The Mets will pay Soto $765 million over 15 years after topping a 16-year, $760 million offer from the Yankees.

That is among the central questions facing the Yankees as pitchers and catchers report to Tampa on Tuesday for spring training (position players report five days later). There is no outright replacing Soto who teamed with Aaron Judge to form the most electric 2-3 batting order punch in the big leagues.

There's a new No. 2 in the New York Yankees' rotation behind Gerrit Cole. A familiar face is getting a fresh start leading the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani & Co. are preparing a title defense.

Three days after the Eagles ended their season the way every team dreams of, the Phillies gather in Clearwater to embark on what they hope is a championship journey of their own.