Chicago White Sox All-Star closer Liam Hendriks announced he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and will begin treatment Monday.

Hendriks disclosed his condition Sunday in an Instagram post in which he said he was optimistic he will make a full recovery. The 33-year-old stated he received news of his cancer in recent days.

"Hearing the word 'Cancer' came as a shock to my wife and I, as it does to millions of families each year," Hendriks wrote. "However, I am resolved to embrace the fight and overcome this new challenge with the same determination I have used when facing other obstacles in my life.

"My treatment begins [Monday], and I am confident that I will make a full recovery and be back on the mound as soon as possible. I know with the support of my wife, my family, my teammates and the Chicago White Sox organisation, along with the treatment and care from my doctors, I will get through this."

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement the team does not expect to have a further update on Hendriks' playing status until after the team's March 30 season opener.

"Our thoughts and reactions at this time are for Liam the person, not Liam the baseball player," Hahn said. "I know the entire Chicago White Sox organisation, our staff, his teammates, and certainly White Sox fans, will rally in support of Liam and Kristi during the coming months.

"Knowing everyone involved, especially Liam, we are optimistic he will pitch again for the White Sox as soon as viable. In the meantime, we all will do all everything in our power to support our teammate and his family as they face this challenge, while also respecting their privacy."

Hendriks, a native Australian known for his fiery competitive demeanour, was named an All-Star for the third time in 2022 and finished the season third in the majors with 37 saves.

The right-hander earned the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year award in 2020 with the Oakland Athletics, then received the honour again the following year after leading the AL with 38 saves in his first season with the White Sox.

Hendriks left Oakland to sign a three-year, $54million contract with the White Sox in January 2021.

The Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday cut ties with embattled pitcher Trevor Bauer, designating the right-hander for assignment.

The Dodgers are responsible for the more than $22.5million remaining on Bauer’s contract. He is free to sign with any major league team for the $720,000 minimum and can play immediately after completing a record-long suspension for violating MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy.

In a statement, the franchise said: "The Dodgers organization believes that allegations of sexual assault or domestic violence should be thoroughly investigated, with due process gives to the accused. From the beginning we have fully cooperated with Major League Baseball’s investigation and strictly followed the process stipulated under MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

"Two extensive reviews of all the available evidence in this case – one by Commissioner Manfred and another by a neutral arbitrator – concluded that Mr. Bauer’s actions warranted the longest ever active player suspension in our sport for violations of this policy. Now that this process has been completed, and after careful consideration, we have decided that he will no longer be part of our organisation."

The Dodgers signed Bauer – the 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner – to a three-year, $102m contract in February 2021. He made 17 starts during the ensuing season before he was placed on administrative leave due to sexual assault allegations brought forth by a woman in San Diego. Two other additional women from Ohio have made similar allegations.

He received an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred for violating the league’s domestic violence and sexual assault policy.

In February 2022, Los Angeles prosecutors decided not to charge Bauer for allegedly beating and sexually abusing the San Diego woman because they said they were unable to prove her accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.

Bauer, 31, has maintained he did nothing wrong, saying that everything that happened between him and the woman was consensual.

The players' association filed a grievance on Bauer's behalf, and a three-person panel headed by independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman started hearing the case last May.

In a ruling on December 22, Scheinman upheld a 194-game suspension rather than Manfred's intended 324-game penalty and reinstated Bauer immediately. Scheinman affirmed that Bauer violated MLB's policy and docked his pay for the first 50 games of 2023, covering part of the period the pitcher was on paid leave in 2021 and 2022.

In 10 major league seasons with the Dodgers, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Arizona, Bauer is 83-69 with a 3.79 ERA in 222 games, including 212 starts.

The New York Mets are considering ending their pursuit of Carlos Correa as an impasse continues in contract talks between the team and the star shortstop’s camp, according to a report from New York sports television network SNY.

Correa and the Mets had agreed to a 12-year, $315 million contract on December 21, shortly after the San Francisco Giants pulled out of a 13-year, $350m agreement with the two-time All-Star over concerns about a previous ankle injury.

The Mets also raised issues about Correa’s surgically repaired ankle following a physical exam which has since held up that deal as well, and Friday’s report stated the team remains 'frustrated' in its attempts to revise contract language to the point it’s contemplating walking away altogether.

The New York Post reported Thursday that Correa’s agent, Scott Boras, has restarted discussions with other teams while remaining in contact with the Mets. Sirius XM MLB Radio Network analyst Jim Bowden announced on Friday that Correa’s former team, the Minnesota Twins, have re-entered talks with the 28-year-old still unsigned.

According to the New York Post report, a source within the Mets organisation said the team was still optimistic it could reach an agreement.

Correa signed a three-year, $105m contract with the Twins shortly after last offseason’s lockout ended in March, with the deal containing an opt-out clause after one year that was ultimately exercised.

The 2015 American League Rookie of the Year hit .291 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in 136 games for Minnesota last season.

Correa spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Houston Astros, who selected the Puerto Rico native first overall in the 2012 draft, and was a core part of that team’s run to the 2017 World Series title. He is a career .279 hitter with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs in 888 games.

The New York Yankees have hired former Mets general manager Omar Minaya as a senior advisor to baseball operations.

Minaya is the second former general manager to join the Yankees front office this week. The team hired onetime San Francisco Giants GM Brian Sabean on Tuesday to work as an executive advisor to GM Brian Cashman.

The 64-year-old Minaya served as GM of the Mets from 2004 to 2010 after becoming Major League Baseball's first Hispanic general manager when he held that role for the Montreal Expos from 2002 to 2004.

Minaya returned to the Mets in 2017, following a three-year stint as an advisor for the MLB Players Association, as an assistant to then-GM Sandy Alderson.

He left that post following the 2020 season but was rehired by the organisation in 2021 as a team ambassador.

The New York City native also worked as the San Diego Padres' vice-president of baseball operations from 2011 to 2015 and spent the 2022 season as an amateur scouting consultant for MLB.

Minaya is the third former general manager currently employed by the Yankees. Former Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry has been with the club since 2012 as a special assignment scout.

The New York Yankees made an addition to their front office on Tuesday, hiring Brian Sabean as executive advisor to senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman.

Sabean, who began his career in major league baseball with the Yankees nearly four decades ago, spent the last 30 years with the San Francisco Giants and was the architect of the franchise’s World Series championship dynasty over the last decade.

The 66-year-old Sabean served as the Giants’ GM from 1996 to 2014 before being promoted to executive vice president of baseball operations – a position he held until after the 2018 season, when he stepped down to serve as a scout.

During his 18 years of service as the Giants’ GM, the franchise won the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series championships, four NL pennants and five division titles.

The Giants released a statement thanking him for his services.

“The San Francisco Giants would like to extend its deepest gratitude to Brian Sabean for his enormous contributions to our organisation and wish him the best of luck in his new position with the New York Yankees.”

Sabean’s first job in MLB was for the Yankees, working as a scout in 1985. The following year he was promoted to director of scouting and by 1990 he we named vice president of player and development.

He held that position through the 1992 season before being hired by the Giants as assistant to the GM and vice president of scouting/player personnel.

San Francisco Giants executive Farhan Zaidi confirmed it was a "difference of opinion on the medical review" that caused the franchise's $350million free agent deal with Carlos Correa to fall apart.

Correa, 28, sent shockwaves through the league when he agreed to a 13-year free agent deal with the Giants, only for the signing to be called off three hours before the scheduled introductory press conference.

With San Francisco off the table, Correa and agent Scott Boras moved on to the New York Mets, agreeing to a 12-year, $315m contract – which has still not been finalised as they tackle the same medical issues that scared away the Giants.

In his first interview since the debacle, Zaidi made an effort to insist those risks are simply a part of the free agent game.

"I was on the phone with Scott Boras on the Monday that we did Carlos' physical right when his plane landed," he said. "So any suggestion that this was an 11th-hour thing is just not accurate.

"As soon as we had information, we shared it. We have a good working relationship with Scott Boras and his agency."

Zaidi confirmed the Giants and Correa's camp had "a difference of opinion on the medical review" – with ESPN's reporting adding that it is regarding an ankle injury and subsequent surgery on the issue back in 2014.

The Giants were also considered the favourites to land the top free agent on the market, but reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge shunned them to return to the New York Yankees on a nine-year, $360m deal.

As a result, Zaidi himself became a target online of disgruntled Giants fans, and he admitted that is hard to get use to.

"It's always a little jarring when you open up your Twitter app just to see what's happening in the world and your name is trending," he said. "That's generally not a good thing.

"At the end of the day I understand it comes with the territory. We have fans that really care, really are invested in this team and at the end of the day our job is to just put a compelling, fun team to watch on the field.

"This is baseball, I feel really fortunate to be in this job, I love it. I love the responsibility that comes with it, and part of my responsibility when things don't go your way is to support and lift other people up and not dwell on the negatives."

The Giants ended up addressing their outfield need with former Seattle Mariner Mitch Haniger on a three-year, $43.5m deal, as well as New York Mets left-handed bat Michael Conforto for two years and $36m.

The Texas Rangers continued to add to their rotation Tuesday, signing pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to a two-year, $34million deal.

The contract includes a third-year vesting player option, and performance bonuses could increase the total value of the contract.

Eovaldi, who turns 33 in February, will be joining his sixth major league team in his 11th season. He spent the past four-and-a-half seasons with the Boston Red Sox and is perhaps best known for his performance in their 2018 World Series win.

In 22-and-a-third innings in those playoffs, Eovaldi went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA, and had wins as a starter in Game 3 of both the American League Division and Championship Series.

The right-hander finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 after going 11-9 with 3.75 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 32 starts. He made two trips to the injured list last season and was limited to 20 starts, going 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA.

The Rangers added two-time NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom on a five-year contract earlier this month and gave left-hander Andrew Heaney a two-year deal a week later. They join holdovers Jon Gray, Jake Odorizzi and Martin Perez in what figures to be a crowded rotation.

Prior to last season, Texas committed a combined $500m on middle infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but finished 68-94 and fired manager Chris Woodward in August.

The New York Mets reportedly harbour concerns regarding Carlos Correa's physical, potentially throwing their 12-year, $315million agreement with the star shortstop into doubt.

Earlier this week, free agent Correa appeared set to join the San Francisco Giants after reportedly agreeing a 13-year, $350m contract with the franchise.

The Giants were set to make their agreement with the two-time MLB All-Star public on Tuesday, only for the news conference to be postponed amid reports of a medical issue arising during Correa's physical.

That delay allowed the Mets to swoop for Correa, with team owner Steve Cohen subsequently telling The New York Post a deal was close to being finalised.

"We need one more thing, and this is it," Cohen said. "This was important. This puts us over the top."

However, Correa could now see a second move collapse in quick succession after a report from The Athletic claimed the Mets are concerned about his surgically repaired lower right leg.

He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a fractured right fibula and minor ligament damage at the age of 19 in 2014.

The report said the Mets have reservations about Correa's long-term fitness, while acknowledging Cohen's public statements on the progress of the deal could make it difficult for them to withdraw entirely.

The New York Post's baseball columnist Jon Heyman said both parties were trying to "work it through".

Correa has made seven trips to the injured list since 2015, with a torn ligament in his thumb, lower back soreness and a fractured rib.

If the Mets were to perform a remarkable U-turn on their decision to pursue Correa, it would represent a severe blow for a player who has only played at least 150 games in a season once in his eight-year career.

Dansby Swanson has detailed his decision to join the Chicago Cubs, explaining the sentimental reasons behind the move.

The shortstop left his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves, to pen a seven-year, $177million contract that stands as the second-richest deal in franchise history.

That ended a six-year stint with Atlanta and Swanson revealed a sentimental motive to making the move to Chicago. Indeed, he used to watch the Cubs' games with his grandfather, who died a week ago.

"Every time I walked in, he would have the Cubs game on," he said in his introductory press conference on Wednesday.

"He just loved baseball so much. Being a Cub means more to me than people will realise. It's no secret I left my hometown team to be here."

Swanson did concede that his first choice was to remain with the Braves, though it was a feeling he believes was not reciprocated.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope that I would be back home," he admitted. "Atlanta is where I always envisioned myself, especially after I got traded. I'm a homebody, my family is there.

"There are deep roots there, but at the end of the day, I reached out [to the Braves] plenty in the offseason, and got the pretty clear sense that they were going to move on.

"We were on our honeymoon, and we felt this is where we were supposed to be regardless."

Swanson married professional soccer player Mallory Pugh, who plays for Chicago Red Stars, just a day before the death of his grandfather, and thinks the cards fell exactly how they should have.

"I walked down to the field today and looked at my wife and said: this is where we're supposed to be," he added.

Carlos Correa's proposed deal to join the San Francisco Giants collapsed due to a "difference of opinion", a team statement said on Wednesday.

Having agreed a 13-year, $350 million contract last week, the Giants cancelled a proposed press conference on Tuesday to announce the signing – with reports stating this was due to a medical issue.

While it was suggested the deal would still be finalised, the delay allowed the New York Mets to swoop and a slightly shorter 12-year, $315 million agreement was reached to bring Correa to New York, according to the New York Post.

The Giants have now had their say in the remarkable sequence of events in a brief statement, where President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed the deal ended due to a "difference of opinion" that arose following a physical evaluation.

"While we are prohibited from disclosing confidential medical information, as Scott Boras stated publicly, there was a difference of opinion over the results of Carlos’ physical examination. We wish Carlos the best," the statement read.

With seven trips to the injured list since 2015, Correa has dealt with durability issues in his eight-year career and has played at least 150 games in a season just once.

However, Correa played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 in 2021 and 136 last season.

Boras, Correa's agent, spoke to The Athletic on Wednesday and dubbed the medical concerns "speculative dynamics": "You're talking about a player who has played eight major-league seasons. There are things in his medical record that happened decades ago. These are all speculative dynamics.

"Every team has a right to go through things and evaluate things. The key thing is, we gave them [the Giants] medical reports at the time. They still wanted to sign the player and negotiate with the player."

Aaron Judge has been named as the 16th captain in New York Yankees franchise history after signing a blockbuster contract.

The 31-year-old put pen to paper on a record-breaking nine-year, $360million deal on Tuesday to extend his stay with the Yankees and has now become the first franchise captain since Derek Jeter retired in 2014.

Crowned AL MVP last month, Judge broke the single-season Yankees and AL home-run record, reaching 62 to surpass Roger Maris Sr's 61 – set in 1961. He became the fourth Major League player to hit 62 or more homers in a single season.

Judge has set his sights high in his new position, plotting a course for multiple championships.

"It's a blessing and an honour. Getting a chance to continue something the Yankees are so big on, which is legacy, getting a chance to continue my legacy here in pinstripes in the best city in the world, the best baseball city in front of the best fans, this is an incredible honour," he said during a press conference.

"It goes without saying what an honour that is. I look back at the list of Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, that's a pretty good list right there.

"Not only great baseball players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees, how they pride themselves on the field day in and day out, how they take pride in what they do off the field to represent this organisation and represent these pinstripes.

"This is an incredible honour that I don't take lightly and I'm going to continue to try to be the same leader that I've been the last six years, continue to lead by example.

"I know there's probably going to be a couple more responsibilities with this, but I'm here to embrace every single obstacle and continue to lead this team and this city to not one but multiple championships down the road."

The Yankees finished last season as AL East champions for the first time since 2019 but have not competed in the World Series since 2009, when they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies.

Carlos Correa has agreed to instead join the New York Mets after confirmation of his deal with the San Francisco Giants was delayed.

The Giants looked to have secured their franchise shortstop with the signing of the former Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins star to a 13-year, $350million contract in free agency.

That agreement was set to be made public on Tuesday, only for the news conference to be postponed amid reports of a medical issue arising during Correa's physical.

It was suggested the deal would still be finalised, only for the Mets to swoop and agree terms with Correa that were reported early on Wednesday.

A slightly shorter 12-year, $315m contract – no longer tying Bryce Harper for the longest free-agent deal in MLB history – is to take Correa to New York, according to The New York Post.

"We need one more thing, and this is it," Mets owner Steve Cohen told the publication. "This was important. This puts us over the top. This is a good team. I hope it's a good team!"

It is said the Mets will use Correa at third base, with good friend Francisco Lindor continuing at shortstop.

This deal, like the pact with the Giants, is subject to a physical.

Correa has dealt with durability issues during his eight-year career, playing at least 150 games in a season just once.

He has made seven trips to the injured list since 2015, with a torn ligament in his thumb, lower back soreness and a fractured rib.

However, Correa played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 in 2021 and 136 last season.

Carlos Correa’s megadeal with the San Francisco Giants is not a done deal just yet apparently.

The Giants postponed a press conference on Tuesday to introduce the star shortstop over a medical issue that arose during Correa’s physical, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Correa and the Giants agreed last week to a 13-year, $350 million contract with a physical pending before the deal became official. One source told The Associated Press that the news conference was put on hold because the sides were awaiting results of testing, while a second person said a medical issue arose during Correa’s physical.

Correa, 28, has dealt with durability issues during his eight-year career, playing at least 150 games in a season just once.

He has made seven trips to the injured list since 2015, with a torn ligament in his thumb, lower back soreness and a fractured rib. Correa, however, played 58 games in the shortened 60-game season in 2020, followed by 148 contests in 2021 and 136 last season.

It remains to be seen whether the team simply wants to conduct further tests or if there is evidence of something that could lead to the deal being called off or even restructured.

Correa hit .291 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs last season for the Minnesota Twins after spending his first seven seasons with the Houston Astros.

He has a .279 career average with 155 home runs and 553 RBIs and has excelled in the postseason, batting .272 with 18 homers and 59 RBIs in 79 games.

Correa signed a $105.3 million, three-year deal with the Twins in March but opted out after one year and became a free agent again.

His deal with the Giants would be the fourth largest in baseball history in terms of total money. Only Mike Trout ($426.5 million, 12 years), Mookie Betts ($365 million, 12 years) and Aaron Judge ($360 million, nine years) have bigger contracts.

The Giants made a run at signing Judge and have been desperate to add a marquee player to a team that went 81-81 last season, a year after winning a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West.

The home run ball hit by New York Yankees star Aaron Judge to set the new American League record this season sold for $1.5million on Saturday via collectables marketplace Goldin.

Judge hit his 62nd home run on October 4 at Texas to break a tie with former Yankee Roger Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961.

Cory Youmans caught Judge’s 62nd home run in the left field seats at Globe Life Field in Arlington, and turned down a $3million offer before deciding to put the ball up for auction.

The ball is the second-most expensive sold at auction behind the $3.05million paid by comic book artist Todd McFarlane for Mark McGwire’s 70th homer in 1998 when he was with the St Louis Cardinals.

"Multiple players have hit more home runs in a season, but in many people's eyes, Aaron Judge is the true record-holder," Ken Goldin, the executive chairman and founder of Goldin, told ESPN.

"The fact that this is the second-highest total ever paid for a baseball speaks to the respect that fans and collectors have for Aaron.

"That's the magic of sports – this ball didn't only change Aaron's life, it changed the life of the fan who was in the stadium that night, too.

"We're so proud to have been trusted by Cory to present this piece of history for public auction."

Judge was named the American League Most Valuable Player after batting .311 with 62 homers and 131 RBIs in 157 games.

He agreed to a nine-year, $360million contract with the Yankees earlier this month, making Judge the highest-paid position player in Major League Baseball history at $40million per season.

The Chicago Cubs took the last star shortstop off the free-agent market on Saturday, agreeing to a 7-year, $177 million contract with Dansby Swanson, sources told ESPN.

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a full no-trade clause, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

Swanson was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, but he was traded to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal that December.

He spent each of his seven MLB seasons with the Braves, helping them to a World Series championship in 2021 after batting .248 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs.

He followed that by hitting .277 last season with 25 homers and a career-best 96 RBIs in 162 games. Swanson made the NL All-Star team for the first time and won his first Gold Glove.

The Cubs became the latest team to snag a high-priced shortstop following the San Francisco Giants (Carlos Correa, $350 million), Philadelphia Phillies (Trea Turner, $300 million) and San Diego Padres (Xander Bogaerts, $280 million).

With Swanson added, the Cubs likely will move Nico Hoerner from shortstop to second base.

Chicago finished third in the NL Central last season but did go 40-31 in its final 71 games. Besides Swanson, the Cubs signed 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger to a one-year contract and added right-hander Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal.

Swanson is a career .255 hitter with 102 homers and 411 RBIs in 827 career games.

He got married last weekend to Mallory Pugh, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars, the women’s professional soccer team.