Connect with us

Sports

Dodgers reportedly re-sign Ryan Brasier, trade Caleb Ferguson in corresponding move

Published

on

Dodgers reportedly re-sign Ryan Brasier, trade Caleb Ferguson in corresponding move

Days before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Arizona, the Dodgers’ bullpen situation became a little more clear Monday.

The team and veteran reliever Ryan Brasier reportedly agreed to a two-year, $9-million contract to keep the right-hander in Los Angeles after his resurgent performance last season.

In a related move, the Dodgers also traded left-hander Caleb Ferguson to the New York Yankees.

Brasier, 36, returns to the Dodgers after emerging as the club’s top set-up man over the second half of last season. Originally an Angels draft pick who spent most of his seven-year MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Brasier was released by Boston last May following early-season struggles and signed with the Dodgers in June.

In Los Angeles, he added a cutter that reinvigorated his pitching arsenal, then quickly established himself as one of the team’s most trusted relievers, giving up just three earned runs in 39 total outings (good for a minuscule 0.70 ERA).

Advertisement

While his re-signing didn’t come until the end of the offseason, the sides expressed mutual interest in a reunion all winter. In addition to the $9 million of guaranteed salary, Brasier’s deal also reportedly includes incentives that could raise its total value to $13 million.

Ferguson, 27, never quite reached the same heights during a five-year tenure with the Dodgers. Though the former 38th-round draft pick managed an unexpected rise to the big leagues and posted a solid 3.43 ERA over his time with the team (which included a year-long recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2021), he battled inconsistency in high-leverage situations last year, failing to ever fully separate himself as the club’s top left-handed reliever.

Caleb Ferguson pitches for the Dodgers against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 27, 2023.

(Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)

Advertisement

With Brasier back and Ferguson gone, the Dodgers’ bullpen hierarchy now seems to be falling into place.

Evan Phillips remains the most trusted back-end option, in line to reprise his role as the closer after earning 24 saves last year. Brasier and fellow right-hander Brusdar Graterol figure to highlight the club’s other primary high-leverage options. Joe Kelly was re-signed earlier in the winter, giving the team another hard-throwing weapon on the back end.

Alex Vesia is now the only late-inning lefty remaining from last year’s team — though the Dodgers acquired another MLB-experienced southpaw, Matt Gage, from the Yankees in exchange for Ferguson. Gage has given four earned runs in 19⅔ innings with the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros the last two years.

The Dodgers also acquired Christian Zazueta, a 19-year-old pitching prospect in the Yankees’ Dominican Summer League affiliate, in the deal.

Monday’s news was first reported by the New York Post.

Advertisement

Even without a clear top left-hander last year, the Dodgers bullpen held up well against left-handed hitters. According to Fangraphs, the team had the third-lowest batting average against when facing lefty hitters in “high leverage” situations, with a .207 mark. Braiser, Graterol and Phillips were particularly effective in such spots, each holding left-handed hitters to a sub-.225 average last year (better marks than either Ferguson or Vesia).

It means, even with a relative lack of left-handed options, the Dodgers might be comfortable trusting their core group of right-handers to handle batters on either side of the plate late in games.

It was a plan that helped the team finish last year with one of the hottest bullpens in the majors — and one they seem to be planning to replicate going into 2024.

Dodgers pitchers and catchers report to camp on Friday and the rest of the team on Feb. 14.

Advertisement

Sports

Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

Published

on

Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever. 

The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.

Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season. 

Advertisement

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.

Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries. 

A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)

Advertisement

Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career. 

Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)

Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.

Advertisement

When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article

Falcons make decision on Kirk Cousins two years after signing him to $180 million contract

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

Published

on

Prep talk: Freshman golfer William Hudson of St. John Bosco wins Servite Invitational

William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.

“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.

Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.

Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.

“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.

Advertisement

He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.

“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”

It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.

Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

Published

on

Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.

McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.

A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.

Advertisement

WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)

“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.

“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.

No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.

In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)

Advertisement

Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.

McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.

He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”

“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”

Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)

Advertisement

State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.

“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video. 

“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.

An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.

The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.

Advertisement

After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”

Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Advertisement

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article

Former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, Securities and Exchange Commission reach settlement after lengthy probe

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending