Veteran outfielder Adam Eaton did not remain available for long.
Less than 24 hours after the completion of Tuesday's All-Star Game, Eaton has officially joined the Los Angeles Angels:
Welcome to the Halos, Adam! pic.twitter.com/wvFFISBLos
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) July 14, 2021
The Chicago White Sox designated Eaton for assignment last Wednesday and, per ESPN, unconditionally released the 32-year-old Monday. He originally joined the White Sox on a one-year contract worth $8 million that included a team option for next year, and he was slashing .201/.298/.344 with five home runs and 28 RBI across 58 games this season when he was let go.
Eaton spent the previous four campaigns with the Washington Nationals, where he earned his first and, to date, only World Series ring.
The Angels will come off the break at 45-44 and in fourth place in the American League West standings, nine games back of the first-place Houston Astros. Los Angeles opens the second half of the season Friday night at home versus the Seattle Mariners (48-43, seven games behind Houston).
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Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has been named in a lawsuit that was filed in Hawaii on Friday. Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, are being sued by a real estate investor and a broker in Hawaii who have accused Ohtani and Balelo of sabotaging a $240M real estate deal for a development on the Big Island. According to court documents that were obtained by Jimmy Golen of The Associated Press, real estate developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto say Ohtani and Balelo deliberately had them removed from the project “for no reason other than their own financial self-interest.” The lawsuit claims Ohtani was brought into the deal for his promotional value and that he and his agent pushed the founders of the project out using “threats and baseless legal claims.” “Defendants must be held accountable for their actions, not shielded by fame or behind-the-scenes agents acting with impunity,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs bring this suit to expose Defendants’ misconduct and to ensure that the rules of contract, fair dealing, and accountability apply equally to all — celebrity or not.” Hayes and Matsumoto have also accused Ohtani and Balelo of trying to push them out of a similar neighboring development project. The $240M Big Island development is located along Hapuna Beach, which is rated one of the top beaches in the world. Matsumoto was supposed to be the listing agent for the properties, which average more than $17.3M each. A brochure for the project stated that Ohtani, who was called “Japan’s Babe Ruth” has committed to buying one of the 14 properties and acting as a “celebrity spokesperson” for the development. Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700M contract with the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. The two-way star is having another monster year with a .284 average, 42 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.013 OPS entering Tuesday. Ohtani has also returned to pitching this season and has a 2.37 ERA across 19 innings. Ohtani was also connected to a massive gambling scandal last year, though Major League Baseball determined that the 31-year-old was not guilty of any wrongdoing.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is supposed to remain in charge of the team for years even after the sale. Given what just happened with the Boston Celtics, it might only be months. When the Grousbeck family sold the Celtics for $6.1B in March, ESPN reported that Wyc Grousbeck would stay on as the Celtics CEO and governor through the 2027-28 season. Now, new owner Bill Chisholm will take over once the sale is final. That should concern current Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss, whose family sold a majority interest in the Los Angeles Lakers to investor Mark Walter. Buss is supposed to stay on as team governor for "at least a number of years," according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, but new NBA owners haven't been keen on waiting to take control of teams recently. Mark Cuban thought he would continue running the Dallas Mavericks when he sold a controlling interest to the Adelson family in November 2023. Before the end of that season, when Dallas advanced to the NBA Finals, new team governor Patrick Dumont, the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, was firmly in charge. General manager Nico Harrison reported directly to Dumont, which is how Luka Doncic ended up traded to the Lakers despite Cuban's objections. It might be different with the Lakers. Walter has owned a minority share in the Lakers since 2021, so he's had a working relationship with Buss. Her role as team governor may be a condition of the sale itself. With the team preparing for a long-term future with Doncic, Walter and his fellow owners might opt for continuity in the team governor role. But in general, people do not spend billions of dollars on a professional sports team so that someone else can be in charge. Buss is in charge of the Lakers now. Recent history says she won't be for long.
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore, who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of, but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Connor McDavid has yet to sign a contract extension with the Edmonton Oilers, but according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, there’s no reason for fans to panic. In a recent video shared by Bleacher Report, Seravalli said that negotiations are still in their early stages, with neither side at the point where numbers have been exchanged. Seravalli reports: “To give you a quick update, it’s been a very busy social summer for Connor McDavid, as everyone saw on social media. He was overseas in Europe at best friend Leon Draisaitl‘s wedding. We all saw the videos of him on jet skis with Leon Draisaitl and the now infamous photo that he posted of himself smoking a dart at his own wedding… numbers haven’t even been exchanged yet they’re still kind of very early on in the process.” He adds that there doesn’t seem to be any hint of nerves, panic, or fear from the player or the Edmonton Oilers side of things. Seravalli explains: “As best as I can tell, I’d expect in relatively short order here, whether it’s in the next week or two, that that process will begin to ramp up and that essentially the way it’s been explained to me is, the minute that Connor McDavid picks his head up off the pillow and decides that he would like to have a contract extension done, that’s the day that it’ll happen.” He says, it could be that quick because there’s not really much of a negotiation here. Time for Oilers Fans to Breathe This report should provide reassurance to Oilers fans concerned about the timing of the McDavid extension. His extension is the most important thing on the team’s to-do list, and any worry he might not want to stay has fans concerned. While the absence of a signed deal may attract headlines and speculation, insiders suggest the situation does not indicate the sky is falling. As the summer progresses, don’t be shocked if a McDavid announcement comes out of nowhere. It’s the kind of situation where there could be crickets one day and a done deal the next.
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