REPORTED BY: FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal MORE: Five worst MLB draft misses for each franchise | Worst All-Star Game starters THE DETAILS: The A’s are not only interested in pitching help from the Nats, but also in rookie outfielder Michael Taylor, who is filling in for the injured left fielder Jayson Werth. In need of a middle reliever as the team enters Friday’s game ranked 20th in team ERA in the seventh inning or later (3....

And the White Sox apparently will listen to offers, Rosenthal writes. But White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf tells the Chicago Tribune he doesn't expect the team to move Sale. Sale, 24, is under team control through 2019, so Chicago likely would hold out for a major haul before dealing him. The lefty had a 3.04 ERA (good for seventh in the AL), 1.073 WHIP (third) and 226 strikeouts (third) in 2013....

That’s rare with a position player, but Bryant has all kinds of versatility. Basically, he’s not a middle infielder or a catcher, but that’s it: Just this year alone, he’s started 25 games at third base, 24 in right field, 19 in left field, 10 at first base and 10 in center field. He’s not necessarily a Gold Glove guy at any position, but he’s certainly capable at each position, which adds a lot of extra value....

The idea is to look at the players that will be available when contenders come calling, with one featured player per team and a quick run-through of other position players and pitchers on the block. Today, we’re looking at the Rockies. Colorado harbored hopes of a playoff miracle this season, but that hasn’t happened. The Rockies are 43-50 on the year, which puts them 13.5 games behind the Giants in the NL West and eight full games out of the second wild-card spot, with a bunch of teams in front of them....

RUMOR: With baseball’s Winter Meetings underway, the Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals have been linked to Kansas City Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain. REPORTED BY: Los Angeles Times and St. Louis Post-DispatchDETAILS: Cain, a 2015 All-Star, is due $11 million next season before becoming a free agent next winter and fits the outfield needs of the Dodgers and Cardinals, who parted ways with Josh Reddick and Matt Holliday, respectively....

The Red Sox defeated the Yankees 19-3 to “cut” their deficit to New York in the division to 10 games. They did so by once again shelling starter Masahiro Tanaka. Boston knocked Tanaka out of his start in the London Series in the first inning, and while it didn’t do that on Thursday, it started pummeling him from the very beginning. The Red Sox plated seven runs in the first inning off of Tanaka, the most scored in an opening frame for Boston against the Yankees since 1989....

One of the biggest revelations from the interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired Sunday night on CBS News, was the claim that Meghan and Harry’s son Archie had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the Royal Family about “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” “That was relayed to me from Harry, those were conversations that family had with him,” Meghan, who is biracial, said....

Martin Luther King III shared his endorsement in a video message posted online by Yang, a former Democratic presidential hopeful and New York City-based businessman. King III highlighted his father’s calls for universal basic income—a signature policy position Yang has popularized—in his endorsement of the mayoral candidate. Describing Yang as “my friend,” King III said he would serve as co-chair of the mayoral hopeful’s New York City campaign. “Endorsing Andrew has special meaning for me this weekend,” he said....

Minnesota will play its first MLS match, and the first game of the 2017 season, on the road at the Portland Timbers on Friday, March 3. Its home opener will be the following weekend against Atlanta United at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium, where the club will play its inaugural season until a new stadium is ready in 2018. Atlanta’s first MLS game will be against the New York Red Bulls on March 5 at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, the club’s temporary home until Mercedes-Benz Stadium is completed later in the season....

There were incidents before, during and after the 1-0 Nashville SC win that led to a fan getting ejected, and the teams vowed to not enter the field Sunday prior to the national anthem. During last week’s game, there were boos during the anthem, and one fan who threw a water bottle at the players while kneeling was removed from the stadium. Among the players riddled with insults was FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon, who called the acts “absolutely disgusting....

Going into the 2017 Gold Cup, spots were on the line. Spots for later in that tournament. Spots for World Cup qualifying this fall. And of course, spots for Russia in 2018. That presented a unique set of circumstances for Besler and his United States teammates. And those circumstances saw the U.S. win two of of its three group-stage matches and draw the other — but in less than convincing fashion....

Multiple teams took advantage of the flood of allocation money that has recently poured into the league, while others benefited from the influx of talented international players available in the draft. It was clear some teams were going to stay away from foreign players due to limits in international player slots, and that paved the way for a few teams to snatch up impressive draft-day hauls. Los Angeles FC set the tone for the day by not only keeping the top overall pick, but also pulling off the first deal of the day by grabbing the third overall pick....

Each club was allowed to protect 11 players, with homegrown players from a club’s off-budget roster and Generation Adidas players automatically protected without counting toward that total. No club can lose more than one player in the draft. Seattle Sounders midfielders Osvaldo Alonso and Harry Shipp, Minnesota United midfielder Miguel Ibarra, New York City FC defender Maxime Chanot, Toronto FC winger Raheem Edwards, and San Jose Earthquakes forward Marco Urena are among the notable names available in Tuesday’s draft....

If it seems like clubs from these two leagues face off deep in the competition every season, that’s because they do. In fact, a club from either Liga MX or MLS has contested the final of the North American continental championship in every season since it was relaunched as the Champions League in 2008. Still, the rivalry between the leagues has been one-sided. No MLS club has ever won the CONCACAF Champions League in its current iteration, needing to go all the way back to 2000 when it was known as the CONCACAF Cup and the LA Galaxy won the tournament....

The Galaxy and Sounders played the first of what could be four meetings between the two best teams in the league. Seattle’s stirring comeback from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 tie showed us that this Sounders team just might be able to do what previous versions couldn’t – beat the Galaxy when it counts. No, Seattle didn’t win on Sunday, but it came away from the match having taken control of the race for the Supporters’ Shield, needing only a draw in the return meeting in Seattle next week to grab the club’s first Shield, and the top overall seed in the playoffs....

The MMA fighter was pumped after his first-round submission victory at Bellator 143 on Friday night. He celebrated by doing a backflip off the cage, but Caldwell didn’t realize a camerawoman was in the ring behind him capturing his excitement. MORE: UFC champs by weight class | Who gets the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title? It appeared the camerawoman did not suffer a serious injury, and Caldwell made a nice gesture by coming over to apologize....

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of a dear member of the Bellator family, Jordan Parsons,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a statement. MORE: Notable sports deaths of 2016 “Jordan was an exceptional athlete and a rising star in the sport. But more importantly, he was an exceptional young man. Jordan was hard-working, dedicated, intelligent, and a pleasure to be around. He represented all the reasons we love this sport....

Sometimes they want to keep going despite important body parts failing them. During a fight against Jose Johnston, Alan Gray’s eye popped out. Don’t worry, it was a prosthetic but no less important. The eye rolls in a circle which gives off the the impression that it’s fake. If it were a regular circular eye, it would’ve just rolled straight. No matter the trajectory of the eye or its authenticity, it’s still shocking....

Although the rules vary depending on the state, country, and organization, the most common set of guidelines in MMA comes from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC is one of the main organizations that follow those rules, when allowed. The Sporting News will be providing all the information you need regarding how an MMA fight is scored. What are the Unified Rules of MMA? Per the Unified Rules of MMA, scoring in each round is based on the following: Effective striking/grappling Aggressiveness Octagon/cage control...

Williams, the Robin to LeBron James’ Batman six years ago, rejoined the Cavaliers this offseason on a two-year deal. And when Kyrie Irving’s knee injury proved more serious than initially expected, he got thrust back into a starting job — again helping James lead the offense. MORE: NBA awards and predictions | President Obama: ‘Glad my Bulls are over in the East’ Williams said before the season he wanted the best opportunity to win a title....