The Milwaukee Brewers and free-agent second baseman Kolten Wong have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract, according to MLB reporter Jon Morosi.

Wong, a Gold Glove winner at his position the past two seasons, will join the team on a two-year contract valued at $18 million, which includes a team option for a third year which would take the total value of the contract to $26 million.

The Hawaii native joins a former division rival after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Once considered a top-100 prospect in the game, Wong established himself as a dependable defensive second baseman that frustrated fans at times with struggles at the plate.

A disappointing offensive performance that saw him hit only .265 with one home run was part of the reason that the Cardinals declined his team option for 2021, making him a free agent.

Now, Wong will become Milwaukee’s everyday second baseman, and young star Keston Hiura will move over to first base. This is a move that should help the Brewers strengthen their infield defensively and thus fills an important hole in their roster.

Expect the signing of the new Brewers second baseman to become official over next couple of days ahead of the start of Spring Training at the end of this month.

The post Brewers Sign Gold Glove 2B Kolten Wong to Multi-Year Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a four-month-long regular season, three rounds of playoffs, and one rest week before the fireworks begin, Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is coming up on Sunday with a chance to win one of the biggest titles in sports on the line.

The Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions led by legendary coach Andy Reid and the biggest current star in the league in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, will have a tough task if they want to repeat as champs.

Quarterback Tom Brady shocked the football world by leaving the New England Patriots after twenty seasons, six Super Bowl titles, and three NFL MVP Awards and heading to the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers to revitalize the franchise, which hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007.

So, who will win the big game? Let’s break it down and choose a winner.

Offense

The biggest draw of this matchup is the incredible duel that should take place between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, arguably the league’s best two quarterbacks.

Not only this, but both teams have elite receiving weapons. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins have been a nightmare for opposing secondaries on the Chiefs’ end, while the Buccaneers’ group including recently un-retired Rob Gronkowski and star receiver Mike Evans don’t fall far behind.

The two teams’ running games might not have much of an impact on the game, but the Chiefs are more of a threat to use their backs both on the ground.

Advantage: Slightly Chiefs

Defense

One of the reasons that so many people are choosing a shootout in this game is because neither the Chiefs nor the Buccaneers are quite known for having an elite defense.

Just ask the Tampa Bay secondary about how much it struggled in their first meeting against Kansas City. Tyreek Hill was able to total 269 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, and Mahomes put up 462 in a 27-24 win.

While neither team has a great secondary, though we do think the Chiefs’ is slightly better, the Bucs do at least have one elite group: its run defense. They allowed fewer yards than any other team in the league, but will it matter against a pass-heavy Chiefs offense?

Advantage: Draw

Special Teams/Coaching

When it comes to kickers and punters, there is virtually nothing separating these two teams. Both Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and Bucs kicker Ryan Succop made more than 90% of their field goals this season, while KC punter Tommy Townsend and Tampa punter Bradley Pinion both averaged just over 45 yards per punt.

Both teams are mediocre at returning punts, but KC has had more kickoff return success, averaging 25.8 yards per return and even racking up a touchdown thanks to Tyreek Hill’s work here.

Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are both excellent coaches in their own regard, but we have to give the Chiefs the edge, as Reid has won this level magnitude of game before and has decades of experience while Arians has been a head coach for less than a decade.

Advantage: Chiefs

Prediction

This could end up being a Super Bowl for the ages as two of the best offenses in recent league history duel.

It is difficult to pick against a player of Tom Brady’s pedigree, but the Chiefs are a more complete team and come into the game with the confidence of having done this before.

I predict that Kansas City will win a 34-30 shootout.

The post Predicting Super Bowl LV: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Major League Baseball organization, after offering a proposal to the league’s Players Union which would have delayed the start of the season by a few weeks, has decided that they will instead start on time.

The MLB initially offered a 154-game schedule which would have started in late April, along with changes including a universal designated hitter and the playoffs expanding from 10 to 14 teams.

However, the Players Association decided not to accept these changes due in large part to the fact that pitchers have already begun “ramping up” in preparations for the season, and also what they perceived to be enhanced powers for Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Despite the potential benefits of delaying the season, including potentially lower COVID-19 case rates and wider vaccine distribution, which would have made outbreaks less likely, the players simply decided that the offer wasn’t up to par.

“We do not make this decision lightly. Players know first-hand the efforts that were required to complete the abbreviated 2020 season, and we appreciate that significant challenges lie ahead,” said the MLBPA in a statement.

They later concluded: “We look forward to promptly finalizing enhanced health and safety protocols that will help players and clubs meet these challenges.”

Expect players to begin reporting to Arizona and Florida for Spring Training just a few weeks from now.

The post MLB to Start Season On Time After Union Talks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams, adding an arm that will in all likelihood become a member of the team’s starting pitching rotation in the 2021 season.

The Cubs are very familiar with Williams, as the 28-year-old pitcher spent the past five seasons pitching for their NL Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Williams was designated for assignment and opted for free agency earlier this offseason.

Williams’s new deal will reportedly pay him $3 million, making him a low-risk option for a Cubs rotation that appears thin after the departures of Jose Quintana and Jon Lester.

The San Diego native was a solid mid-rotation starter for the Buccos in 2017 and 2018, posting a 3.55 ERA over 321 innings during those two seasons.

He did, however, struggle in a 2019 season that saw his ERA balloon to 5.38. Those issues continued and even got worse in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as Williams’s ERA jumped to 6.18 in 11 starts.

Chicago will now hope that they will be able to coax the good version of Williams back out after his struggles over the past two seasons and add a stabilizing, veteran presence to its rotation for the upcoming season.

The post Cubs Add RHP Trevor Williams to Bolster Pitching Staff appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies in which they will acquire superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 5-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove Award winner.

The Rockies have committed to a rebuild and thus made the decision to shop their biggest star this offseason. They found a proper suitor in St. Louis, who will now take on the California native’s hefty contract with six years remaining.

Colorado will send $50 million along with Arenado to the Cardinals to help cover the cost of his massive contract, and St. Louis will send a package of prospects that have yet to be revealed in return.

Despite a down year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Arenado has built a reputation as one of the game’s most reliable players thanks to his power production and stellar defense at the hot corner.

He hit only .253 with 8 home runs in 2020, but finished each season from 2015 to 2019 with a .280 batting average or higher and at least 37 home runs.

The deal has yet to be officially announced by the two teams, but expect the news to break from the teams early this week.

The post Cardinals, Rockies Agree to Blockbuster Nolan Arenado Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending seven seasons in the United States as a fixture in the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation, right-handed starter Masahiro Tanaka has agreed to a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles which will send him back home.

Tanaka became a free agent this off-season after his seven-year $155 million deal with the Yankees expired. This was the largest contract ever given to a foreign player, and the veteran right-hander was thought to be a target for many MLB teams. But instead, he decided to follow his heart back to his native land.

The Golden Eagles are the team with which Tanaka became a star, as he became their best pitcher during his tenure with the team from 2007 to 2013.

Tanaka was the Pacific League MVP in his final season with the Golden Eagles and a six-time NPB All-Star for the team, which he helped lead to the Japan Series Championship in 2013.

He will return to his club as a hero and as the ace of its pitching staff after his 7 years in America ended with a 78-46 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a reputation as one of the most reliable righty starters in the game.

Tanaka will begin the new season with the Golden Eagles this summer.

The post Former Yankees SP Masahiro Tanaka to Return to Japan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

With only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training for the 2021 MLB season, there are still a handful of big-name free agents that still haven’t signed a deal with a new team.

The market has changed throughout the winter, with teams having filled roster holes that might have been open back in November, and other possibilities for free agents opening up thanks to non-tenders and trades.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest free agent names still left unsigned, evaluate their markets, and choose a new home for them.

Trevor Bauer

The biggest name left on the market is 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, who dazzled as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball last season.

Bauer has long been an enigma, and has upped his status as a unique figure in the game by stating that he wants to start every fourth game with whatever club he signs for.

It’s clear that Bauer wants to go to a forward-thinking team, and there are plenty of franchises with money to spend and holes in their rotations where he could be a fit. Despite theoretically having enough starting pitching, the Dodgers have been reported to be getting in the fray as a potential destination for the California native.

We think that Bauer, however, will end up across town. We predict that he signs with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-year contract worth $175 million, a team that is so desperate for starting pitching that they might just consider his fourth-day proposal.

Marcell Ozuna

It’s hard for many to believe that Marcell Ozuna, one of the best consistent right-handed power bats in the league, still has not found a new home.

Despite the uncertainty related to the implementation (or not) of a universal DH in 2021, the 30-year-old star, should theoretically fit for any team with a hole in the middle of its lineup. Ozuna isn’t a great fielder, but he is passable in left field and doesn’t necessarily have to be a DH.

We think that Ozuna likely will not return to the Braves team where he thrived in 2020 thanks to their reticence to give out multi-year deals to free agents. Ozuna, we predict, will instead head to the Seattle Mariners for three years and $75 million as they look to compete with an exciting young core.

Justin Turner

The long-time Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman might be getting up there in age, but what is undeniable is that he provides consistent production at third base and would be a great addition to most lineups.

Will Turner stick around in Los Angeles, where he resurged as a player after a mediocre run with the Mets?

We find it difficult to imagine him playing anywhere else, even though there does seem to be a gap between the two sides, with Turner wanting a four-year deal and the Dodgers only offering two. How about they split the gap, with Turner heading back to the Dodgers on a three-year contract worth $60 million?

The post Re-Evaluating the Top MLB Free Agents Left on the Market appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The two biggest rivals in all of Major League baseball somehow linked up to make a trade on Monday, as the New York Yankees sent right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino to the Boston Red Sox.

The trade was only the second in the past 34 years between the bitter rivals after the Sox and Yankees made a swap involving infielders Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson back in 2014.

Ottavino heads to the Red Sox along with prospect Frank German, and the Yankees will receive either a player to be named later or cash for the players they gave up.

The primary driving factor for the Yankees choosing to make this move was cutting salary, as Ottavino is on the hook for $8 million in 2021. The Yankees will reportedly only pay $850,000 of that amount, with Boston paying the rest.

Ottavino will settle in as a key late-inning reliever for Boston if he performs as he has in most of the past eight seasons. Despite a rough shortened 2020 season, the New York native has compiled a sub-3.60 ERA in 75% of seasons beginning in 2013.

The newest Red Sox player will report to camp in Florida over the next couple of weeks.

The post Yankees Trade RP Adam Ottavino to Red Sox appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Celta Vigo is currently in 9th place in La Liga, looking to try to compete for a top-half finish and avoid the relegation worries that they have dealt with over the past two seasons.

One of the winter moves that they have now made in order to achieve that goal is the signing of Argentinian midfielder Augusto Solari.

Solari joins the Sky Blues from Racing Club de Avellaneda, where his contract was set to expire this summer. Celta will reportedly pay only $550,000 for his services due largely to his expiring contract.

The cousin of former La Liga great Santiago Solari, the 29-year-old player played a key role at Racing over the past couple of seasons.

At Celta, he will be reunited with his former coach Eduardo Coudet, where he was a key piece in their memorable 2019 campaign that ended with a Superliga title.

He is expected to play as a right midfielder for Celta and will provide Coudet with an option to switch things up at the position, where Brais Mendez has played the vast majority of minutes.

Solari will begin training with his new team this week and could debut on Sunday at Granada.

The post RM Augusto Solari Moves to Celta Vigo from Racing Club appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Real Madrid suffered one of the most shocking defeats in recent soccer memory, falling in extra time by a 2-1 final score against CD Alcoyano, a tiny club that currently plays in Spain’s third tier of the sport.

Los Blancos took a 0-1 first-half lead after an Eder Militao goal just before the break and looked to have the match in the bag until Alcoyano scored a late goal that took the game to extra time.

An Alcoyano corner resulted in a goal for Jose Solbes in the 80th minute, who was free at the post.

In extra time, Real Madrid tried to avoid a penalty kick round by scoring a game-winning goal, and things looked to fall their way when Alcoyano defender Ramon Lopez was sent off with 10 minutes to go.

However, against all odds, in a counter-attack, Madrid let in the game-winning goal as Juanan Casanova beat Andriy Lunin to his right and sent the home bench into pandemonium.

Alcoyano headed on to advance to the Round of 16, and Real Madrid continues to fall further into a hole that has them looking unlikely to challenge for any silverware this season barring a miracle.

The post Real Madrid Eliminated From Copa del Rey in Shocking Defeat Vs. Alcoyano appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Milwaukee Brewers and free-agent second baseman Kolten Wong have reportedly agreed to a multi-year contract, according to MLB reporter Jon Morosi.

Wong, a Gold Glove winner at his position the past two seasons, will join the team on a two-year contract valued at $18 million, which includes a team option for a third year which would take the total value of the contract to $26 million.

The Hawaii native joins a former division rival after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Once considered a top-100 prospect in the game, Wong established himself as a dependable defensive second baseman that frustrated fans at times with struggles at the plate.

A disappointing offensive performance that saw him hit only .265 with one home run was part of the reason that the Cardinals declined his team option for 2021, making him a free agent.

Now, Wong will become Milwaukee’s everyday second baseman, and young star Keston Hiura will move over to first base. This is a move that should help the Brewers strengthen their infield defensively and thus fills an important hole in their roster.

Expect the signing of the new Brewers second baseman to become official over next couple of days ahead of the start of Spring Training at the end of this month.

The post Brewers Sign Gold Glove 2B Kolten Wong to Multi-Year Contract appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After a four-month-long regular season, three rounds of playoffs, and one rest week before the fireworks begin, Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is coming up on Sunday with a chance to win one of the biggest titles in sports on the line.

The Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions led by legendary coach Andy Reid and the biggest current star in the league in quarterback Patrick Mahomes, will have a tough task if they want to repeat as champs.

Quarterback Tom Brady shocked the football world by leaving the New England Patriots after twenty seasons, six Super Bowl titles, and three NFL MVP Awards and heading to the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers to revitalize the franchise, which hadn’t made the playoffs since 2007.

So, who will win the big game? Let’s break it down and choose a winner.

Offense

The biggest draw of this matchup is the incredible duel that should take place between Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, arguably the league’s best two quarterbacks.

Not only this, but both teams have elite receiving weapons. Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins have been a nightmare for opposing secondaries on the Chiefs’ end, while the Buccaneers’ group including recently un-retired Rob Gronkowski and star receiver Mike Evans don’t fall far behind.

The two teams’ running games might not have much of an impact on the game, but the Chiefs are more of a threat to use their backs both on the ground.

Advantage: Slightly Chiefs

Defense

One of the reasons that so many people are choosing a shootout in this game is because neither the Chiefs nor the Buccaneers are quite known for having an elite defense.

Just ask the Tampa Bay secondary about how much it struggled in their first meeting against Kansas City. Tyreek Hill was able to total 269 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, and Mahomes put up 462 in a 27-24 win.

While neither team has a great secondary, though we do think the Chiefs’ is slightly better, the Bucs do at least have one elite group: its run defense. They allowed fewer yards than any other team in the league, but will it matter against a pass-heavy Chiefs offense?

Advantage: Draw

Special Teams/Coaching

When it comes to kickers and punters, there is virtually nothing separating these two teams. Both Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and Bucs kicker Ryan Succop made more than 90% of their field goals this season, while KC punter Tommy Townsend and Tampa punter Bradley Pinion both averaged just over 45 yards per punt.

Both teams are mediocre at returning punts, but KC has had more kickoff return success, averaging 25.8 yards per return and even racking up a touchdown thanks to Tyreek Hill’s work here.

Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are both excellent coaches in their own regard, but we have to give the Chiefs the edge, as Reid has won this level magnitude of game before and has decades of experience while Arians has been a head coach for less than a decade.

Advantage: Chiefs

Prediction

This could end up being a Super Bowl for the ages as two of the best offenses in recent league history duel.

It is difficult to pick against a player of Tom Brady’s pedigree, but the Chiefs are a more complete team and come into the game with the confidence of having done this before.

I predict that Kansas City will win a 34-30 shootout.

The post Predicting Super Bowl LV: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Major League Baseball organization, after offering a proposal to the league’s Players Union which would have delayed the start of the season by a few weeks, has decided that they will instead start on time.

The MLB initially offered a 154-game schedule which would have started in late April, along with changes including a universal designated hitter and the playoffs expanding from 10 to 14 teams.

However, the Players Association decided not to accept these changes due in large part to the fact that pitchers have already begun “ramping up” in preparations for the season, and also what they perceived to be enhanced powers for Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Despite the potential benefits of delaying the season, including potentially lower COVID-19 case rates and wider vaccine distribution, which would have made outbreaks less likely, the players simply decided that the offer wasn’t up to par.

“We do not make this decision lightly. Players know first-hand the efforts that were required to complete the abbreviated 2020 season, and we appreciate that significant challenges lie ahead,” said the MLBPA in a statement.

They later concluded: “We look forward to promptly finalizing enhanced health and safety protocols that will help players and clubs meet these challenges.”

Expect players to begin reporting to Arizona and Florida for Spring Training just a few weeks from now.

The post MLB to Start Season On Time After Union Talks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent starting pitcher Trevor Williams, adding an arm that will in all likelihood become a member of the team’s starting pitching rotation in the 2021 season.

The Cubs are very familiar with Williams, as the 28-year-old pitcher spent the past five seasons pitching for their NL Central rivals, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Williams was designated for assignment and opted for free agency earlier this offseason.

Williams’s new deal will reportedly pay him $3 million, making him a low-risk option for a Cubs rotation that appears thin after the departures of Jose Quintana and Jon Lester.

The San Diego native was a solid mid-rotation starter for the Buccos in 2017 and 2018, posting a 3.55 ERA over 321 innings during those two seasons.

He did, however, struggle in a 2019 season that saw his ERA balloon to 5.38. Those issues continued and even got worse in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, as Williams’s ERA jumped to 6.18 in 11 starts.

Chicago will now hope that they will be able to coax the good version of Williams back out after his struggles over the past two seasons and add a stabilizing, veteran presence to its rotation for the upcoming season.

The post Cubs Add RHP Trevor Williams to Bolster Pitching Staff appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Rockies in which they will acquire superstar third baseman Nolan Arenado, a 5-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove Award winner.

The Rockies have committed to a rebuild and thus made the decision to shop their biggest star this offseason. They found a proper suitor in St. Louis, who will now take on the California native’s hefty contract with six years remaining.

Colorado will send $50 million along with Arenado to the Cardinals to help cover the cost of his massive contract, and St. Louis will send a package of prospects that have yet to be revealed in return.

Despite a down year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Arenado has built a reputation as one of the game’s most reliable players thanks to his power production and stellar defense at the hot corner.

He hit only .253 with 8 home runs in 2020, but finished each season from 2015 to 2019 with a .280 batting average or higher and at least 37 home runs.

The deal has yet to be officially announced by the two teams, but expect the news to break from the teams early this week.

The post Cardinals, Rockies Agree to Blockbuster Nolan Arenado Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending seven seasons in the United States as a fixture in the New York Yankees’ pitching rotation, right-handed starter Masahiro Tanaka has agreed to a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles which will send him back home.

Tanaka became a free agent this off-season after his seven-year $155 million deal with the Yankees expired. This was the largest contract ever given to a foreign player, and the veteran right-hander was thought to be a target for many MLB teams. But instead, he decided to follow his heart back to his native land.

The Golden Eagles are the team with which Tanaka became a star, as he became their best pitcher during his tenure with the team from 2007 to 2013.

Tanaka was the Pacific League MVP in his final season with the Golden Eagles and a six-time NPB All-Star for the team, which he helped lead to the Japan Series Championship in 2013.

He will return to his club as a hero and as the ace of its pitching staff after his 7 years in America ended with a 78-46 record, a 3.74 ERA, and a reputation as one of the most reliable righty starters in the game.

Tanaka will begin the new season with the Golden Eagles this summer.

The post Former Yankees SP Masahiro Tanaka to Return to Japan appeared first on SportzBonanza.

With only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training for the 2021 MLB season, there are still a handful of big-name free agents that still haven’t signed a deal with a new team.

The market has changed throughout the winter, with teams having filled roster holes that might have been open back in November, and other possibilities for free agents opening up thanks to non-tenders and trades.

Let’s take a look at the three biggest free agent names still left unsigned, evaluate their markets, and choose a new home for them.

Trevor Bauer

The biggest name left on the market is 2020 NL Cy Young Award winner, who dazzled as arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball last season.

Bauer has long been an enigma, and has upped his status as a unique figure in the game by stating that he wants to start every fourth game with whatever club he signs for.

It’s clear that Bauer wants to go to a forward-thinking team, and there are plenty of franchises with money to spend and holes in their rotations where he could be a fit. Despite theoretically having enough starting pitching, the Dodgers have been reported to be getting in the fray as a potential destination for the California native.

We think that Bauer, however, will end up across town. We predict that he signs with the Los Angeles Angels on a five-year contract worth $175 million, a team that is so desperate for starting pitching that they might just consider his fourth-day proposal.

Marcell Ozuna

It’s hard for many to believe that Marcell Ozuna, one of the best consistent right-handed power bats in the league, still has not found a new home.

Despite the uncertainty related to the implementation (or not) of a universal DH in 2021, the 30-year-old star, should theoretically fit for any team with a hole in the middle of its lineup. Ozuna isn’t a great fielder, but he is passable in left field and doesn’t necessarily have to be a DH.

We think that Ozuna likely will not return to the Braves team where he thrived in 2020 thanks to their reticence to give out multi-year deals to free agents. Ozuna, we predict, will instead head to the Seattle Mariners for three years and $75 million as they look to compete with an exciting young core.

Justin Turner

The long-time Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman might be getting up there in age, but what is undeniable is that he provides consistent production at third base and would be a great addition to most lineups.

Will Turner stick around in Los Angeles, where he resurged as a player after a mediocre run with the Mets?

We find it difficult to imagine him playing anywhere else, even though there does seem to be a gap between the two sides, with Turner wanting a four-year deal and the Dodgers only offering two. How about they split the gap, with Turner heading back to the Dodgers on a three-year contract worth $60 million?

The post Re-Evaluating the Top MLB Free Agents Left on the Market appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The two biggest rivals in all of Major League baseball somehow linked up to make a trade on Monday, as the New York Yankees sent right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino to the Boston Red Sox.

The trade was only the second in the past 34 years between the bitter rivals after the Sox and Yankees made a swap involving infielders Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson back in 2014.

Ottavino heads to the Red Sox along with prospect Frank German, and the Yankees will receive either a player to be named later or cash for the players they gave up.

The primary driving factor for the Yankees choosing to make this move was cutting salary, as Ottavino is on the hook for $8 million in 2021. The Yankees will reportedly only pay $850,000 of that amount, with Boston paying the rest.

Ottavino will settle in as a key late-inning reliever for Boston if he performs as he has in most of the past eight seasons. Despite a rough shortened 2020 season, the New York native has compiled a sub-3.60 ERA in 75% of seasons beginning in 2013.

The newest Red Sox player will report to camp in Florida over the next couple of weeks.

The post Yankees Trade RP Adam Ottavino to Red Sox appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Celta Vigo is currently in 9th place in La Liga, looking to try to compete for a top-half finish and avoid the relegation worries that they have dealt with over the past two seasons.

One of the winter moves that they have now made in order to achieve that goal is the signing of Argentinian midfielder Augusto Solari.

Solari joins the Sky Blues from Racing Club de Avellaneda, where his contract was set to expire this summer. Celta will reportedly pay only $550,000 for his services due largely to his expiring contract.

The cousin of former La Liga great Santiago Solari, the 29-year-old player played a key role at Racing over the past couple of seasons.

At Celta, he will be reunited with his former coach Eduardo Coudet, where he was a key piece in their memorable 2019 campaign that ended with a Superliga title.

He is expected to play as a right midfielder for Celta and will provide Coudet with an option to switch things up at the position, where Brais Mendez has played the vast majority of minutes.

Solari will begin training with his new team this week and could debut on Sunday at Granada.

The post RM Augusto Solari Moves to Celta Vigo from Racing Club appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Real Madrid suffered one of the most shocking defeats in recent soccer memory, falling in extra time by a 2-1 final score against CD Alcoyano, a tiny club that currently plays in Spain’s third tier of the sport.

Los Blancos took a 0-1 first-half lead after an Eder Militao goal just before the break and looked to have the match in the bag until Alcoyano scored a late goal that took the game to extra time.

An Alcoyano corner resulted in a goal for Jose Solbes in the 80th minute, who was free at the post.

In extra time, Real Madrid tried to avoid a penalty kick round by scoring a game-winning goal, and things looked to fall their way when Alcoyano defender Ramon Lopez was sent off with 10 minutes to go.

However, against all odds, in a counter-attack, Madrid let in the game-winning goal as Juanan Casanova beat Andriy Lunin to his right and sent the home bench into pandemonium.

Alcoyano headed on to advance to the Round of 16, and Real Madrid continues to fall further into a hole that has them looking unlikely to challenge for any silverware this season barring a miracle.

The post Real Madrid Eliminated From Copa del Rey in Shocking Defeat Vs. Alcoyano appeared first on SportzBonanza.