MLB

Ex-MLB star Esteban Loaiza is fighting the charges in his cocaine smuggling case -- pleading not guilty to possessing more than 40 POUNDS of blow.

The 46-year-old former All-Star pitcher appeared in court in his jailhouse jumpsuit -- where his lawyer told the judge he denies all of the allegations against him.

As we previously reported, cops say Loaiza had a "sophisticated" drug smuggling compartment in his vehicle -- and when they searched his home, they found the motherload. Officials say Loaiza kept the drugs in a home just steps away from a preschool.

Prosecutors say Loaiza had come back from a trip to Mexico on the same day he was arrested.

He's facing multiple felony criminal charges including possession of cocaine for sale.

The judge set Loaiza's bail at $250,000 after prosecutors argued that he's a flight risk. The judge ordered him not to leave San Diego without permission from the court.

The mother of Pirates catcher Elias Diaz has been safely recovered 3 days after she was abducted in Venezuela ... and several dirty cops have been booked for carrying out the kidnapping.

Elias' mom, 72-year-old Ana Soto, went missing last Thursday in their hometown of Maracaibo -- the state capital of Zulia, Venezuela -- shortly after Elias left her at home.

On Sunday, a group of national and local police officers were able to pull off a rescue mission and place her 6 captors under arrest -- 5 of whom were on the Zulia state police force, according to BBC.

The head of Venezuela's investigative police dept. says no ransom was paid for the return of Ana -- who is reportedly in good health despite the incident.

The Pirates released a statement after hearing the news, saying they are "relieved and overjoyed" ... and "incredibly grateful for the swift and effective work of the local law enforcement officials."

FYI, Venezuelan sports stars and their families being targeted is nothing new. Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped back in 2011 ... and more recently, Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera claimed his family was in grave danger, specifically mentioning dirty cops.

Ex-MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza was dealing $500,000 in cocaine from a home located steps away from a preschool ... and was using "sophisticated" devices to hide it, cops say.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Dept. is now releasing details about Loaiza's Feb. 9 arrest -- saying he was busted during a drug-smuggling sting by the Border Crime Suppression Team.

Loaiza was initially stopped by police during a traffic stop for a minor traffic violation -- but a search of his car led to the discovery of a "sophisticated aftermarket compartment used to conceal contraband."

Cops then got a warrant to search a home that Loaiza had been renting since early February -- located "steps away from an area preschool" -- and found roughly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine.

Estimated street value -- $500,000.

Loaiza was booked into San Diego County Jail for 3 felonies -- Possession of Cocaine Over 20 Kilograms, Possession of Cocaine for Sale, and Transportation of Cocaine.

Former MLB All-Star pitcher Esteban Loaiza was arrested Friday in San Diego with at least 44 pounds of heroin or cocaine ... and could now face more than 20 years behind bars.

Loaiza, 46, is being charged with 3 felonies ...

1) Possession of more than 20kgs of heroin or cocaine

2) Possession or purchase of narcotics

3) Transportation or sale of narcotics

He's currently being held at Chula Vista's South Bay Detention Facility with bail set at $200,000. He's due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Loaiza, the second-winningest pitcher from Mexico in MLB history, played for 8 different teams in his career -- earning over $43 million.

He last played for the White Sox in 2008 -- the same team he played for when he was an All-Star in 2003 and 2004.

Chicago Cubs star Addison Russell is stoked to meet his new (super rich) teammate, Yu Darvish ... telling TMZ Sports he can't wait to LEARN from the accomplished veteran.

We spoke with the World Series champ about Darvish's massive new 6-year, $126 MILLION contract with the Cubbies -- and Russell clearly believes CHI is getting its money's worth.

"It's gonna be a big plus! We're happy to have him ... I've faced him a few times so I know what he brings to the table!"

There's a funny celebrity cameo in the clip -- but Russell's not impressed.

Maybe because Rick Springfield dropped "Jessie's Girl" 37 years ago ... 13 years before Addison was born!

Legendary Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox says he's got a special place in his heart for newly minted Hall of Famer Chipper Jones ... cause he says the dude saved his job.

To be fair, Chipper owes a lot to Cox, too ... Bobby was general manager of the Braves when Jones was drafted #1 overall in 1990, and the two won a World Series together five years later.

That might be why Cox -- who most believe is the greatest manager in Braves history -- gave it up to Jones when we got him in Atlanta this past weekend.

"Well, he saved my job. He was that good."

Before you think Cox is just being nice, remember that he drafted Jones in his SECOND stint as Braves manager, after being fired the first go around.

Ex-MLB star Milton Bradley is the suspect in a domestic violence investigation -- less than 2 years after he spent 15 months in jail for a previous incident.

TMZ Sports has learned ... cops were called to Bradley's L.A. home on Sunday where a woman told police the former MLB All-Star roughed her up during a heated argument.

39-year-old Bradley was not in the home when cops arrived. We're told the woman did not require medical attention.

Cops are investigating and are trying to get in touch with Bradley, ASAP.

Of course, Bradley has a well-documented history of domestic violence. In 2013, he was convicted of beating up his previous wife, Monique, and was sentenced to 32 months in jail.

According to the L.A. Country Sheriff's Dept. records, Bradley was released on August 24, 2016 after only 15 months.

Bradley played for 8 teams during his 11-year MLB career that started in 2000 and ended in 2011 -- including the Dodgers, Cubs, Rangers and Mariners. He reportedly made more than $46 MILLION.

The Cleveland Indians are finally retiring their controversial Chief Wahoo logo -- saying it's "no longer appropriate for on-field use."

The Indians have been using the logo since 1948 -- showing a grinning Native American sporting a feather in his hair. The image has been under fire by some groups who say it's a racist depiction of Native Americans.

Now, it seems the Cleveland organization agrees ... and will put the logo out to pasture after the 2018 MLB season.

The logo has already been scrubbed from all stadium signage -- but the team will continue to sell merchandise with the image until the end of the season.

Vince McMahon called him out by name ... so, when we saw Tim Tebow in L.A. over the weekend, we had to ask if he'd ever consider joining the brand new XFL.

Tim signed autographs and was his usual friendly self on the way out of Craig's in L.A. -- but when the topic came to the XFL, Tim shut down like the Vikings' offense in the NFC championship.

Seems Tim doesn't want to breathe life into the possibility he would leave his baseball career and go back to football. In fact, he talked to us about the Mets when we saw him last week in Bev Hills.

Sorry Vince ...

MLB legend Frank Thomas -- also known by his intimidating nickname from his playing days -- is making damn sure nobody else tries to take it from him ... at least for merchandise.

The Hall of Fame first baseman -- known as "The Big Hurt" for crushing baseballs throughout his career -- has the term 'Big Hurt' trademarked for t-shirts, sport shirts and baseball caps ... according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Thomas filed the paperwork a few years after hanging up his cleats, and has had 'Big Hurt' for his own since May 2015.

Frank's been a busy businessman since retirement, too -- he founded a record label, opened a Chicago brewpub, put out a cookbook, joined "MLB on FOX" as an analyst and became a spokesman for Nugenix.

Trevor Hoffman says it's about damn time Curt Schilling joins him in the Hall of Fame, telling TMZ Sports voters should focus on his baseball skills ... and not his mouth.

We spoke with the 2018 inductee (congrats, btw) about Schilling missing the cut for the 6th year in a row ... and Hoffy says Curt's more than deserving of baseball's highest honor.

Curt's got 4 more attempts to get voted into the Hall ... and Hoffman sends his fellow pitcher an encouraging message.

Yasiel Puig had 11 of the strongest barbers on the planet give him a brand new look Thursday night ... getting a fresh bald haircut from kids battling cancer!!

The Dodgers superstar rolled into Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A. where he decided to get his head shaved as a show of solidarity with all the tough kids in the hospital going through chemotherapy.

The kids loved it -- and so did Puig, who addressed every kid as his "new barber."

Alex Rodriguez's private jet just made an emergency landing only minutes after leaving a runway in New Jersey.

The multi-million dollar Gulfstream IV took off from Teterboro Airport Thursday morning, and the pilot declared an emergency shortly after. We're told he attempted to land the plane in Albany, but aborted, and headed back to Teterboro where he he was able to bring it down safely.

A-Rod was not on board, and it appears the issue was mechanical.

TMZ obtained air traffic control audio, and you can hear the pilot mention a problem with a flap. Air traffic control opened a runway for the emergency landing, which was successful.

A source connected to A-Rod tells us the landing was made mostly as a precaution, and the pilot was making a test run. The FAA tells us it's investigating.

As we reported, A-Rod just took delivery of the G4 last month.

HALLELUJAH!! Tim Tebow is headin' back to baseball!

The ex-football superstar tells TMZ Sports he's going to accept his invite to the NY Mets spring training in February ... and he's swingin' for the fences.

Tebow -- who played for Class A St. Lucie last season -- got the invite to return to the Mets' major league camp last week, but hadn't officially said whether he would take another shot at baseball until now.

BTW ... the 2007 Heisman winner had a .226 batting average with 8 dingers and 52 RBI in the minors last season.

Johnny Damon says there are 60 million reasons to let Roger Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame -- as in the dollars the feds spent trying (and failing) to prove he used steroids.

"Our government tried to accuse him ... we had $60 million of our tax money go to trying to defame him," Damon told TMZ Sports.

Johnny says all that money was wasted 'cause Clemens was ultimately "proven innocent."

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeremy Jeffress has plead guilty in his drunk driving case -- but he's NOT going back to jail, TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Jeffress was popped on August 26, 2016 -- and during the stop, cops say he admitted to drinking 3 to 4 cups of Hennessy and Coke before he got behind the wheel.

Jeffress was initially charged with misdemeanor DWI -- which carries a minimum 72 hours in jail in Texas (they REALLY don't like drunk driving there). The maximum is 180 days.

A rep for the Dallas County District Court tells TMZ Sports ... Jeffress pled guilty to DWI on Tuesday and got the minimum 3 days in jail. We're told the court gave him credit for time served, so he won't have to go back behind bars.