MLB

In a rare public appearance, former NFL star Colin Kaepernick was spotted at the Lakers game Sunday night, choppin' it up with Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts.

During the broadcast of the Lakers-Suns game, cameras panned to Kaepernick, who was standing with Betts during a TV timeout ... which, of course, is worth noting 'cause Kap maintains a relatively low profile.

Seeing Betts and Kap together is interesting. Colin's known for kneeling and Mookie, at one point, said he'd never kneel because his father served in the Air Force. Betts later changed his position by kneeling before a Dodgers game in 2020, saying, "I wasn't educated. My fault."

Kap's attendance at the game comes on the heels of the 34-year-old releasing a video last week of him working out ... which clearly served to put NFL owners on notice that he's still interested and capable of playing QB in the NFL.

The last time Kaepernick took a snap under center in the NFL was in 2016 ... as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. Kap's final season certainly wasn't his best, but the dual-threat QB contends he's been doing his part to stay in shape, and he's ready to play.

"For The past 5 years, I’ve been working out and staying ready in case an opportunity to play presented itself," Colin tweeted on Sunday. "I’m really grateful to my trainer, who I’ve been throwing to all this time."

"But man, do I miss throwing to professional route runners. Who’s working?? I will pull up."

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett stepped up and responded to Kap's request -- telling him that he would run routes for him. “Let’s do it bro! Me and my brother will come run routes for you!” Lockett wrote to Kap.

MLB star Carlos Correa is selling his Houston mansion just days away from his official departure from the Astros -- and TMZ Sports has confirmed he's hoping to get $1.6 MILLION for the pad.

The free agent shortstop -- who's expected to ink a deal with a new MLB team at some point in the next few days -- just listed the place ... and it's SUPER nice.

The home, which is being sold by Kristi Neal of C&K Properties, has 3 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and has its own basketball court in the backyard.

It's also got a swimming pool, hot tub and a covered patio with a TV and a fireplace.

The place is kind of famous too -- Correa's often posted on his social media page with his wife from the yard.

But, with no return to the Astros in sight, Correa is clearly looking to unload the home and grab a new place in his next baseball city.

It'll be a sad goodbye -- both because Correa's home was a beautiful one and because he had a hell of a career in Houston.

Fire up the peanuts and Cracker Jacks ... baseball's back!

The MLB and the MLB Players Association reportedly reached a deal Thursday on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the monthslong lockout.

ESPN's Jeff Passan just broke the news -- saying both sides still need to ratify the agreement ... though the baseball insider said that's expected to happen shortly.

The two sides had quarreled over a new deal since December -- and commissioner Rob Manfred actually had to cancel the first two series of the season as they tried to hammer out an agreement.

Spring training camps are now expected to begin as early as Friday, according to Passan, and free-agent signings and trades will be unfrozen as soon as the deal is made official.

Passan added Opening Day is now tentatively slated for April 7. A full, 162-game schedule is expected to follow.

Mike Trout -- arguably the best player in Major League Baseball -- is fed up with the lockout ... blasting the league for refusing to come to an agreement with the players and canceling games instead.

"I want to play," Trout said Wednesday. "I love this game. But I know we need to get this (collective bargaining agreement) right."

"Instead of negotiating a deal, Rob canceled games."

Trout went on ... "Players stand together. For our game, for our fans, and for every player who comes after us."

"We owe it to the next generation."

Of course, Mike is referring to Rob Manfred's decision to cancel the first two series of the MLB season ... after the league and MLBPA failed to ratify the CBA.

The commissioner's decision to cancel games at the beginning of the season comes after the league and the players couldn't reach a resolution after a week of negotiations.

Some of the game's biggest names weighed in on the lockout, with newly acquired Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman calling the commish "Manclown."

Anthony Rizzo -- who spent 8 seasons with the Cubs, but is now a free agent -- said, "To the fans we will miss you most. To the younger generation of baseball players, this is for you."

The Major League Baseball season will not be 162 games long this year ... commissioner Rob Manfred is now canceling contests after the league and its players failed to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.

Manfred made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon following days of negotiation talks in Florida ... telling reporters, "I am going to cancel some regular-season games."

"We worked hard to avoid an outcome that's bad for our fans, bad for our players, and bad for our clubs," Manfred said.

The MLB commish said he will cancel the first two series of the season ... and insinuated there could be far more cancellations if the two sides don't strike a deal soon.

Manfred said both the league and its players worked tirelessly over the last week to try to get a deal done in order to avoid this outcome ... and he said the MLB provided a proposal that he believed was more than fair.

"The unfortunate thing," he said, "maybe the most unfortunate thing is that agreement, the one we've offered to our players, offered huge benefits for our fans and for our players."

No word on where talks go from here and when the parties will sit at a table again ... but if the negotiations stall again -- Big League action could be paused indefinitely.

Rough day for baseball fans everywhere.

Mickey Mantle's last Yankees jersey just netted a small fortune at auction ... raking in a staggering $2.2 MILLION!!!

Officials at Heritage Auctions tell TMZ Sports ... the sale just closed over the weekend, and it was an historic one, because it's now the highest price ever paid for a Mick jersey.

In fact, the price tag was so high, it was hundreds of thousands of dollars more than what experts initially thought it could fetch.

As for why it sold for so much ... well, the 1968 NYY gear is that historic. It not only was the last jersey Mantle wore in his final baseball season -- it was also autographed, and featured a personalized message from the Yankees legend.

The previous record for the Mick jersey was $1.3 million in August 2018.

Derek Jeter's run as Miami Marlins CEO is over ... the MLB legend just announced he's quitting the gig over differences in "the vision for the future of the franchise."

Jeter and the team made the surprising announcement Monday morning ... with the ex-Yankees captain making it clear in a statement that he wanted out.

"Through hard work, trust and accountability, we transformed every aspect of the franchise, reshaping the workforce, and developing a long-term strategic plan for success," said Jeter, who took over the CEO role back in 2017.

"That said, the vision for the future of the franchise is different than the one I signed up to lead. Now is the right time for me to step aside as a new season begins."

No word yet on who will replace Jeter or where he'll go next ... but the 47-year-old did say he would be giving up his four percent stake in the team.

The Marlins only made the playoffs once during Jeter's tenure as CEO ... losing in the NLDS to the Atlanta Braves in 2020. The team, though, does now have a promising young lineup and pitching rotation.

Longtime Seattle Mariners second baseman Julio Cruz -- who worked as a broadcaster for the team following his playing days -- died on Tuesday, his family announced.

He was 67 years old.

No cause of death was revealed ... but Cruz's family said in a statement he "passed away peacefully."

"At the time of his passing, he was at home, and was surrounded by his loving family," the Cruz family said in a statement.

"Our family is grateful for your well wishes and support, and we ask for privacy at this time."

Cruz played for the Mariners in their first-ever season in 1977 ... and went on to log time with the team until 1983. He later played for the Chicago White Sox, before he left the game following the 1986 season.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with his loved ones," the Mariners said in a statement Wednesday, "including his wife, Mojgan, three sons, Austin, Alexander and Jourdan, and their families."

In 2003, he began his role as a part of the Mariners' Spanish-language broadcasts, and he worked there until his death.

Cruz finished his career with a .237 batting average and 343 stolen bases.

Disgusting claims from MLB ace Marcus Stroman ... who says New York Mets fans called him the n-word and hurled death threats at him during his time with the team.

The 30-year-old pitcher has been unleashing on his former employer on Twitter recently ... saying he couldn't be happier to be leaving the Big Apple to join the Chicago Cubs.

Stroman provided context as to why he's so excited for a fresh start in response to a tweet on Wednesday ... opening up on the alleged awful treatment he received from fans during his 2 seasons with the Mets.

"Endless death threats, being called a n***** often, hearing black lives don’t matter, and playing for a front office who didn’t care about any of that."

Stroman says he will go into more detail on his podcast when the time is right ... but says no matter how he was treated, he was able to persevere and do his job.

"Still dealt on the mound through all of that! 🗣🤷🏾‍♂️"

Stroman previously said on Twitter back in November he wanted to be back with the Mets next season ... but things quickly turned sour.

Seems pitchers and catchers stick together even in the real estate world ... 'cause MLB legend Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez just sold his Florida mansion to Marlins star right-hander Sandy Alcantara for $3.25 million!!

The Miami pitcher got hooked up in the deal -- which was brokered by The Keyes Company's Ramona Bautista -- because the Weston, FL place is insane.

The pad is on a lakefront lot and features 6 bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms and a media room. It also has a four-car garage, a huge pool and a jacuzzi.

Bautista says Pudge was super cool about selling the crib to the Marlins' All-Star ... saying the transaction was "amazing and smooth."

"'Pudge and his beautiful wife Patricia were so welcoming and supportive of Sandy's family," Bautista said, "and the energy felt at the closing was a blessing."

Pudge and Sandy got along so well during the selling process ... the two actually posed for a fun baseball-themed photo inside of the place's living room.

A man driving a white SUV was arrested by cops in San Diego after he was busted doing donuts on the field at Petco Park!!

😄😄😄😄

The incident went down Friday morning around 10 AM ... as the grounds crew was working to restore the field for the upcoming (fingers crossed?) baseball season, according to the San Diego Tribune.

Check out the video. The driver is seen doing donuts on the field before members of the grounds crew realized what was happening, blocking him from leaving the field using a small forklift until San Diego Police Department arrived.

Thankfully, a man named Ryan Carlson happened to be at the ballpark to witness the action ... and was fast enough to grab his phone and get some video of the crazy scene.

The driver was ultimately apprehended -- bringing his "thrill ride" to an end -- and charged for felony vandalism for "causing some damage to the field," according to the newspaper.

The last Yankees jersey that Mickey Mantle ever wore during his playing career is up for auction again -- and this time around, TMZ Sports has learned it could sell for a whopping 7 figures!!!

Mantle donned the threads in 1968 -- the final year of his historic career -- and experts at Heritage Auctions, which is brokering the sale, tell us they're expecting it to fetch over $1 million.

The jersey has "Mantle" inscribed on the inside of the collar, and a Wilson tag on the left front tail with the size label "42" and "1968 Set 2" imprinted on it.

The ultra-rare piece also comes with an inscription from Mantle in blue ink that reads "To Tom, A Great Friend Always, 'The Mick'."

FYI, "Tom" is Tom Catal, the president of the "Mickey Mantle Museum".

Besides it being his last-ever game-worn gear, it's also the jersey he wore when he hit his 534th home run against the Minnesota Twins and his 535th against the Detroit Tigers.

Mickey also wore this same jersey during the 1968 All-Star Game, which was his last before retiring after the '68 season.

As for its sale history, Heritage Auctions says the jersey first sold for $486,000 in Feb. 2017, and then for $850,000 in Aug. 2020

Of course, the price tag is steep -- but it makes sense, considering the dude is a three-time MVP and seven-time World Series champion.

Former Angels staffer Eric Kay has just been found guilty of distributing the drugs that led to the death of ex-MLB pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

The jury just announced the verdict ... finding Kay guilty of one charge of conspiracy to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute and one charge of distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death.

Kay is now facing life behind bars. Sentencing has been set for June 28.

According to The Athletic's Sam Blum, who was in the courtroom for the Kay trial this week, Skaggs' mother and wife broke down in tears and hugged following the verdict.

As we previously reported, Kay -- who had worked as the communications director for the Angels for several years -- had been accused of supplying Skaggs with the drugs that ultimately led to his overdose death before an Angels game in Texas in June 2019.

Skaggs was just 27 years old.

Story developing ...

MLB star Matt Harvey admitted on Tuesday that he used cocaine during his baseball career ... calling himself a "partier" and saying his former New York Mets team never "really asked" him about it.

The right-handed pitcher -- a current free agent who was one of the best in the game from 2012 through 2015 -- made the revelation during an explosive testimony during a trial related to the 2019 death of former MLB pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

On the stand, Harvey -- who was teammates with Skaggs on the Angels at the time of the pitcher's death -- told the courtroom that he used to party with cocaine.

When asked about his use of the drug and if he lied about taking it when he was with the Mets ... he said, according to ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn, "No one really asked."

Per Quinn, Harvey told the courtroom he was still using the drug after he signed with the Angels following the 2018 season.

Harvey -- who played for the Mets, Reds, Angels, Royals and, most recently, the Orioles, later said, "no one from teams ever asked if he was still using drugs," Quinn reported.

The news is a bombshell, but it was hardly the only one Harvey dropped during the testimony.

The 32-year-old, who testified under immunity, said he and Skaggs had talked about drug use when they were teammates, and added that the two had taken the substances in clubhouses.

Harvey said he'd take painkillers, and said that, according to Quinn, Skaggs told him "he crushed and snorted oxy on the toilet paper dispenser in the clubhouse bathroom."

Harvey also said, per Quinn, that he did give Skaggs Percocets. He also said he obtained pills from ex-Angels staffer Eric Kay, who's been accused of supplying Skaggs with the drugs that investigators say might have led to his death.

Former MLB player Jeremy Giambi died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound ... according to the medical examiner in Los Angeles.

He was only 47 years old.

As we previously reported, sources told us it was evident the former 7-year Major League Baseball vet took his own life earlier this week at his parents' home in the L.A. area.

We're told a family member found Jeremy around 11:40 AM on Wednesday ... and immediately dialed 911. Rescuers responded, but sadly, there was nothing they could do to help Giambi.

Jeremy played from 1998 to 2003 ... for the Royals, Athletics, Phillies, and Red Sox. He had a career batting average of .263, hit 52 home runs, and batted in 209 runs throughout his career.

His best season came in 2002, when he played in 124 games and hit 20 homers.

The Athletics issued a statement on Jeremy's death, saying ... "We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi. We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends."

Jeremy is the younger brother of former AL MVP Jason Giambi.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Don't feel bad, Matt James ... CC Sabathia also hit a guy with an errant tee shot on the course in Arizona on Wednesday -- drilling a Yankees fan in the leg just hours before the 'Bachelor' star hit a photog in the thigh.

CC's unfortunate drive happened on the 18th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am ... when a witness tells us the former Yankees superstar pushed his shot so far to the right on the par-4, it struck a man in the leg.

Video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows the collision was so powerful ... it actually caused the guy to bleed.

Thankfully, we're told the fan ended up being OK -- and, watch the clip, CC was super nice and apologetic about it all.

Sabathia can be heard chatting it up with the man, who actually said he was a big Yankees and CC fan.

Sabathia ended up signing a golf ball as an apology souvenir ... before he headed off to finish out his round.

In case you were wondering, Sabathia is normally a fairly decent golfer -- reportedly with a handicap in the teens.