Realmuto wants out of Miami, too
J.T. Realmuto wants to join the Miami Marlins’ exodus. The catcher requested a trade in the wake of the Major League Baseball team’s payroll purge, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press yesterday.
The source said Realmuto’s agent told the Marlins trading the three-year veteran makes sense for the rebuilding team because of his high market value.
Miami dealt slugging right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (New York Yankees), left fielder Marcell Ozuna (St. Louis Cardinals) and second baseman Dee Gordon (Seattle Mariners) this month. The franchise is reducing payroll and rebooting under a new ownership group that includes Derek Jeter . ...
The Chicago Cubs finalized a two-year, $13 million contract with reliever Steve Cishek . . ..
The Seattle Mariners released left-hander Andrew Albers so he can pitch in Japan.
Colleges: Frost top coach
Scott Frost is The Associated Press coach of the year in college football after leading Central Florida to an unbeaten season and a spot in the Peach Bowl. Frost has already accepted the Nebraska coaching job, but will coach the Knights against Auburn. Kirby Smart of Georgia finished second to Frost . ...
Washington State football coach Mike Leach agreed to a five-year, $20 million contract extension as the Cougars continued to prepare for the Holiday Bowl against Michigan State . . . .
Villanova is No. 1 for the second straight week in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll, with Michigan State still at No. 2 and Arizona State highest-ever ranking at No. 3 . . . .
UConn again is the unanimous No. 1 in the AP women’s hoop poll ahead of tonight’s game, when coach Geno Auriemma goes for win No. 1,000.
Soccer: Timbers turn to Savarese
Giovanni Savarese was named coach of Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers. Savarese was the coach of the North American Soccer League’s New York Cosmos since 2012. A Venezuelan who played 18 professional seasons in Europe and the United States, including a stint with the New England Revolution, led the Cosmos to three Soccer Bowl championships in five seasons . ...
The Court of Arbitration for Sport banned Ecuador’s Jose Angulo for four years after he tested positive for cocaine in the 2016 Copa Libertadores final. CAS upheld FIFA’s appeal for a longer sentence after Angulo received a one-year suspension from South American soccer body CONMEBOL.
Misc.: Olsson’s time on podium comes
After nearly 100 ski races spanning more than a decade, Matts Olsson finally stepped atop the podium of a World Cup event — albeit a non-traditional one. Olsson won a parallel giant slalom night race for his first World Cup victory in La Villa, Italy . ...
The International Olympic Committee banned Russian lawmaker and former bobsled brakeman Alexei Voevoda from the Games for life for taking part in the 2014 Sochi doping program.