Dodgers lock up catcher Smith with record-setting 10-year, $140M deal
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith agreed to a 10-year, $140 million extension — the longest deal ever for a major league catcher. Smith, who turns 29 on Friday, was to be a free agent after 2025. He is in his sixth season with the Dodgers, who drafted him in the first round in 2016. A first-time All-star in 2023, Smith has hit .263 with 91 homers and an .842 OPS in 486 games.
■ Yankees: Utility player Jon Berti was acquired from Miami in a three-team trade that included Tampa Bay. The Rays received catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees, and the Marlins got two outfield prospects: John Cruz from the Yankees and Shane Sasaki from Tampa Bay. Berti, 34, has hit .258 with a .705 OPS and 92 steals in 432 games over six major league seasons.
■ Diamondbacks: Shortstop Jordan Lawlar, the team’s top prospect, will be sidelined at least two months after undergoing right thumb surgery. The 21-year-old, the sixth pick of the 2021 draft who debuted in the majors with 14 games in September, was to start this season at Triple-a Reno.
■ Reds: Middle infielder Matt Mclain had left shoulder surgery Tuesday to address cartilage damage and repair the labrum and will be sidelined “for an extended period,” president Nick Krall said. The 24-year-old hit .290 with 16 homers, 50 RBIS and 14 steals over 89 games as a rookie in 2023.
■ Orioles: MLB owners unanimously approved the team’s $1.725 billion sale from the Angelos family to a group led by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein, the final step of a process that began when an agreement was reached Jan. 31.