Radio host admits error about agent

A radio host admitted he falsely claimed agent Casey Close never informed first baseman Freddie Freeman of the Atlanta Braves’ last contract offer.

Doug Gottlieb tweeted June 29 that “Casey Close never told Freddie Freeman about the Braves final offer.” Close and Excel Sports Management sued Gottlieb in mid-July in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleging defamation by libel.

Gottlieb tweeted an apology Wednesday.

“Upon further vetting of my sources, a review of the lawsuit filed against me in this matter and a direct conversation with Casey himself, I have learned that the conduct I alleged did not occur and that there is no credible basis for stating that it did,” Gottlieb wrote in part.

The Major League Baseball Players Assn. is joining the AFL-CIO in an effort to strengthen its position in the aftermath of one labor struggle and in the midst of another . ... The New York Mets put right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list because of a left oblique irritation . ... New York Yankees put first baseman Anthony Rizzo on the injured list and third baseman Josh Donaldson on the paternity list.