Marlins to add OF Dickerson; Serena honored

The Miami Marlins already made a couple improvements to their offense by acquiring infielder Jonathan Villar and first baseman Jesus Aguilar.

But they didn’t want to stop there in picking up impact bats for their lineup.

The latest addition: free agent outfielder Corey Dickerson.

As first reported by MLB Network’s Jon Heyman on Saturday, the Marlins are expected to sign him to a two-year deal pending a physical. The deal is worth $17.5 million, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. It will be the first multi-year contract the Marlins give to a free agent under the Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter ownership group.

The Marlins, heading into Year 3 of their latest rebuild, knew they needed to bring in some reinforcements this offseason to supplement the work they have done improving their minor-league system.They also needed to add some pop to the middle of their lineup that was among the worst in baseball last season.

The Marlins finished last in slugging percentage (.375), on-base plus slugging (.673) and home runs (146) in 2019 while also finishing second-to-last in runs scored (615).

Dickerson, 30, has hit .286 with 115 home runs and 370 RBI through 776 career games. He split time last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .304 with 12 homers, 59 RBI in 78 games. A right shoulder strain and fractured left foot sidelined him for more than half of the season.

SERENA: FEMALE ATHLETE OF DECADE

Serena Williams dominated the decade, on the court and in conversation.

There were, to begin with, the dozen Grand Slam single titles — no other woman had more than three over the past 10 seasons — and the 3 1⁄ years in a row at No.

2

1 in the WTA rankings.

And then there was the celebrity status that transcended tennis, making everything she did and said newsworthy, whether it was the triumphs and trophies and fashion statements or the disputes with tournament officials, the magazine covers or the Super Bowl ad with a message about women’s power, the birth of her daughter or the health scare that followed.

Williams was selected by

The Associated Press as the Female Athlete of the Decade on Saturday after a vote by AP member sports editors and AP beat writers.

“Whether it was health issues; coming back; having a child; almost dying from that – she has endured it all and she is still in championship form,” said Stacey Allaster, CEO of the WTA from 2009-15 and now chief executive for professional tennis at the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open.said. “Her records speak for themselves.”

Gymnast Simone Biles, the 2019 AP Female Athlete of the Year, finished second to Williams in voting for the decade honor, followed by swimmer Katie Ledecky. Two ski racers were next, with Lindsey Vonn finishing fourth and Mikaela Shiffrin fifth.

The AP Male Athlete of the Decade will be announced Sunday.

ETC.

Skiing: Mikaela Shiffrin wrapped up an eventful return from her 11-day break from World Cup racing, dominating a giant slalom at Lienz, Austria, for her 63rd career victory and moving into outright second place on the women’s winners list. After nearly arriving too late for the opening run, Shiffrin posted the fastest time in both legs to win by a big margin of 1.36 seconds. The victory moved Shiffrin into outright second place on the women’s winners list. ... Dominik Paris continued his dominance on the Stelvio course, winning a men’s World Cup downhill for the second straight day at Bormio, Italy.

A NHL: Toronto rookie Ilya Mikheyev had surgery to repair an artery and wrist tendons that were severed by a skate during a game Friday against New Jersey. He is expected to make a full recovery.

A Tennis: Andy Murray, 32, has put his Grand Slam comeback on hold after announcing he will not be playing at the Australian Open next month.

Soccer: Demarai Gray missed a penalty in the first half before scoring a winner in the second period as Leicester beat relegationthreatened West Ham 2-1 y in what proved to be Manuel Pellegrini’s final match in charge of the London team. Pellegrini was fired after the final whistle, with West Ham only a point and a place above the relegation zone having won just twice in 14 matches. The former Manchester City and Real Madrid manager lasted 18 months at West Ham.