Thursday, Jan. 30 Atlanta at Cleveland, 7 p.m. L.A. Lakers at Washington, 7 p.m. Minnesota at Utah, 9 p.m. Houston at Memphis, 9:30 p.m. Orlando at Portland, 10 p.m.

F ormer American Idol judge Katy Perry has announced that she'll be heading out on a U.S. leg of her Lifetimes tour in support of her 143 album, amid signs that she might return t

In the sixteenth weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot, the Carolina Hurricanes made a huge trade, five teams won their week, and the New York Islanders are out of the basement. All this and more in this week’s snapshot.

The American League is founded. The league plans for a 140-game schedule, set player rosters at 14 and recognizes the Players Protective Association, the players’ union.

The Royals and reliever Carlos Estévez have agreed to a two-year, $22 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

The Philadelphia Phillies have been underwhelming and quiet this winter. Despite constantly coming up short in the past few seasons,

The Kansas City Royals have reached an agreement with free agent right-handed closer Carlos Estevez on a two-year contract, according to multiple media reports Wednesday evening.

Estévez provides quality depth to the bullpen. He began his career with the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and was an All-Star during the 2023 campaign. The Royals will be his fourth team heading into his ninth MLB season.

Philadelphia hosts Denver aiming to continue its four-game win streak. Friday's meeting is the first this season for the two teams.

The Phillies' loss is the Royals' gain, as an All-Star free agent closer reached an agreement on a two-year contract worth at least $22 million over two years.

All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman left in free agency, agreeing to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. He wasn’t the only key bullpen arm to hit the market, as Carlos Estevez, whom they acquired from the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the trade deadline last July, was also a free agent.

The Royals opened last year with a payroll of $115M, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They are projected by RosterResource to be up to $123M next year, before accounting for Estévez. They have reportedly been looking for a middle-of-the-order bat. Whether they can find one will likely depend on how much farther they are willing to push the spending.