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Ethan Holliday is joining the Adidas family as the apparel giant's first baseball NIL athlete.

Adidas announced Holliday's signing in a press release on Tuesday.

"Signing with adidas was a no-brainer," Holliday said in the release. "Seeing my brother sign with adidas as a young player was special for our family, so to now have this opportunity myself is incredible. I'm honored and thankful, and I truly believe working with adidas will help me take my game to the next level and reach the goals I've set for myself."

MLB.com has Holliday ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 draft class.

Adidas noted as part of the deal, Holliday will debut the latest version of the ADIZERO Edge+ cleat.

This move to sign Ethan is similar to what Adidas did with his brother, Jackson, who signed a sponsorship deal with the apparel company in 2022 before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles.

Both Ethan and Jackson are the sons of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday.

Holliday is only 17 and will play this season at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. He's committed to Oklahoma State, but there's very little chance he ends up going to college given how much helium has been around him as a draft prospect for years.

The scouting reports for Ethan have been nothing less than glowing. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo noted in October 2023, when Ethan was 16, he's a very different player than his brother:

"Ethan is far ahead of where Jackson was at a similar time as a high schooler. After an uneven summer before his senior year, Jackson was thought more of as a potential first rounder. It wasn't until his senior season that he jumped to the top of the Draft. But Ethan is generally considered to already be the top prospect in the Class of 2025. They are different players. Ethan has much more power than his older brother (not that Jackson won't have plenty of pop). He might have an offensive profile closer to his dad, who hit 314 big league home runs, than Jackson. Jackson has more speed and every chance to stay up the middle at a premium position."

Jackson looks like he will be just fine as a No. 1 pick. He entered 2024 as the top prospect in baseball and played 60 games in the big leagues. Even though his performance left a lot to be desired, he was 20 years old for the entire season.

If the draft plays out as expected right now, with Holliday going first overall to the Washington Nationals, it would mark the first time in MLB history a pair of brothers were selected with the top pick in the draft.

The only other time it has happened in any of the major North American pro sports leagues was the NFL with Peyton Manning (1998) and Eli Manning (2004).

Ethan joins a list of Adidas MLB athletes that includes Julio Rodríguez, Trea Turner, Corey Seager and Teoscar Hernández.

Ryan Brasier is reportedly on the move after being designated for assignment last week by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Los Angeles traded the right-handed reliever to the Chicago Cubs. Brasier spent two seasons with the Dodgers.

The 37-year-old was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2007 but didn't make his MLB debut until 2013. He appeared in just seven games that season before what would be an extended absence from the majors.

He spent several years in the minors before deciding to take his talents to Japan for a season in 2017. He found his way back to the majors in 2018, and he has been a solid reliever ever since.

He was with the Boston Red Sox from 2018 to 2023, winning a World Series with the team in his first season. He appeared in nine postseason games during their 2018 World Series run, recording a 1.04 ERA and notching seven strikeouts across 8.2 innings.

The Red Sox traded Brasier to the Dodgers halfway through the 2023 season, and he thrived with his new team. In the second half of the season, he made 39 appearances and posted a 0.70 ERA.

Last season, he made 29 appearances and recorded a 3.54 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. In the postseason, he appeared in eight games and started two for the Dodgers, collecting a 5.00 ERA across nine innings.

Though the Dodgers didn't have room for Brasier in their bullpen, he should be able to play a big role for the Cubs in the middle innings.

Max Scherzer can earn up to $325,000 in incentives from his one-year, $15.5 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

Heyman provided a list of the individual triggers, the biggest of which hinges on Scherzer winning a fourth Cy Young award:

Max Scherzer
Blue Jays

$15,500,000/1

Plus: $150,000 for Cy Young
             ($125,000-2nd; $100,000-3rd;$75,000-4th;$50,000-5th)
       $50,000 for All Star
       $50,000 for Gold Glove
       $50,000 for WS/MVP
       $25,000 for LCS/MVP

Full No Trade

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 4, 2025

There's a pretty good chance the right-hander fails to hit any of those bonuses.

Toronto is projected by PECOTA to finish third in the American League East and tally 85 wins. Having added Scherzer, outfielder Anthony Santander and second baseman Andrés Giménez, the Blue Jays should be a little better but don't look like a serious championship contender.

Scherzer, meanwhile, hasn't made an All-Star team or received Cy Young votes since 2021.

The 40-year-old finally started to show his age in 2023, going 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA but a 4.32 FIP in 27 starts before going down with a muscle strain. In 2024, he was limited to nine appearances thanks to a variety of injuries.

Taking a one-year flier on Scherzer made sense for the Blue Jays. They had plenty of cash to burn after striking out in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, and the 2023 version of him was still good enough to be a mid-rotation starter.

And a total outlay of less than $16 million will be a massive bargain should Scherzer have one more elite season left in the tank.

The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals have reportedly "had recent communication" regarding star third baseman Nolan Arenado, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Per that report, "Of note, Cardinals' executive Chaim Bloom has close knowledge of Boston's prospects" and a potential trade between the teams "could have implications" for Alex Bregman's market in free agency.

Bloom, 41, served as Boston's chief baseball officer between Oct. 2019 and Sept. 2023, hence his familiarity with the Red Sox farm system. He then was an advisor for the Cardinals last season and will be promoted to president of baseball operations following the 2025 campaign.

As for Arenado, the 33-year-old had a bit of a down season by his own lofty standards in 2024, hitting .272 with 16 homers, 71 RBI, 70 runs and a .719 OPS across 152 games. The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner has registered 30 or more homers in seven seasons and 40 or more dingers three times, but has now posted 26 homers in 2023 and 16 homers last year.

He's also seen his OPS decline in each of the past two seasons.

With the Cardinals steering a different course after failing to reach the postseason in the past two years—veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt already departed this winter, signing with the New York Yankees—an Arenado trade has felt likely.

Arenado wants to play for a contender, and the Cardinals want to cut payroll and open pathways for younger players as they rebuild. A divorce seems to be the best option for both sides, though it's hardly guaranteed.

"He knows that we're trying, and he knows that he's going to have to try," current president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters in January when asked about the potential for a strained relationship between Arenado and the organization if a trade doesn't happen. "So that part doesn't scare me at all."

As for the Red Sox, the team has been busy this offseason, most notably adding starting pitcher Garrett Crochet in a trade with the Chicago White Sox. The focus, to this point, has clearly been rebuilding the pitching staff. But adding another right-handed bat and solid defensive infielder like Arenado would make sense.

It also would mean that a potential Bregman suitor was off the market, further limiting his potential options as a free agent.

College baseball has returned to the video game realm, albeit in a limited form.

The first gameplay trailer for MLB The Show 25 dropped Tuesday and it introduced the inclusion of amateur baseball as part of the long-running "Road to the Show" mode:

MLB The Show 25 will have metal bats AND college teams 🤯

(via @MLBTheShow)pic.twitter.com/P7CWWbrerc

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) February 4, 2025

A small handful of colleges will represented in the game:

JUST IN: College teams and metal bats are in @MLBTheShow 25 🤯

For the first time in the game's history, players can start their baseball journey at the high school level and continue their Road to The Show career at select colleges pic.twitter.com/giv97Q6pEL

— MLB (@MLB) February 4, 2025

Fans were tipped off that college baseball would be featured in The Show 25 in some form after the cover athletes were revealed. LSU's logo is featured alongside Pittsburgh Pirates ace and former Tigers star Paul Skenes.

The stars of today and tomorrow:

Elly De la Cruz ⚡
Paul Skenes 🔥
Gunnar Henderson 💪

Your #MLBTheShow25 Cover Athletes! 😤⚾#ForgeYourJourney and pre-order on February 4th.
Available on March 18.

Learn more at https://t.co/baliy5VGpN pic.twitter.com/5npCRnCTv9

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 28, 2025

According to San Diego Studio's Ramone Russell, the revamped "Road to the Show" includes between two and three high school games and three to four college contests as players work their way to the pro ranks.

EA Sports produced dedicated college baseball games in 2006 and 2007. Nobody picked up the baton after the company's license with the NCAA expired in 2008, and college sports games altogether disappeared for a time in the wake of Ed O'Bannon's class-action lawsuit.

Prior to the revival of College Football 25, gamers were offered a small taste of how things used to be. As with The Show's "Road to the Show" mode, the NBA 2K and Madden franchises have in previous years allowed players to compete in a limited number of college games as part of their respective career modes.

Perhaps this is just the start of a larger integration of college baseball into MLB The Show that will evolve in the ensuing years.

Legendary former MLB outfielder Ichiro Suzuki fell one vote shy of being a unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer, and the voter who denied him that distinction remains unknown.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America published 321 of 394 Hall of Fame ballots for the 2025 class on Tuesday, and Suzuki appeared on all of them, per the Associated Press.

Today we are publishing 321 of 394 (81%) Hall of Fame ballots from the 2025 election.https://t.co/df0YkMGRSy

— BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) February 4, 2025

Suzuki headlines the Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2025 alongside former star pitcher CC Sabathia and former closer Billy Wagner. Legends Dave Parker and Dick Allen were also elected through the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Cooperstown on July 27.

When it was revealed that Suzuki appeared on 393 out of 394 ballots to earn an election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the 51-year-old handled the moment with grace.

"There's one writer that I wasn't able to get a vote from," he said through a translator last month. "I would like to invite him over to my house, and we'll have a drink together, and we'll have a good chat."

Former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera remains the only player to receive 100 percent of the Hall of Fame vote from the BBWAA, appearing on all 425 ballots for the 2019 class. Fellow Yankees legend Derek Jeter appeared on 395 out of 396 ballots in 2020.

Still, Suzuki undoubtedly had a resume worthy of a unanimous selection. He earned American League Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in his first year with the Seattle Mariners and went on to become a 10-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and two-time AL batting champion.

The Baseball Hall of Fame leaves the option up to the voters on whether or not to make their ballots public, so it remains to be seen if the lone voter who didn't include Suzuki will reveal themselves in the future.

The prolonged free agency for Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman is having ripple effects on the entire market right now.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Justin Turner and Yoán Moncada are among the notable free-agent position players "on hold" waiting for Alonso and Bregman to sign.

Trying to figure out the market for Alonso and Bregman is proving to be one of the most difficult tasks this offseason. Alonso reportedly rejected a three-year, $70 million offer from the New York Mets that has been described as a "last-ditch effort" by the club to bring him back to Queens.

There have been conflicting reports about a potential agreement between Alonso and the Toronto Blue Jays. MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported on Jan. 23 the Blue Jays were "still working hard [and] trying" to sign Alonso.

However, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet noted that same day talks between Alonso and the Blue Jays was "not gaining momentum."

Bregman's market has been all over the place. It seemed like a sure thing he was leaving the Houston Astros after they acquired Isaac Paredes to play third base as part of the trade with the Chicago Cubs for Kyle Tucker.

The Detroit Tigers have been hanging around the Bregman talks. The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox were mentioned as potential landing spots for the two-time All-Star at points this offseason.

Given how long things have been dragging out, the Astros came back into the equation then seemingly fell out again with general manager Dana Brown saying on Tuesday they "lost' the star third baseman and spoke of him in the past tense during a media luncheon.

Players like Turner and Moncada, who are corner infielder/DH types, will struggle to get a lot of interest from potential playoff contenders that might be in the market for either or both of Alonso and Bregman.

All 30 teams are reporting for their first spring training workouts next week. It wouldn't be a surprise if there's no resolution to the situation for all of these players before then.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown gave a definitive indication that free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman won't be returning to the team this offseason.

Per Chandler Rome of The Athletic, Brown said during the Astros' annual media luncheon that the team "lost Bregman" and twice spoke about him in the past tense.

Brown added that Houston is still having "internal conversations" about Bregman, but he hasn't had any recent discussions with agent Scott Boras.

Bregman has spent his entire career with the Astros since making his major league debut in 2016. He became one of the faces of the franchise, earning back-to-back All-Star selections in 2018 and 2019 and helping lead Houston to two World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.

In 2024, Bregman played in 145 games and hit .260 with 26 home runs and 75 RBI. He earned his first career Gold Glove Award for his production at third base.

Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reported that the Detroit Tigers "are still interested in Bregman after signing right-hander Jack Flaherty to a two-year, $35 million contract" on Monday.

Petzold named the Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs as the other teams "involved in the Bregman sweepstakes," though he noted that the Tigers "have conducted their offseason moves around their interest in signing Bregman, as they declined to upgrade the offense with other notable right-handed hitters."

It appears that Houston will have a new third baseman for the first time in 10 years, as Bregman has multiple viable suitors who appear motivated to compete for his services.

Big expectations for the 2025 New York Mets require some adjustments to their traditional road uniforms.

The Mets are adding blue/orange/blue striping to the collar, sleeve and pant trim of their gray uniforms.

The Mets will have updated road uniforms for the 2025 season, as confirmed by @UniWatch

The new look will feature blue and orange stripes on the sleeves and collar, plus the same stripes on the pants

Thoughts on the updates? 👀 pic.twitter.com/LKs0ao52x0

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 4, 2025

It's not a significant change from what the Mets' road uniforms have looked like. They had used blue piping that ran from the neck and down the middle of the jersey, with blue piping down the side of the pants. The sleeves had a blue stripe around them.

This new look will feature both of the Mets' primary colors, instead of focusing so heavily on just the blue.

Per the Ultimate Mets Database, the updated trim style is similar to what the Mets used to use for their road uniforms in 1982.

This marks the second notable uniform update for the Mets going into the 2025 season. The unveiled a new alternate road jersey during Amazin' Day on Jan. 25 that is primarily blue with orange trim.

The new Mets road alternate jerseys 🔵🟠 pic.twitter.com/3Rx2B8CN3A

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 25, 2025

This brings the Mets up to five different uniform combinations for the upcoming season. They have their traditional home whites and road grays, alternate home uniform with the black jersey, alternate road uniform with the blue jersey and City Connect uniform.

All of these new looks are contributing to what might be the most-anticipated Mets season in franchise history. They are coming an appearance in the NLCS after going 65-40 in 105 regular-season games starting on June 1.

The Mets followed that up by signing Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract in free agency that made him the highest-paid player in MLB history.

Soto and the Mets will get the opportunity to show off their new road gray uniform early in the season. Their first six games are on the road, starting with a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park from March 27-29.

The Los Angeles Angels tried to make another free-agent splash in their quest to return to relevancy in the American League.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Angels "made a run" for Anthony Santander by offering him different three- and four-year concepts before he wound up signing with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays were able to land Santander on a five-year, $92.5 million deal with an opt out after the 2027 season. His contract also includes $61.8 million in deferred money, bringing the present-day value down to $68.6 million.

Some details on Anthony Santander's $92.5-million, five-year deal. The deferrals in the deal give the contract a present value calculated at $68.6 million, per industry sources. That means for CBT purposes, the AAV is a tick above $13.7m.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) January 23, 2025

It doesn't seem like it would have been hard for the Angels to beat that structure, but there's also the possibility that Santander felt like he would have a better chance to compete for a playoff spot with the Blue Jays.

The Angels have prioritized short-term thinking over long-term perspective for years. They've done it again this offseason by signing free agents like 33-year-old Yusei Kikuchi, 35-year-old Kyle Hendricks and 36-year-old Travis d'Arnaud.

On the one hand, it's admirable Angels ownership is still trying to spend money to build around Mike Trout. On the other hand, though, they're starting from such a low point coming off a 63-99 record in 2024 that it's hard to envision them making up enough ground to challenge for the postseason in 2025.

Santander is a flawed player, but he likely would have been the second-best outfielder behind Trout—assuming he can stay healthy—on the Angels next season if a deal would have been worked out.

The Angels are entering the year with Trout, Taylor Ward and Jo Adell as their starting outfielders. Santander made his first All-Star team with the Baltimore Orioles in 2024, hitting a career-high 44 homers in 665 plate appearances.

Los Angeles has made the playoffs just once since the 2010 season. The team hasn't won a playoff game since Game 5 of the 2009 ALCS against the New York Yankees.