MikeDiGiovannaLAT

'This kid is special.' Kenley Jansen eager to help Angels' Ben Joyce reach next level Like Lee Smith's mentorship of Troy Percival decades ago, the Angels hope Kenley Jansen can teach hard-throwing reliever Ben Joyce a thing or two.

If signing a decorated 37-yr-old closer (Kenley Jansen) to mentor a flame-throwing closer-in-waiting (Ben Joyce) has a familiar ring to #Angels fans of a certain age, it's because it happened before, with great success, when Lee Smith took rookie Troy Percival under his wing in 1995. bit.ly/3D4jNec

On Friday, Ryan Quigley, a victim of Jan. 1 terror attack, was sitting in his wheelchair alongside fans when the Eagles O-line saw him.

They lifted him onto the bus.

"You're coming with us!"

How the Eagles made Quigley an impromptu part of their parade celebration www.inquirer.com/eagles/ryan-...

Kenley Jansen agrees to a deal with the Angels in a return to Southern California Kenley Jansen, a 37-year-old right-hander, is baseball’s active leader in saves (447) and appearances (871), the majority of those coming during his 12-year stint with the Dodgers.

The addition of veteran closer Kenley Jansen, who agreed to terms on a one-year, $10-million deal with the #Angels, will give flame-throwing 24-year-old RHP Ben Joyce, whose fastball touched 105 mph last season, another year to grow into closer role. lat.ms/4hUsLcG

For Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, much of the offseason was a fanfest Freddie Freeman, who spoke at DodgerFest on Saturday, talks about the impact he witnessed of not just winning the World Series, but impacting lives.

"Those are the stories that give me chills. Those are the kinds of things sports can do.” The #Dodgers ended their World Series-winning season with a wild champagne-and-beer celebration, but for one fan, Freddie Freeman's dramatic walk-off grand slam began a quest for sobriety.
bit.ly/4gns5M0

Dodgers trade Gavin Lux to Cincinnati Reds in wake of Hyeseong Kim signing Days after signing Hyeseong Kim, the Dodgers trade Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for a competitive balance pick and prospect Mike Sorota.

The #Dodgers thinned out their glut of middle infielders by trading popular 2B Gavin Lux, whose last plate appearance with LAD produced a game-tying sacrifice fly in the World Series Game 5 clinching win over the Yankees, to the #Reds for OF prospect Mike Sirota and a draft pick. bit.ly/4a8tbd5

Dodgers' push to sign Roki Sasaki didn't involve Ohtani or Yamamoto in person Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were not part of the Dodgers' pitch to Roki Sasaki after the recently posted pitcher requested no players attend meeting.

“We’ve had numerous conversations about location, market size, teams’ success, but he doesn’t seem overly concerned about whether a team has Japanese players or not." The #Dodgers pursuit of Japanese pitching star Roki Sasaki might not be aided by Shohei Ohtani, Yoshi Yamamoto. bit.ly/3DDgwm2

Bryan Cranston tries to get Dave Roberts to reveal Dodgers' Roki Sasaki plans: 'Don’t get me in trouble' Dave Roberts reminisces about the Dodgers World Series-winning season with actor Bryan Cranston, who wants Roki Sasaki to be part of the team's 2025 plans.

“I really feel that the carrot, the incentive for our club, in 2025, is now you’re getting into legacy territory ... we're trying to do something that will last forever.” Motivation and mindset, MGR Dave Roberts tells actor Bryan Cranston, could be the key to #Dodgers running it back.
bit.ly/3Dpad5H

Can't stop, won't stop: Dodgers still reveling in World Series title afterglow It's a whirlwind time for Dodgers players and coaches, who have achieved another level of notoriety in the wake of the team's World Series title victory.

"You never know if I’ll get to experience this again in my career, so I wanted to take advantage of it, to make some memories and just enjoy things.” From late-night talk shows to podcasts, from NFL and NBA games to fast-food gigs, the
#Dodgers are reveling in World Series triumph.
lat.ms/4gyoBXc

Reliever Blake Treinen and Dodgers agree to two-year, $22-million deal The Dodgers have reached a two-year, $22-million deal with Blake Treinen, a key part of their World Series-winning bullpen.

The #Dodgers secured a key member of their World Series-winning bullpen, agreeing to terms with veteran closer Blake Treinen on a two-year, $22-million deal. Treinen, a 36-year-old RHP, went 2-0 with a 2.19 ERA and three saves in nine postseason games. bit.ly/3VuKNJI

Can confirm via source that the #Dodgers have signed OF Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17-million deal ... the LH-hitting Conforto is primarily a corner OF who has made 133 career starts in CF. Not sure how this impacts team's pursuit of slugger Juan Soto.

#Dodgers announce that 1B Freddie Freeman underwent surgery today on his right ankle consisting of debridement and the removal of loose bodies. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kenneth Jung at Kerlan Jobe in LA. The World Series MVP is expected to be ready for spring training.

He used to be their babysitter. Now, Saquon Barkley is on pace to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record. When Barkley was a star running back at Whitehall High, the school's athletic director asked him to babysit his kids. The family says Barkley was a natural.

“He was chill. He didn't say, 'Make sure you're in bed at this specific time.’

“I beat him in Madden. Can’t imagine he was happy about losing to a 12-year-old.”

Saquon Barkley used to be their babysitter. Now, he’s on pace to break the single-season rushing record: www.inquirer.com/eagles/eagle...

Let's just hope all the embers go out on this harebrained idea ...

#MLB

Via Mike DiGiovanna @mikedigiovannalat.bsky.social
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Current view of Dodger Stadium from RF corner. Definitely a hard-hat area.

Just started watching a good series on Netflix called The Madness. Only two episodes in, but really good espionage series so far. #TheMadness

#Dodgers exec Andrew Friedman coveted Tommy Edman for years before acquiring the super utility man at trade deadline. Now that they finally have him, and after Edman helped fuel World Series run with NLCS MVP honors, they made sure he'll be here to stay with a 5-year, $74-million deal.

Inside the Angels' lost years: Poor decisions, Arte Moreno's influence have club near bottom Years of poor decisions have fueled the Angels' struggles despite the team featuring Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Now Arte Moreno is weighing a sale.

I attempted to answer, and hopefully answered, this question to some degree in this story I wrote for the LA Times two years ago. Though the story is a few seasons old, much of it still applies: bit.ly/3V38hWk

Shohei Ohtani is the 12th player to win 3 or more MVPs. He joins Frank Robinson as only the second player to win in both the AL & NL. And he does it for a third time via unanimous vote.

#Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani is a unanimous selection as the NL MVP ... hardly a shocker. It's the third such award for Ohtani after he won two AL MVP awards with #Angels.

#Dodgers announce that RHP Brusdar Graterol, who missed most of 2024 season because of shoulder/hamstring injuries, had right shoulder labrum surgery on Nov. 14 performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He’s expected to return to the mound in the second half of the 2025 regular season.