The Cincinnati Reds awoke from their winterlong slumber long enough to welcome back the oldest of friends: Eugenio Suárez.

The Venezuelan slugger, who pounded 49 home runs last season and hit 189 for the Reds between 2015 and 2021, agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the club Feb. 1, taking the top remaining offensive player off the market.

Suárez, 34, was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2018, when he hit 34 home runs, and again last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was dealt to the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline and was an ideal fit, hitting 13 homers for the Mariners and then three more in the postseason, including a go-ahead Game 5 grand slam that put the Mariners within one game of their first World Series berth.

But the Mariners lost Games 6 and 7 at Toronto and Suárez hit the market. Meanwhile, the Reds whiffed on their efforts to land slugger Kyle Schwarber, then went virtually silent on the offensive front the remainder of the winter, save for trading infielder-outfielder Gavin Lux and taking flyers on outfielders such as JJ Bleday.

In Suárez, they get proven pop accompanied by massive strikeout totals: He fanned 195 times last season and led the AL in 2022 and ’23, punching out 214 tiimes the latter year. Still, he slides seamlessly into the DH spot and can spell the defensively-great Ke’Bryan Hayes at third should the Reds desire a bat-heavy look on certain days.

Suárez’s agreement was first reported by ESPN.

Eugenio Suarez stats

The 34-year-old slugger batted .228 with 49 home runs, 118 RBIs and 91 runs scored in 159 games last season, split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.

Eugenio Suarez contract

Suarez is reportedly signing a one-year contract worth $15 million.

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan are just around the corner. Rosters are set, and all that awaits is the first puck drop of the men’s tournament on Feb. 11. 

A lot is at stake for the upcoming Olympics. Not only does every team want to win gold, but individual players will be looking to have good campaigns in their own right.

For many star players, it will be a chance to take a break from their clubs and experience a new atmosphere on a bigger stage. In a short and high-stakes, best-on-best tournament, all eyes will be on the big-name stars and whether they can perform under the brightest lights.

With that, here are five players who have the most to prove at the Olympics, in no particular order.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, Team USA

Although Connor Hellebuyck has been arguably the best goaltender of this generation, winning a Hart Trophy and three Vezina Trophies in his career so far, he has plenty to prove.

While he’s had individual success as a goaltender, Hellebuyck struggles to perform when the games matter most. His playoff numbers for the Winnipeg Jets are evidence of that.

Despite a career average of a .917 save percentage in the regular season, that stat drops to .903 percent in the post-season. In fact, in his last three playoff campaigns, Hellebuyck hasn’t posted an SP better than .886.

He’s projected to be Team USA’s starting goaltender at the Games, and though skill is abundant in front of him, Hellebuyck will be relied on when it matters most. The 32-year-old will have to prove that he has what it takes to shine on the big stage.

Auston Matthews, C, Team USA

Despite being on track for his seventh-career 40-goal season, the 28-year-old center is on pace to finish under a point per game for the first time since his rookie campaign. Last season, he only recorded 33 tallies, but he at least mustered 78 points in 67 games in an injury-riddled year.

Then, there are the playoffs, specifically Game 7’s. Matthews and the Maple Leafs have become infamous for their constant failures in do-or-die outings. In fact, he has never scored a goal in a Game 7, despite six appearances in such events in his career.

To his credit, he recorded two assists in the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Team Canada and finished the tournament with three assists. However, he didn’t score a single goal, nor come out of the competition victorious.

Can he prove to be different this time around?

Elias Pettersson, C, Team Sweden

Elias Pettersson certainly hasn’t been the same player since he signed his massive eight-year, $92.8-million contract ahead of the 2024-25 season.

His downfall, and the Vancouver Canucks at that, began last season when the Swedish centerman only recorded 15 goals and 45 points in 64 appearances. Those numbers came just one year off an 89-point season, and two years removed from a 102-point campaign.

There was reason for concern over Pettersson’s play, and now, with the Canucks taking a step back as an organization, there doesn’t seem to be an imminent improvement from an individual standpoint at the club level.

However, there’s a new opportunity for Pettersson at the Olympics as he’ll represent Sweden. At the Olympics, he can prove to the hockey world that he is still an elite and valuable centerman to his team.

He put up zeros across the board in three outings at the 4 Nations. He’ll be looking for a better outcome in Milan.

Jordan Binnington, G, Team Canada

Ahead of Team Canada’s official roster announcement in late December, there was plenty of noise around St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and whether he should be selected to the team.

His numbers have been woeful in the NHL this season, averaging a 3.60 goals-against average and a .866 SP in 31 games.

Nonetheless, Team Canada’s brass decided that he should still tag along, likely related to how he performed at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. He led the Canadians from the crease, executing clutch saves in crucial moments, including in the championship game.

Therefore, he’s back with the national team, but this time at a bigger competition against more teams, which will result in more games. 

It’s unclear if Canada will give Binnington the nod to begin the competition. But if he starts in goal in the first match, he’ll have the opportunity to prove his critics wrong, for the second straight year, and on arguably the biggest stage in hockey.

Sebastian Aho, C, Team Finland

For years now, the tale of the Carolina Hurricanes has been that they do not have a true superstar on the team. That perspective could be seen as a slight to center Sebastian Aho.

Aho will have a crucial role for Team Finland in these Olympics. No. 1 center Aleksander Barkov went down with a significant injury during training camp with the Florida Panthers. He’ll be out for the Olympics, leaving the assumed position of Finland’s top-line center to Aho.

The 28-year-old has been consistent for the Hurricanes with three 80-plus-point campaigns, and is on pace for another. Additionally, he’s been a constant force in the post-season as he never registered fewer than 10 points in a playoff campaign across seven trips.

However, while he’s been good, he’ll have to be great at the Olympics if Finland wants to do better than a bronze-medal finish. Aho is in a great position to highlight himself as a star in the NHL with this upcoming opportunity for his country.

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Spring Training hasn’t even started, and the Chicago White Sox have already taken their first L of 2026.

The Southsiders’ social media account rung in the first day of Black History Month on Sunday with a timeline looking back ‘upon momentous firsts for the White Sox organization.’ Some of the more notable moments included Comiskey Park hosting the first Negro Leagues All-Star Game in 1933, Al Smith becoming the organization’s first Black All-Star in 1960 and current manager Will Venable becoming the third Black White Sox manager in team history and one of two active Black managers in 2024.

But there was one glaring omission.

Frank Thomas, the club’s all-time leader in home runs (448), RBIs (1,465), runs scored (1,327), doubles (447), walks (1,466), on-base percentage (.427), slugging percentage (.568), and total bases (3,949), was absent aside from a brief mention under Dick Allen’s MVP section. None of his franchise records, five All-Star appearances, four Silver Sluggers, AL batting title — or his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least a .300 average, 100 RBIs, 100 runs scored, 100 walks and 20 home runs from 1991-1997 — were in the post.

And the Big Hurt himself noticed.

‘I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable!’ he said in a reply to the post. ‘Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!’

Thomas’ tweet ratioed the White Sox with over 2,000 likes and 218 retweets compared to 264 likes and 88 retweets on the original post as of 2:00 p.m. ET.

The World Baseball Classic will be without several of its top stars because they have been unable to acquire insurance coverage in case they are injured during the tournament.

No team has been hit harder than Puerto Rico, which couldn’t secure insurance coverage for several of its biggest names in Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Jose Berrios and Emilio Pagan.

Puerto Rican officials are so frustrated that they have considered pulling out of the WBC, federation president José Quiles revealed.

The Major League Baseball Players Association said that Lindor is unable to play in the WBC because of an elbow procedure early in the offseason, although he will be fine to participate in spring training for the New York Mets.

“Francisco is obviously disappointed that he was be unable to participate,’ the MLBPA said in a statement. “However, because of WBC insurance constraints, he is ineligible to play in WBC games. He was participate fully in all spring training activities.’

Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve was also denied insurance and won’t be able to play for Venezuela in the WBC.

“Due to the criteria for WBC insurance coverage, Jose Altuve was looking forward to participating in the WBC and representing Venezuela, but unfortunately is not eligible to do so,’ the MLBPA said in a statement.

Venezuela will also be without Dodgers World Series hero Miguel Rojas, who announced on his Instagram account that he was also denied insurance.

“Today I am very sad,” he wrote in Spanish. “A true shame I can’t represent my country and put that flag on my chest.”

The inability to secure insurance kept three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw from participating in the WBC in 2023 because of his back issues. Now that he’s retired, there’s no need for insurance and he’ll be on this year’s USA team.

MLB requires all players on their 40-man roster to have an insurance policy that protects the team if a player sustains and injury during the WBC that requires them to miss games during the regular season. Most of the insurance issues are over a player’s prior injury history.

Players like Edwin Diaz and Altuve who were injured in the 2023 WBC were covered by insurance policies, and were still paid, but not by the team.

Diaz missed the entire 2023 season when he suffered a complete patellar tendon tear in his right knee celebrating Puerto Rico’s win over the Dominican Republic. Altuve suffered a broken right thumb when he was hit by a pitch from Team USA pitcher Daniel Bard. He missed the first 43 games of the 2023 season.

There have been no publicly known cases of any player this year who were prevented from joining Team USA because of an inability to acquire insurance.

Yet, perhaps no one in the tournament is taking a bigger financial risk than two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. He’s a free agent after the season and is expected to secure the largest contract by a pitcher in MLB history, perhaps exceeding $400 million.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has been fined for an aggressive interaction with an official during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 30. 

James Jones, who serves as the NBA’s Executive Vice President/Head of Basketball Operations, announced that Atkinson was fined $50,000 for ‘aggressively pursuing, berating and making inadvertent contact’ with a referee.

Atkinson was assessed his second technical foul of the game and was ejected with 10:59 left in the fourth quarter of Friday night’s contest. The Suns went on to beat the Cavaliers 126-113, the loss snapping Cleveland’s five-game winning streak.

Atkinson was upset about a no-call on Suns guard Collin Gillespie, who was aggressively defended by Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill.

When do Cavaliers play next?

The Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 9 p.m. ET.