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  • Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs faces strangulation charges, denies allegations

    Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs faces strangulation charges, denies allegations

    BOSTON — New England Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing strangulation and other criminal charges in connection with an incident that happened earlier this month, police said.

    News of the charges emerged after a court hearing Tuesday in Dedham, Mass. It is unclear what led to the charges, which include felony strangulation or suffocation and misdemeanor assault and battery.

    Diggs’ lawyer, David Meier, said in an emailed statement that Diggs “categorically denies these allegations.”

    Meier said the allegations never occurred, describing them as unsubstantiated and uncorroborated.

    “The timing and motivation for making the allegations is crystal clear: they are the direct result of an employee-employer financial dispute that was not resolved to the employee’s satisfaction,” Meier wrote.

    In a statement, the Patriots said they were also standing by Diggs: “We support Stefon,” the team said.

    Diggs, 32, established himself as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers during a run with Minnesota and Buffalo from 2018 to 2023, when he had six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and was selected to the Pro Bowl four times.

    After a lackluster stint in Houston last year, Diggs ended up in New England, signing a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency that guaranteed him $26 million.

    Diggs has been a reliable target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye and is a big reason the team has once again clinched the AFC East title.

    Off the field, though, his tenure with the Patriots got off to a rocky start when a video surfaced on social media in May showing Diggs passing what appeared to be a bag of pink crystals to women on a boat.

    It wasn’t clear what the substance was, and an NFL spokesperson said the league would not comment. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said the team would handle that matter internally.

  • Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald lead Pro Football Hall of Fame modern era finalists

    Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald headlined a group of four modern era finalists in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    Tight end Jason Witten and running back Frank Gore were the two other first-year eligible players who were also announced Tuesday among the 15 finalists.

    Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri were guaranteed spots after advancing to the final seven in voting for the 2025 class. There are six other returning finalists with Eli Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshall Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson all making it back to this stage.

    Defensive tackle Kevin Williams made it to the finalist stage for the first time in his sixth year of eligibility.

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    The 50-person selection committee will vote on the 15 finalists next month with the results announced Feb. 5 at “NFL Honors.” Between three and five of the finalists will be inducted in the second year of this current format.

    In addition to the modern era finalists, the selection committee will also consider seniors candidates Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood, coaching candidate Bill Belichick and contributor Robert Kraft. Between one and three of those finalists will make it into the Hall.

    Only four people got in last year for the smallest class in 20 years.

    Brees and Fitzgerald are the top new candidates this year.

    Brees is second all time to Tom Brady with 80,358 yards passing and 571 touchdown passes. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers before signing as a free agent with the Saints in 2006, where his career took off as he helped lift a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

    Brees delivered to New Orleans its first Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, when he won MVP of the game after beating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Brees made the Pro Bowl 13 times in his career, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, was an All-Pro in 2006 and was a second-team All-Pro four times.

    Fitzgerald spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted third overall in 2004. His 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards receiving in 17 seasons rank second all time to Jerry Rice.

    Fitzgerald topped 1,000 yards receiving nine times — tied for the fourth most ever — and helped the Cardinals reach their only Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald set single-season records that postseason with 546 yards receiving and seven TD catches, including a go-ahead 64-yard score with 2:37 to play in the Super Bowl before Pittsburgh rallied for a 27-23 win over Arizona.

    Witten was one of the most prolific tight ends with his 1,228 catches and 13,046 yards ranking second best all time. Witten was a two-time All-Pro for Dallas and was a second-team All-Pro two other times.

    Gore ranks third all time with 16,000 yards rushing with nine 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl honors.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by Carolina in 2012 was an All-Pro five times, with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

    Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).

    Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the game-winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl victories during New England’s dynasty.

    He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the game-winning kick in OT to win that game and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in the Super Bowl against the Rams.

    Vinatieri is the NFL’s career leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.

    Holt was a key part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” helping the team win the Super Bowl in his rookie season in 1999 and getting back there two years later. Holt led the NFL in yards receiving in 2000 and in catches and yards in 2003 when he made his only All-Pro team.

    Holt finished his career with 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 TDs.

    Anderson was considered one of the top right tackles in his era after being a first-round pick by Cincinnati in 1996. He spent nearly his entire career with the Bengals and made three straight All-Pro teams from 2004-06.

    Among the candidates who didn’t advance from the 26 semifinalists were quarterback Philip Rivers, who was taken off the ballot when he came out of retirement, and offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski, who was in his final year of eligibility as a modern era candidate.

    Two finalists from last year also didn’t advance with running back Fred Taylor and receiver Steve Smith Sr. falling short.

  • Andy Reid plans to return as Chiefs coach next season

    Andy Reid plans to return as Chiefs coach next season

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday that he plans to return next season, batting away any thought of an impending retirement by making a tongue-in-cheek joke about his status with a franchise he has led to three Super Bowl titles.

    “I mean, I think I’m coming back, right?” Reid told local Kansas City reporters on a Zoom call. “If they’ll have me back, I’ll come back. You never know in this business. That’s a tough one. But I plan on it, yeah.”

    The 67-year-old Reid is accustomed to answering questions about his future in February, after the Chiefs have played in the Super Bowl, which they had done each of the last three years. But he’s less familiar with facing those questions in the final days of December, when the Chiefs have long since been eliminated from postseason contention.

    Kansas City is 6-10 as it prepares for its season finale this weekend in Las Vegas.

    Reid, who signed a five-year, $100 million extension with the Chiefs in April 2024, spent his first 14 seasons as an NFL head coach in Philadelphia, where he led the Eagles to 130 regular-season wins and 10 more in the playoffs. That included four seasons that ended in the NFC title game and another that ended with a loss in the Super Bowl.

    Reid’s last 13 years have come in Kansas City, where he has won at an even greater clip.

    Eagles coach Andy Reid with safety Brian Dawkins during a game in October 2005.

    With Alex Smith at quarterback the first five years and Patrick Mahomes under center since, the Chiefs have piled up 149 regular-season wins and gone 18-8 in the playoffs. This season will end streaks of 10 consecutive playoff trips, nine straight AFC West titles, seven consecutive AFC title game appearances and the last three years in the Super Bowl.

    In five trips to the big game, Reid and Co. have brought three Lombardi Trophies back to Kansas City. Bill Belichick is the only coach with more Super Bowl rings, capturing six of them with Tom Brady and the Patriots.

    Reid has 307 wins overall. He needs 18 to pass George Halas for third on the NFL’s career list behind Belichick and Don Shula.

  • Sixers lose third straight game in 129-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder

    Sixers lose third straight game in 129-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Chet Holmgren had 29 points and nine rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away in the second half for a 129-104 victory over the 76ers on Sunday, ending a two-game skid.

    Holmgren made 12 of 17 shots, including 2 of 4 from three-point range for Oklahoma City (27-5), which was coming off consecutive losses to the San Antonio Spurs.

    The Thunder shot 50 for 87 (57%).

    Rookie VJ Edgecombe knows he can score. He still defers to the Sixers’ Big Three.

    Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points, five assists and two steals, and Jalen Williams added 14 points and six assists for the NBA-leading Thunder.

    Gilgeous-Alexander made 10 of 13 field goals and shot 7 for 9 from the line before sitting out the fourth quarter. He scored at least 20 points for the 103rd consecutive game.

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (left) led the team in scoring with 28 points against the Thunder.

    Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Quentin Grimes had 13 and former Oklahoma City star Paul George added 12 for the Sixers (16-14), which played without injured starter Joel Embiid (ankle). Philadelphia committed 23 turnovers leading to 31 Oklahoma City points.

    George received a warm welcome from the Oklahoma City crowd. His 2019 trade to the Clippers helped shape the NBA champion Thunder, who received Gilgeous-Alexander and later Williams in the deal.

    The Thunder made their first nine field goals, but Maxey helped the Sixers keep it close with 23 first-half points. His three-pointer with 1 minute, 42 seconds left in the second quarter gave Philadelphia a 61-59 lead. But Gilgeous-Alexander’s 13-footer with 36.2 seconds left gave Oklahoma City a 64-62 lead at the break.

    Oklahoma City took control in the third quarter, outscoring Philadelphia 38-24 for a 102-86 lead heading into the fourth. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 11 points in the third before taking a seat.

    The Sixers continue their roadtrip with the Memphis Grizzlies up next on Tuesday night (8 p.m., NBC10, Peacock).

  • Seahawks close in on NFC’s top seed with 27-10 win over Panthers

    Seahawks close in on NFC’s top seed with 27-10 win over Panthers

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks turned two third-quarter Carolina turnovers into TDs to beat the Panthers, 27-10, Sunday and close in on the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

    Sam Darnold threw an interception in the end zone but finished 18 of 27 for 147 yards with a touchdown for the Seahawks, who can wrap up the NFC West title and the top seed if the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both lose or tie.

    Jaxon Smith-Njigba added nine catches for 72 yards as Seattle (13-3) won its sixth straight.

    The Panthers (8-8) had a chance to win the NFC South because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost, 20-17, at Miami on Sunday. Now the Panthers will likely need to win at Tampa Bay next weekend to win their first division title since 2015 and snap a seven-year playoff drought. Carolina could still claim the division with a loss to the Bucs if the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) win their final two games.

    Bryce Young was limited to 54 yards on 14-of-24 passing and threw an interception for the inconsistent Panthers, who followed up a win with a loss for the fifth straight time. Young ran for 30 yards and accounted for Carolina’s only touchdown with a 10-yard scamper.

    Carolina was limited to 139 yards of offense.

    After an ugly first half that ended in a 3-3 tie, the Seahawks took control in the third quarter thanks to their defense.

    DeMarcus Lawrence recovered a fumble by Chuba Hubbard deep in Carolina territory and Charbonnet cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Young’s pass to a Tetairoa McMillan was intercepted by Julian Love, leading to Darnold’s 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner.

    The Panthers, who were held to 72 yards in the first three quarters, responded with a 13-play, 69-yard drive. Young scored on a 10-yard run to cut Seattle’s lead to 17-10.

    The Panthers’ defense appeared ready to get off the field on Seattle’s next possession, but two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn was flagged for grabbing Smith-Njigba’s facemask on a third-down reception on third-and-21, more than 15 yards behind the first-down marker.

    That gave Seattle a first down and the Seahawks cashed in with Jason Myers’ 30-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game with eight minutes remaining.

    Seattle sacked Young twice on the ensuing possession to get the ball back, and Charbonnet sealed it with his second TD run.

  • Penn State beats Clemson 22-10 in Pinstripe Bowl behind two TD passes from Ethan Grunkemeyer

    Penn State beats Clemson 22-10 in Pinstripe Bowl behind two TD passes from Ethan Grunkemeyer

    NEW YORK (AP) — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for a career-high 262 yards and two TDs, including a 73-yard strike to Trebor Pena early in the fourth quarter, and Penn State beat Clemson 22-10 on Saturday afternoon in the Pinstripe Bowl.

    Both teams struggled at times with the frigid conditions at Yankee Stadium following a snowstorm. The temperature at kickoff was 28 degrees and the wind chill made it feel like 19, while the snow from Friday’s storm was piled in the right and left field corners.

    In his seventh start since Penn State lost Drew Allar to an injury, Grunkemeyer completed 23 of 34 passes, setting career bests for completions and attempts.

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State. Is bringing in D’Anton Lynn as DC next?

    His best throw was to Pena, who caught the ball at the Penn State 44, ran by Clemson safety Ricardo Jones and rumbled untouched down the left side for a 15-3 lead with 12:51 left in the fourth.

    Grunkemeyer also made a 35-yard throw to Devonte Ross to get the Nittany Lions deep into Clemson territory that set up an 11-yard TD toss to Andrew Rappleyea with 4:56 left for a 22-10 lead.

    Pena finished with five catches and 100 yards.

    Penn State’s defense held Clemson to just 10 points and 236 total yards.

    Before connecting with Pena, Grunkemeyer moved the Nittany Lions into field goal territory three times for Ryan Barker. Barker made a 22-yard field goal on Penn State’s first possession, along with a pair of 40-plus-yard kicks.

    Penn State (7-6) won its final four games under interim coach Terry Smith, who took over for James Franklin following a 22-21 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11. He will be succeeded by Matt Campbell, who was hired on Dec. 8.

    Clemson’s Cade Klubnik completed 22 of 39 passes for 193 yards in his final collegiate game while getting sacked four times. He also had eight passes broken up by Penn State defenders.

    The Tigers scored their lone touchdown on Adam Randall’s 2-yard plunge with 8:47 left to slice Penn State’s lead to 15-10.

    Clemson (7-6) saw a four-game winning streak stopped and was held to its fewest points in a bowl game since a 24-6 loss to Alabama in the 2018 Sugar Bowl.

    Takeaways

    Penn State: Top running back Kaytron Allen did not play because of injury after being listed as questionable, leaving Quentin Martin as the best of the team’s remaining rushers. Martin entered the game with 32 career rushing yards and finished with 101 yards on 20 carries.

    Clemson: The Tigers struggled to get any traction with their ground game and were held to 43 rushing yards. It was their second-lowest total of the season behind a 31-yard showing in their season-opening loss to LSU.

    Up next

    Penn State: Open the Campbell era next season at home against Marshall.

    Clemson: Open the 2026 season at LSU with a new quarterback after the departure of Klubnik.

  • Sixers lose 109-102 to Chicago Bulls despite Joel Embiid’s 31 points

    Sixers lose 109-102 to Chicago Bulls despite Joel Embiid’s 31 points

    CHICAGO — Jalen Smith sparked a game-ending run with a thunderous dunk on Joel Embiid, and the Chicago Bulls matched a season high with their fifth straight win, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 109-102 on Friday night.

    The Bulls scored the final 10 points of the game, starting with Smith’s driving dunk. Tre Jones and Zach Collins each had 15 points, and Coby White scored 13, helping the Bulls match their best streak since a 5-0 start. They also evened their record at 15-15.

    Embiid led Philadelphia with 31 points. Tyrese Maxey scored 27 and had five 3-pointers. Paul George shook off a slow start to finish with 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds, but the 76ers lost for the fourth time in as many games this season with their three stars in the lineup.

    The Sixers led 102-99 after Embiid backed in with 2:45 remaining, but that was all the scoring for them. Smith then drove the baseline and dunked on a rotating Embiid with about 2:30 remaining, bringing the crowd to its feet.

    White then nailed a step back 3, drawing more roars, and Jones hit a reverse layup. After a driving Maxey got blocked by Nikola Vucevic, Jones tracked down a loose ball and laid it in with 47 seconds left. He added a free throw with 17 seconds remaining.

    Embiid, who has missed 15 games mainly due to right knee soreness, scored 16 points as the cold-shooting Sixers grabbed a 52-49 halftime lead.

    Philadelphia made just 3 of 15 3-pointers and was 19 of 50 from the field through the first two quarters. Even so, the Sixers went from leading 13-2 to trailing by 11 early in the second to taking a three-point advantage to the locker room.

  • Bills’ James Cook credits Saquon Barkley for raising payroll bar for running backs

    Bills’ James Cook credits Saquon Barkley for raising payroll bar for running backs

    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo’s James Cook reflected on his offseason contract dispute with pride, a sense of unfinished business and a nod to Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley.

    Though the Bills’ fourth-year running back might already be outperforming the four-year, $46 million contract extension he signed in August following a week-long hold-in, the NFL’s rushing leader enters Week 17 feeling vindicated for banking on himself.

    “You got to do what you got to do. You need to take care of your family, and that’s what I did,” Cook said Friday, referring to his contract dispute that included him skipping all of the team’s spring voluntary practices.

    At the same time, Cook thinks he has more to prove.

    “The job’s not even finished,” he said. ”So just keep going.”

    With a career-best 1,532 yards rushing, Cook has a 43-yard lead over the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor in what stands as a two-way race for the rushing title.

    What’s fitting for Cook this weekend as the Bills (11-4) prepare to host the Eagles (10-5) on Sunday is him owing his on- and off-field achievements to Barkley. If not for the Philadelphia running back raising the payroll bar for all players at his position, Cook figured he might still be spinning his wheels while seeking a pay raise.

    “He set the standard. He set the mark,” Cook said of Barkley turning his league-leading 2,005 yards rushing last year into a two-year contract $41.2 million extension that made him the NFL’s first running back to average more than $20 million a season.

    “Last year, he set the rushing title,” Cook added. ”And I’m just trying to replicate it.”

    Two of the NFL’s premier running backs will square off in expected sloppy conditions, with the forecast calling for a wintery mix of snow and rain Sunday.

    In Buffalo, Cook has scored 12 touchdowns and topped 100 yards nine times while taking the load off quarterback Josh Allen and contributing to the Bills reaching the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

    In Philadelphia, Barkley has found his footing and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles appear to have rediscovered their balanced offensive identity.

    Barkley has topped 100 yards twice in the past three games after doing so just once in the first 12. The Eagles have won two in a row and are coming off a 29-18 win over Washington during which they became the first team to clinch consecutive NFC East titles since they did so over a four-year span from 2001-04.

    Barkley said he “never lost faith” in the offense or coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was criticized for the Eagles’ sluggish start.

    “It’s always not going to be pretty. The stat line isn’t always going to be 100 rushing yards,” he said. “When we get our running game going, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

    Barkley noted he exchanged messages on Instagram with Cook this week.

    “He’s the leading rusher right now and I sent him a message, like, ‘Go finish,” he said. “He’s a guy who’s had a heck of a year. … Super excited to go against him. Wish him the best, but not too well against our team.”

    Barkley has an opportunity to thrive against a Bills defense that has allowed 150 or more yards rushing seven times this season, and will be missing three defensive tackles to injury.

    The Bills, however, can counter with Cook, whose 12 TDs rushing are tied for fourth in the NFL.

    Bills coach Sean McDermott praised Cook for emerging as a team leader and for how he didn’t get comfortable after signing a new contract.

    “The week to week intensity is different than last year,” McDermott said. “He had some big games last year, but the look in his eye each week, the intensity that he shows up with, it’s really been influential on our whole football team.”

  • Lawyer in Diego Pavia’s eligibility lawsuit against NCAA cites NBA draft pick’s return to college

    Lawyer in Diego Pavia’s eligibility lawsuit against NCAA cites NBA draft pick’s return to college

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A lawyer for Heisman Trophy runner-up Diego Pavia and 26 other football players has cited the NCAA’s decision to allow an NBA draft pick to return to college basketball as a reason that a federal judge should let his clients play in 2026 and 2027.

    Although Pavia plans to enter the NFL draft, he is continuing the lawsuit, which challenges an NCAA rule that counts seasons spent at junior colleges against players’ eligibility for Division I football.

    On Wednesday, Baylor announced that 7-foot center James Nnaji had joined the Bears after four seasons playing professionally in Europe, a span that included Nnaji being drafted No. 31 overall by the Detroit Pistons. His rights were traded to Charlotte and later the New York Knicks.

    Attorney Ryan Downton seized on that news in a memorandum he filed Friday in a Tennessee federal court to support his antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. He’s asking U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell to block the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules.

    With Nnaji’s arrival at Baylor having been announced on Christmas Eve, Downton began his memo with a reference to Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”

    “When what to my wandering eyes should appear, but … the hypocrisy of the NCAA granting four years of eligibility to a 21-year-old European professional basketball player with four years of professional experience who was drafted by an NBA team two years ago,” the attorney wrote.

    The memo noted that Nnaji, who also played in the NBA Summer League, will be 25 before he runs out of eligibility.

    “Meanwhile, the NCAA argues to this court that high school seniors are harmed if a 22- or 23-year-old former junior college player plays one more year of college football,” according to the filing.

    Pavia initially sued the NCAA in November 2024 and won a preliminary injunction weeks later that allowed him to play this season. He led Vanderbilt to a No. 13 ranking in the AP poll and the best season in program history. The Commodores will play Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Dec. 31.

    The lawsuit has since added 26 other plaintiffs, including Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.

    NCAA rules give athletes five years to play four seasons under an eligibility clock that starts at any “collegiate institution” regardless of whether that school is an NCAA member.

    Pavia started playing at New Mexico Military Institute in 2020; the NCAA did not count that season toward eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He led the junior college to the 2021 national championship, then played at New Mexico State in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Vanderbilt for 2024, making this season his sixth in college football but only his fourth at the Division I level.

    The NCAA is facing several eligibility lawsuits, and Downton is representing players in another lawsuit over the NCAA’s redshirt rule, with Vanderbilt linebacker Langston Patterson a lead plaintiff.

    Patterson and four others asked Campbell on Dec. 15 for an injunction to play the 2026 season.

  • White Sox add Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami on two-year, $34 million contract

    White Sox add Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami on two-year, $34 million contract

    CHICAGO — The rebuilding Chicago White Sox added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup on Sunday, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger.

    Murakami, who turns 26 on Feb. 2, joins a promising group of young hitters that also includes Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth. The White Sox finished last in the AL Central this year with a 60-102 record, a 19-game improvement from the previous season.

    Murakami gets a $1 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $16 million next year and $17 million in 2027.

    His 2027 salary can escalate based on awards earned in 2026: $1 million for winning an MVP award, $500,000 for finishing second or third in the voting, $250,000 for fourth through 10th and $250,000 for Rookie of the Year.

    He can’t be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent and will be a free agent at the end of the contract. He also gets a team-provided interpreter and flight reimbursement between Japan and the U.S.

    Chicago owes a posting fee of $6,575,000 to Yakult, Murakami’s Central League team. The Swallows also would receive a supplemental fee of 15% of any triggered escalators.

    Murakami would become the fourth Japanese-born player to play for the White Sox, joining Shingo Takatsu (2004-05), second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (2005-07), and outfielder Kosuke Fukudome (2012). Takatsu managed Murakami in Japan.

    Murakami, who bats from the left side, is slated to be formally introduced at a news conference on Monday.

    He was Central League MVP in 2021 and ’22. The corner infielder was limited to 56 games this season because of an oblique injury. He struck out 64 times, but he batted .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs.

    Murakami hit 56 homers in 2022 to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player in Nippon Professional Baseball while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. He topped 30 homers in four straight years before an injury-interrupted season in 2023.

    He has a .270 career average with 246 homers, 647 RBIs, and 977 strikeouts in 892 games over eight Central League seasons, all with the Swallows.

    After playing primarily at first base in 2019 and 2020, he has spent most of his time since at third.

    At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Murakami hit a game-ending double off Giovanny Gallegos that drove in Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida for a 6-5 semifinal win over Mexico. The following day in the championship game, Murakami hit a tying home run off Merrill Kelly in the second inning and Japan went on to beat the United States, 3-2.

    Under the agreement between MLB and NPB, the posting fee is 20% of the first $25 million of a major league contract, including earned bonuses and options. The percentage drops to 17.5% of the next $25 million and 15% of any amount over $50 million.