Tuesday’s Sports In Brief

PRO BASKETBALL

Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia has agreed in principle to buy a majority stake of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion, the sides announced.

The sale is expected to take several weeks to complete. Ishbia — who is chairman, president and chief executive of United Wholesale Mortgage, which bills itself as the nation’s largest mortgage lender — will be subjected to a vetting process by the NBA, and once that is complete, the league’s board of governors will have to approve the sale.

The board isn’t scheduled to meet until March, though it could convene virtually if the vetting process is completed beforehand.

Forbes recently listed Ishbia’s net worth at $5.1 billion. Ishbia is a former Michigan State player under coach Tom Izzo, and was a member of the Spartans’ NCAA championship team in 2000.

BASEBALL

The San Francisco Giants postponed a news conference to introduce prized free agent Carlos Correa after a medical concern arose during the All-Star shortstop’s physical, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Giants have not announced publicly any details regarding Correa’s $350 million, 13-year agreement.

Correa and the Giants agreed on Dec. 13 to the massive deal, subject to a successful physical, according to one of the people. Correa has been placed on the injured list seven times during his eight-year career.

It was not clear if the sides had discussed renegotiating Correa’s agreement.

– By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Matt Carpenter agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract with the San Diego Padres after reviving his career with the New York Yankees in a season cut short by injury.

The agreement for the infielder/outfielder could be worth $21 million over two seasons if he has 550 plate appearances in each year.

Carpenter, 37, was a three-time All-Star with the St. Louis Cardinals who began last season with Texas’ Triple-A team in Frisco. He signed with the Yankees on May 26 and hit .305 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs in 47 games and 154 plate appearances before breaking his left foot Aug. 8. Carpenter returned for the playoffs but went 1 for 12.

NEW YORK (AP) — American League MVP Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees finalized their $360 million, nine-year contract, the third-largest deal in baseball history.

New York announced the agreement and called a news conference for Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to discuss the contract, which was agreed to on Dec. 7 subject to a successful physical.

Judge hit 62 homers last season to break the previous AL record of 61 set by the Yankees’ Roger Maris in 1961.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins and Joey Gallo finalized their one-year, $11 million contract, giving the big-swinging corner outfielder a fresh start following a rough 2022 season with the Yankees and Dodgers.

DETROIT (AP) — Right-hander Michael Lorenzen and the Detroit Tigers finalized their $8.5 million, one-year contract.

Lorenzen was 8-6 with a 4.24 ERA in 18 starts last season with the Los Angeles Angels. Since making his major league debut with Cincinnati in 2015, he is 31-29 with a 4.10 ERA.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays will split their spring training between the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee and Tropicana Field because their own facility on Florida’s Gulf Coast was damaged by Hurricane Ian.

The Rays announced this month that they would not be able to hold spring training at their facility in Port Charlotte because repairs to their complex could not be made in time. The Rays have trained in Port Charlotte, which is about 90 minutes south of St. Petersburg, since 2009.

Ian, a powerful Category 4 storm, struck southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast in late September.

The Atlanta Braves held spring training at the Disney complex for 21 years before relocating in 2019 to North Port, Florida.

SOCCER

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A parade to celebrate the Argentine World Cup champions was abruptly cut short as millions of people poured onto thoroughfares, highways and overpasses in a chaotic attempt to catch a glimpse of the national team that won one of the great World Cup finals of all time.

So many jubilant, flag-waving fans swarmed the capital that the players had to abandon the open-air bus transporting them to Buenos Aires and board helicopters for a capital flyover that the government billed as an aerial parade.

GOLF

Players who defected from the PGA Tour to join Saudi-funded LIV Golf are still welcome at the Masters next year, even as Augusta National officials expressed disappointment in the division it has caused in golf.

The Masters, the smallest field among the four majors, is by invitation and there was some question whether it would honor the PGA Tour suspending players — including past Masters champions — for joining a rival league.

Chairman Fred Ridley put the tournament over the ongoing battle, which is now playing out in federal court with antitrust lawsuits and countersuits.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — Dequan Finn passed for 133 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score to lead Toledo past Liberty 21-19 in the rainy Boca Raton Bowl.

Liberty (8-5) was directed by interim coach Josh Aldridge. He stepped in for Hugh Freeze, who became the head coach at Auburn at the end of the regular season.

Toledo (9-5) punctuated a successful season that included winning the Mid-American Conference title with its first bowl victory since 2015.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Taylor Powell threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, Samson Evans rushed for a pair of scores and Eastern Michigan defeated San Jose State 41-27 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Eastern Michigan (9-4) won a bowl game for the second time in program history. The school also beat San Jose State in the 1987 California Bowl.

PRO FOOTBALL

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens put Devin Duvernay on injured reserve in another blow to their increasingly maligned wide receiver group.

Duvernay was limited in practice by a foot injury, and the team announced a short time later that he was going on IR. The Ravens claimed veteran receiver Sammy Watkins off waivers.

Duvernay was an All-Pro last season thanks to his work returning kicks and punts. He caught two touchdown passes in this season’s opener and another in Week 3 — although no Baltimore wideout has a receiving TD since then. The Ravens have also been without second-year man Rashod Bateman, who has been on IR with a foot injury.

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