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Sports briefs
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In baseball
Justin Verlander reached a $25 million deal to remain with the Houston Astros as he comes back from Tommy John surgery, and Brandon Belt accepted an $18.4 million qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Verlander, a 38-year-old right-hander, made just one start in 2020, pitching six innings on July 24 in a win over Seattle on opening day before being placed on the injured list with strained right forearm. He attempted a comeback after he was injured, but announced on Sept. 19 that he needed surgery.
Verlander, a two-time Cy Young Award winner and the 2011 AL MVP, became a free agent after completing a $94 million, three-year contract with the Astros.
Belt hit .274 with a career-high 29 home runs and 59 RBIs last season.
- New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said he voted for Major League Baseball’s proposal to lower the luxury tax threshold, a plan opposed by the players’ union with the sport on the brink of its first work stoppage in 26 years.
The luxury tax, formally known as the competitive balance tax, had a threshold of $210 million this year. Owners proposed lowering it to $180 million and adding a $100 million payroll floor. The union long has opposed a floor, fearing it would lead to a hard cap.
- Right-hander Noah Syndergaard has agreed to terms on $21 million, one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, leaving the New York Mets for a lucrative fresh start on the West Coast.
The long-haired, 6-6 Texan earned the nickname “Thor” with his powerful pitch selection and mound presence, but injuries have hampered a career that includes 47 victories, a 3.32 ERA and one All-Star selection in 2016. Syndergaard has made only two major league appearances since 2019 because of Tommy John surgery.
NCAA expands women’s tournament
The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is expanding to 68 teams beginning with the current season, giving it an equal number of participants as the men’s tournament.
The men’s tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011 with four first-round games traditionally played in Dayton, Ohio. The first four for the women’s tournament will take place on the campuses of teams seeded in the top 16 this season, but they will move to a to-be-determined neutral site beginning with the 2023 tournament.