NEW YORK -- The rate of increase for Major League Baseball's average salary slowed to 2.9% last year to a record $4.66 million, according to the annual report of the players' association.

The average of $4,655,366 was up from $4,525,719 in 2023, which marked a 7% increase from 2022.

After declining to $3.68 million in 2021, a year following the pandemic-shortened season, the average rose 23% over the next two seasons.

Union figures are based on the 2024 salaries, earned bonuses and prorated shares of signing bonuses for 1,033 players on Aug. 31 active rosters and injured lists, before active rosters expanded for the remainder of the season.

The union's report was finalized as salary arbitration hearings started this week.

Right-hander Ryne Stanek and the New York Mets are in agreement on a one-year contract, according to a source, further bolstering a bullpen with a hard-throwing reliever with significant postseason experience.

The deal marks a reunion between the two sides after the Mets acquired Stanek in a trade with the Seattle Mariners last summer.

Stanek, 33, posted a 6.06 ERA in 17 relief appearances for the Mets down the stretch of the regular season, but he was better in the playoffs, allowing just three runs across eight innings in seven games as New York fell two wins short of the National League pennant.

The veteran reliever boasts a 2.89 ERA in 30 career postseason appearances with the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros and Mets. The track record includes four scoreless appearances during the Astros' World Series run in 2022. He owns a 3.65 ERA over 401 career regular-season games since making his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017.

The Mets initially acquired Stanek for minor league outfielder Rhylan Thomas last July, days before the trade deadline, as part of a midseason bullpen overhaul that included the acquisitions of veterans Phil Maton and Huascar Brazoban.

It's been a busy winter for the Mets, who landed Juan Soto, the offseason's most prized free agent, in early December and have continued fortifying the roster.

Stanek is the third reliever the Mets have acquired over the past two weeks. The club claimed right-hander Austin Warren off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Jan. 15. Eight days later, the Mets signed A.J. Minter, one of the top left-handed relievers on the free agent market, to a two-year, $22 million contract. They all figure to serve as a bridge to closer Edwin Diaz.

Pete Alonso, the Mets' homegrown star first baseman, remains a free agent. A reunion, although unlikely, remains possible.

Tennis players facing allegations of doping or corruption will be able to access pro bono legal support as part of a new scheme launched by the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

The PTPA, established by Novak Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil in 2020 to increase player power in the sport, said it would ensure access to "world-class legal expertise regardless of a player's financial standing and personal resources".

Men's world number one Jannik Sinner and five-time women's Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek failed doping tests last year.

The handling of those cases by tennis authorities led to criticism from some players over double standards - a claim the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has strenuously denied.

Sinner, 23, did not receive a ban after failing two tests in March - but that case will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in April after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

Former world number one Swiatek served a one-month suspension, which ended in December, and missed three tournaments after the ITIA found the 23-year-old's positive test was caused by contamination.

However, former British doubles player Tara Moore served a two-year absence because of a doping ban, which was later overturned, and told Reuters she spent 200,000 in legal fees.

Moore, who co-founded the PTPA's pro bono Athlete Counsel & Equity (ACE) Program, returned to tennis in April 2024 after her ban was lifted. That decision is being challenged by the ITIA.

Moore said: "The fight to prove my innocence left me with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and overwhelming emotional distress.

"My hope is that the PTPA ACE Program and these incredible legal teams will ensure that no player has to face these challenges alone, especially in cases involving integrity issues.

"Every player deserves the chance to defend themselves without fear of financial or emotional ruin."

Ange Postecoglou has brushed off mounting speculation over his future as winger Dejan Kulusevski backed the beleaguered Tottenham boss by insisting he's the "right man" for the job.

Spurs are 15th in the Premier League after suffering their 13th defeat of the campaign on Sunday as they lost 2-1 at home to relegation-threatened Leicester City.

The team was booed off afterwards with some supporters turning their anger on Postecoglou and chairman Daniel Levy.

Speaking on Wednesday ahead of their Europa League group stage finale against IF Elfsborg, Postecoglou said: "My message to all Spurs fans, because I represent them all, not just the angry ones that you're referring to and maybe you're talking to, is that we're working hard to turn this around.

"We know the situation. Notwithstanding the fact that the possibilities and opportunities in the second half of the season are still very much in our hands to capitalise on and still make it a successful season."

The 59-year-old went on to highlight the fact Spurs are still fighting on four fronts with a win against Elfsborg guaranteeing automatic qualification to the Europa League knockout stages, ahead of a week in which they defend a first-leg advantage in their Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool and face an FA Cup fourth-round trip to Aston Villa.

ESPN reported on Monday that Spurs will give Postecoglou a further chance to save his job but another downturn in results over the next 10 days could force a rethink.

"[The speculation] doesn't affect me," Postecoglou, who is able to recall Micky van de Ven after he recovered from a hamstring injury, said.

"It never has, it never will. My view of my role has never been about self-preservation or security. It is about trying to achieve and I'm still in a position where we can do that.

"You suggest there is a running commentary on me which is not surprising given our league position. I don't have to respond to that or get involved in that it doesn't interest me, it doesn't affect me.

"What is important to me is I have a responsibility ... As I said, people can choose to ignore it but we are still in a great position to achieve something really special this year. I am going to push this group of players and everyone at the club to not lose sight of the fact that this is a tough spot we're in but the possibilities of us doing something special are still there if we work our way through it."

Kulusevski's form has been one of the few positives, scoring seven goals in his last 14 games, and he launched a passionate defence of Postecoglou, who was named Spurs boss in the summer of 2023.

"We had games where we showed perfect football, football that not many teams can play in the world," he said. "We played beautiful games against United, City away 4-0, so I think he is the right man. We play for him, we want to win for him. To be honest, we have a little bit the same ideas because I am very positive as a guy, I always want to play that football that he wants.

"So I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. So, yeah, I think he is the right man. Opinions change. It is not for me. I don't listen to anyone because I know the truth, I see the truth from my side. It is not important what people say, it has never been actually. The league is very bad and also the game on Sunday was tough to lose but I think you have to stay clear-minded and focus on the goals.

"We have made mistakes. Don't get me wrong, we have made a lot of mistakes. We have almost 10 fit players in four competitions, that is not OK and that's why the team is paying that price in the league especially. That's what I can tell you. You can look at the manager, you can look at the players but I think it is bigger than that. It is everything involved."

Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma are available to face Elfsborg but James Maddison is out for "two or three weeks" with a calf strain.

Manchester United and Chelsea are both considering a late move for Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel, while Al Nassr are eying two of Europe's top strikers. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors and gossip from around the globe.

Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men's January grades | Women's January grades

TOP STORIES

- Sources: Arsenal eye alternatives as Sesko hopes fade
- Sources: Man United push for Dorgu, Casemiro may leave
- Arsenal's Tierney to rejoin Celtic in summer - Rodgers

TRENDING RUMORS

- Fabrizio Romano says that Mathys Tel wants to leave Bayern Munich this window, with the club and forward now assessing potential transfer options, either on loan or permanently. Sky Sports Deutschland adds that Chelsea and Lyon are among the clubs showing a serious interest in the 19-year-old, while Manchester United may also consider a move for Tel -- as they rate him highly -- but will need to sort out the futures of Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford first.

- Aston Villa will accept an offer worth over 70m from Al Nassr for Jhon Durán, reports L'Equipe, which adds that the 21-year-old is waiting for the clubs to agree a fee having come to personal terms with the Saudi Arabian outfit. Florian Plettenberg, however, says that Al Nassr have reached an agreement to sign Victor Boniface from Bayer Leverkusen for over 60m. It remains to be seen if both strikers will head to the Gulf, or if Al-Alami are waiting to see which deal suits them best before proceeding. If Al Nassr do choose to sign Boniface, Mark McAdam reports that Leverkusen have lined up Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson as a replacement.

Napoli have turned down a 65m offer from Galatasaray for the permanent transfer of Victor Osimhen, reports Corriere dello Sport. The Nigeria striker has impressed after joining Galatasaray on loan in September, with 16 goals and five assists in 20 appearances across all competitions and has Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea on his trail. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis wants to wait until the end of the season to evaluate any offers for the 26-year-old, who has a contract until June 2026, but the club have already lowered Osimhen's release clause from 120m to 75m in the summer and De Laurentiis is reluctant to accept any offers below that.

- Manchester City have made Juventus an offer to sign midfielder Douglas Luiz on an "expensive" loan deal, according to Nicolo Schira. The Bianconeri have responded by demanding that an obligation to make the move permanent is included for them to give the green light to the 26-year-old being transferred. The Brazil international was on the City books between 2017 and 2019 but did not make a senior appearance for the club.

- AC Milan will make a second offer to sign Feyenoord striker Santiago Giménez on Wednesday evening if they secure a place in the Champions League top eight, reports Calciomercato, which adds that it will be worth 35m-40m with bonuses being part of that figure. The 23-year-old has put proposals from Ligue 1, the Premier League and Saudi Pro League on hold as Milan is his priority. In another Calciomercato report, it is stated that Feyenoord are taking a harder stance when it comes to Juventus' interest in Dávid Hancko, but the Bianconeri will keep pushing to sign the defender -- especially if Andrea Cambiaso leaves for Manchester City.

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS

- Neymar has agreed to return to Santos nearly 12 years after he left the Brazilian team, according to club president Marcelo Teixeira. The Brazil forward confirmed earlier that his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once. Read

- Fiorentina have signed Spanish defender Pablo Mari on a permanent transfer from Como. The former Arsenal player, who made 83 league appearances for Como, has signed a contract with La Viola until June 2027.

- USWNT defender Crystal Dunn is free to pursue new opportunities after NWSL side Gotham FC announced that she would be leaving the club. Read

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN's resident scout Tor-Kristian Karlsen explores interest in Bayern's 19-year-old prodigy Mathys Tel.

While Tel's talent is undisputed -- his record at youth level for France is exceptional and he became Bayern's youngest ever goal scorer (17 years and 126 days) when he hit the net in a cup game just a few weeks after his 20m switch from Rennes in the summer of 2022 -- he has struggled to make a consistent mark for the German giants.

One reason for that is obviously the presence of Harry Kane as a No. 9, another being the perpetual dilemma over his future position: will he ever mould into an out-and-out centre-forward? Or does is he intrinsically a winger (as his heatmap suggests)? At only 19, such considerations are part of a player's natural development but it's problematic when a lack of playing time is thrown into the equation.

Whether he'd see more minutes for Chelsea or United remains unclear. But the Frenchman has everything in the locker to become one of the top forwards in European football. He's wonderfully athletic -- strong and fast with the acceleration to stretch defences. He also has excellent control and excels in attacking 1v1s through bursts or dribbling.

There's a reason why his youth performances drew comparisons to Kylian Mbappe, but those impressive skills have only been witnessed in flashes at senior level. A change of environment to build confidence can prove wonders though. If (and it's a big "if") a big club can reinvigorate the teenager, they might well have a 100m player on their hands.

OTHER RUMORS

- The WSL window ends tomorrow but Chelsea have shown interest in signing USWNT defensive midfielder Sam Coffey from the Portland Thorns. (BBC)

- Arsenal's women are finalizing a deal for former NWSL rookie of the year and USWNT defender Jenna Nighswonger from Gotham FC. (Athletic)

- Marcus Rashford's wage demands mean Juventus are his only option to leave Manchester United in January, although there is still the prospect of a Barcelona move in the future. The 27-year-old reportedly has little interest in the proposals from Tottenham and West Ham, while there is no prospect of a deal being completed to join Borussia Dortmund. (The Independent, )

- Chelsea are in advanced negotiations to sign 16-year-old left-back Denner from Corinthians for 8m and another 4.5m in add-ons. (UOL)

- Manchester United midfielder Casemiro has rejected the option to join Roma, as the Brazil international is not interested in a move to the Italian capital. (TNT)

- Santos are preparing for the return of Neymar but have also agreed to sign Chelsea forward Deivid Washington on loan until June. (Fabrizio Romano)

- Real Betis have already taken winger Antony on loan from Man United and the club are also keen to bring in left-back Tyrell Malacia. (Diario de Sevilla)

- Inter Milan are looking to sign left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko from Arsenal in the summer, with a move to Borussia Dortmund this month having collapsed. (InterLIVE)

- Struggling Tottenham want to sign Lille midfielder Angel Gomes this month, with chairman Daniel Levy pushing for a deal. (GMS)

- Manchester City are close to a 70m deal to sign Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso, 24, but have to wait until after Wednesday's Champions League match against Benfica, although he is injured and won't play in the game. (GMS)

- Bayer Leverkusen have withdrawn their interest in Manchester City midfielder James McAtee as they are set to land Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia. (Florian Plettenberg)

- Real Madrid won't sign any players in January now but will try to persuade 26-year-old Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to join them in the summer. (Marca)

- RB Leipzig midfielder Eljif Elmas is set to undergo a medical at Torino, before signing on loan. (Fabrizio Romano)

- Shakhtar Donetsk have submitted a 15m bid to sign West Ham's 18-year-old winger Luis Guilherme. (Fabrizio Romano)

This is no ordinary January transfer window for Manchester City, but then this is no ordinary season for manager Pep Guardiola.

His team -- winners of the past four Premier League titles -- are 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool in this season's race, with fixtures against Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham all to come in February.

Participants in two of the past four UEFA Champions League finals, City's hopes of continuing in this season's competition rest on the result of their make-or-break game against Club Brugge at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Win, and they carry on. Lose, and it's an early exit from European competition for the first time since 2012-13.

In response to what has been a difficult start to the campaign, City are trying to regenerate.

While battling to save their season, striker Erling Haaland has been signed to an unprecedented 9-year contract, and 130 million has been committed to sign three new players -- Omar Marmoush (60m, Eintract Frankfurt), Abdukodir Khusanov (40m, Lens) and Vitor Reis (30m, Palmeiras) -- in the January window so far. And there is the prospect of more to come before the deadline on Feb. 3.

It's a different approach for City, who haven't made a significant January signing since bringing in Aymeric Laporte for 57m from Athletic Club in 2018.

City's shift in thinking about transfers

Man City have been forced into action in part because of the injuries that have decimated the start to their season. But there's also an acceptance that changes to the squad should have been made last summer. Instead, after winning a record fourth consecutive top-flight title, Guardiola decided to stick with the players he knew and trusted.

Savinho, the 20-year-old winger, was brought in for 30m from City Football Group members Troyes, after impressing on loan at Girona, another of City's sister clubs in LaLiga. That would have been the sum total of the incomings had Ilkay Gündogan not unexpectedly become available on a free transfer from Barcelona, just a year after leaving City to move to Camp Nou. Five months on, and Guardiola has already admitted it was a mistake not to do more to refresh the squad when he had the chance. Amid struggles in the Premier League and the Champions League, he has paid the price.

"In the summer, the club thought about it and I said, 'No, I don't want to make any signings,'" he said in a news conference before the 2-2 draw at Brentford. "I relied a lot on these guys and thought I could do it again. But after the injuries -- wow -- maybe we should have done it."

The season-ending knee injury to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri in September has been the most damaging, but other key players have faced issues, including Rúben Dias, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Nathan Aké, Manuel Akanji, and Kevin De Bruyne. The problems in defence have been so severe that 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has had to start games in the Premier League and Champions League, while midfielder Matheus Nunes has been used as an emergency right-back.

"Last season we didn't do much, due to the exceptional quality of the team," Guardiola said last week. "We anticipated three or four [signings] and we should do it in summer. We had to do it here [in January] for the amount of injuries, the problems that we had."

Injuries to defenders have had a major impact on City's January transfer business. Sources have told ESPN that 20-year-old Khusanov and 19-year-old Reis were pencilled in as targets for next summer. But they've been fast-tracked to the Etihad six months ahead of schedule to guard against more problems at the back in the second half of the season.

There are questions over the durability of Stones and Ake after numerous injury problems, while captain Kyle Walker joined Milan on loan after expressing his desire to move on. In the case of Reis, who has made only 22 senior appearances for Palmeiras, City agreed to pay more (around 30m) to bring him to the club now. Palmeiras' original plan was to keep him until the summer and have him available for the FIFA Club World Cup.

Both Khusanov and Reis are predominantly centre-backs, but might find they're used at right-back -- at least for the rest of the season. Josko Gvardiol, another young defender signed by City, arrived from RB Leipzig for 77m in 2023 as a centre-back, but has been used more frequently as a left-back.

Continuing injury problems meant Khusanov had to be thrown straight in from the start against Chelsea on Saturday. In a disastrous first five minutes, he gave a goal away, misplaced a number of passes and was booked for chopping down Cole Palmer. It was a tough introduction, in part because the Uzbekistan international had only a handful of training sessions with his teammates before his debut. It was made more difficult by the fact that he doesn't yet speak English and January signings don't get the same bedding period that benefits summer arrivals.

Why City moved for Marmoush despite risks

There is hope that Marmoush -- older and more experienced -- is better placed to make an immediate impact.

Sent on loan to the second tier of German football as recently as 2021, the Egypt international shot to prominence after scoring 37 goals and providing 20 assists from 67 games over a successful 18 months at Frankfurt following his free transfer from Wolfsburg in 2023. Signing Marmoush for around 60m is considered a risk by some at City, despite his fantastic start to the season with Frankfurt, but one they are willing to take.

City began the window with little hope that Frankfurt would entertain offers for him while they were so well-placed in the Bundesliga (they're third after 19 games) and in the Europa League (they're second with one round of games left to go in the group stage). Frankfurt knocked back an opening offer of around 50m to sign the 25-year-old, but after negotiations in mid-January, a fee of more than 60m plus add-ons was agreed.

According to sources, Man City's stance is that they had hoped winger Oscar Bobb could fill the void left by Julián Álvarez (who left in an 81m deal to join Atletico Madrid) in the summer only for the Norway international to suffer a broken leg on the eve of the Premier League season. It was unfortunate timing given how well Bobb had performed during preseason.

City have struggled defensively this season but have also struggled for goals. Before Phil Foden's recent burst of form, their second top scorer this season behind Haaland was Gvardiol, a defender. The hope is that Marmoush can chip in with goals in a similar manner to Álvarez, who averaged one every three games before he joined Atletico.

The Álvarez deal largely helped City fund their January signings, as it handed City a profit of around 65m on the modest fee 15m they paid River Plate in 2022.

On top of that, the club agreed fees to move on academy graduates -- counted as pure profit on the books in terms of Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules -- which could total 276m in the past five years alone; including Taylor Harwood-Bellis (20m, Southampton), Liam Delap (15m, Ipswich Town), and Cole Palmer (42.5m, Chelsea). It means that while other clubs are battling to stay on the right side of PSR, City are able to spend freely while digging themselves out of a hole.

There's a chance there will be more to come before the deadline, too, with the club actively looking at central midfielders. They would be interested in former City player Douglas Luiz if he's allowed to leave Juventus this month; Éderson at Atalanta is another option, although a deal in the summer is considered more likely. The same goes for Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso.

Like January, the summer window is likely to be another busy one for City. Among other things, the club are watching closely what happens with Joshua Kimmich and Jamal Musiala as they approach the end of their contracts at Bayern Munich and sources have suggested there could be some big deals on the horizon.

City have used January to try to save their ailing season; Guardiola will hope they've also taken the first steps towards building his next formidable team.

Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis will be out for at least a week after being diagnosed with an abdominal muscle strain, the team announced Wednesday.

Davis exited during the first quarter of Tuesday's 118-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers due to the injury and did not return.

The Lakers said Davis underwent an MRI on Wednesday, will return to Los Angeles and is set to be reevaluated in approximately one week. That will rule him out for the remaining three games of the Lakers' road trip against the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and LA Clippers.

"When our best player goes out, it's always challenging," LeBron James said after Tuesday's game. "If he's out from the beginning, then we have a game plan set. We know what to expect, we know what our lineup is going to be. But when AD or any one of our guys go down throughout the course of a game, it's just tough."

Dorian Finney-Smith started the second half in Davis' spot against the 76ers and finished with three points and three rebounds in 19 minutes.

Davis had been on a tear entering Tuesday, averaging 32.8 points on 58.2% shooting, 15 rebounds and 2.5 blocks during the Lakers' four-game winning streak. He finished with four points on 2-of-3 shooting, two rebounds and one steal against Philadelphia.

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson will have season-ending surgery to repair an injury to his left shoulder, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Wednesday.

Johnson is averaging career highs this season with 18.9 points, 10 rebounds (leading the team) and 5 assists in 36 games.

He sustained his injury in a Jan. 23 game against the Raptors when he blocked a layup attempt by Toronto's Scottie Barnes.

The Hawks (22-25), losers of six straight games, are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Cincinnati Reds have signed veteran lefty Wade Miley to a minor league contract, sources tell ESPN.

Miley, 38, is recovering from elbow surgery after missing most of last season while playing for the Milwaukee Brewers. He's expected to return early in 2025, and this will be his second stint with the Reds. He played for Cincinnati in 2020 and 2021, throwing a no-hitter in his latter season with the team.

Assuming he makes it back to the major leagues, 2025 will be Miley's 15th big league season. He has a career 4.07 ERA while bouncing around the NL Central over the second half of his career. He's played for the Reds, Brewers and Chicago Cubs -- all since 2018. He began his career with Arizona where he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting back in 2012.

Miley has pitched almost exclusively as a starter where he's won 108 games over the first 14 years of his career. He provides depth to a younger pitching staff as Cincinnati hopes to improve on its fourth place finish last season.