While every PGA Tour player has the liberty to craft his own schedule, none are racking up the frequent flyer miles at quite the clip of Tony Finau early in the new year.

Finau is making his first start of 2020 this week not in Hawaii, but in Asia at the European Tour's Hong Kong Open, where he's tied for 24th through two rounds. He'll then quickly jet back to the U.S., where he'll be one of the headliners for next week's newly-renamed Palm Springs event, The American Express. This all comes on the heels of a trip last month to Australia, where Finau helped the U.S. retain the Presidents Cup in dramatic fashion.

But Finau's globetrotting won't slow down anytime soon, as he is also one of several Americans currently committed to the Jan. 30-Feb. 2 Saudi International.

"I've always told myself that I want my game to travel," Finau said via phone from Hong Kong. "This game has taken me to some amazing places. And Hong Kong and the Middle East are two places that I've never been, and to have that opportunity to play in world-class events, I feel like the time for me is now."

While the geopolitical tensions surrounding the recent death of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani have led players like Bryson DeChambeau to reconsider their upcoming travel to the Middle East, Finau still expects to play in Saudi Arabia, where he'll be joined by the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed.

"We've talked about it with my team, and there's not much that has changed for us," Finau said. "We'll continue to monitor the circumstances and the situation and just make the decision that we feel is best when the time comes."

Finau is ranked No. 16 in the world has played well enough to represent the U.S. in team events each of the last two years. But his lone PGA Tour win remains the 2016 Puerto Rico Open, a footnote that he hopes to erase in short order in the new year.

"I enjoy being on international teams. There's nothing like it, and it's the experience of a lifetime to have been on a couple of those teams," he said. "But at this point in my career, I feel ready to win again on the PGA Tour. It's been since 2016, and I miss that feeling. But I'll never stop chasing it, and this year I feel good about knocking off that next one."

Barcelona are sounding out club legend Xavi Hernandez as a possible replacement for Ernesto Valverde, with Valverde expected to move on in the summer, sources have told ESPN.

Sporting director Eric Abidal and CEO Oscar Grau met with the former Barca midfielder on Friday in Qatar, where he is coaching Al Sadd.

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Abidal and Grau travelled to Qatar from Saudi Arabia, where they saw Barca knocked out of the Spanish Supercopa to Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

The purpose of their visit was officially to check in on Ousmane Dembele, who is undergoing rehab in Doha, but they took advantage of their trip to chat with Xavi as Valverde's position comes under increased threat.

Sources close to the club insist the timing, one day after the loss to Atletico, was a coincidence, but revealed Xavi is a "serious option" to take over at Camp Nou in the future.

Xavi, 39, has long been touted as a potential Barca coach and is one of a few options they are considering as they begin to think beyond Valverde.

Ronald Koeman is another candidate. It was leaked last year that his contract with the Netherlands includes a clause that would allow him to join Barca after this summer's European Championship if the Catalan club come calling.

Valverde's job is not in immediate danger despite the loss to Atletico in Jeddah.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu still supports him and the players are also behind him. Both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez backed him publicly on Thursday.

However, there is an increasing feeling that this will be his last season at the club. His contract expires in the summer but there is an option to extend it until 2021.

That option is unlikely to be taken up, though, with Bartomeu increasingly alone on the board in his support of the coach. There are several members of the club's hierarchy who have long thought a change of coach is necessary.

The main problem has always been finding a replacement, with a lack of options available. Xavi is still in the early days of his management career and Koeman is not available until the summer.

There is a board meeting on Monday and Valverde's future may well be discussed, but it's a pre-planned meeting and has not been called in reaction to the Supercopa exit.

If there is one man who embodies the character of this new England side, it is, perhaps, Joe Denly.

A year or two ago, Denly's occupation of the crease - his resilience, his determination, his resistance - may have been used against him. It would have been characterised as demonstrating his limitations. Of failing to put the pressure back on the bowler. Of lacking positivity. It's not so long ago (May 2013) that a crushing victory over New Zealand achieved in four days (the first day of the Leeds Test was lost to rain) resulted in a torrent of criticism after the perception that England had, for a while, batted too slowly.

Times have changed. There has been, among other things, a realisation of England's limitations and a weariness at being bowled out as a team for the sort of scores that Steve Smith, as an individual, would be disappointed to achieve in each of his own visits to the crease.

Denly has been part of that change. He has not, as yet, gone on to register the major personal score that would win accolades, but he has worn down bowlers, worn off the shine and helped build a foundation for those that follow. Since his Test debut, only three men in the world have faced more deliveries - they're quite a trio - although everyone in the top dozen of that list has a higher average. He is, at this stage, more 'best supporting actor' than 'actor in a leading role'.

There have been times, not least in his first Test in Antigua last year, when Denly has looked somewhat out of his depth. But for a dropped catch and marginal umpiring decision, he would have suffered a pair on debut. And but for another dropped catch, his highest Test score - the 94 he made against Australa at The Oval - would have ended on 0. After 11 Test innings, he had passed 30 just once. He owes a great deal to the faith of national selector, Ed Smith, who has fought hard for his retention.

But he is improving. His final five innings against Australia - the period in which he put away the flash strokes and started to concentrate far more on occupation of the crease - included three half-centuries. He averaged 28.00 at the end of the series in the Caribbean and 28.56 at the end of the Ashes. That increased to 30.00 at the end of the series in New Zealand, and now to 31.30 at the halfway of the series against South Africa.

By comparison to some other Test No.3s it is a modest figure: Marnus Labuschagne, for example, is averaging 63.43 for Australia; Cheteshwar Pujara 49.48 for India and Kane Williamson 51.44 for New Zealand. But it has to be recognised that Denly has played half his Test career in England. While there are exceptions - notably Labuschagne - some fine top-order players have experienced horror runs in England in recent times. David Warner, for example, averaged 9.50 from his five Tests in 2019 and Murali Vijay 6.50 from his two Tests in 2018. Batting against the new Dukes ball on contemporary England Test pitches is desperately tough.

Maybe it's also worth comparing Denly's record with some well-known players of the past. That career average is, for example, very similar to that of Graeme Hick (who averaged 31.32) and Chris Tavare (32.50, at a strike-rate of 30.60) and not so far behind the likes of John Crawley (34.61), Mike Gatting (35.55) and Allan Lamb (36.09).

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There is a pretty clear distinction between the two phases of Denly's career to date. Ahead of the Leeds Test, starting on August 22, Denly was averaging 23.00 in Test cricket (he had played five Tests) and scored at a strike-rate of 49.67 per 100 balls with one half-century. Since then, he has averaged 37.68, with five half-centuries in seven Tests, and - crucially - he has scored at a strike-rate of 36.43. In short, since slowing down and taking a longer-term approach, his run-scoring has improved markedly.

There is a lesson here. And that lesson is that the old-fashioned skills - patience and the ability to leave the ball - still have a place in Test cricket.

"Batting big in the first innings is a plan of ours," Denly says. "We want to be solid up front, build partnerships and then allow the guys in the middle-order to come in and play the way they can.

"And as a top-order batter you want to bat time. But it is a case of understanding the game situation: there may have been times in the Cape Town Test when I maybe could have got on with it a bit more. I think it is just having that game sense, trying to understand what the bowlers are doing, trying to get the bowlers back for more and more spells in their legs, which allows our long batting line-up to take advantage when they are tired.

"I am becoming more confident with each game I play and each knock I have. It is frustrating that I haven't kicked on to that really big score, but I really believe it is just a matter of time if I keep doing the things I've been doing. Hopefully, it is not too far away."

In the grand scheme of things, this might all be considered bonus time for Denly. Less than a year ago he became, at 32, the oldest specialist batsman to make a Test debut for England in nearly 25-years. Since then he has played in an Ashes series, toured South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean. And while there is still the suspicion he is keeping the place warm for a younger man who can average in the 40s, the fact is England have tried many in the No. 3 position and most have been found wanting.

Denly isn't about to win many awards but, in at a time when England are blessed with plenty of middle-order stroke-makers and very few blockers, he is fulfilling a valuable role.

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles quarterback Josh McCown played the second half of Sunday's wild-card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on a torn hamstring and is scheduled to have surgery Tuesday, sources said.

The 40-year-old McCown replaced Carson Wentz in the first quarter after Wentz exited with a concussion.

McCown scrambled multiple times in the first half, most memorably for an 11-yard gain late in the second quarter to set up a Jake Elliott field goal. The injury occurred in the second quarter.

With no other quarterbacks available, McCown finished the game. He ended 18-of-24 for 174 yards while absorbing six sacks in the Eagles' 17-9 loss.

It is expected to take up to six months to fully recover, according to a source, which would complicate committing to play another NFL season in 2020.

McCown was emotional after the game when reflecting on his career.

"This year has been nothing short of special for me. I've really enjoyed it and have learned so much from so many people. I'm thankful to be a part of it. As far as the future goes, we'll see. I haven't made any decisions yet. I'll get with my family and talk with them. I retired once, so I know how to do that. We'll just see. I don't know yet," he said.

"I'll probably reflect on that later. Again, it's probably with a sour taste, but I'm thankful. My wife and family have moved around a lot and have been there for me. To go out there and get to play in a playoff game was special. I can't thank them enough for their support. It was a heck of a ride. I left it all out there, I know that much. It is different playing at [age] 40. Your body talks to you a lot. I'll reflect on that later, but it was fun to be out there for sure."

Shortly before his death in 2016, Kevin Turner sent a text message to Dabo Swinney, his good friend and former Alabama teammate.

Confined to a bed, Turner stared at his computer screen. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, had spread quickly throughout his body, deteriorating the armor that once carried him through eight bruising seasons in the NFL.

His eyes were still sharp, and they became his only way to communicate. He spelled each thought one letter at a time as he spotted them on the screen.

First letter. Blink. Next letter. Blink. Next letter. Blink.

It was a tedious way to text, but it was the only way to let Swinney know how important it was that the Clemson coach watch over his son Nolan Turner, who had recently committed to the Tigers.

It's been hard on him. The things that he's dealt with since he was 12 years old when I told him I had ALS. He's kinda quiet, not unlike me, so I worry about him. I know many kids have much more worse circumstances. I have my hand out for nothing. I can put him through school. However your friendship, and you telling me to give him your number, priceless. I hope he gets an opportunity to play for you.

He got that chance, but only after an improbable string of separate events that somehow intertwined and ultimately triggered one phone call that changed all of their lives.

Clemson hadn't been recruiting Nolan. No Division I schools had offered him a scholarship. He was going to walk on at Alabama, where his father was a star and team captain in 1991. It was only a few weeks before signing day that Swinney, scrambling to fill unexpected holes in the secondary, decided Nolan Turner was the safety they needed. Nolan got the opportunity from Clemson -- and it was the only one he needed to make an impact.

Ohio State was driving and in position to score a touchdown in last month's College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, ready to end Clemson's 28-game winning streak and advance to the national championship game.

Earlier in that fourth quarter, Turner fell for a run fake on fourth-and-2 that gave Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields just enough room to complete a touchdown pass and give the No. 2 Buckeyes a 23-21 lead.

"He was very disappointed in himself and felt like he let the team down," Swinney said after the game. "Unfortunately, they were going to score. That's one thing I told him: 'You gotta keep your head up. You're going to make a winning interception and just have to go to the next play.'"

That next play came with 43 seconds remaining. The No. 3 Tigers were clinging to a precarious 29-23 lead as the Buckeyes were in scoring position from the Tigers' 23-yard line on second-and-7.

Joyce Turner, Nolan's mother, turned away and prayed in the stands. His grandfather, Raymond, couldn't watch either.

Fields dropped back and fired a pass into the end zone.

"I had my head down before the last play, saying my prayers with my own self," said Raymond, who was also in the stands at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. "About the time I looked up, I said, 'Oh my God, Nolan just intercepted it.'"

Nolan was in perfect position. Game over. One of the most memorable plays of 2019 was made by a backup with three career starts -- just as Swinney predicted, even with Turner in a similar spot to his earlier mistake -- and his mom missed it.

"My head was literally in my lap," Joyce said, laughing. "Everyone's like, 'Well, what happened was, the receiver went the wrong way and Nolan was watching the quarterback's eyes.' I beg to differ. I think his dad had something to do with it."

Kevin Turner, once an imposing NFL fullback who later suffered from severe CTE, had always been a driving force in his son's life. Nolan truly believes he was there with him on the field, but he also believed in himself.

"I knew I could play," Nolan said. "I just needed to find a way to show others that. I knew if I could get into Alabama or one of these schools, if I walked on, eventually I could make a name for myself doing that. I needed an in somewhere. That was my mentality. If I could just get in and play, I could prove that I could do it."

The defensive back from Vestavia Hills High School in the Crimson Tide's home state was the hidden gem Clemson needed to cement a spot in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship against LSU (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App). Once again, his mother will be there, but they both like to say his dad has the best seat in the house.

"He went from being so sad, going through a hard time watching his dad suffer with this horrific disease, being overlooked by colleges to play football, to having this opportunity to play for Clemson on a scholarship," Joyce Turner said. "I saw him smile again for the first time in a very long time. He didn't have a lot to smile about. He might deny that, but as his mom, I saw how hard things were on him and how upset he was, what his dad was struggling with. For my children to watch that, it was horrific. It was a nightmare every day.

"And then he got this offer."

Dabo Swinney still vividly remembers the scuffle at a 1991 scrimmage. He was a junior receiver at Alabama, a former walk-on who'd finally earned a scholarship, and Kevin Turner was a senior running back.

Swinney caught the ball and beat a safety to score a touchdown. Frustrated, one of the defensive backs tackled him in the end zone; Swinney was mad too, so he threw the ball at the defender.

"Next thing I know he's on top of me ... and out of nowhere, all of a sudden he just gets wiped out," Swinney recalled. "[Kevin Turner] took him out, knocked him off of me. That guy, he just got up and went on about his business, because nobody was gonna mess with KT. That's just how he was."

Swinney described Turner as a "John Wayne, a bigger-than-life type of guy." They were teammates for three seasons (1989-91), but when Kevin was drafted by the Patriots in the third round of the 1992 NFL draft, Swinney stayed behind at Alabama as a graduate assistant and assistant coach of the receivers and tight ends. When Swinney's contract ended in the spring of 2001, he had a wife, two kids and no job. The same man who hired Swinney to work in real estate with a shopping center development company -- Rich Wingo, a former strength coach at Alabama -- then hired Turner, whose NFL career ended after five seasons with the Patriots and three with the Eagles.

Swinney and Turner were again teammates, this time in a metal cubicle in an industrial-type office. One of their projects was the Anderson Station shopping center in Anderson, South Carolina. They rented rooms at the La Quinta, where they stayed for about a week to work.

"He tried to tell me how good of a guitar player he was," Swinney said. "I called bullcrap. He goes to a pawn shop, buys a guitar, comes back and we sat up one night and just sat there playing the guitar and had some fun."

Swinney had never been to Clemson, so one day after work, they drove the 17 miles to campus. Dabo called his wife, Kathleen, sounding like a recruit himself.

"We rode over there one night, pulled around to [Howard's] Rock and pulled over and looked at the paw," Swinney said. "I called Kath, and I was like, 'Man, guess where I'm at. I'm at Clemson!'"

In February 2003, almost one year after starting to work at that shopping center, Swinney was hired as an assistant coach at Clemson. In 2008, when Tommy Bowden was fired and Swinney was promoted to interim head coach, Turner joined his staff as a graduate assistant. They coached together against Nebraska in the 2009 Gator Bowl, and their families, including Nolan, came along as well. Swinney tried to get Kevin to join his staff full time when he was hired as head coach, but the timing wasn't right for Turner and his family.

It was soon after that Turner first told Swinney he was "having some issues."

"That was the first thing, he couldn't play the guitar like he could," Swinney said. "He didn't know what was going on. He had no idea at that time what was going on."

None of them did.

"It started in his hands," Joyce said. "Within a year he could hardly drive. I guess we were naive. I was. I kept thinking we can live with this. He's going to be OK. He's so strong. He had the biggest legs. It's not going to get into his legs. It's probably just going to stay in his upper extremities. We can deal with that. We can live with that. Then it got into his legs and he couldn't walk. It was hard. He declined from there."

After a rocky journey that included a divorce in 2010, Kevin moved back in with his family after he was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. As the rest of his body failed him, Kevin began to rely on his eyes. He had a favorite leather couch in the living room where he would sit for hours and binge-watch Netflix shows with his kids.

Seeing how the game destroyed Kevin, Joyce feared for her son.

"I had it in my head he wouldn't play," she said. "I had myself convinced of that. It's not that I didn't believe in Nolan, I was [just] so scared. We lost his dad because of concussions."

Nolan Turner grew up an Alabama fan and remembers going to games with Kevin starting at 5 years old. They used to drive the 45 minutes from Birmingham, Alabama, to Tuscaloosa to watch the Tide every Saturday. They had season tickets, and they also used to watch all of Kevin's old games together on VCR tapes.

"He was a big, strong dude, really talented," Nolan said. "To have that all taken away from him, to see his body deteriorate over those years -- it was really tough to see him like that."

Kevin wasn't helpless in his son's recruiting process, though. He once drove from Birmingham to Clemson -- with his knees -- so Nolan could attend a camp.

"I was so mad at him," Swinney said. "He wasn't supposed to, did it anyway."

When they got to the camp, Swinney would drive them around in a golf cart. He had to help wipe Kevin's nose as it dripped.

During Nolan's sophomore year in high school, Swinney offered him a walk-on spot, but Nolan already planned on doing the same at Alabama. There was no special treatment during the recruiting process even though his father had been a hard-nosed blocker for the Tide who could also catch passes out of the backfield. It didn't matter that Kevin Turner and Swinney were teammates, close friends and even worked together. Nolan's only scholarship offer was from UAB, despite going to camps and being on the right lists.

It wasn't until after the 2015 season that Clemson found itself in a recruiting predicament.

Following the national championship game against Alabama, defensive backs T.J. Green, Mackensie Alexander, Jayron Kearse and Travis Blanks all told Swinney they weren't coming back.

It was just weeks before signing day.

Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables scrambled. They got Trayvon Mullen, who's now with the Raiders. They signed K'Von Wallace, whom Dabo had never heard of until a last-minute push to recruit him. They signed Isaiah Simmons, whom they had never made one call to before they learned the others were leaving.

And then Swinney decided to go back, look at Turner's film and show it to Venables without telling him who or what the connection was.

"Brent says, 'I like him. Who's this guy? Where's he at?'" Swinney recalled. "I said, 'That's all I need to know.'"

Swinney then called Buddy Anderson, who has been coaching at Vestavia Hills so long, he remembers when Swinney was in high school. Anderson and his wife were driving to visit their daughter in Georgia and stopped at a McDonald's when the phone rang.

"Coach, I just have to ask you one question," Swinney said. "I just watched Nolan Turner's highlights. What am I missing on him? How come he doesn't have any offers?"

"I have no idea," Anderson replied. "He's as good a player as I've had in 50 years here being the head coach at Vestavia."

Swinney asked Anderson about any potential red flags.

"Heavens, no," Anderson said. "He's a great kid, a great player. I think he'll make somebody a real good strong safety or slot receiver. He can play."

When Swinney called Nolan's family, Kevin Turner was confined to his bed, breathing from a tube in his neck. His father, Raymond, put Swinney on speakerphone. The coach said he was going to drive to Nolan's high school the next day to personally offer him a scholarship. Kevin and Joyce cried together on the couch.

Kevin was banging his legs on the footboard of the bed, "like he was trying to jump up and down," Raymond said.

"He wouldn't have wanted anything else," Raymond said. "I don't think he would've been as happy had he gone to Alabama, even though he would've liked that. He was so satisfied knowing it was Dabo. Dabo said, 'I'll be there for him. I'll take care of him.'"

Using his eyes, Kevin Turner slowly typed a text message to Swinney:

Let me be realistic for a moment. Most likely, I won't see Nolan graduate, and there's nothing that you could have told me that would have made me happier than telling me that a man of your character and integrity was going to be there for my son after I'm gone. I'm not scared of dying, but not being there for my kids terrifies me.

The day after Swinney offered Nolan a scholarship -- which he accepted on the spot -- Alabama coach Nick Saban also made a 45-minute visit to Anderson's office, reiterating his offer to Nolan to be a preferred walk-on and possibly earn a scholarship at some point.

"When Coach Saban left, I said, 'Nolan, it looks like you've got some options,'" Anderson said. "He said, 'Coach, I'm going to Clemson.'"

Kevin Turner was determined to go with Nolan on his only official visit -- they braved a rare South Carolina blizzard to make it. Nolan and other Clemson recruits zipped down The Hill at Memorial Stadium on makeshift plastic sleds and orange saucers on the same famed slope the entire team runs down on Saturdays. Swinney also soared down, headfirst, still flying high from his first national title game appearance. With his father, Raymond, by his side, Kevin Turner sat immobile in his wheelchair, barely able to hold his head up and unable to speak, yet elated by what he saw through a window at the other end of the field.

"His willingness to attack every day with a positive mindset even though it was killing him to not be able to do all of the things he used to do, to keep fighting, keep pushing, it was really inspiring to watch," Nolan said.

Kevin would also be there for Nolan's signing day in February, but he died on March 24, 2016, surrounded by his family. He was buried on Easter Sunday, and Swinney spoke at his funeral. The following month, Nolan left home for Clemson.

"He did a great job," Nolan said of Swinney's eulogy. "It was pretty special. He's a man of faith. He had a great speech lined up. He talked about football and how your foundation can't be football, and that one day, when the ball goes flat, you have to have God first."

Before Kevin Turner became severely ill, he was driving with Raymond one day and asked his dad what he thought about legacies.

"What do you mean?" Raymond said.

"He said, 'I've always thought about that, and I sure would like to leave a legacy before I'm gone,'" Raymond said. "He said, 'I want to do something to make people remember me.' That always kind of stuck in my mind that he said that, thinking now that he's getting his wish. It's quite incredible. Seeing it again in Nolan, that continues it."

Raymond has joined Joyce to watch all of his grandson's games, even if it's sometimes a heart-wrenching reminder of his only child. He and his wife, Myra, park their RV at a campground in Pendleton, South Carolina, about 3 miles from the stadium, and live there for about a month during the fall.

"Every time I go see him at practice, Dabo sees me, he'll come over there and talk to me and say, 'Look at 'im, don't he look like Kevin?'" Raymond said. "It's good to hear, but I get choked up talking about it, like now. You never stop thinking about your children. It was quite something to go through, but to go through this again, it brings back all the memories you ever had with Kevin. My wife and I are always comparing, Kevin used to do this, do that. Nolan does the same thing, the way he treats the kids, everything. He's just a good guy."

Swinney made sure the world knew who Nolan's father was too. When Swinney stood at a lectern in front of a cross draped with a white cloth and gave Kevin's eulogy, he choked up as he promised to help Nolan fulfill his dream of playing and coaching.

"I love you, KT," Swinney said. "You're one of my heroes."

Because of their relationship, that one phone call, Swinney is reminded of his friend every practice, every game. Monday night's title game will be no exception.

"You want to know what he looked like?" Swinney said of Kevin. "Look at Nolan, a spitting image. It's like I'm back in 1989 every time I look at him."

Outfielder David Peralta and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a three-year, $22 million contract extension, a source familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Peralta, who was set to be a free agent after the 2020 season, will now be under contract through 2022.

He hit .275 with 12 home runs and 57 RBIs in 99 games last season, which ended for him in August when he decided to undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery. The shoulder had been an issue throughout 2019, and Peralta had three stints on the injured list.

Peralta is expected to be ready for spring training.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Third baseman Kris Bryant and the Chicago Cubs have avoided arbitration, settling on a one-year, $18.6 million deal, a source familiar with the agreement told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.

Bryant, whose name had surfaced in trade rumors this offseason, had a .282 batting average with 31 home runs and 77 RBIs last season. He was eighth in the NL with 108 runs scored and drew enough walks to post a .382 on-base percentage, 16th best in the majors.

He missed the final week of the regular season after spraining his right ankle when he landed awkwardly on a wet first-base bag while trying to beat out a double play.

There also is the matter of a service time grievance against the Cubs that was filed on Bryant's behalf by the MLBPA. That grievance is expected to be resolved in the next two weeks, sources told Passan.

Bryant contends he should have started the 2015 season with the big league club, allowing him to become a free agent after the 2020 season. Instead, the Cubs sent him to the minors out of spring training, then brought him up 10 days later because of an injury, allowing them to keep him an extra year and making him a free agent after the 2021 season.

If Bryant wins the grievance, this would be his final arbitration year and he would be a free agent after the 2020 season. If, as expected, he loses, he will have one more arbitration-eligible year and would become a free agent after the 2021 season.

Bryant, selected by the Cubs with the second overall pick in the 2013 MLB draft, was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and the NL Most Valuable Player in 2016.

Center fielder Albert Almora Jr. and the Cubs are also in agreement on a one-year, $1.575 million deal, a source told ESPN.

Almora, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft by the Cubs, had a .236 batting average with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs last season.

Outfielder Mookie Betts is getting a one-year, $27 million deal from the Boston Red Sox in a record agreement to avoid arbitration, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Friday.

The amount breaks the arbitration record of $26 million, set by Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado last offseason.

Outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox are also in agreement on a one-year, $11 million deal, a source familiar with the agreement told Passan.

Betts, who will be a free agent after the 2020 season, hit .295 with 29 home runs and 80 RBIs last season. He also led the AL with 135 runs scored.

The 27-year-old Betts, a homegrown talent who led the team to its World Series championship in 2018, also avoided arbitration in 2019 by settling with the Red Sox for $20 million.

Selected by Boston in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, Betts is a career .301 hitter with an .893 OPS. Since making his major league debut in June 2014, Betts has led the major leagues in runs scored (613), is second in extra-base hits (394) and fourth in hits (965). He also has led the Red Sox in home runs (139) and is second in RBIs (470) during that span.

Three times, Betts has hit three home runs in a game -- more than any other MLB player since 2014.

Betts, who plays half his games in Fenway Park's notoriously difficult outfield, has won four consecutive Gold Gloves, putting him in elite company. In 2019, he had a 15 defensive runs saved (DRS) rating, the best among AL right fielders, and he had the best fielding percentage of all right fielders (.997).

Betts led the majors with a .346 batting average, a .640 slugging percentage and 129 runs scored en route to the MVP award in 2018. He also won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

He also has a runner-up finish in AL MVP balloting to his credit, finishing behind Mike Trout in 2016 after hitting .318 with 31 homers, 26 stolen bases and 214 hits.

Bradley, who is set to be a free agent after the 2020 season, hit .225 with 21 home runs and 62 RBIs in 2019 while making $8.55 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jan. 10 is the deadline for 155 arbitration-eligible players and their MLB teams to agree on salaries or exchange desired numbers for 2020. This year, big names including Mookie Betts, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Aaron Judge, George Springer and Noah Syndergaard are among those who will either come to a settlement amount before Friday's deadline or head to an arbitration hearing.

According to Jeff Passan, all 30 teams have adopted the so-called file-and-trial approach -- if the sides file a number, they'll head to trial, cutting out the post-exchange-date negotiations that were prevalent even five years ago -- making Friday an underappreciated day on the baseball calendar.

Below are some names to watch; check back for updates throughout the day (teams listed alphabetically and all deals are one-year unless otherwise noted).

Arizona Diamondbacks: Nick Ahmed

Contract agreements: David Peralta (three-year, $22 million contract extension); Robbie Ray ($9.43 million); Jake Lamb ($5.515 million)

Atlanta Braves:

Contract agreements: Dansby Swanson ($3.125 million), Mike Foltynewicz ($6.425 million); Johan Camargo ($1.7 million); Adam Duvall ($3.25 million); Grant Dayton ($655,000)

Baltimore Orioles: Trey Mancini

Contract agreements: Mychal Givens ($3.225 million)

Boston Red Sox: Andrew Benintendi

Contract agreements: Mookie Betts ($27 million -- arbitration record); Matt Barnes ($3.1 million); Heath Hembree ($1.6125 million); Jackie Bradley Jr. ($11 million); Brandon Workman ($3.5 million)

Chicago White Sox: Carlos Rodon

Contract agreements: Evan Marshall ($1.1 million); Alex Colome ($10.5325 million)

Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber

Contract agreements: Kris Bryant ($18.6 million); Albert Almora (1.575 million)

Cincinnati Reds: Trevor Bauer

Contract agreements: Michael Lorenzen ($3.75 million)

Cleveland Indians: Mike Clevinger, Francisco Lindor

Contract agreements: Tyler Naquin ($1.45 million); Nick Wittgren ($1.125 million)

Colorado Rockies: Jon Gray, Trevor Story

Detroit Tigers: Matthew Boyd, Michael Fulmer

Contract agreements: Daniel Norris ($2.9625 million); Buck Farmer ($1.15 million)

Houston Astros: Carlos Correa, George Springer

Kansas City Royals: Jorge Soler

Los Angeles Angels: Dylan Bundy

Contract agreements: Andrew Heaney ($4.3 million); Keynan Middleton ($800,000)

Los Angeles Dodgers: Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager

Contract agreements: Ross Stripling ($2.1 million); Julio Urias ($1 million)

Miami Marlins: Jonathan Villar

Milwaukee Brewers: Josh Hader

Contract agreements: Omar Narvaez ($2.725 million)

Minnesota Twins: Jose Berrios, Byron Buxton Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano

New York Yankees: Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Gary Sanchez

Contract agreements: Gio Urshela ($2.475 million)

New York Mets: Michael Conforto, Edwin Diaz, Marcus Stroman

Contract agreements: Robert Gsellman ($1.225 million); Jake Marisnick ($3.3125 million); Noah Syndergaard ($9.7 million)

Oakland Athletics:

Contract agreements: Marcus Semien ($13 million); Chad Pinder ($2.025 million); Liam Hendriks ($5.3 million); Robbie Grossman ($3.725 million); Sean Manaea ($3.75 million); Mark Canha ($4.8 million)

Philadelphia Phillies: J.T. Realmuto

Contract agreements: Adam Morgan ($1.575 million)

Pittsburgh Pirates:

Contract agreements: Chad Kuhl ($840,000); Jameson Taillon ($2.25 million); Josh Bell ($4.8 million)

San Diego Padres: Tommy Pham, Kirby Yates

Contract agreements: Luis Perdomo ($950,000); Matt Strahm ($1.4 million); Manuel Margot ($2.475 million); Austin Hedges ($3 million)

San Francisco Giants: Donovan Solano

Seattle Mariners: Mitch Haniger

Contract agreements: Sam Tuivailala ($800,000)

St. Louis Cardinals: John Gant

Tampa Bay Rays:

Contract agreements: Tyler Glasnow ($2.05 million); Hunter Renfroe ($3.3 million); Oliver Drake ($1.025 million); Daniel Robertson ($1.025 million)

Texas Rangers: Joey Gallo

Toronto Blue Jays: Ken Giles

Contract agreements: Matt Shoemaker ($4.2 million)

Washington Nationals: Trea Turner

Contract agreements: Roenis Elias ($1.975 million); Joe Ross ($1.5 million)

The former marathon world record-holder receives provisional ban for whereabouts failures and tampering

Kenya’s former marathon world record-holder Wilson Kipsang has been provisionally suspended for whereabouts failures and tampering, according to anti-doping officials.

The 37-year-old is a two-time London Marathon champion, having won in the UK capital in 2012 and 2014, while he also has three other World Marathon Majors wins to his name following success in Berlin, New York and Tokyo.

He broke the marathon world record with a time of 2:03:23 in Berlin in 2013 and is the only athlete to have ever beaten the current world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge over 26.2 miles.

Kipsang’s suspension was announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) on Friday, with the organisation confirming that notice of charge had been issued for ‘whereabouts failures’ and ‘tampering or attempted tampering’.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules require athletes to submit their whereabouts for one hour every day, plus overnight accommodation and training information, in case they are needed for out-of-competition testing.

Further details about Kipsang’s case have not been disclosed but he will be unable to compete until his case has been heard and a final decision reached.

“The AIU confirms a provisional suspension against Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich of Kenya for whereabouts failures & tampering, both violations of the @WorldAthletics Anti-Doping Rules,” the AIU wrote on social media.

The AIU confirms a provisional suspension against Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich of Kenya for whereabouts failures & tampering, both violations of the @WorldAthletics Anti-Doping Rules.
Find out more ⬇https://t.co/opInfkVlnV #AIUNews pic.twitter.com/MYyv9Qg9jM

— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) January 10, 2020

The most recent result recorded by Kipsang, who claimed Olympic marathon bronze in 2012, was a 12th place finish at last year’s London Marathon, where he clocked 2:09:18.