Sports briefs
In baseball
The Los Angeles Dodgers were hit with a $32 million luxury tax for the second straight season, among six teams paying a penalty as baseball payrolls rebounded after the lockout to a record $4.56 billion.
The New York Mets set a luxury tax payroll record at $299.8 million, topping the $297.9 million of the 2015 Dodgers, and will pay tax for the first time since the penalty started in 2003, according to final figures compiled by Major League Baseball and obtained by the Associated Press.
NL champion Philadelphia, the New York Yankees, San Diego and Boston also exceeded the $230 million tax threshold. The total tax of $78 million topped the previous high of $74 million in 2016, when six teams also paid.
Oakland’s $49.1 million was the lowest payroll of any team in a full season since Houston’s $29.3 million in 2013.
n The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms with outfielder Adam Duvall on a contract that will pay him at least $7 million for 2023.
Duvall, 34, will be in his 10th major league season. He won a Gold Glove for the Braves in 2021, batting .228 with 38 homers and an NL-leading 113 RBI to help lead them to a World Series championship.
In the NFL
Jim Schwartz has always worn his passion on his sleeve, once famously chasing Jim Harbaugh with bad intentions following a game.
He’ll demand his Cleveland defense pursue the football with equal verve.
Schwartz, who has had three past stints in the NFL as defensive coordinator, was officially hired Wednesday to fix the Browns’ defense, which was mostly responsible for a disappointing 7-10 season.