BASEBALL
Upton, Tigers agree
The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $132.75 million, six-year contract with free-agent outfielder Justin Upton, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke Monday night on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. The deal was pending a physical, and Upton can opt out after two seasons. Upton, 28, gives the Tigers another powerful bat in the middle of the lineup and fills a need in left field after Detroit traded slugger Yoenis Cespedes at the deadline last year. Upton hit .251 with 26 home runs and 81 RBI for the San Diego Padres last season. The expensive agreement with Upton could put Detroit in a position to challenge World Series champion Kansas City, which dominated the AL Central last year after the Tigers had won the division the previous four seasons. Upton has played his entire nine-year career so far in the National League. He was traded from Arizona to Atlanta before the 2013 season, and the Padres acquired him from the Braves before last season. Upton has surpassed 25 home runs in five of the past seven seasons.
The Kansas City Royals finalized their $17.5 million, two-year deal with Lorenzo Cain on Monday, buying out the All-Star outfielder’s final two years of arbitration. Cain will receive $6.5 million this season and $11 million next season. Cain, 29, is coming off the best year of his six-year career, hitting .307 with 16 home runs and 72 RBI. He also was second in the American League with 28 stolen bases, and he became the first Royals player since 2011 to eclipse 100 runs scored. The result of that landed Cain third in voting for the AL MVP award. Cain also started all 16 postseason games in center field, batting .258 with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 11 RBI as the Royals won their first World Series championship since 1985.
BASKETBALL
Oregon State’s Reid suspended
Oregon State forward Jarmal Reid was suspended at least four games by the school on Monday, a day after sticking out his leg and tripping a referee late in a loss to Utah. Reid, 22, made eye contact with official Tommy Nunez before tripping him. The senior apologized when Oregon State announced the suspension, which was affirmed by the Pac-12 Conference. Coach Wayne Tinkle said Reid’s conduct over the next two weeks will determine if additional discipline will be taken. Reid sent Nunez tumbling to the court and was ejected with 2:56 remaining in Utah’s 59-53 victory over Oregon State in Salt Lake City on Sunday night. After stealing the ball from Utah’s Jakob Poeltl, who was driving to the basket, Reid tried dribbling up court. But Poeltl appeared to bump Reid and the Oregon State player slipped and fell to the floor. Reid complained that there was no foul call, and while getting up seemed to make eye contact with Nunez. Then, he stuck his right leg out and Nunez fell. Afterward, Tinkle said he didn’t see the play, but said Reid “swore he didn’t do anything.” The Pac-12 Conference reviewed and accepted Oregon State’s punishment. Reid will be allowed to practice during the suspension, but he cannot be with the team on game days. The Beavers (11-5, 2-3) host UCLA on Wednesday night.
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are a step closer to a fourth Olympics, and Stephen Curry is in position for his first. The NBA stars were among 30 players selected Monday as finalists for the U.S. basketball team that will attempt to win a third consecutive gold medal. The final 12-player roster for Rio de Janeiro will be chosen this summer. If James and Anthony are on it they would become the first American men to play in four Olympics. The other candidates for Rio are: Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City); Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and De-Andre Jordan (Clippers); Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio); Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Harrison Barnes (Golden State); Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love (Cleveland); Dwight Howard and James Harden (Houston); Anthony Davis (New Orleans); Paul George (Indiana); DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay (Sacramento); John Wall and Bradley Beal (Washington); Jimmy Butler (Chicago); Mike Conley (Memphis); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto); Andre Drummond (Detroit); Kenneth Faried (Denver) and Gordon Hayward (Utah).
Johnny Bach, whose defensive expertise as an assistant coach to Phil Jackson helped the Chicago Bulls win three NBA titles from 1991 to 1993, has died. He was 91. The Bulls confirmed the death Monday. Bach was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 1983-1986 before joining the Bulls as an assistant. He also worked as an assistant for Charlotte, Detroit and Washington.
HORSE RACING
Gulch dies
Gulch, a sprint champion in the late 1980s and sire of 1995 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Thunder Gulch, has died at 32. The horse died Sunday at Old Friends farm in Georgetown, Ky. Michael Blowen, president of Old Friends, says the cause was complications from cancer. Gulch won the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and earned the Eclipse Award for top sprinter. Gulch won 13 of 32 starts and earned more than $3 million. Among his victories were the Hopeful Stakes as a 2-year-old, the Wood Memorial as a 3-year-old and the Metropolitan Mile two years in a row. He was trained by Hall of Famers D. Wayne Lukas and LeRoy Jolley. A son of Mr. Prospector, his offspring earned more than $91 million.
TENNIS
Venus loses in first round
MELBOURNE, Australia — Venus Williams tried to rally, winning two games and getting another break-point chance after falling a set and 5-0 behind, before her 16th trip to the Australian Open finished in a firstround loss to Johanna Konta.
The 35-year-old, seven-time major winner trudged off Rod Laver Arena, waving to the crowd at 1:55 p.m. on the second day of the tournament following a surprising 6-4, 6-2 loss to the No. 47-ranked Konta, a Sydney-born British player who was making her debut in the main draw at the Australian Open after losing twice previously in qualifying.
Williams, the No. 8 seed, had a career comeback last season, winning three titles, finding some consistency after a long struggle with illness and finishing the year in the top 10 for the first time since 2010.
She reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and U.S. Open — the first and last majors of the year. In 2016, she’s 0-2 after also losing in a warmup tournament at Auckland, New Zealand.
It was the eighth time she’s lost in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament and the third in Australia, where she reached the quarterfinals in her first appearance in 1998 and lost the final to her youngest sister, Serena Williams, in 2003.
No. 3 Garbine Muguruza needed exactly an hour to beat Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit 6-0, 6-4, No. 11 Timea Bacsinszky advanced over Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 7-5 and No. 15 Madison Keys, a semifinalist here last year, had to save set points in the first before beating Zarina Diyas 7-6 (5), 6-1.
On the men’s side, No. 13 Milos Raonic followed up his victory over Roger Federer in the final of the Brisbane International tune-up event with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Lucas Pouille, and No. 32 Joao Sousa beat Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
No. 2-ranked Andy Murray, a four-time Australian Open finalist, defeated Alexander Zverev on Margaret Court Arena 6-1, 6-2, 6-3.