BASEBALL

The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized their 12-year deal with Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They’ve teamed the prized free-agent right-hander with Shohei Ohtani in their prolific winter spending spree. The 25-year-old Yamamoto was coveted by teams across the majors after he elected to leave the Orix Buffaloes this offseason. The big-budget Dodgers landed him with a mammoth deal after already acquiring Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow this month.

FOOTBALL

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid says he has talked with Travis Kelce after the star tight end’s sideline outburst in which he hurled his helmet toward the benches during a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas. Reid didn’t elaborate on what was said during the conversation. Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast earlier Wednesday that he “reacted in a bad way” to the way the Kansas City offense continued to underperform.

BASKETBALL

A person with knowledge of the situation says Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon needed 21 stitches after suffering lacerations to his face and right hand while being bitten by a family dog on Christmas.

The Nuggets announced in a statement the 28-year-old forward “is in good condition” but will remain away from the team as he recovers. Gordon is averaging 13.6 points and 6.9 rebounds for the defending NBA champions. He had 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 120-114 win over Golden State on Christmas.

TENNIS

Novak Djokovic has already learned a lot from NFL great Tom Brady. And having seen Brady play well into his 40s, the 36-year-old Djokovic hopes he can do the same.

Djokovic holds the men’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles but isn’t showing any signs of slowing down, as he prepares to compete for a record 11th Australian Open title next month. And while Roger Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal missed nearly all of 2023 with injuries, Djokovic is hoping he has several more years left at the top.

After all, Brady — who was on hand in Djokovic’s box to watch the Serbian star win this year’s French Open final — won his seventh Super Bowl ring at the age of 43.

“Tom Brady is a great example of a champion in his sport and someone that has had such a great career and longevity,” Djokovic said at an exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. “He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful career.”