Sports briefly: Angels' Trout close to signing for $432 million, 12-year contract

Mike Trout is on the verge of becoming baseball's first half-billion dollar man.

Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to finalizing a $432 million, 12-year contract that would shatter the record for the largest deal in North American sports history, a person familiar with the negotiations said.

The contract was likely to be announced by the end of this week, the person said.

Trout would set a baseball record for career earnings at about $513 million, surpassing the roughly $448 million Alex Rodriguez took in with Seattle, Texas and the New York Yankees from 1994-2017.

Trout's latest deal would top the new $330 million, 12-year contract between Bryce Harper and the Phillies, and Trout's $36 million average annual value would surpass pitcher Zack Greinke's $34.4 million in a six-year deal with Arizona that started in 2016.

Trout's deal would include a signing bonus and supersede the $144.5 million, six-year contract that had been set to pay him $33.25 million in each of the next two seasons.

... Free agent Carlos Gonzalez signed a minor league contract with the Indians. The 33-year-old Gonzalez spent 10 seasons with Colorado and was one of the team's best players and emotional leader. He left the Rockies after 2017 before re-signing with Colorado last March to a one-year, $5 million contract.

... Yankees reliever Dellin Betances has inflammation in his right shoulder and will start the regular season on the injured list.

... Major League Baseball is lifting restrictions on which players can be sent to the Arizona Fall League for prospects and moving up the season by nearly a month. The commissioner's office said that a team can send any player to the AFL and this year's season will run from mid-September through Oct. 27.

St. Joseph's fired Pete Martelli, ending his 34-year run with the Philadelphia school, the past 24 as head coach.

In 2003-04, Martelli led the Hawks to a No. 1 ranking, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and the Elite Eight. But he could never duplicate that success and was fired after a third consecutive losing season.

Martelli went 444-328 with the Hawks and made the NCAA tournament seven times, most recently in 2016.

Person, 54, entered the plea in a New York federal court, averting a June trial. Prosecutors said Person accepted $91,500 in bribes to steer players with NBA potential to a Pittsburgh-based financial adviser. As part of the plea, he agreed to forfeit that amount.

Longtime Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews agreed to a two-year contract with the Rams.

Matthews had 83 sacks in his 10 seasons with the Packers, earning six Pro Bowl selections and winning a Super Bowl ring.

... The Cowboys agreed to terms with former Packers receiver Randall Cobb on a one-year deal worth $5 million.

.... Florida prosecutors have offered a plea deal to Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other men charged with paying for illicit sex at a massage parlor. Kraft and 24 other men charged with soliciting prostitution must concede they would be found guilty, perform 100 hours community service and attend a class on prostitution's dangers and how it perpetuates human trafficking.

... The Steelers signed former Rams linebacker Mark Barron to a two-year deal.

... The Chiefs signed former Packers cornerback Bashaud Breeland to a $2 million contract that could be worth an additional $3 million if incentives are met.

College football: Former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell will be able to play this season for Miami after being granted a waiver from the NCAA that will make him eligible to play immediately.

Golf: International team captain Ernie Els named K.J. Choi, Trevor Immelman and Mike Weir as his final three assistants for this year's Presidents Cup.