The Sports Report: Cody Bellinger will join the Cubs

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Jack Harris: Five years ago, he was the National League Rookie of the Year. Three years ago, he was the NL Most Valuable Player. And even amid prolonged struggles in the couple of seasons since then, he had remained a fixture in the lineup and favorite among much of the fan base.

In recent years, few players have had a bigger presence among the Dodgers than center fielder Cody Bellinger.

But on Tuesday, less than three weeks after he was non-tendered by the team and became a free agent, the slugger’s roller-coaster tenure in Los Angeles ended.

Bellinger agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told The Times’ Jorge Castillo.

The deal is worth $17.5 million guaranteed — he’ll have a salary of $12 million next season, then a $5.5 million buyout if a mutual option for 2024 isn’t picked up, which is the likely outcome — making it just slightly less lucrative than the $18 million-plus Bellinger was projected to receive through arbitration had the Dodgers tendered him a contract last month.

“Obviously when we made the decision with Cody a few weeks ago,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during the second day of the league’s winter meetings, “we knew that this was a possibility.”

Bellinger will now look for a fresh start in Chicago — while the Dodgers will explore ways to replace the latest member of last year’s team to depart in free agency.

“Things are going to look a little different,” manager Dave Roberts said during a news conference with reporters.

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LAKERS

From Dan Woike: The Lakers had reignited hope for their season over the last 10 games, refashioning themselves as an Anthony Davis-led juggernaut that warmed up against lesser teams like the San Antonio Spurs before formalizing their rise with wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards at the start of their current six-game trip.

But Tuesday night in Cleveland, the plans had to change, and they had to change on the fly. Davis, maybe the best player in the NBA over the last three weeks, had to leave the court after playing a little more than eight minutes because of flu-like symptoms.

He wouldn’t return.

That left things to LeBron James and Russell Westbrook to figure out, but the undermanned Lakers couldn’t find enough consistent offense and were on a constant search for answers on defense, losing to Cleveland 116-102.

James, who has dominated the Cavaliers in his career, has lost twice to them this season, dropping his record against his former team to 17-3.

RAMS

From Gary Klein: The Rams are in the throes of a dismal season, but the defending Super Bowl champions showed again Tuesday that they have not lost their touch for making a splash.

The Rams claimed quarterback Baker Mayfield off waivers from the Carolina Panthers, adding another former No. 1 overall draft pick to their roster.

Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, was waived Monday after failing to revive a career that began with the Cleveland Browns.

The Rams, by virtue of their 3-9 record, were fourth in the waiver priority.

USC-UCLA FOOTBALL

From Ryan Kartje: After a stellar turnaround season at USC, the Pac-12 Conference anointed two Trojans, quarterback Caleb Williams and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu, as its offensive and defensive players of the year, while the coach who engineered that return to prominence was snubbed.

Lincoln Riley was among the few key figures in USC’s season who weren’t honored among the conference’s best. Five Trojans — Williams, Tuipulotu, wideout Jordan Addison, guard Andrew Vorhees and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon — were named to the All-Pac-12 first team. Three were on the second team — running back Travis Dye, center Brett Neilon and safety Calen Bullock — and four were honorable mentions.

UCLA had two players selected to the first team in running back Zach Charbonnet and defensive lineman Laiatu Latu. Two more Bruins were chosen for the second team — linebacker Darius Muasau and offensive lineman Atonio Mafi, along with four honorable mentions, among them quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

USC BASKETBALL

The USC women’s basketball team took control in the second quarter and remained undefeated with a 71-44 victory over San Jose State.

USC overcame a slow start with a 14-0 rally that spanned the first and second quarters to take the lead, 34-18, at halftime. The Trojans improve to 9-0 with the win.

DUCKS

Ryan Strome scored at 1:56 of overtime and the Ducks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Tuesday night to stop a six-game losing streak.

Strome put a snap shot past goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov after getting a pass from Cam Fowler. Six of the Ducks’ seven wins this season have come in overtime or a shootout.

Adam Henrique, Max Comtois and Brett Leason also scored for Anaheim. John Gibson stopped 34 shots.

ANGELS

From Bill Shaikin: In August, Angels owner Arte Moreno put his team up for sale. The bidding has not started yet, and that process is expected to begin no sooner than January.

When the 2023 season starts, will Moreno still be the owner?

“My understanding is that the club would like to have the sale resolved before opening day,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday. “Whether that happens, I think, depends in part on the bidding process and how quickly you can get documents done.”

KINGS

Viktor Arvidsson scored twice, and the Kings took a decisive 5-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Matt Roy, Mikey Anderson and Kevin Fiala also had goals, and Anze Kopitar registered three assists for the Kings (14-10-4), who kicked off a six-game trip.

Pheonix Copley made 31 saves in his first appearance for L.A.

WORLD CUP

From Kevin Baxter in Qatar: Morocco’s players stood at attention for the country’s national anthem before Tuesday’s World Cup knockout game against Spain, although more than a few seemed to struggle with the lyrics.

It wasn’t an act of protest, it’s just that the anthem wasn’t entirely theirs because eight of Morocco’s 11 starters were born somewhere other than Morocco. But they will have another four days to learn the song after upsetting Spain on penalty kicks following 120 scoreless minutes, becoming the first African team since 2010 to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.

“When you’re in the thick of it, you really can’t realize what you just achieved,” goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “We have to stay focused. Maybe in time we will realize what we achieved.”

Here’s a little of what Morocco, the surprise team of this World Cup, has achieved: It has shut out Belgium and Croatia — both top-three finishers in the last World Cup — in the first round to become the first African team this century to win its group. It has gone 390 minutes without allowing its opponents to score, the only goal conceded coming on an own goal.

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Round of 16
Tuesday’s results
Morocco 0, Spain 0 (Morocco advances on penalties, 3-0)
Portugal 6, Switzerland 1

Schedule
All times Pacific
Quarterfinals

Friday
Croatia vs. Brazil, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
Netherlands vs. Argentina, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Saturday
Morocco vs. Portugal, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
England vs. France, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Semifinals
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Matchup TBD, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Wed., Dec. 14
Matchup TBD, 11 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Third-place match
Saturday, Dec. 17
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

Championship match
Sunday, Dec. 18
Matchup TBD, 7 a.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock

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Complete World Cup coverage

Qatar World Cup: Start times for every match and how to watch

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1973 — Jerry West of the Lakers sets an NBA record with 10 steals in a 115-111 loss to the Seattle Supersonics.

1985 — Auburn tailback Bo Jackson beats Iowa quarterback Chuck Long by 45 points in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy, the closest vote in the 51-year history of the trophy.

1991 — AJ Kitt becomes the first American in seven years to win a men’s World Cup race, taking the first downhill of the season In Val D’Isere, France.

2002 — St. John’s (Minn.) coach John Gagliardi wins his 400th game with a 21-14 victory over Linfield in the Division III quarterfinals. Gagliardi is the second coach to reach the 400 mark, eight victories behind Eddie Robinson.

2003 — The computer rankings have Oklahoma as the country’s top team while the human poll voters pick USC. Despite getting walloped by Kansas State 35-7, No. 3 Oklahoma takes its 12-1 record to the Sugar Bowl against No. 2 LSU, which won the Southeastern Conference championship by beating Georgia 34-13.

2006 — Willie Parker breaks Pittsburgh’s single-game rushing record with 223 yards as the Steelers rough up the Cleveland Browns 27-7. Parker, the first player in Steelers history to have two 200-yard games in a season, betters John “Frenchy” Fuqua’s record of 218 yards against Philadelphia in 1970.

2008 — The Arizona Cardinals clinch their first division title in 33 years by beating the woeful St. Louis Rams 34-10. The Cardinals, long the league’s doormat franchise with just one winning season in the past 24 years, earn their first playoff berth since 1998 and first divisional title since they won the NFC East in 1975.

2013 — Aurelien Collin scores the equalizer in the second half of the MLS Cup, then drives home the deciding penalty kick to give Sporting Kansas City a dramatic victory over Real Salt Lake and its first league title since 2000. With the score 1-1 through regulation and 30 minutes of overtime, the teams engage in the longest penalty-kick shootout in championship history — one that both sides had chances to win before Collin’s shot and Jimmy Nielsen’s save left Sporting KC with the 7-6 victory.

2014 — The first College Football Playoff expands the national championship race and produces a final four with major star power. Nick Saban’s No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Urban Meyer’s No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes at the Sugar Bowl. Marcus Mariota and second-seeded Oregon vs. Jameis Winston, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, and defending national champion Florida State at the Rose Bowl.

2014 — Robbie Keane scores on a breakaway in the 111th minute, and Landon Donovan wins his record sixth MLS title in the Galaxy’s 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the MLS Cup.

2016 — Napheesa Collier scores 20 points, Gabby Williams has 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists and No. 1 Connecticut beats No. 2 Notre Dame 72-61 for its 83rd straight victory. UConn’s last loss was 88-86 in overtime to Stanford on Nov. 17, 2014.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

The Galaxy wins the 2014 MLS Cup. Watch and listen here.