Cards acquire Bruihl from Guards

ST. LOUIS — Left-hander Justin Bruihl’s brief stay with the Cleveland Guardians ended Tuesday when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for cash.

Cleveland acquired Bruihl from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash on Dec. 17 and designated him for assignment three days later.

Bruihl, 28, went 0-0 with a 5.27 ERA in 15 games for Toronto last season. He struck out 18 and walked seven in 13 2/3 innings.

He is 2-2 with a 4.72 ERA in 94 career appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2021-23), Colorado Rockies (2023), Pittsburgh Pirates (2024) and Toronto.

St. Louis designated right-hander Zak Kent for assignment. He was claimed off waivers from the Guardians on Dec. 5.

Jackets name Gilman vice president

COLUMBUS –The Columbus Blue Jackets named veteran National Hockey League executive Laurence Gilman Vice President of Hockey Operations, Don Waddell, Columbus president of hockey operations and general manager, announced on Tuesday.

Gilman brings more than two decades of management experience to Columbus and will assist Waddell in all aspects of the club’s hockey operations.

“I have known Laurence for many years, and I am very excited to welcome him to the Columbus Blue Jackets,” Waddell said. “He is extremely knowledgeable about all facets of team and league operations, and his experience and personality will be a great addition to our hockey operations staff.”

Gilman began his NHL management career with the Winnipeg Jets in 1994 and remained with the organization when the club relocated to Phoenix in 1996. He served as director of hockey operations for the Coyotes from 1998-01, vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager from 2001-05 and senior vice president of hockey operations and assistant general from 2005-07. He then spent seven seasons with the Vancouver Canucks as vice president of hockey operations and assistant general manager from 2008-15. During his tenure, Vancouver won five-straight Pacific Division titles from 2008-13, captured back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and advanced to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native most recently spent six seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization as assistant general manager from 2018-22 and senior vice president of hockey operations for the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies from 2022-24. The Leafs qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his four seasons with the club, while the Marlies competed in the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2022-23 and 2023-24 and won the North Division title in 2022-23. Gilman is a 1991 graduate of the University of Manitoba and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1994.

“I’m very excited to join the Blue Jackets and want to thank Don for the opportunity,” Gilman said. “Columbus is a terrific market with great fans, and I look forward to working with everyone there and doing everything I can to help this team have success on the ice.”

The Blue Jackets faced San Jose on Tuesday night. The game was not completed by print deadline.

Oregon RB Davison ruled out

ATLANTA — Oregon won’t have running back Jordon Davison for its Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with Indiana on Friday.

The CFP issued an availability report for each of the two semifinal matchups on Tuesday. Oregon’s report said Davison had been ruled out for the game.

The CFP report didn’t specify why Davison has been ruled out, though The Oregonian reported that he had broken his clavicle in the Ducks’ 23-0 Orange Bowl quarterfinal victory over Texas Tech.

Davison has rushed for 667 yards and 15 touchdowns on 113 carries this season for No. 5 Oregon (No. 5 CFP). Noah Whittington is Oregon’s leading rusher, with 829 yards and six touchdowns on 129 carries.

He ran for 90 yards on 10 carries in Oregon’s 51-34 first-round victory over James Madison. He rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries while also catching one pass for 14 yards against Texas Tech.

In Oregon’s 30-20 regular-season loss to No. 1 Indiana (No. 1 CFP), Davison had rushed for 59 yards on eight carries while catching four passes for nine yards.

Athletics hit trademark speedbump

LAS VEGAS — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has for now denied the A’s request to trademark the names “Las Vegas Athletics” and “Vegas Athletics.”

The club, which intends to move to Nevada in 2028, has three months from when the refusals were issued Dec. 29 to ask for an extension to file a new application within a six-month period.

The A’s were told the nickname “Athletics” was too generic and could be confused with other activities even if associated with Las Vegas.

That, however, has been the club’s nickname since the Philadelphia Athletics began playing in 1901. The A’s kept the nickname when they moved to Kansas City in 1955 and Oakland in 1968.

The Patent and Trademark Office denied the NHL’s Utah team to use the nickname “Yetis” on Jan. 9 because of potential confusion with companies such as Yeti Coolers. Utah, which moved from the Phoenix area in 2024, now uses the nickname “Mammoth.”

The A’s relocated to West Sacramento, California, last year to play the first of three planned seasons in the city’s Triple-A ballpark. The team is going solely by “Athletics” while playing in the Northern California city.

A $2 billion, 33,000-capacity stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is under construction. Club officials told the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Dec. 4 that the ballpark is on schedule to open in time for the 2028 season.

Nevada and Clark County have approved up to $380 million in public funds for the ballpark, and the A’s have said they will cover the remaining expenses. Owner John Fisher has been seeking investors to assist in the funding.

Going back to last offseason, the A’s also reached agreements on a $60 million, five-year contract with designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker and a $65.5 million, seven-year deal with outfielder Lawrence Butler. Manager Mark Kotsay signed an extension that takes him through 2028 with a club option for 2029.