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The Kushner family, which already has close ties to the White House, may soon join Major League Baseball.
Joshua Kushner, whose older brother is an adviser to President Trump, has a preliminary agreement to buy the Miami Marlins for about $1.6 billion, a person with direct knowledge of the negotiations said Friday.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Marlins and owner Jeffrey Loria have not commented publicly on negotiations.
The preliminary agreement preceded due diligence by Kushner, the person said, adding the final offer could be much lower than $1.6 billion. Other parties are also interested in buying the Marlins, and Loria might reopen negotiations with them.
Kushner, 31, is a New York City businessman and investor and part of the real estate family that also includes Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and an adviser to the president. Joshua is Jared's younger brother.
Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, is not believed to be part of the effort to buy the team.
Mets: New York traded pitcher Gabriel Ynoa to Baltimore for cash, clearing a roster spot to finalize its contract with reliever Fernando Salas. A 23-year-old right-hander, Ynoa made his big league debut last Aug. 13 and was 1-0 with a 6.38 ERA in three starts and seven relief appearances covering 181/3 innings. He was 12-5 with a 3.97 ERA in 25 starts with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Pirates: Pittsburgh bolstered its infield depth, acquiring Phil Gosselin from Arizona in exchange for minor league pitcher Frank Duncan. The 28-year-old Gosselin hit .277 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI in 122 games for Arizona in 2016. The 25-year-old Duncan, a right-handed starter, went 9-6 with a 2.33 ERA for Triple-A Indianapolis last season.
Blue Jays: Right-handed reliever Joe Smith and Toronto finalized a $3 million, one-year contract. The 33-year-old was 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 16 relief appearances last year for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, who acquired him from the Angels at the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
Cubs: Chicago promoted Kyle Evans to director of pro scouting.
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