Agent Casey Close has sued Fox Sports radio host Doug Gottlieb for libel, alleging that Gottlieb "falsely and recklessly" defamed Close and Excel Sports Management in a tweet that claimed they had not presented a contract offer to Freddie Freeman during free agency.

The lawsuit details Close's negotiations with the Atlanta Braves, before Freeman signed a six-year, $162 million free agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March.

On June 29, Gottlieb tweeted: "Casey Close never told Freddie Freeman about the Braves final offer, that is why Freeman fired him" -- an allegation the lawsuit says is false and has prompted death threats toward Close and tens of millions of dollars in damages to Close and Excel.

In a statement, Close said: "Although we gave Mr. Gottlieb an opportunity to retract his false statement, he failed to do so. The Complaint sets the record straight as to what occurred during the negotiations with the Atlanta Braves."

A California agency on Thursday cleared the way for the Oakland Athletics to continue planning a $12 billion waterfront ballpark project.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission voted 23-2 to reclassify a 56-acre terminal at the Port of Oakland as a mixed-use area where a new ballpark could be built. The vote is the first in a series of legal hurdles the team would have to overcome before it gets permission to break ground for the project.