MLB Player News

Villalona was added back to the 40-man roster in November after being cleared of murder charges in his native Dominican Republic and settling a lawsuit with the Giants, but he is still having issues obtaining a work visa. The Giants have not provided a recent update on his status.

The deal, which was announced before the new year, is now official. The 32-year-old slugger returns to the Nationals on an absolute bargain of a deal and should add switch-handed thump to the middle of a Nationals’ lineup that looks suddenly imposing. Expect Bell to see most of his action as the club’s designated hitter with Nathaniel Lowe entrenched as the regular first baseman. Bell looks like a nice bargain in early fantasy drafts, currently residing outside the top 350 overall.

The 29-year-old utilityman appeared in 78 games at the big-league level between the Blue Jays, Dodgers and Braves during the 2024 season, slashing a woeful .197/.314/.303 with five homers, 19 RBI, two stolen bases and a 72/24 K/BB ratio over 224 plate appearances. With a strong showing in the spring, he should have a good shot at cracking the Royals’ Opening Day roster in a reserve role.

The third base market as a whole is kind of at a standstill at the moment, waiting to see where Alex Bregman ultimately signs. Everyone else should fall in line afterwards. Moncada, 29, was limited to just 12 games with the White Sox during the 2024 season, slashing .276/.356/.400 with no homers, zero RBI, one stolen base and an 11/5 K/BB ratio in 45 plate appearances. Any fantasy value that he may have will ultimately be determined by where he winds up and how much playing time he’s slated for.

Quality over quantity would have been the better approach for the Orioles, but an upgrade is still an upgrade. The Morton signing knocked fifth-starter candidates Trevor Rogers, Albert Suárez and Cade Povich out of current rotation picture. Another addition would probably come at Dean Kremer’s expense, even though Kremer has gone 29-22 with a 3.85 ERA over the last three seasons. Of course, spring injuries could change things in a hurry.

The Orioles were known to have interest in a reunion as well, but Flaherty didn’t enjoy his time there and they moved on to sign Charlie Morton on Friday. The 29-year-old hurler is believed to be seeking a five-year contract worth north of $100 million. He turned his career around with a strong first half with the Tigers during the 2024 season before being dealt to the Dodgers in a deadline deal, so a return to Motown would seem to make a great deal of sense for both sides provided that owner Chris Ilitch is willing to open up his wallet.

That would leave the 23-year-old hurler 72 hours to make his final decision before his posting window expires on January 23. Romero also notes that the Padres, Dodgers and Giants are among the top contenders to sign Sasaki. It’s possible that other teams work their way into the mix as Sasaki and his team conduct further visits in mid-January, but for now those appear to be the front-runners.

The Orioles signed right-hander Charlie Morton to a one-year contract on Friday and had to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to do so. Unfortunately for Pinto, he was the odd man out this time around. The 28-year-old backstop is widely regarded as a strong defensive catcher, which could cause other teams to take a chance on him on waivers as a depth option.

The 41-year-old hurler took a while to make his decision to return for the 2025 and had a strong preference to pitch for a team that has its spring training in commuting distance of his family home in Bradenton, Florida, so the Orioles wound up being a perfect match. Morton registered an underwhelming 4.19 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 167/65 K/BB ratio over 165 1/3 innings in 30 starts during his final season with the Braves.

The Dodgers officially signed Hyeseong Kim to a three-year contract on Friday afternoon, but in doing so they needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster and Cartaya became the unfortunate roster casualty. The 23-year-old backstop hit just .221/.323/.363 with 11 homers and 52 RBI over 400 plate appearances between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024. He’s talented enough that he may pique another team’s interest on waivers.

The deal also includes a two-year option for the 2028-29 seasons that would give Kim the opportunity to earn an additional $22 million. Dodgers’ general manager Brandon Gomes said that the plan for now is to use Kim in a utility role with Mookie Betts and Gavin Lux still slated to start in their middle infield. He’ll also add insurance in the event that Max Muncy isn’t fully healthy or can’t handle a full workload at third base. Ultimately, if he hits the way that he did in the Korea Baseball Organization, he’ll find his way into everyday at-bats with the Dodgers.