MLB Player News

It was recreational drug abuse, not one of the performance-enhancing variety. The 21-year-old was the first round selection of the Phillies in the 2012 draft, but was forced to miss the entirety of the 2014 season as he recovered from shoulder surgery and battled type 1 diabetes.

Hernandez has yet to pitch above Double-A and spent the last seven years in Philadelphia’s minor-league system. The 24-year-old righty posted a 3.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 57/13 K/BB ratio across 54 innings (40 appearances, one start) last year across three levels in the Phillies’ system. He’s merely extra organizational depth for New York.

Reyes was a revelation for the Red Sox during the 2023 season when he got into a career-high 64 contests as a versatile utility specialist. The 31-year-old journeyman got into only 22 contests last year between the Red Sox and Mets, spending most of the year at the Triple-A level. He doesn’t offer much at the dish, but he’s a strong defender at multiple spots, and provides New York with some valuable emergency infield depth, if needed, heading into 2025.

It’s a split contract for Hagenman, who heads to New York after spending the last seven years between the Dodgers and Red Sox. The 28-year-old righty, who has yet to reach the big leagues, will bolster the Mets’ organizational relief depth after compiling a 4.91 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 98/31 K/BB ratio across 91 2/3 innings (28 appearances, 15 starts) last year for Triple-A Worcester.

Elias added that Rodriguez will enter spring training without any restrictions, following a normal offseason program, after spending the final two months of last season on the shelf due to a lat strain. The 25-year-old former top pitching prospect finished last season with a solid 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 130/36 K/BB ratio across 116 2/3 innings (20 starts). There’s a wide range of potential outcomes, but he enters the 2025 campaign as a top 30 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes.

Elias previously stated last month that Mateo would be ready for the outset of spring training following UCL surgery on his non-throwing elbow. However, there’s been no implication that the speedster is dealing with any sort of setback. Barring an unexpected development, fantasy managers should anticipate Mateo being ready for Opening Day. He’s slated to occupy a versatile utility role for Baltimore next season.

García was a one-time top prospect of the Yankees whose performance fell off drastically as he dealt with mechanical inconsistencies. He was designated for assignment in August of 2023 after struggling in Triple-A for the Yankees and was claimed off waivers by the White Sox, who then designated him for assignment after he posted a 7.07 ERA in 14 bullpen innings this season. The Brewers did just have tremendous success turning around the career of Tobias Myers, who was also designated for assignment by multiple teams, so perhaps they’ll have similar success with García, who is still just 25 years old.

Rodríguez began the year with the Rangers but pitched to a 7.11 ERA in 31 2/3 innings over 2023 and 2024 and was designated for assignment. The Blue Jays claimed him but Rodríguez posted a 15.43 ERA in four appearances with Toronto and was designated for assignment in the middle of September. The Pirates will hope that they can get him back to the level he showed a few years ago when he showcased the potential to be a solid MLB reliever.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise and certainly doesn’t close the door on Manaea returning to the Mets. However, coming off a strong year where he posted a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 184 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings, Manaea was always likely to try and get a multi-year contract since he will head into next season at 33 years old. The Mets will need to outbid others for his services but they are more than capable of doing so.

The Angels first base prospect had a tremendous fall season, slashing .329/.462/.700 with six homers in 20 games. Kavadas entered the offseason looking like a prime candidate for designated hitter at-bats for the Angels but the team has since traded for Jorge Soler, which all but crushes the chances for Kavadas to be anything more than a left-handed hitter off the bench and his lack of defensive value makes that unlikely as well. The 26-year-old hit 183/.283/.333 over 106 plate appearances in his first taste of the Majors in 2024 and looks like he’ll need to wait to get another shot.

Zombro has become well-regarded in the baseball industry for his work as a pitching coach at Tread Athletics where pitchers like Cole Ragans have started to develop their arsenals in the offseason. This is a similar move to when the Red Sox hired Driveline’s Kyle Boddy in the offseason last year. According to Passan, Zombro will “work in all areas of Chicago’s organization to help improve the performance of the Cubs’ arms.” While it’s unclear now just how this might change the outlook for Cubs’ pitchers, keep in mind that the Red Sox as an organization drastically changed their philosophy with regard to fastball usage last season, so there may be wholesale modifications coming here in Chicago.