MLB Player News

De La Rosa, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2017, has spent the first two-plus months of 2019 working out of the bullpen at Triple-A Reno. With no clear path to innings in the majors, the Diamondbacks seem content to let De La Rosa go overseas, where the right-hander will likely garner a much bigger paycheck than the one he was earning in Arizona.

Ford played 17 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024, hitting .150/.177/.233 with one home run and 15 strikeouts. He was designated for assignment and decided to play in Japan, where he hit .211/.281/.429 with eight home runs and 24 strikeouts in 41 games. The 32-year-old is a career .205 hitter with a .700 OPS and even though he hit 16 home runs for the Mariners in 2023, the Twins will likely hope he doesn’t have to become a regular in their starting lineup.

Cox has been with the Royals his entire career and made his MLB debut in 2023, pitching to a 4.54 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 35 2/3 innings. However, he tore his ACL in September of that year and then spent all of last season in the minors. The Royals will hope that he can emerge as an impactful lefty reliever now that he’s another year removed from surgery.

The Blue Jays were also heavily involved in the bidding for Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Teoscar Hernandez, but each player decided to sign elsewhere, some for less money. The Blue Jays are desperate to add talent around Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in an effort to keep him in Toronto beyond this season, and Santander would certainly be a solid bat to add to the mix. The 30-year-old is coming off a career-best year in which he hit 44 home runs and drove in 102 runs for the Orioles. If he were to sign in Toronto, he would immediately slot in as the clean-up hitter behind Vlad Jr. and bump either Will Wagner or Joey Loperfido from the regular lineup, depending on whether or not Toronto chooses to play Santander in the field.

Rojas’ market was surprisingly active this offseason given that the 30-year-old can play most positions on the diamond and is a career .247/.323/.362 hitter. He did have a bit of a down year in 2024 but posted a career-high barrel rate and fly ball rate, so perhaps getting out of T-Mobile Park, which is the worst park in baseball for left-handed hitters, according to Statcat Park Factors, will be a boost for him. Rojas should be the everyday third baseman for the White Sox and could post 15 steals with a .260 average which is valuable in deeper formats.

Heyman added during a live stream for Bleacher Report on Wednesday that Scherzer’s market is “heating up” so it’s not out of the question that he could decide on his future at some point in the coming days. No word on which specific teams are in the mix at this juncture. The 40-year-old former ace was limited to just nine starts last season for the Rangers due to a series of injuries following his midseason return from offseason back surgery. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate Scherzer shouldering a considerable workload at his advanced age, regardless of where he winds up signing. However, he remains a viable streaming option in favorable matchups, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Luzardo, who was acquired by the Phillies a couple weeks ago in a late-December trade, added that he’s had a normal throwing program this offseason after being limited to just 12 starts this past season for the Marlins due to a flexor strain and back issue. The 27-year-old southpaw is the front-runner to open next season as the Phillies’ fifth starter and figures to make an impact for fantasy managers, even in shallow mixed leagues, if his strikeout rate returns to pre-2024 levels.

Gilbert was designated for assignment by the Phillies, and will now go from a World Series contender to a team that lost 121 games. Happy New Year. Gilbert should actually get a chance to pitch for the White Sox, however, something that wasn’t likely as a member of the Philadelphia organization.

Combs was one of about a billion players drafted out of Tennessee last year, and was selected in the ninth round pick by the White Sox. The 23-year-old right-hander projects as a depth piece, but Philadelphia will do their best to unlock more. Fantasy managers can’t count on it yet.

Shewmake, 27, is removed from the 40-man roster to make room for recently-acquired Tyler Gilbert. Shewmake was a first-round pick who showed some promise early after being drafted, but has become just organizational fodder.

“He’s doing good,” Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said recently. “From my understanding, he really hasn’t shut down since the end of the season. He’s working out. He’s swinging the bat.” The harsh reality here is that Bryant has been limited to just 159 games over the last three years for Colorado due to injury since signing a massive seven-year, $182 million contract. The 32-year-old, who will open next year as the Rockies primary designated hitter and part-time right fielder, former impact fantasy contributor has completely fallen off fantasy manager’s radar screens due to persistent back issues. We’re not forecasting a bounce-back campaign, but there’s at least some optimism from the club that he’ll be ready to play at the outset of Cactus League action.