MLB Player News

Rickard will give the Giants depth at all three outfield spots. He could play some versus lefties.

Plassmeyer joins the Rangers after spending the 2024 season in the Pirates’ organization. The southpaw did have an 86/13 K/BB, which is good, but also a 7.93 ERA for Triple-A Indianapolis, which is not. He’ll complete for a bullpen spot in spring training, but is more likely to be fodder in Triple-A for Texas.

Nottingham has had a couple of stops with Seattle but has never appeared in an MLB game with the organization. He’ll be a depth piece in the minors for 2025.

Suzuki has recently been mentioned as a potential trade candidate by the Cubs, in part because of his desire to not be a designated hitter. Tucker heading to Chicago would open up right field for him. Meanwhile, Paredes would slide into third base if Alex Bregman was to leave the Astros. There would almost certainly be prospects headed Houston’s way, but this would be a way to move Tucker and not take a massive step backwards for 2025 and 2026. Interesting.

If such a deal comes to fruition, one imagines either Heston Kjerstad or Coby Mayo would be freed. The Padres currently have a giant hole in left field, so Kjerstad makes particular sense for them. San Diego would also presumably have some interest in major league-ready pitching prospects like Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young.

Stealing Pete Alonso away from a division rival would be more fun than this, but Walker would definitely give a weak Nationals lineup a lift. Their top options at first base right now are Andrés Chaparro and Juan Yepez.

This definitely lengthens the Rangers’ lineup, giving the team another 30-homer threat and one making essentially the major league minimum for one more year. Burger is 28 and it’s certainly questionable how well he’ll age, but at this price, it looks like a great move for Texas. It also adds a great deal to Burger’s fantasy value. At the moment, it’d seem to take Josh Smith out of the Rangers’ projected lineup, but he’ll still get plenty of time as a utilityman. There’s some chance the Rangers could opt to trade Nathaniel Lowe, who is due close to $10 million in arbitration.

The Marlins are giving up arguably their best hitter, and a guy who wasn’t even eligible for arbitration yet, without landing anything close to a sure thing here. It’s interesting they didn’t even seem to try for major league ready help in the form of Ezequiel Duran or Justin Foscue, two guys who seemingly would have been very much available. Vargas, 19, hit .276/.321/.454 with 14 homers and 29 steals in 97 games for low-A Down East last season. He mostly played shortstop there, but he’s also seen time at second and third in the minors, setting him up for a path to a utility role. However, there is the chance he winds up as a starting second baseman in a few years.

Initially a disappointment after landing a strong signing bonus as a teenager out of Venezuela, Acosta broke through somewhat at age 21 and was just added to the Rangers’ 40-man after batting .288/.353/.425 with 26 steals in 104 games in Double-A last season. He also thrived in the AFL, hitting .338/.413/.521. A shortstop and second baseman, he seems more likely to wind up as a utilityman than as a major league regular, but there’s still time for him to change that projection.

Mendoza, 20, spent most of last season in low-A ball, amassing a 2.18 ERA and a 96/24 K/BB in 90 2/3 innings there. He had a 3.48 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 10 1/3 innings in two late starts for high-A Hickory. His slight build adds to the likelihood that he’ll wind up as a reliever, but he’ll likely continue to be developed as a starter for now.

Smith, a Wake Forest product, had a 3.04 ERA and a 113/29 K/BB in 94 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A last season. Rule 5 picks are often traded after being picked, so it’s not clear yet that Smith will be remaining with the White Sox. If he does, though, he’d likely have a very good shot of claiming a bullpen spot in the spring.