MLB Player News

This follows the September elevation of Erik Neander from GM to president of baseball operations. Bendix, a graduate of Tufts University, first joined Tampa Bay’s front office as an intern back in 2009 and had recently been serving as the vice president of baseball development. Per a news release from the Rays, he will assist Neander “with departmental oversight and an increased emphasis on major-league operations, such as player evaluation and procurement, roster management and the day-to-day functions of the major league club.”

ESPN"s Jesse Rogers says it’s a one-year, $15 million deal. It’s really rather disappointing to see the Tigers settle for this with Alex Bregman still out there and maybe better options than Torres already on the roster. Colt Keith is a definite keeper, but either he’s moving or Torres, who can’t be viewed as a legitimate shortstop at this point, will have to learn a new position. It looks like Jace Jung or Spencer Torkelson is going to be shut out, and Matt Vierling will spend most of his time in the outfield.

There have been reports that the Mets have offered somewhere in the neighborhood of three years and $90 million, while Alonso and Scott Boras are looking for a deal that approaches $200 million overall. There’s still plenty of time to hammer out a deal and the market of teams looking for first baseman has shrunk considerably over the past week, so the most likely scenario is still that Alonso winds back up with the Mets.

Perhaps it was Torres just giving the Nationals an excuse for why he didn’t want to sign there and he could consider offers to play the hot corner from viable contenders, but for now it appears that he’s looking for a job at second base. The 28-year-old hit .257/.330/.378 with 15 homers, 63 RBI and four stolen bases. Torres is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to land a two-year, $36 million contract on the open market.

The 34-year-old hurler has been well-traveled over the past two seasons, making 20 or more appearances for four different ballclubs. He became a free agent in November when the Rangers declined his $6.5 million option and interest on the open market has been slow to this point. The Yankees are also interested in bringing back Tim Hill, so they appear to be casting a wide net in their search for a quality left-hander to add to their bullpen.

The 34-year-old hurler signed on with the Ham Fighters prior to the 2024 campaign and went on to post a 3.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and an 82/22 K/BB ratio over 96 innings in his 20 appearances. He then declined his player option and explored the open market before deciding that a return there was in his best interests.

The 30-year-old hurler made just seven appearances with the Twins during the 2024 season, registering a 2.70 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and a 6/8 K/BB ratio over 10 innings of work. From 2018-2022 though he was one of the most reliable setup men in the game for the Rays and Mariners. Given the current state of their bullpen, this seems like a very worthwhile gamble for the Rockies to make.

Hall provides Pittsburgh with some extra cold corner depth at Triple-A Indianapolis entering next season behind newly acquired starter Spencer Horwitz. The 29-year-old slugger has put up some big-time numbers in the upper minors but hasn’t been able to establish himself at the highest level, getting into 59 contests for the Phillies from 2022-2023. He spent all of last year at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, batting .236/.320/.387 with 16 round-trippers and two steals in 488 plate appearances.

Enns returns stateside after spending the last three years pitching overseas in Japan and Korea. The 33-year-old southpaw made 11 appearances (one start) in the majors between the Twins and Rays from 2017-2021 before heading overseas. He’ll have an opportunity in spring training to compete for a spot in Detroit’s pitching mix, most likely as a versatile swingman.

Kuhnel hit free agency last month following his removal from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster. The 29-year-old righty made six big-league relief appearances last year between the Rays and Astros. He’ll bolster Philadelphia’s organizational depth heading into spring training.

Munguia posted decent numbers last year in the upper minors for San Francisco, batting .286/.387/.418 with seven homers and 18 thefts in 372 plate appearances between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento. The 26-year-old outfielder represents extra organizational depth for San Diego.