MLB Player News

Young got a $3.3 million signing bonus, pretty much slot value ($3,292,900) for where he was drafted with the No. 21 overall selection last Sunday. The 18-year-old high school shortstop from Wexford, Pennsylvania had been committed to play college ball at Duke, but he is now officially in the Mariners’ system. In fact, he’s being introduced at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Tuesday night.

Duran was a free agent after hitting 11 homers and registering an OPS of .790 at the Double-A and Triple-A levels while with the Royals’ organization. The 26-year-old could battle for the backup catching gig, but more than likely will be the guy who handles duties behind the plate for Triple-A El Paso.

Alvarez is coming off a season where he hit 18 homers for Triple-A Worcester with an .811 OPS. The 34-year-old was waived by Boston and claimed by the Mets near the end of the year, but he didn’t play a game with New York. The 34-year-old will be a depth piece for 2025.

Woodruff is currently throwing bullpens twice per week and says his arm feels good. He’s been avoiding the radar gun thus far, so it’s unclear where his stuff is at. That’ll come next week, when he throws in the Brewers’ pitching lab during a visit to Arizona.

The Cubs and Blue Jays are among the other teams known to have interest in Minter, who is coming off hip surgery. It’s interesting that there’s been little talk about him going back to the Braves, even though there are indications Atlanta would be willing to spend on a setup man. Minter has been one of the best in baseball the last five years, amassing a 2.85 ERA in 243 innings since 2020.

The Arlington native, who has said that 2025 would probably be his final season, turned down more money from the Red Sox and likely others to pitch for his hometown team. He previously pitched for the Rangers in 2018 and ’19.

There’s a vesting sixth-year option for $22 million, adds ESPN’s Jeff Passan, with Rosenthal noting that the deal could top out at $90 million. We’re not at all sure this is actually a good move for the A’s, given than Rooker is 30 years old and was already under control for three more years. Still, it’s hard not to be happy for the slugger. Building on his breakthrough 2023 campaign, Rooker hit .293/.365/.562 with a career-high 39 homers and 11 stolen bases for Oakland last season. He’ll remain utility-only in most fantasy formats heading into 2025 after logging just 14 appearances in the outfield this past year.

Heyman’s update comes on the heels of ESPN’s Jeff Passan reporting just a few hours earlier that the Yankees and Padres were continuing to discuss a potential Luis Arraez trade. The 27-year-old three-time batting champion, who is recovering from offseason surgery on his left thumb, would represent an upgrade for New York at the keystone with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving over to third base.

Martin provides the Rangers with a proven high-leverage option and a potential fallback option at closer if they’re unable to re-sign stopper Kirby Yates. The 38-year-old veteran struggled with some physical issues last year with the Red Sox but still managed to record a strong 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 50/3 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings (45 appearances). He’s made a remarkable 369 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2014. The strikeouts and elite control remain intact, which gives him a shot at fantasy relevance in 2025.

Festa loses his spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for veteran reliever Chris Martin. The 31-year-old righty made 18 relief appearances last year for the Rangers, posting a pedestrian 4.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 23/7 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings of work.

The deal is now official. Lux was outstanding in the second half of last year for the Dodgers, batting .304/.391/.508 with seven homers and two steals in 210 plate appearances over his final 61 contests, after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL. The 27-year-old former top prospect became expendable for Los Angeles last weekend after the club signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim. He figures to occupy a versatile multi-position role for Cincinnati with Matt McLain possibly moving to center field. It’s a great landing spot for fantasy purposes, if he’s able to carve out an everyday role.