MLB Player News

Espinal was summoned back to the majors earlier this week to give the Reds some extra long relief depth. He’s been shipped back to Triple-A Louisville to make room for dynamic right-hander Hunter Greene to return from the injured list ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals.

On paper this one makes sense, even if New York fans won’t be too excited about Polanco after looking at his numbers in 2024. The 31-year-old would fill a need at second base with Gleyber Torres now a member of the Tigers, and he’s a good bounceback candidate after his previous success with Minnesota before his disastrous year with the Mariners. The Astros have also shown interest in Polanco, but that isn’t likely to be a fit anymore.

Pérez, 33, will likely pitch at or near the top of the White Sox rotation to begin 2025, which may not be the compliment it would be for some other cubs. The veteran southpaw split 2024 with the Pirates and Padres and finished with a 4.53 ERA over 26 starts with a 107/49 K/Bb in his 135 innings with Pittsburgh and San Diego. He wasn’t a good fantasy option with decent teams, he certainly won’t be one with the worst team in the sport.

After eight years in the Nationals system, Adon might be on the move. Our guess, though, is that he’ll clear waivers. The 26-year-old is just 3-16 with a 6.66 ERA in 26 starts and nine relief appearances at the major league level, and he hasn’t been very successful in Triple-A of late, either. He’s also out of options, making him less attractive to teams looking for pitchers they can move between the minors and majors easily.

Confirming the signing. Lorenzen stays put after ending last season with seven appearances, including six starts, with Kansas City. He should be back in the rotation initially this year, and if he can come close to matching last year’s 3.31 ERA, he’ll stay there. However, last year’s 97/60 K/BB in 130 1/3 innings wasn’t encouraging at all.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman says it’s a $2 million deal. Rosario has not been getting much love from MLB teams of late, but he did hit a respectable .280/.306/.380 for the Rays, Dodgers and Reds last season. If the Nationals were to make him their third baseman, he could offer some mixed-league value with his ability to hit for average and steal bases. However, he’ll probably be more of a utilityman initially.

Kessinger lost his spot on Houston’s 40-man roster a couple weeks ago when the club signed veteran slugger Christian Walker. The 27-year-old offers a cornucopia of defensive versatility, but he simply hasn’t hit a lick at the highest level over the past two years, batting .131/.243/.213 with one homer in 70 plate appearances. He’s merely extra bench depth for Arizona heading into next season.

Linskey was Arizona’s 16th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Rice University in Houston and looked impressive last year in his full-season pro debut, posting a sterling 2.78 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 51/16 K/BB ratio across 32 1/3 innings (22 appearances) between three minor-league levels, finishing the year at High-A Hillsboro. The 22-year-old is an imposing presence at 6-foot-7 and represents an intriguing relief project for the Astros moving forward.

Matusz was the fourth overall selection in the 2008 MLB Draft and went on to spend eight seasons in the big leagues between the Orioles and Cubs from 2009-2016 before retiring a couple years later. Matusz made 279 appearances (68 starts) for Baltimore from 2009-2016. He made one relief appearance for the Cubs during their championship season in 2016 and was rewarded with a World Series ring. Our thoughts are with the entire Matusz family at this time.

The Giants definitely needed at least one rotation addition, and Verlander remains a reasonable bet at age 42, even though last season with the Astros was pretty disastrous. The three-time Cy Young Award winner wound up with a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts before being left out of Houston’s postseason plans, but he was excellent in 2023 (3.22 ERA in 162 1/3 IP) and he just won a Cy Young in 2022 at age 39. He’ll join Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Jordan Hicks and probably Kyle Harrison in the San Francisco rotation. It’s an ideal landing spot for fantasy purposes as Oracle Park remains one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in baseball. He’ll be a late-round pick in fantasy drafts this spring based on his track record alone.

Cotillo adds that the Blue Jays and Mets are involved as well. Verdugo represents a logical upgrade for the Pirates, who currently has Joshua Palacios occupying right field with just a few weeks left prior to spring training. The 28-year-old outfielder batted .233/.291/.356 with 13 homers and two steals in 621 plate appearances last year for the Yankees. He’s pretty much a non-factor for fantasy purposes, regardless of where he ultimately winds up, but Toronto and New York would be much better situations.