MLB Player News

The Pirates had the second-worst record in all of baseball last season -- and had the best odds of winning that top overall selection (tied with the Nationals and Athletics) at 16.5 percent. The 18 teams that did not make the postseason were all eligible, with chances anywhere between 16.5 percent and the Brewers at 0.2 percent. The first six picks of the round were determined by the lottery and are as follows: 1) Pirates, 2) Nationals, 3) Tigers , 4) Rangers , 5) Twins, 6) Athletics. The Twins, who jumped up from the 13th pick into the top five, were the biggest movers. The Athletics were the biggest losers in the draft, falling from third to sixth.

“The goal is to go out there and make as many starts as I can to help contribute,” he said. “Things have been feeling really good.” This is probably as healthy as deGrom is ever going to be over the remainder of his career. Even if he makes only 20-25 starts this year, he should provide enough value to justify a third- or fourth-round pick.

It previously sounded as if that wasn’t the case, which is why Suzuki has gotten talked up as a trade candidate. The Cubs are planning on using Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker as their primary outfielders this season. Suzuki will still be an everyday guy, but his opportunities in the field figure to be limited.

García will be ready for spring training and is looking forward to a healthier season than he enjoyed in 2024. He hit just .224/.284/.400 last season, compared to .247/.313/.481 the previous two years.

Morosi also notes that the 30-year-old southpaw is expected to decide between several multi-year offers this weekend. With all due respect to Porter Hodge, the Cubs have one of the clearest paths to the closer role among teams that have expressed interest in Scott, so if he wants the ninth inning gig, it could be a match that works very well for both sides. Scott registered a minuscule 1.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and an 84/36 K/BB ratio over 72 innings between the Marlins and Padres in 2024 while also notching nine victories and accumulating 22 saves.

The Dodgers needed to acquire some extra international bonus pool funds to give Roki Sasaki a $6.5 million signing bonus on Friday and the Phillies were there to take advantage of the situation. Campbell, 22, hit .251/.331/.372 with 10 homers, 53 RBI and 42 stolen bases across 493 plate appearances at High-A Great Lakes in 2024.

The Dodgers will give up an intriguing 19-year-old prospect in order to gain an additional $1 million in bonus pool funds. That will allow them to retain most of the commitments that they had from this IFA class while still giving a $6.5 million signing bonus to Roki Sasaki. It’s a savvy move by the Reds, giving up bonus pool funds that they were unlikely to use anyways to land an intriguing young bat.

It’s the second deal that the Dodgers have agreed to on Friday in an effort to accumulate as much international bonus pool money as possible. They agreed to give Roki Sasaki a signing bonus of $6.5 million, and it’s possible they’re trying to bank even more to sign some of their original commitments as well. Lantigua, 19, has yet to play affiliated minor league ball and hit .301/.430/.575 with 11 homers, 42 RBI and six swipes in the Dominican Summer League in 2024.

Nicholson-Smith and Davidi note that talks between the two sides picked up on Friday morning. For what seems like a few weeks now, the Blue Jays have been mentioned as one of the favorites to land either Santander or Alex Bregman, and it sounds like they’re making a strong push to get Santander. The 30-year-old slugger crushed a career-high 44 home runs and drove in 102 runs for the Orioles in 2024 and would provide a major boost to the middle of the Blue Jays’ lineup.

The 29-year-old backstop flailed to a meager .167/.183/.211 slash line with just one homer, nine RBI and a 22/1 K/BB ratio over 93 plate appearances with the Rangers during the 2024 season. He’ll add depth behind the plate for the Nationals but can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

The 31-year-old hurler has pitched professionally in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball for the past nine seasons. In 2024, he registered a 3.00 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 78/39 K/BB ratio across 114 innings of work in his 23 starts. He’ll add depth for the Phillies but seems like a longshot to crack their Opening Day roster.