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 Angels needed a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Kevin Newman, and Thaiss was a more palatable choice to be let go now that Travis d’Arnaud is in town. Thaiss hit .204/.323/.299 in 57 games in 2024. He could latch on with another organization as a backup, but it’s also likely he re-joins the Angels on a minor league contract as organizational depth.

Dodson spent the last three seasons in the Dodgers organization, pitching to a 3.32 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 58/43 K/BB ratio in 62 1/3 innings out of the Triple-A bullpen in 2023. He’ll have a better chance to make his MLB debut now than he’s with the Athletics.

The 26-year-old pitched in the Phillies’ organization from 2015-19 and then in the Marlins’ organization from 2021-22. He has a career 4.92 ERA in 133 Minor League appearances as a relief pitcher. He’s likely just organizational depth for the Orioles.

Brooks had a good season in Triple-A, hitting .302 with 10 home runs and 10 steals in 94 games; however, he went just 3-for-25 in his first taste of MLB action. He figures to spend most of 2025 at Triple-A as well.

The 24-year-old has spent his entire career with the Mets and posted a 2.96 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 55/20 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings across three levels for the Mets in 2024, ending with 9 1/3 innings at Double-A. He has a plus breaking ball but a below-average fastball and seems like a longshot to make the major leagues.

Pozo had been with the Rangers since signing as an international free agent in 2016 before spending this past season in the Athletics organization. He made his MLB debut in 2021, slashing .284/.312/.378 with one home run and nine RBI in 21 games. He has not appeared in an MLB game since then but will serve as organizational catching depth.

LeBlanc spent most of 2023 in Triple-A for the Angels, hitting .254/.379/.437 with 12 home runs and a 16.4 percent walk rate in 98 games. A former fourth-round pick by the Rangers, LeBlanc has slashed .254/.330/.412 in 197 big league games and will serve as veteran organizational depth in Atlanta.

The 27-year-old is “projected to make $6.2 million via arbitration and is one season from free agency.” As Gleeman notes, “On a contending team without a payroll crunch, he’d be ideal depth and an essential super-utility player,” but the Twins may not have the luxury of having him in that role at that salary in 2025 with the Twins expected to try and cut costs.

Paddack will make $7.5 million in 2025 in the final year of his contract, which is a fair salary for a back-end starting pitcher. In 2024, Paddack pitched to a 4.99 ERA in 88 1/3 innings before missing the second half of the season with a forearm strain. With Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews all battling for rotation spots, the Twins would likely prefer to get Paddack’s salary off the books and take whatever prospect they can get in return.

The deal has up to $750K in performance bonuses based on games pitched. Wilson had Tommy John surgery in May of 2022 and missed the entire 2023 season. He came back this past year and made 60 appearances for the Reds, posting a 5.59 ERA. The 37-year-old does have a career 3.61 ERA over 12 years split between the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets, and Reds, so the Red Sox will hope that he can get back to that level of production after another year removed from surgery.