MLB Player News

The former top prospect was simply never able to put things together at the big league level, slashing .198/.246/.328 with 28 homers and 109 RBI over 1150 plate appearances across six seasons. Still only 28-years-old, there’s a chance that a strong season overseas could springboard Brinson to another opportunity stateside.

This is a nice pick-up for the Reds. The Rangers claimed Contreras off waivers from the Angels at the end of October but decided to waive him themselves a week ago when they re-signed Nathan Eovaldi. The 25-year-old transitioned to the bullpen full-time in 2024 and registered a 3.86 ERA and a 52/25 K/BB ratio in 60 2/3 innings. He did struggle in medium and high-leverage situations, allowing 17 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings while striking out 13 and walking four. However, he was much better in lower-leverage spots allowing just eight earned runs in 36 2/3 innings, so he could be a solid option as a multi-inning reliever or first guy out of the pen in Cincinnati last season.

Soroka struggled in 2024, registering a 4.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 79 2/3 innings for the White Sox in 2024. He did have some success as a multi-inning reliever, posting a 2.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 36 innings after the White Sox moved him to the bullpen. However, the Nationals plan to try him out as a starting pitcher, and he seems likely to start the season in the rotation. He doesn’t have much fantasy value outside of deep NL-only formats.

The Blue Jays designated Raposo for assignment last week after the 26-year-old hit .206/.280/.340 with just eight homers, 33 RBI, and a 59/25 K/BB ratio in 280 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. Since he was claimed off waivers, Raposo has to be added to the 40-man roster, which means he’ll be squarely in the competition to be the backup catcher this spring.

The 29-year-old had spent his entire professional career with the Baltimore Orioles, posting a 5.57 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 126/36 K/BB ratio in 158 1/3 MLB innings. He’s actually the perfect pitcher for the Brewers. Zimmermann throws five pitches at least 10 percent of the time with good command of each one. It just happens that none of them really miss bats. However, the Brewers were able to get the most out of pitchers like Tobias Myers, who have a similar profile, and might be able to do the same for Zimmermann.

Levine suggested that medical reviews could have been the obstacle in the talks but also didn’t specify whether it was medical concerns over Luzardo or one of the potential prospects heading to Miami. The teams could certainly strike up a discussion again, but, at this point, it seems like nothing is imminent.

The 29-year-old had been with the Orioles previously and had posted a 3.88 ERA in 53 1/3 innings over the last three seasons. He should provide organizational relief depth for the Phillies.

Fleming pitched to a 4.02 ERA in 25 appearances (three starts) for the Pirates in 2024 before being designated for assignment. He signed a minor league deal with the Mariners and registered a 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 13/5 K/BB ratio in 16 innings for Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners obviously saw enough to bring him back on another minor league deal where he will likely serve as organization depth.

The four biggest names when it comes to free agent first basemen are Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, and Carlos Santana and all of them carry significant concerns. For starters, Alonso is the youngest of the bunch at 30 years old. It seems that none of the four are yet willing to lower their asking price or the number of years they’re looking for, and teams are willing to wait them out rather than commit lots of money over a long-term deal to the aging power hitters. Complicating factors is also that teams still believe all of Triston Casas, Josh Naylor, and Lamote Wade Jr. could be had in a trade, so teams are willing to wait and see how that plays out as well.

The 29-year-old had a down year in 2024, hitting just 11 home runs with a .700 OPS before having labrum surgery in August. As Passan notes, “for a player whose big league value mostly has come from his defense” worries about Kim’s arm are “a fair concern.” Even though “Kim is targeting a late-April return,” considering “he does not want to sign at a severe discount,” teams have seemingly backed off until they can be more certain that the shoulder surgery won’t meaningful impact him in 2025. Despite missing at least a month of the season, a fully healthy Ha-Seong Kim would provide the team that signs him with strong defense and difference-making speed on the bases.

According to Passan, “Baltimore does not want to forfeit a draft pick by signing a starter saddled with a qualifying offer,” which rules out Manaea and Pivetta. The Orioles are still linked to top starter Corbin Burnes but have been silent when it comes to other starting pitchers and might be waiting for the prices to come down or the market to soften before they see who’s remaining.