MLB Player News

Kapler spent 12 years in the big leagues as a player and after his playing career, he joined the Dodgers as director of player development in 2014. As Ken Rosenthal reports, his success in that role was one of the main selling points for hiring him for this position. Kapler also spent six seasons in the manager role, two with the Phillies and four with the Giants, amassing a 456-411 win-loss record along the way. The Marlins don’ts currently have a General Manager so Kapler will serve under Peter Bendix, the president of baseball operations for the Marlins.

In spite of his struggles last year, Jackson Holliday’s path at second base seems clear this spring. Instead, it’s Coby Mayo who seems hopelessly blocked at the moment. Westburg was excellent in hitting .264/.312/.481 last season, and his place in the lineup is assured.

The lack of any real reported interest in Quintana has been bizarre. He missed half of 2023, but he has a 3.39 ERA in 76 starts over the last three seasons. As starters continue to go down this spring — the big reason he’s being linked to the Mets right now is because of the injury to Frankie Montas — someone will probably hand over a substantial one-year deal.

The Astros are hoping they caught this one early. Ort has a chance to play a big role in the team’s pen after posting a 2.55 ERA and a 26/4 K/BB in 24 2/3 innings last season.

Turner should be a role player in Chicago, serving as an occasional first baseman against left-handers and as a DH if an outfielder goes down. He could also be viewed as a fallback at third base, but at age 40, he seems like a weak option at his old spot.

“They had their numbers, I had my numbers,” he said. Barring a change of heart, Guerrero will head into free agency at season’s end. It could set up the possibility of a deadline deal, depending on where the Blue Jays are in the standings.

The 39-year-old Ottavino will try to make the club he pitched for in 2021, when he went 7-3 with a 4.21 ERA and 11 saves. He finished last year with a 4.34 ERA for the Mets, though that still came with a 29 percent strikeout rate. He was better in his first two seasons with the Mets, leaving him with a 3.14 ERA over the last three years combined.

The deal is now official. Pivetta heads to pitcher-friendly Petco Park to help bolster San Diego’s starting rotation mix after spending the previous four-plus seasons with the Red Sox. The 32-year-old right-hander has always struggled a bit from a run-prevention standpoint, but his 22.9 strikeout minus walk percentage last year was the sixth-best mark among pitchers with at least 140 innings. His proven track record of consistently missing bats in tandem with a favorable home environment in the NL West make Pivetta a potential top 60 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes entering the 2025 season.

Flexen heads to Cubs camp as emergency starting pitching depth after posting a serviceable 4.95 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 123/63 K/BB ratio across 160 innings (33 appearances, 30 starts) last year with the cross-town White Sox. The 30-year-old will battle for a spot in Chicago’s season-opening pitching mix but will most likely have to spend some time at Triple-A Iowa.

Passan adds that the deal begins next season and buys out up to three years of free agency. The two sides avoided an arbitration hearing last month by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55 million pact for 2025. The 25-year-old is an outstanding defensive shortstop and has batted .235/.327/.330 in 401 contests since 2021. The big question here for fantasy purposes is how much Perdomo sticking around in the desert will complicate top prospect Jordan Lawlar’s long-term outlook.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports Gurriel will make $1.25 million if he’s in the majors. The 40-year-old veteran first baseman got into 18 contests last year for Kansas City and figures to have a decent shot at making San Diego’s season-opening lineup in a backup role behind Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth. He’ll compete in spring training with some combination of Jason Heyward, Connor Joe, Tirso Ornelas and Eguy Rosario for regular DH at-bats. There’s very little fantasy impact here, but his presence gives the Padres some insurance in case Ornelas isn’t ready for the big-league spotlight.