MLB Player News

It’s unclear whether or not the 23-year-old right-hander will also receive an invitation to big league camp. Contreras spent his first seven seasons in the Padres’ organization. In 2023, he compiled a 4.92 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 117/49 K/BB ratio over 97 innings of work in 35 appearances (17 starts) at Double-A San Antonio. He’ll add depth in the upper minors for the Phillies

The 30-year-old right-hander wasn’t quite at his best in his first season with the Royals, posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 46/20 K/BB ratio over 51 2/3 innings in his 59 appearances. He’s probably third in line for save chances behind Lucas Erceg and Hunter Harvey entering the 2025 season, so his usefulness from a fantasy perspective is limited to leagues that count holds.

The 26-year-old slugger was projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.6 million via arbitration, so this looks to be a fair pact for both sides. Melendez took a major step backwards offensively in 2024, slashing a cringe-inducing .206/.273/.400 to go along with 17 long balls, 44 RBI and four stolen bases. The power is legit, but if he can’t cut back on the strikeouts and start to make more consistent hard contact, he may very well play himself out of an everyday role with the Royals.

Isbel had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $1.7 million through the arbitration process, so it looks like an equitable arrangement for both parties. The 27-year-old defensive wizard hit just .229/.287/.367 with eight homers, 42 RBI, 11 stolen bases and an 88/27 K/BB ratio over 426 plate appearances with the Royals in 2024. He’s a much better real life player than he is an asset in fantasy leagues.

Hernández, 27, did a nice job out of the Royals’ bullpen in 2024, posting a 3.30 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 27/16 K/BB ratio over 30 innings in his 27 appearances. This is his first trip through the arbitration process and he remains under team control through the 2027 season.

The 30-year-old hurler had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $3.9 million via arbitration, so it appears to be a fair deal for both sides. Harvey was hit hard in his six appearances with the Royals in 2024 — compiling a 6.35 ERA, 2.19 WHIP and a 5/4 K/BB ratio over 5 2/3 innings until he was shelved with a season-ending back injury. Assuming he’s healthy, expect him to function in a setup role for the Royals to start the 2025 campaign.

Bubic was terrific out of the Royals’ bullpen in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2024, registering a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 39/5 K/BB ratio over 30 1/3 innings. The club is intent on moving him back to their starting rotation for the 2025 season, though fantasy managers should be aware that he’ll likely face some sort of workload limitations. He currently resides just inside the top 350 picks in early fantasy drafts.

The 29-year-old southpaw struggled in his return to the American League following a deadline deal to the Orioles, posting a 5.09 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and a 21/7 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings in his final 23 appearances of the season. Expect him to bounce back in 2025 and function in a setup capacity in front of closer Felix Bautista.

Crawford was projected my MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $3.5 million via arbitration, so at a glance it looks like the team may have secured a nice discount here. Crawford was wildly inconsistent during the 2024 season, but looked completely unhittable at times while compiling a 4.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 175/51 K/BB ratio over 183 2/3 innings in his 33 starts. He’ll once again be a key cog in a refurbished Red Sox’ rotation in 2025.

The 28-year-old right-hander had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $4.5 million via arbitration, so it looks like the team got a bit of a discount on this one. Houck was terrific for the Red Sox in 2024, registering a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 154/48 K/BB ratio across 178 2/3 innings in his 30 starts. Fantasy managers don’t seem to be buying a full repeat performance from Houck in 2025, as his ADP currently sits just outside the top 200 picks overall.

Murfee was claimed off waivers from the Astros back in November. He hasn’t pitched any MLB innings since 2023 due to undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the White Sox will hope they can get some healthy innings out of him in 2025.