MLB Player News

The 28-year-old right-hander appeared in just 13 games for the Rangers in 2023 — posting a 4.66 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and a 6/2 K/BB ratio over 9 2/3 innings of work. He has experience in the ninth inning — with 24 career saves to his name — so he could emerge as a high-leverage option for the White Sox as long as he’s able to crack the Opening Day bullpen.

Swanson had surgery in October to repair a sports hernia, which was a “nagging issue” that had been bothering him since the beginning of the 2023 season. Swanson said, “I wasn’t quite sure what it was in the beginning. That’s why I didn’t do surgery (right away). I did a bunch of rehab things. But it got to the point where it felt like this was going to be necessary.” Swanson had an up-and-down 2024 season, but knowing that he played the entire year while dealing with this injury should make us feel a little better about the 30-year-old bouncing back in 2025.

Sharma noted that “the list of relievers the Cubs have seriously evaluated easily reaches double digits,” but those are the more high-profile pitchers who the Cubs are considering. Jansen and Robertson are both free agents with closing experience, but they are also in their late 30s. Stanek is a free agent but has been more of a setup guy for his career. Pressly is entering the final year of his contract with the Houston Astros, which includes a no-trade clause and a $14 million salary. The Astros have been looking to trade Pressly since they have Josh Hader entrenched as their closer, but it remains to be seen if any team will give up the prospects necessary to acquire Pressly or if the Astros will pay down any of his salary.

The Blue Jays are still looking to make a few big additions to their roster after missing out on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Roki Sasaki. Anthony Santander added a big bat in the middle of the order, but Santander can play the corner outfield, so Pete Alonso could still slide in as the primary designated hitter if he were to join the Blue Jays. Alonso has been a premiere power hitter while playing his whole career in Citi Field, and the Rogers Centre profiles slightly better for right-handed power, so he would still push for 40 home runs while hitting in a lineup that would be significantly deeper than it was a week ago.

Nightengale noted that the Dodgers need to clear spots on their 40-man roster for new additions LHP Tanner Scott, RHP Roki Sasaki, and potentially more players that the Dodgers want to add. To do that, they need to trade away some current players, and Brasier with a $4.5 million salary makes some sense. The 37-year-old was solid for the Dodgers last season, posting a 3.54 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 25/5 K/BB ratio in 28 innings of middle relief. There is a chance a team will be interested in acquiring him because he has previous experience working in the late innings as well.

Ichiro becomes the first Japanese-born player headed to Cooperstown and fell just one ballot shy of being a unanimous selection with 99.7 percent of the vote. The Mariners icon wrapped up a legendary 19-year career with 3,089 hits, which doesn’t include his additional 1,278 hits overseas in Japan prior to his stateside arrival. The 2001 AL MVP Award winner broke George Sisler’s single-season record with a staggering 262 hits during a transcendent 2004 campaign and made 10 consecutive All-Star Game appearances from 2001-2010. A six-time All-Star and 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner, Sabathia split his 19-year career between the Guardians and Yankees, with a memorable half-season stint for the Brewers sandwiched in the middle back in 2008 when he tossed an astounding seven complete games during a 17-start span. The generational southpaw, who finished with 251 wins in addition to a lifetime 3.74 ERA across 560 career starts, appeared on 86.8 percent of ballots to easily clear the 75 percent threshold. Among the elite closers of his generation and a strikeout machine, Wagner finally gets the long-awaited call for enshrinement — appearing on 82.5 percent of ballots — during his 10th and final year of eligibility after falling just short (73.8 percent) last year. The trio will join the late Dick Allen and Dave Parker, who were selected for enshrinement back in December by the Classic Baseball Era Committee, this summer in Cooperstown.

Klein heads to the Pacific Northwest after being designated for assignment last week by the rebuilding Athletics. The 25-year-old righty made eight appearances last year for Oakland, finishing with a bloated 11.05 ERA, 2.45 WHIP and 7/6 K/BB ratio over 7 1/3 innings of work.

Jay has been jettisoned from Seattle’s 40-man roster to make room for newly acquired reliever Will Klein. The 30-year-old southpaw was claimed off waivers earlier this month from Milwaukee after making five relief appearances last season between the Brewers and Mets.

Kurtz made some serious noise last year in the Arizona Fall League following an impressive professional debut after being selected fourth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest. The 21-year-old burgeoning slugger appears to be on the fast track to the majors and figures to make a four-category impact as a middle-of-the-order force once he arrives. He’s easily a top 30 fantasy prospect entering next season.

The deal, which also includes a $1.5 million buyout, is now official. It’s hard to believe that Pérez will only 34 years old in a couple weeks since it feels like he’s been around forever. He’ll provide the rebuilding White Sox with a reliable back-end rotation stabilizer, but he’s a non-factor for fantasy purposes. He posted a respectable 4.53 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 107/49 K/BB ratio across 135 innings (26 starts) last year between the Padres and Pirates.

Marinaccio was claimed off waivers back in late September from the Yankees after posting a strong 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 25/10 K/BB ratio across 23 1/3 innings (16 appearances) last year for New York. The 29-year-old righty has made 101 relief appearances in the big leagues over the past three years. He should garner some interest on waivers.