MLB Player News

As Rosenthal mentions, the trade of Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees left the Padres with just two outfielders on their 40-man roster: Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar. However, rather than go out and acquire an outfielder, the team seems likely to try out a handful of prospects who are blocked in the infield and see if any of them can make the move full-time to the outfield. Merrill was the 27th overall pick in 2021 and while he has played primarily infield in his pro career, he played outfield in the minors and the Arizona Fall League. Fellow infielder Graham Pauley is also being auditioned in the outfield, as is Jakob Marsee, who was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League and last season became the first minor leaguer to produce a season of 15 homers, 90 walks and 40 stolen bases since at least 2005. Marsee has only played 16 games at Double-A, while Pauley played 20 and Merrill played 46, so it would be a big jump for all three players, but the opportunity is there is one of them shines in the spring.

Williams had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn just $7.7 million in his final season of arbitration, so he appears to have done well for himself in his first negotiation with his new squad. Perhaps the Yankees could have been also buying some goodwill in an attempt to sign up to a long-term deal. Williams was as dominant as ever after returning from a serious back injury in 2024, compiling a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 38/11 K/BB ratio over 21 2/3 innings. He’ll function as the Yankees’ closer and as long as he stays healthy should finish among the elite options at the position.

Schmidt had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $3.5 million in arbitration. The 28-year-old hurler had a dominant 2024 season for the Yankees when healthy, registering a 2.85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 93/30 K/BB ratio over 85 1/3 innings in 16 starts. He makes for an intriguing mid-round option in early fantasy drafts, currently going outside the top 220 picks overall on average.

The 31-year-old southpaw had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $17.8 million in the arbitration process, so an $18 million deal seems equitable for both parties. Valdez was outstanding for the Astros in 2024, going 15-7 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 169/55 K/BB ratio across 176 1/3 innings in his 28 starts. He has also been a popular name in trade discussions as he’s entering the final season of his contract.

Feltner had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $2.6 million via arbitration, so it looks like the Rockies may have ended up with a nice discount here. The 28-year-old right-hander pitched decently during the 2024 season, posting a 4.49 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 138/52 K/BB ratio over 162 1/3 innings. He’s still going well outside the top 600 players overall in early fantasy drafts.

The 31-year-old southpaw made 30 starts for the Rockies during the 2024 season, compiling a 4.75 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 116/38 K/BB ratio over 165 innings. He also served up a league-leading 30 home runs. It’s good practice from a fantasy perspective to simply ignore all Rockies’ starting pitchers and to never stream them during two start weeks unless you want to get Gombered.

The 29-year-old backstop had a down season offensively in 2024, slashing .220/.267/.336 with 13 homers, 59 RBI and one stolen base in 491 plate appearances. With Kyle Higashioka now in town, he’ll need to quickly improve upon that performance or risk ending up as the understudy to the free agent addition.

The 24-year-old infielder had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $4.8 million in his first season of arbitration. Garcia had a true breakout season at the dish in 2024, slashing .282/.318/.444 with 18 homers, 70 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 528 plate appearances. Somehow, it feels like he still isn’t getting the love that he deserves from fantasy managers, as his early draft cost still sits outside the top 100 players overall.

The 25-year-old superstar had been projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to earn $29.6 million via arbitration, so it actually looks like the Jays may have gotten a slight discount on this one. The Blue Jays have been steadfast in their stance that they are not trading Guerrero, but if they’re unable to work out a long-term contract extension and fall out of contention, they may be forced to change their tune during the season. Guerrero slashed a monstrous .323/.396/.544 during the 2024 season with 30 home runs, 103 RBI and a pair of stolen bases. He’ll be a first or second round selection in nearly all fantasy drafts this March.

That’s a whole lot of twos. The 27-year-old left-hander compiled a 4.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 97/45 K/BB ratio over 142 1/3 innings in his 28 starts. While he’s set to open the 2025 season in the Pirates’ rotation once again in 2025, the middling ratios and lack of strikeouts limit his appeal from a fantasy perspective.

Holderman, 29, established himself as one of the most reliable arms in the Pirates’ bullpen during the 2024 season — posting a 3.16 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 56/25 K/BB ratio over 51 1/3 frames in his 55 appearances. While he isn’t interesting from a fantasy perspective, he’ll enter the 2025 season with a clear role carved out in the Pirates’ middle relief corps.