MLB Player News

Kauffmann served up a long solo homer to William Contreras in the opening inning, but that would be the only baserunner that he would allow over 2 1/3 frames. He didn’t record a single strikeout though, getting four outs via the ground ball and three on fly outs. Even with a strong spring, The 26-year-old right-hander is unlikely to crack the team’s Opening Day rotation, though we should see him make starts for the Rockies throughout the 2024 campaign.

Jude adds that the Phillies “asked for one of the Mariners’ top pitchers — Logan Gilbert or George Kirby — in exchange for Bohm,” during initial trade talks. Seattle has predictably balked at the rather absurd asking price, but they have a massive hole at the hot corner entering the offseason, especially after non-tendering Josh Rojas, so these two teams would seem to line up. Bohm, who is coming off the best season of his career at the dish, has reportedly been on the trade block for a couple weeks at this point with Philadelphia looking to shake up its core following a disappointing postseason. We’ll see if the two sides revisit talks at some point in the near future.

Many believe the Dodgers to be the favorite for Sasaki, but the Padres are very much in the mix according to Romero. The 23-year-old is expected to sign with a new team shortly after January 15, and he’s widely considered one of the top arms available. Be it the Dodgers, Padres or a surprise club; Sasaki is a player fantasy managers should covet for 2025 and beyond.

With Kim officially posted, teams can begin negotiating with the infielder beginning Thursday. There will now be a 30-day window for Kim to work out a deal with an MLB club, so the deadline to sign the 25-year-old will be January 3. He’s considered one of the top infield options on the market, and it would be very surprising to see him not playing in the majors. His ability to hit for average and steal bases will make him worthy of fantasy consideration.

Gowdy spent the last two years in the Dodgers organization, finishing last year with a respectable 4.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 45/23 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings (42 appearances) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old righty was a second-round pick of the Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft and has yet to ascend to the big leagues. He’ll augment Toronto’s organizational relief depth at Triple-A Buffalo.

The significant development comes directly from Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, who made the comments on Tuesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium during Blake Snell’s introductory press conference. Rosenthal and Drellich add that multiple sources briefed on the negotiations say that all remaining contenders have made offers surpassing $600 million. No word yet on exactly how many teams are left in the running at the moment, but previous reporting indicated that five teams were in the mix including the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers. ESPN’s Alden González reports that Soto is expected to sign at some point in the coming days prior to the start of next week’s Winter Meetings.

Groshans was a notable prospect a couple years ago after being selected 12th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, but he never broke through with the Blue Jays before bouncing around the last three years between the Marlins, Yankees and Athletics. The 25-year-old infielder batted .235/.311/.318 with four homers in 383 plate appearances last year at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He’ll continue to get opportunities based on his prospect pedigree alone, but he’s done nothing at the plate to suggest that he’s on the verge of becoming an impact fantasy contributor.

Phillips missed the Fall Classic due to shoulder inflammation, so it’s an extremely encouraging development that he won’t require offseason surgery, which would’ve kept him sidelined for most of next season. The 30-year-old closer, who converted 18 of 22 save opportunities last year, figures to enter spring training without any restrictions. He’ll have to beat out burgeoning relief ace Michael Kopech for the right to close out games for Los Angeles’ imposing Death Star.

In the wake of Brady Singer being shipped to Cincinnati, Bubic will get a shot in Kansas City’s starting rotation after pitching exclusively in relief last season following his return from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old lefty excelled in shorter bursts out of the bullpen, finishing with a sparkling 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 39/5 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings (27 appearances). The central question for fantasy purposes is whether Bubic will come remotely close to replicating last year’s astronomical 32 percent strikeout rate as a traditional starter after never topping 25 percent in any of his previous four seasons at the highest level. He’ll have to beat out Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh in spring training, and will also likely have an innings limit in his first full season back from Tommy John. However, last year’s transition to a fastball/slider combo, while also mixing in the occasional changeup, gives him a shot a continuing to miss bats, and could make him a viable early-season streaming option for fantasy purposes. He certainly fits the bill as a deep sleeper heading into spring training.

It wasn’t a firm declaration, but Atkins made it clear that Bichette hasn’t experienced any setbacks during his rehabilitation process following surgery back in late September to address a lingering right middle finger injury. The 26-year-old shortstop looks like an obvious bounce-back candidate for fantasy purposes next season and should be an easy top-15 selection at the position in drafts next spring.

Atkins added that Varsho isn’t necessarily behind schedule in his recovery from late September shoulder surgery, but it doesn’t appear that he’ll be a full-go at the outset of spring training as originally expected. There should be some clarity on his status once we get closer to the spring, but fantasy managers should anticipate Varsho missing at least some time in the early stages of the year.