MLB Player News

Johnson, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 draft, has fallen some on prospect lists after missing time and failing to hit for average last season (he came in at .244/.422/.438 in 105 games for two A-ball teams), but he’s still the best bet of the Pirates’ infield prospects to emerge as the long-term answer next to Oneil Cruz. It’s just not likely to happen until at least 2025 or maybe 2026.

Montgomery is considered not just one of the top prospects in the Chicago system, but one of the best shortstop prospects in the sport. He did struggle in 2024 however with just a .710 OPS in Triple-A, but there’s still big-time upside in his bat. Carela has a chance to make starts in 2024 after reaching Double-A and forging a 3.71 ERA over 23 starts.

Adames was never likely to accept the one-year, $21.05 million offer, but now it’s official. The 29-year-old was sensational in 2024 and has already generated significant interest from around the league. It seems very unlikely that Adames will be a member of the Brew Crew in 2025.

De Los Santos was a Rule 5 Draft pick last year by the Guardians, but he didn’t make the team and was returned to Arizona. He went on to have a strong campaign in the minors with 40 homers, and was traded to Miami for AJ Puk. De Los Santos has flaws, but has enough offensive upside to have some fantasy relevance someday. He could make his debut in 2025.

Both players are now not eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December. Hassell was one of the top prospects acquired from the Padres in the deal for Juan Soto, but hasn’t lived up to expectations just yet. Lara is one of the better pitching prospects in the Washington system, and both certainly would have had interest in the draft next month.

Hoglund will now be protected from the Rule 5 draft. A first-round pick in 2021, Hoglund has a chance to make appearances for the team formerly known as Oakland in 2025.

Cusick would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December if he had not been added ot the 40-man roster. The former first-round pick made 30 appearances in 2024 — 12 of those starts — with a 4.66 ERA and 66/40 K/BB over 63 2/3 innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

So ungrateful. The 13 free agents who received them have until 4 p.m. EST today to accept their qualifying offers. Nick Martinez already decided to take the Reds up on it. With Luis Severino indicating he’ll turn it down and Nick Pivetta receiving significant interest, it appears unlikely that any others will accept.

It looks like Coleman Crow will again be available in the Rule 5 draft, so the Brewers must not have been too impressed with what he did in the AFL as he completes his Tommy John rehab. Henderson and Patrick will both be candidates to make starts for the Brewers next season. Henderson has a good chance of eventually turning into a rotation mainstay. Patrick, who was acquired from the A’s for Abraham Toro a year ago, has fringier stuff, but he managed to go 14-1 with a 2.90 ERA in Triple-A last season.

Feinsand adds that the “feeling around the industry” is that Soto will make his final decision on where to take his generational talent prior to the Winter Meetings, which begin on December 9. He also notes that Soto has already met with the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mets; with those meetings including representatives from club ownership in addition to front office executives and each team’s manager. The Mets and Yankees remain the favorites to ultimately land Soto on a lucrative long-term contract, but it sounds like the Blue Jays and Red Sox could be legitimate alternatives at this juncture. Of course, we’re never going to rule out the Dodgers either.

Gil received 15 out of 30 first-place votes, with 13 going to Colton Cowser, who narrowly finished in second place. Austin Wells finished third with Mason Miller, Cade Smith, Wilyer Abreu and Wyatt Langford also receiving votes in the AL ROY balloting. Gil delivered one of last season’s more unexpected breakthrough campaigns, emerging as a key component of New York’s starting rotation mix, finishing with a pristine 3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 171/77 K/BB ratio across 151 2/3 innings (29 starts). The 26-year-old righty seems pre-destined to be one of the more polarizing pitchers in the fantasy landscape heading into 2025 drafts, but there’s a strong case for putting him somewhere in the top-40 range among starting pitchers.