MLB Player News

Clarke offers plenty of power and patience, but that came with a .241 average and a 29.2% strikeout rate in Double-A last year. That he could serve as a third catcher and a first baseman or DH against lefties might make him viable as a bench guy, but he’s one of those guys who should be strenuously rooting for MLB to act on those rumors of mandating a 12-pitcher/14-hitter roster split.

There’s a vesting sixth-year option at $22 million, says ESPN’s Jeff Passan, and Rosenthal reports that the deal could top out at $90 million. We’re not at all sure this is actually a good move for the A’s, given than Rooker is 30 years old and was already under control for three more years. Still, it’s hard not to be happy for the slugger. Building on his breakthrough 2023 campaign, Rooker hit .293/.365/.562 with 39 homers for Oakland last season.

Heyman’s update comes on the heels of ESPN’s Jeff Passan reporting just a few hours earlier that the Yankees and Padres were continuing to discuss a potential Luis Arraez trade. The 27-year-old three-time batting champion, who is recovering from offseason surgery on his left thumb, would represent an upgrade for New York at the keystone with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving over to third base.

Martin provides the Rangers with a proven high-leverage option and a potential fallback option at closer if they’re unable to re-sign stopper Kirby Yates. The 38-year-old veteran struggled with some physical issues last year with the Red Sox but still managed to record a strong 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 50/3 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings (45 appearances). He’s made a remarkable 369 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2014. The strikeouts and elite control remain intact, which gives him a shot at fantasy relevance in 2025.

Festa loses his spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for veteran reliever Chris Martin. The 31-year-old righty made 18 relief appearances last year for the Rangers, posting a pedestrian 4.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 23/7 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings of work.

The deal is now official. Lux was outstanding in the second half of last year for the Dodgers, batting .304/.391/.508 with seven homers and two steals in 210 plate appearances over his final 61 contests, after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL. The 27-year-old former top prospect became expendable for Los Angeles last weekend after the club signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim. He figures to occupy a versatile multi-position role for Cincinnati with Matt McLain possibly moving to center field. It’s a great landing spot for fantasy purposes, if he’s able to carve out an everyday role.

The Dodgers finally get their chance with Sirota after picking him in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but were unable to sign him. The 21-year-old outfielder, who was taken in the third round of last year’s draft by Cincinnati, will head to Los Angeles as an intriguing development project. His power-speed combo could make him an impact fantasy contributor in a few years.

Contreras was claimed off waivers back in mid-December from the Rangers and winds up losing his spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster to make room for newly acquired Gavin Lux. The 25-year-old righty figures to generate plenty of interest on the open market after posting a serviceable 4.35 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 56/31 K/BB ratio across 52 innings (49 appearances, three starts) between the Angels and Pirates.

Bauers augments Milwaukee’s bench depth heading into next season after batting .199/.301/.361 with 12 round-trippers and 13 steals in 346 plate appearances over 116 contests last year with the Brewers. The 29-year-old is merely a platoon option at this stage of his career, but he’s capable of filling in at several defensive spots, if needed.

Passan adds that the deal also includes a $12 million mutual option for 2026. Lorenzen has been a quality back-end rotation stabilizer the past few years but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy appeal at this stage of his career. The 33-year-old veteran right-hander posted a strong 3.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 97/60 K/BB ratio across 130 1/3 innings (26 appearances, 24 starts) last year between the Rangers and Royals. He’ll bolster Kansas City’s starting rotation depth heading into 2025.

It’s unclear how exactly Lux fits into Cincinnati’s overcrowded infield mix but he provides them with a versatile multi-position bench option. It’s possible Matt McLain will shift to center field next season, where he played during the Arizona Fall League. The 27-year-old former top prospect, who came on strong during the second half of last year after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL, became expendable after the Dodgers signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim last weekend. Passan adds that outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive balance draft pick are heading to Los Angeles in the deal.