MLB Player News

There are no big surprises among this batch of cuts for the Mets, though Hartwig, Walker and Smith are all likely to see action out of the Mets’ bullpen at some point during the upcoming 2024 season. Hartwig, 26, made 28 appearances for the Mets during the 2023 season — posting a 4.84 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 30/15 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings of work.

The Marlins are obviously content to remain a joke franchise for another season. The Rangers, on the other hand, are upgrading from their Silver Slugger utilityman at DH by acquiring Burger to play over Josh Smith. Of course, Smith will still get time at other spots. Burger, though, is a nice upgrade for the middle of the lineup and should get quite a fantasy boost while playing in an MLB-quality offense. The Marlins are getting a couple of solid middle infield prospects in Acosta and Vargas, though neither is any kind of lock to turn into a regular. Mendoza, a 20-year-old lefty, is a potential bullpen arm. Burger’s exit from Miami would seem to increase the chances of Deyvison De Los Santos landing a starting job.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds the Guardians are getting left-handed pitching prospect Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, in addition to big-league righty Luis Ortiz in the deal. Technically, Horwitz hasn’t been officially traded to the Guardians yet. However, once that deal is announced, he’s going to be on the move again, this time to Pittsburgh. No word yet on the return from the Pirates. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, figures to take over as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman, unless they make some additional moves in the lead up to spring training.

It’ll be a split contract for Alvarado, who will join Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster, after posting an encouraging 2.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 74/40 K/BB ratio across 50 2/3 innings (41 appearances) last year between Single-A Jupiter and Triple-A Jacksonville in the Marlins’ system. The 25-year-old righty could factor into the Pirates’ relief mix at some point next season.

Eovaldi returns to the Rangers where he’s spent the last two years, pitching to a solid 3.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 298/89 K/BB ratio across 314 2/3 innings (54 starts). He re-joins a crowded Texas rotation mix that also includes Jacob deGrom, Cody Bradford, Kumar Rocker, Tyler Mahle, Jon Gray, Jack Leiter and Dane Dunning. The 34-year-old righty lacks the strikeout upside of upper-echelon fantasy starters, but he’s been a relatively durable innings-eater for Texas. He’s a borderline top 50 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes heading into next season.

Heyman adds that nothing is imminent at the moment, but it sounds like Loáisiga is going to wind up staying in New York. The 30-year-old righty underwent elbow surgery back in April to address a right flexor strain and made just three appearances last year for the Yankees. He’s expected to be ready to contribute at some point in the early stages of next season.

Chapman will factor immediately into Boston’s high-leverage relief mix next season, along with fellow veteran Liam Hendriks. The 36-year-old southpaw struck out 37 percent of the batters he faced last year with the Pirates, but his walk rate (14.7 percent) is reaching Carlos Marmol territory. We’re projecting Hendriks to have the slight edge for saves at the moment, but given his health concerns, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Chapman lead the Red Sox in saves next year. He’s little more than a late-round dart throw for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues at this advanced stage of his career.

Baddoo has been jettisoned from Detroit’s 40-man roster to clear a spot for veteran starter Alex Cobb. The 26-year-old outfielder looked like a brilliant Rule 5 Draft pickup for Detroit when he batted .259/.330/.436 with 13 homers and 18 steals as a rookie back in 2021. He’s struggled to produce ever since, hitting .203/.292/.328 with 15 round-trippers and 24 thefts in 664 plate appearances over the last three years. He should be able to latch on somewhere new as a potential reclamation project.

Kieboom was widely-regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball just a couple years ago, but he’s struggled to find his footing at the highest level, batting .199/.297/.301 with 12 homers across 508 plate appearances in the big leagues since 2019. He’ll get a fresh start with the Angels heading into next season and could wind up making it back to the majors as a versatile bench option.

Sandlin has been a mainstay in Cleveland’s bullpen for the last four years, posting a strong 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 223/92 K/BB ratio across 195 1/3 innings (209 appearances). The 27-year-old righty will bolster Toronto’s relief depth heading into next season.

The details of the swap, which hasn’t been made official yet, are beginning to leak out. Horwitz was sneaky-good last year for the Blue Jays, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests. The versatile 27-year-old figures to replace Giménez as Cleveland’s primary second baseman moving forward. If he continues hitting for power, he’ll work his way onto fantasy managers’ radar screens, especially in deeper mixed leagues.