MLB Player News

Whitley latched on with the Braves last July shortly after being cut loose by the Cardinals. The 29-year-old righty made a pair of scoreless relief appearances this spring in Grapefruit League action. It’s possible he’s been jettisoned to pursue an opportunity elsewhere since he was unlikely to make Atlanta’s season-opening roster.

Eisert was booted off the 40-man roster by Toronto after the the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander. Eisert should get a chance to compete for a bullpen spot, but the 27-year-old faces an uphill battle for anything significant.

Winans was designated for assignment by Atlanta after the Braves claimed Amos Willingham off waivers. Winans, 29, will get a chance to compete for one of the final spots in the New York bullpen.

Bukauskas went unclaimed after the Brewers designated the right-hander for assignment. The 28-year-old former first-round pick gives the Brewers a depth option for the 2025 campaign but not much else.

Scott comes to the Dodgers after being one of the most dominant left-handed relievers in the sport over the last few seasons. The 30-year-old has dealt with control issues and that isn’t likely to change, but his ability to miss bats and the fact that he could be saving games for the best team in baseball make his fantasy appeal considerable.

The reliever market is starting to dwindle down, and Finnegan was able to save 38 games for the Nationals in 2024. The 33-year-old right-hander has been linked to the Cubs, but there are a few teams could use a high-leverage reliever for their bullpen that could add him to the mix. Finnegan will need to be a closer in order to have any real fantasy value in the 2025 campaign.

Olivares was officially released by the Mets earlier this week to pursue the overseas opportunity after signing a minor league contract last month with New York. The 28-year-old struggled to a .624 OPS with five homers and one steal in 55 games last year for the Pirates. He’ll attempt to turn his career around and rebuild his long-term value over in

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that the deal is for $2 million and includes $1.3 million in performance based incentives. The 35-year-old speedster was hurt most of last year with the Yankees as a lingering calf issue limited him to just 25 games before being non-tendered back in late November. He’ll head to Chicago as a versatile bench option and could wind up being a temporary placeholder at the hot corner if the club decides in spring training top prospect Matt Shaw isn’t ready for the limelight.

Gomes downplayed a report from USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale earlier this week in the wake of the Dodgers agreeing to terms with veteran stopper Kirby Yates that Kopech was likely to miss time at the outset of next season due to forearm inflammation. He elaborated that Kopech was grinding through a forearm issue during last postseason before adding, “I don’t think there’s anything of concern at this point.” At the very least, fantasy managers should closely monitor Kopech during upcoming Cactus League outings. He’s seemingly no longer in the mix to close for Los Angeles, but they’ll still need him to play a prominent role in their high-leverage mix.

No word on how close a potential deal might be to crossing the finish line, but Cincinnati has been linked to Estévez throughout the offseason. The 32-year-old stopper, who has 57 saves combined over the past two seasons for the Phillies and Angels, is one of the better relief arms left on the open market after the Dodgers scooped up both Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates in recent days. MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo adds that a source told him the Red Sox are among teams that have checked in on Estévez, but aren’t seriously pursuing him. He’s also been linked to the Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies and Yankees earlier this offseason. Stay tuned.

McGuire augments Chicago’s catching depth heading into spring training. The 29-year-old backstop lost his starting job last year in Boston to Connor Wong before being shipped to the minors by early August after the club acquired Danny Jansen. He’s a decent early-season emergency depth option for the Cubs behind Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly in case top prospect Moises Ballesteros isn’t ready to ascend to the majors right away.