MLB Player News

Escobar was granted his release to find an opportunity elsewhere shortly after being informed that he wasn’t going to make Toronto’s season-opening roster. The 35-year-old veteran signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays last month.

The Marlins got Pintar as the second player along with Deyvison De Los Santos in the A.J. Puk deal with the Diamondbacks. A 2022 fifth-round pick, Pintar struggled mightily with his two Double-A teams this year, hitting just .190/.287/.239 in 191 plate appearances. He was very successful before that, though, batting .304/.403/.516 in 254 PA for high-A Hillsboro, and he’s bounced back somewhat in the AFL, coming in at .286/.368/.381 in 20 games. He’s also 30-for-31 stealing bases if one combines the minor league and the AFL seasons. He’s going to need to find some more pop to make it in the big leagues, but the raw strength is there.

Avila is making a strong case to be added to the Royals’ 40-man roster in advance of the Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old had a 3.81 ERA and an 82/43 K/BB in 82 2/3 innings over 19 starts for Double-A Arkansas last season, and he has a 3.07 ERA through five AFL outings.

Durbin is now 22-for-23 stealing bases in 18 games for the Rafters. He’s also struck out just four times while hitting .265/.393/.456 in 84 plate appearances. The Yankees now will almost surely have to add him to the 40-man later this month if they don’t want him getting picked in the Rule 5 draft.

Katoh was a second-round pick of the Yankees in 2013, and he briefly surfaced in the majors with the Blue Jays in 2022, collecting a double and walking three times in 11 plate appearances. He signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters after that season, but after not experiencing much success in Japan, he’s chosen to call it a career at age 30.

This was likely an easy one, as Rojas was a .283 hitter with a .748 OPS over 103 games while playing quality defense up the middle. Even if Rojas is more of a utility player than someone who is in the lineup every single day — probably somewhere in-between — that makes his $5 million salary for 2025 a pittance.

Robertson is now a free agent. The 39-year-old was a solid part of the Texas bullpen with a 3.00 ERA over 68 appearances and a 99/27 K/BB across 72 innings. He should see interest on a short-term deal from a variety of bullpen-needy clubs.

A no-brainer of sorts, even with the Dodgers having some young talent at the catching position in the minors that could help in 2025. Barnes got on at a .331 clip, and while there’s no power in his bat as seen in one total homer and a .307 slugging mark, his work with the pitching staff is well worth that contract and then some as the backup to Will Smith.

They’re facing a Sunday deadline to make the call. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden also has a Yankees source indicating that the team will likely retain Cole. The Yankees would be paying $180 million for Cole’s next five seasons through age 38. It’d be an easy call if not for the 34-year-old’s elbow injury last season. As is, it’s pretty risky. Still, Cole was the AL Cy Young winner in 2023, and his stuff looked plenty good in the playoffs last month.

Gonzalez, 25, gets a 40-man spot after striking out 83 and posting a 2.91 ERA in 52 2/3 innings as a reliever between Double- and Triple-A last season. He’ll likely open next season back in Triple-A, but he’ll get a look in spring training.

It was reported last month that the Braves would exercise their $7.25 million option on Bummer, but he’s instead getting a new deal that pays him $3.5 million next season and $9.5 million in 2026. Bummer had a 3.58 ERA over 55 1/3 innings in his first season with the Braves.