MLB Player News

Mata is expected to be a part of the Red Sox bullpen this season and will likely return sometime in April. The 24-year-old has only pitched 110 innings since 2020 due to Tommy John surgery in 2021 and shoulder inflammation last season. He’ll need to show the Red Sox organization he can remain healthy if he plans on sticking around a while.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier this week that the Blue Jays and Red Sox are in line to meet with Soto at the outset of free agency. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Giants won’t be involved in the Soto sweepstakes at some point, but it’s an unexpected wrinkle considering they were expected to be in the mix.

Crochet is the most appealing trade target for any franchise looking to significantly upgrade their starting rotation mix and the White Sox are looking to capitalize with his trade value seemingly at an absolute apex. The 25-year-old southpaw, who has two years left before reaching free agency, finished last year’s breakthrough campaign with a strong 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 209/33 K/BB ratio across 146 innings (32 starts). He’ll command an astronomical prospect haul, but there should be several organizations willing to meet Chicago’s asking price.

Passan adds that Pivetta has “at least a three-year deal” waiting for him in free agency. The 31-year-old righty was among the more surprising impending free agents to receive a qualifying offer and there was some speculation that he might accept it. That doesn’t appear to be happening. Fantasy managers should anticipate the Red Sox being extremely aggressive on the starting pitching front to fortify their rotation.

Passan adds that the Phillies are looking to shake up their roster following last year’s postseason loss to the Mets. Bohm would certainly fit the bill coming off the best season of his career, despite fading down the home stretch. Given the tremendous depth at the hot corner, Bohm is a borderline top 12 option at the position heading into 2025, but a change of scenery could wind up boosting his appeal.

Painter averaged a crisp 95.8 mph on his four-seam fastball in this one and topped out at 98.9 mph as well. He wraps up a highly-impressive fall showcase stint with a microscopic 2.30 ERA and 18/4 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings (six starts). The 21-year-old prodigy, who is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery at this point, is arguably the top pitching prospect in baseball for fantasy purposes and appears to be a legitimate contender to break camp in the majors with Philadelphia.

The fourth overall selection from the 2024 MLB Draft has torn the cover off the ball in Arizona, batting .364 with two homers in just 11 AFL contests. The 21-year-old first baseman tore through a couple levels in the Athletics’ system to finish last year at Double-A Midland and could easy arrive in the big leagues at some point next season. He’s a name fantasy managers, even those in re-draft leagues, should be keeping a close eye on during spring training.

Hope’s dynasty value has skyrocketed this offseason with an extremely impressive showing out in Arizona. The 19-year-old’s fifth round-tripper of the fall circuit carried a stratospheric 105.8 mph exit velocity. His power/speed combination makes him a borderline top 20 prospect for fantasy purposes entering 2025. He’s highly unlikely to reach the majors next season, but he’s one of the most promising five-category fantasy prospects in the entire landscape, especially since he’ll be joining the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup at some point.

Briceño has been among the hottest hitters in the AFL over the last few weeks as the five-hit effort raises his batting average to a surreal .439 mark to go along with an AFL-leading nine round-trippers. The 20-year-old catcher is still at least a year or two away from reaching the big leagues, but the over-the-fence pop has been extremely impressive in the fall showcase.

Durbin set the AFL’s single-season stolen base record earlier this week and is now up to a remarkable 29 thefts. The stolen base landscape has changed pretty remarkably over the last few years, which limits Durbin’s overall fantasy upside slightly. However, his speed and defensive versatility is going to make him an impact contributor, especially in deeper mixed leagues. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that he expects Durbin to play “a big role” next season, so it’s plausible to envision him taking over as New York’s everyday option at the keystone, especially if they don’t re-sign Gleyber Torres.

It’s the fourth Silver Slugger Award for Judge following a 58-homer, 144-RBI campaign where he finished with a surreal 1.159 OPS over 158 games. The other big takeways here are Juan Soto tying Mike Trout for the most Silver Sluggers (five) before turning 26 and Brent Rooker becoming the first Athletics player to take home the hardware since 2002. Here are the rest of the American League winners: Salvador Perez (C), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B), Jose Altuve (2B), José Ramírez (3B), Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Anthony Santander (OF), Juan Soto (OF), Aaron Judge (OF), Brent Rooker (DH) and Josh Smith (UTIL).