MLB Player News

Montgomery got off to a slow start this season at the dish, but has heated up considerably in recent days, batting .267 (8-for-30) with three homers in nine games since the start of May. He’s unquestionably Chicago’s shortstop of the future, but the organization has zero incentive to rush him to the majors. He’s going to get some extra seasoning at the Triple-A level, but figures to arrive in the big leagues at some point this summer.

The 36-year-old left-hander hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since his one appearance with the Angels back in 2022. Moran spent the entire 2024 season at Triple-A Gwinnett where he registered a 5.91 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and a 48/16 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings of work. He’ll continue to function as excess bullpen depth for the Braves.

The 28-year-old southpaw was a key cog in the Nationals’ bullpen during the 2024 campaign, registering a 4.22 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 75/16 K/BB ratio across 59 2/3 innings in his 72 appearances. He’ll provide Rangers’ skipper Bruce Bochy with another strong weapon to deploy from the left side of the bullpen.

The 29-year-old slugger should represent a massive upgrade to the middle of the Nationals’ lineup, though his arrival is likely to eat into the playing time of both Juan Yepez and Andres Chapparo. Lowe is arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter and remains under team control through the 2026 season.

The Rangers will receive left-handed reliever Robert Garcia in the return package. Lowe, 29, should represent a major upgrade in production for the Nationals after slashing .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBI for the Rangers during the 2024 campaign. The Rangers seem likely to let new acquisition Jake Burger function as their regular first baseman now that room has been cleared for him.

The 26-year-old hurler made 18 appearances with the Twins during the 2023 season then spent the 2024 campaign with the Doosan Bears in the Korea Baseball Organization. There, he registered a 4.26 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 69/28 K/BB ratio over 57 innings in his 12 appearances (11 starts). It’s unclear if the Tigers view him as depth for their rotation or bullpen — or someplace in between.

Adams, 33, spent the 2024 campaign in the Athletics’ organization where he registered a 3.92 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and a 53/23 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings at the big league level before elbow tightness ended his season prematurely in mid-August. As long as he’s healthy, Adams should function as a nice depth addition for the Red Sox’ bullpen.

The 34-year-old backstop will add quality veteran depth in spring camp for the Cubs. Pérez didn’t see any big league action during the 2024 season, but he was terrific for the Athletics at Triple-A Las Vegas where he slashed .260/.344/.544 with 27 homers and 77 RBI in 468 plate appearances. It’s unlikely that he does enough to earn a reserve role on the Opening Day roster, but his consistent power in the minor leagues would at least make him an intriguing deep league option if he did.

It seemed like there were better third base options out there for the A’s, but they settled for the steady glove. Jon Heyman reported that the deal was worth $2.15 million and includes $400,000 in bonuses. The 33-year-old Urshela hit .250/.286/.361 in 128 games for the Tigers and Braves last season. He shouldn’t be much of a fantasy factor while hitting in the bottom half of the A’s lineup.

The Phillies cash in one of their best prospects here in the hopes that Luzardo will stay healthy after a 2024 season in which he missed time early with elbow soreness and later was shut down for the year because of a stress reaction in his back. He’s expected to have a normal spring, so for now anyway, the Phillies rotation is full, leaving Taijuan Walker apparently bullpen bound and Andrew Painter to toil in the minors for a spell. Luzardo was terrific in 2023, finishing with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 178 2/3 innings, and it looked like he had the potential to do even better going forward. The Phillies will have him for two seasons before he becomes eligible for free agency.

The Phillies face the possibility of losing the out-of-options Rafael Marchán if they don’t carry him as their backup catcher over Garrett Stubbs, so some extra depth is welcome. McIntosh, 27, has a decent enough bat, but he hasn’t proven strong enough defensively to earn consideration for backup gigs yet. He was passed over in the Rule 5 draft earlier this month.