MLB Player News

DeJong has swung the bat well thus far in May with a .955 OPS and three homers. He’ll get the first game off before likely returning to the lineup for the second contest of the twin billing. Braden Shewmake is playing shortstop in his absence.

The 32-year-old hurler is seeking a deal in the same range as the three-year, $38 million pact that Clay Holmes signed with the Mets earlier this winter. It makes sense, as both are bullpen aces who are looking to transition back to the starting rotation this season. It honestly looks like Hoffman would be a bargain at that price and he would represent a strong addition to the Jays’ rotation if they’re able to get a deal done.

While Jac Caglianone is the biggets name on the list of non-roster invitees, Cross is intriguing in his own right. The 23-year-old outfielder — and ninth overall pick from the 2022 draft class — slashed .261/.342/.428 with 15 homers, 59 RBI and 30 stolen bases (32 attempts) in 101 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2024. There’s a good chance that we see him in Kansas City at some point during the 2025 season and his speed would give him some appeal from a fantasy perspective.

Pinto, 28, was cut loose by the Orioles to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for Charlie Morton last week. Viewed as an extremely strong defensive catcher, Pinto will add quality catching depth for the D’Backs, though he’ll remain irrelevant for fantasy purposes.

The O’s picked up Roansy Contreras off of waivers from the Reds on Friday, but in doing so they had to free up a spot on their 40-man roster. That unfortunately left Soto without a job for the time being. The 24-year-old infielder went 3-for-10 (.300) with a 3/2 K/BB ratio over 13 plate appearances in his limited action with the Orioles during the 2024 campaign.

The talented right-hander was designated for assignment by the Reds earlier in the week and it didn’t take long for another interested club to scoop him up. Contreras posted a 4.35 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 56/31 K/BB ratio over 52 frames between the Angels and Pirates in 2024. The assumption is that the O’s will view him as bullpen depth, but they could always stretch him back out instead if they still believe he can have success as a starter.

The White Sox’ plan at the catcher position appears to be throw as much as you can at a wall and hope that something sticks. They have a couple of very intriguing prospects in Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel that fantasy managers would love to see, but they also have Korey Lee, Matt Thaiss and now Narváez hanging around to muddy up the waters. Eventually, something has to give.

That contract will reportedly pay him $5 million, which is $500,000 less than the $5.5 million team option that the Brewers declined. instead Rea got a $1 million buyout, so that on top of his new deal has him out ahead. Jesse Rogers of ESPN notes that there’s also a club option for 2026. The 34-year-old forged a 135/43 K/BB over 167 2/3 innings with a 4.29 ERA and 12-6 record for Milwaukee last season. Rea should occupy one of the backend spots of the Chicago rotation, but at this salary he also could be a multi-inning reliever if Chicago wants to go that route.

Cuas went unclaimed after being designated for assignment near the end of December. The right-hander could elect free agency, but if not he’ll provide some depth for the Philly staff in the minors for the 2025 campaign.

Caglianone will get the chance to face MLB pitching in the Cactus League — something that probably would have happened without the invite, anyway — but it was also announced that he won’t be doing any pitching of his own. The 21-year-old will focus only on hitting as a way to potentially fast-track his bat to the majors. Caglianone hit five homers in the AFL after putting up monster numbers for Florida in the SEC, and he could be one of the first players from last year’s class to make an MLB impact, even if it likely won’t be at the start of 2025.

Stroman is due $18 million in 2025, and it’s likely the Yankees will need to eat a good amount of that salary in order to get him off the roster. The right-hander doesn’t appear to have a spot in the current rotation, and struggled to a 4.31 ERA and 131/60 K/BB over 154 2/3 innings in his first — and very possibly last —season with the Yankees. Stroman has obviously had success in his career, so it won’t be a surprise if someone takes a chance on him assuming the cost is minimal both financially and in the return.