MLB Player News

Turner remains sidelined for the third straight contest due to illness. The 39-year-old veteran remains day-to-day for now. It’ll be Daniel Vogelbach filling in at designated hitter in his absence.

The 31-year-old slugger passed his physical and will return to the Mets. Winker slashed .243/.318/.365 with three homers in 44 games with the Mets in 2024 after coming over in a deadline deal from the Nationals. As their roster is currently constructed, expect Winker to function as the club’s regular designated hitter against right-handed pitching — though that all could change if they bring back Pete Alonso or sign another major free agent.

The Padres were informed earlier in the day that they were out of the sweepstakes, so it came down to the Dodgers and the Blue Jays. The Jays acquired extra international bonus pool money from the Guardians mid-afternoon, but it doesn’t appear to have been enough to push them over the top. Sasaki will join a ridiculously talented Dodgers’ rotation that already features countrymen Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani along with Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. On paper, the Dodgers are already a much stronger team than the squad that just won the World Series back in October.

The Cubs have been linked to free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a fit. The expectation has been all along that top prospect Matt Shaw would get the opportunity to win the job in spring training and Hoyer didn’t say anything to dispel that on Friday. The Red Sox, Tigers and Blue Jays are the teams that still seem to be in the mix for Bregman.

The 36-year-old veteran backstop will add some quality depth behind the dish for the Braves. Casali really struggled in his big league action with the Giants in 2024, slashing a cringe-inducing .194/.293/.250 with one homer, eight RBI and a 22/13 K/BB ratio over 125 plate appearances. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

The A’s needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Jose LeClerc on Friday afternoon and unfortunately for Klein he drew the short straw this time around. The 25-year-old hurler made eight appearances for the A’s in 2024, registering an uninspiring 11.05 ERA and 2.45 WHIP over 7 1/3 innings. There’s a decent chance that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Athletics.

Robert Murray of Fansided was the first to report the deal while Jeff Passan of ESPN added the financials for the 31-year-old hurler. While LeClerc has functioned in the closer’s capacity in his past, he’ll work in a setup role for the Athletics being fire-balling right-hander Mason Miller. LeClerc posted a 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and an 89/32 K/BB ratio across 66 2/3 innings for the Rangers during the 2024 season.

Fujinami spent the 2024 season in the Mets’ organization, and he was outrighted off the roster after posting an ugly 7.79 ERA with Triple-A Syracuse. The 30-year-old right-hander also struggled in the majors in 2023, but he does have quality stuff; just no idea where that stuff is going. He’ll get a chance to show he can throw enough strikes to win a bullpen spot in the Seattle bullpen this spring.

McShane was the Pirates’ 13th round pick in 2024. The 23-year-old right-hander will likely report to the lower levels after not making his professional debut last summer.

Jon Heyman notes the deal is for $22 million over two years, and is pending a physical. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com adds that he can opt out after the 2025 season. Minter was a target of several teams including the Blue Jays and Cubs, but the Mets appear to have won his services. The 31-year-old southpaw has been one of the most effective relievers in baseball, and forged a 2.62 ERA and 35/11 K/BB over his 34 1/3 innings in 39 appearances in 2024. He’ll be a bridge to Edwin Diaz for the 2025 season.

Raposo was unclaimed after hitting the waiver wire Tuesday. The 26-year-old will likely be an option behind the plate for the Rainiers in 2025.