MLB Player News

The writing was seemingly on the wall after Sheehan was shut down from throwing indefinitely a couple weeks ago due to right forearm inflammation. The 24-year-old right-hander showed some immense promise last year as a rookie before landing on the shelf back in spring training with an ominous arm injury. There should be some clarity on his return timetable at some point in the near future, but it’s obviously a significant development for his fantasy appeal in dynasty leagues.

Crawford has decided to hang up his spikes after a 14-year career dating back to 2011 that included stints with the Giants and Cardinals. The 37-year-old shortstop won a pair of World Series titles during a remarkable 13-year run with San Francisco where he was a three-time All-Star selection and four-time Gold Glove Award winner. He steps away with a lifetime .249 batting average to go along with 147 homers and 47 thefts across 1,682 contests. He’ll be remembered as an excellent defender at shortstop and a key component of the Giants’ sustained success for a decade-plus.

Antone is back in the fold with Cincinnati as extra organizational relief depth after being jettisoned earlier this month from the club’s 40-man roster. The 30-year-old right-hander, who made four appearances last year for the Reds, was one of the better high-leverage relief weapons in the game a few years ago, but his career has been derailed by an avalanche of elbow issues. At this point, he’s more of a low-probability lottery ticket than anything else for Cincinnati heading into 2025.

Sanmartin has struggled to a lackluster 5.77 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 71/41 K/BB ratio across 82 2/3 innings (61 appearances, six starts) in the big leagues since 2021. The 28-year-old lefty spent all of last season in Cincinnati’s system, making 21 relief appearances, with most of those coming at Triple-A Louisville. He’s merely extra organizational relief depth at this juncture.

Hernandez was non-tendered last offseason by Kansas City after missing a significant portion of the 2023 campaign due to a dislocated right shoulder that he suffered during spring training. The 24-year-old former notable prospect is back in the fold with the Royals as extra organizational outfield depth heading into next season after finishing last year with a pedestrian .624 OPS along with eight homers and five steals in 395 plate appearances for Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Heyman reported earlier this week that the Yankees are one of five big-market teams, including the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Dodgers, in the mix to land the generational slugger, who launched 41 homers and finished third in AL MVP balloting last season in his New York debut. He also notes that while the Yankees are meeting with other free agents, retaining Soto remains the organization’s primary focus at the outset of free agency. No specific contractual figures have surfaced yet, but Heyman adds the Yankees, and other teams, have expressed a willingness to include opt-outs as part of their offer. The widely-held expectation is that Soto will field multiple rounds of contractual offers before making a decision at some point during next month’s annual Winter Meetings.

Genovés returns to augment Tampa Bay’s minor-league catching depth after batting .243/.343/.442 with eight homers and two steals across 243 plate appearances last season between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery. The 25-year-old backstop is merely extra organizational depth at this stage of his development.

The deal presumably also includes an invitation to spring training. Stefanic was jettisoned from the Angels’ 40-man roster back in late October and he’ll get an opportunity next spring to compete for a bench role with the Blue Jays. The 28-year-old infielder holds a lackluster .591 OPS across 264 plate appearances at the highest level dating back to 2022. He represents quality organizational infield depth for Toronto heading into 2025.

The deal, which was agreed to earlier this week, is now official. Kikuchi appeared to unlock something last season after being shipped to the Astros at the trade deadline. Houston immediately got him to cut back on his curveball, and lean more heavily on his slider, which led to a stellar 2.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 76/14 K/BB ratio across 63 innings (10 starts). The lackluster supporting cast in Los Angeles makes the move a slight downgrade for fantasy purposes relative to other potential destinations. However, the 33-year-old southpaw still represents a borderline top 60 range fantasy starter heading into 2025 drafts.

Vanasco is back after being non-tendered Friday by Detroit. The right-hander will likely be given a chance to win a spot in the bullpen this spring, but faces an uphill battle while also needing to be added to the 40-man roster.

Salinas was non-tendered by Atlanta, but just like Ray Kerr, the club was able to bring back Salinas on a minor league pact. The 23-year-old still has some upside in his arm, but needs to show he can stay healthy and throw more consistent quality strikes to reach his ceiling.