MLB Player News

Alexander will make his Oakland debut following a seven-week stint on the injured list at the outset of the season recovering from a stress reaction in his left ribs. The 34-year-old southpaw figures to pitch in middle relief intially, but could find himself in the late-inning mix at some point.

Chirinos heads overseas for the 2025 campaign to attempt to rebuild his long-term value after recording a calamitous 6.30 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 25/13 K/BB ratio over 30 innings (six starts) last season for the rebuilding Marlins. The 30-year-old righty, who has made 75 appearances (44 starts) in the big leagues since 2018, hasn’t missed a ton of bats throughout his career, but he’s always been a reliable ground-ball machine capable of gobbling up low-leverage innings.

Puig returns to Korea, where he previously spent the 2022 season, following a stint last year in the independent Mexican League where he batted .314 with 18 homers in 64 contests. The 33-year-old outfielder hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2019 season and at this juncture, it appears highly unlikely he’ll ever make it back to the big leagues. He was unquestionably one of the more electric players in the game last decade at his physical peak, but there’s a strong possibility his stateside career is over.

Rosenberg takes his talents to Korea after being cut loose earlier this month by the Angels. The 29-year-old southpaw made 17 appearances (five starts) over the last three seasons for the Halos. He’ll aim to rebuild his long-term value overseas.

Barreto was universally-regarded as the centerpiece of the Josh Donaldson blockbuster trade between the Blue Jays and Athletics back in 2024, but never blossomed into the high-impact fantasy contributor many envisioned. The 28-year-old former top prospect hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign when he got into 21 contests between the Athletics and Angels. He spent all of last year in the independent Mexican League, batting .343 with 16 homers and 11 steals in 76 games. He’s merely a long-shot lottery ticket at this stage of his career, but he’ll be in camp this spring with the Orioles battling for a bench spot.

Jackson has yet to reach the big leagues and spent all of last year in the Mets’ system at Double-A Binghamton, posting a lackluster .618 OPS with 19 homers and 11 steals in 482 plate appearances over 121 games. The 24-year-old middle infielder is merely extra organizational depth for the Orioles, who are absolutely loaded with young superstar-caliber infield talent.

Alcantara has yet to pitch above Double-A after spending the last seven years in Seattle’s minor-league system. The 23-year-old southpaw finished last year with a respectable 3.44 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 65/42 K/BB ratio across 70 2/3 innings (37 appearances, two starts) for Double-A Arkansas. He’ll function as extra organizational relief depth in the upper minors for Baltimore heading into next season.

Valera finds himself back in the fold with Cleveland as extra outfield depth heading into spring training just a few days after being non-tendered. The 24-year-old former top prospect has fallen off fantasy radar screens after several injury-marred seasons in the upper minors that have prevented him from reaching the big leagues. There’s still time for him to carve out a role at the highest level, but he doesn’t project as an impact fantasy contributor anymore.

Bickford bolsters Chicago’s relief depth heading into the 2025 campaign after making eight unremarkable relief appearances last season for the Mets, finishing with a bloated 8.64 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 6/1 K/BB ratio across 8 1/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old journeyman right-hander holds a serviceable 4.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 210/73 K/BB ratio across 189 innings (187 appearances) in the big leagues dating back to 2020.

Jiménez was recently non-tendered by the Athletics after posting a 4.91 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 25/19 K/BB ratio across 25 2/3 innings in 2024. However, the 30-year-old had been good for the two seasons prior to that and still holds a 3.93 ERA across 84 2/3 MLB innings. Of course, that comes with a 1.44 WHIP and 21.4 percent strikeout rate. He might have to settle for a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

The Brewers will have to replace Willy Adames who is set to sign a big contract somewhere else this offseason, and it seems like Ortiz may get the first crack at being the guy there. The 26-year-old came over from the Orioles in the Corbin Burnes trade last off-season and hit .239/.329/.398 in his first full MLB season with 11 home runs and 11 steals in 142 games. He also posted a defensive WAR of 11.3 and an Outs Above Average of 11 at third base. His elite glove will likely make him an impact real-life shortstop, even if he never emerges as more than a deep-league target for fantasy baseball.