MLB Player News

Smyly figures to factor into Chicago’s pitching plans this weekend, although he’ll likely be back as a multi-inning reliever, rather than a traditional starter. The 34-year-old southpaw has been out since late April due to a right hip impingement.

The A’s have officially listed their home location as “West Sacramento” and listed their new ballpark as “Sutter Health Park” in West Sacramento; however, as of now they have yet to designate themselves as the “Sacramento Athletics.” It’s unclear what they’re waiting on, but all signs point to the Athletics playing in Sacramento for a few seasons.

Eovaldi was in the final year of his contract and is likely hoping to sign a multi-year deal given his age (34 years old) and prior injury history. The Rangers have said they have an interest in bringing the right-hander back, so it’s possible a reunion might be soon, but, for now, Eovaldi will enter free agency.

In September, the Rangers promoted Chris Young to president of baseball operations which left the general manager role open. The team is now promoting Fenstermaker from assistant general manager to the role. Fenstermaker joined the Rangers as a baseball operations intern in 2010, served as a scout, was promoted to director of pro scouting in 2018, and then promoted to senior director of pro and international scouting in 2020. With Fenstermaker promoted, the Rangers hired Rays director of baseball operations Cole Figueroa for the vacated assistant general manager role.

Refsnyder was a valuable bench option for the Red Sox in 2024. His primary role was against left-handed pitching where he hit .302 with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 126 at-bats; however, injuries forced him into more playing time overall, and the 33-year-old hit .283/.359/.471 in 93 games on the season with 11 home runs and 40 RBI. With the Red Sox having so many left-handed hitting outfielders, Refsnyder makes sense as a bench outfielder.

Maton will get a $250,000 buyout and become a free agent. Maton has been a solid reliever for years, making at least 65 appearances in each of the last four seasons. The Mets acquired Maton from the Rays at the trade deadline and, altogether, the 32-year-old pitched to a 3.66 ERA and 1.10 WHP in 64 innings, including a 2.36 ERA in 28 appearances during the second half. While the team option wasn’t an egregious overpay, the Mets likely believe they’ll be able to find a similarly talented reliever on the market for the same cost or less if they let free agency play out.

Despite the Dodgers winning the World Series, the 2024 season was a struggle for Kelly personally. The 36-year-old right-hander missed nearly three months due to a pair of shoulder ailments and was limited to just 32 innings in 35 appearances on the season. He wasn’t sharp when he was healthy either — registering a 4.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a 35/16 K/BB mark. He has a long enough track record that he won’t have any trouble finding work this winter, but there’s no guarantee that he returns to being the elite setup man that he once was.

The dynamic 27-year-old outfielder appeared in five games for the Yankees early in the 2024 season, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a pair of runs scored. He’ll continue to serve as extra outfield depth for the Yankees heading into the 2025 season, most likely at the Triple-A level once again.

The Yankees had a few spots open on their 40-man roster and decided to protect a few players on Sunday. Escarra, 29, had a solid season across two minor league levels in 2024, slashing .261/.355/.434 with 12 homers, 64 RBI and a 68/55 K/BB ratio over 493 plate appearances.

The move protects De Los Santos from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. De Los Santos spent the entire 2024 season at the Triple-A level where he compiled a 4.12 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 55/19 K/BB ratio over 59 innings of work in 51 appearances out of the bullpen. He’ll continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Yankees heading into the 2025 campaign.

Giménez is widely known as one of the best defenders in all of baseball and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him also add a Platinum Glove to his mantle before all is said and done. Here’s the full list of Gold Glove winners in the American League (along with how many times they have won the award): C: Cal Raleigh (1), 1B: Carlos Santana (1), 2B: Andres Gimenez (3), SS: Bobby Witt Jr. (1), 3B Alex Bregman (1), P: Seth Lugo (1), LF: Steven Kwan (3), CF: Daulton Varsho (1), RF: Wilyer Abreu (1), UT: Dylan Moore (1).