MLB Player News

Zuñiga has been shipped back to the minors to free up a roster spot for Thursday’s starter Davis Daniel to take the ball against the Tigers. The 25-year-old righty was called back up over the weekend after missing a couple months with a pectoral strain. He should be back in a couple weeks.

Burdick got into 46 contests for the Marlins from 2022-2023, batting .200/.281/.368 with five homers and two steals in 139 plate appearances. The 27-year-old outfielder, who spent all of last season at the Triple-A level between the Reds and Orioles, has likely been cut loose to pursue an opportunity overseas.

Davis fortifies Boston’s organizational relief depth heading into next season after posting a bloated 7.71 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and 43/23 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings (18 appearances, six starts) over the last three years for the Rockies. The 27-year-old righty will most likely open next year at Triple-A Worcester.

Adrianza hangs up his spikes after a dozen years in the majors that includes stints with the Giants, Twins, Braves, Nationals and Angels. The 35-year-old, who made the announcement on his Instagram account, carved out a decade-plus career as a versatile utility infielder, finishing with a .237/.307/.352 triple-slash line with 187 runs scored, 22 homers, 151 RBI and 19 steals in 624 games since 2013.

The Christmas Eve blockbuster fantasy managers have been waiting on. Moran missed all of last year recovering from Tommy John surgery after making a career-high 43 relief appearances for the Twins during the 2023 campaign, finishing with an inflated 5.31 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 48/27 K/BB ratio across 42 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old southpaw has made 79 relief appearances in the big leagues since 2021, registering a serviceable 4.15 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 112/52 K/BB ratio across 91 innings. He’ll augment Boston’s left-handed relief depth heading into next season.

Gasper’s departure frees up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster for Walker Buehler. The 29-year-old backstop got into 13 contests last year in his first taste of the majors, going hitless (0-for-18) with four walks in 23 plate appearances. He provides Minnesota with a versatile bench option heading into next season and beyond. He’ll likely open next season back at Triple-A St. Paul as extra organizational catching depth.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters Monday that the club is still pursuing high-leverage relievers, which seems to corroborate Rosenthal’s reporting that the club is actively pursuing a reunion with the veteran stopper. They’ve brought in Robert Garcia, Jacob Webb, Shawn Armstrong and Hoby Milner to bolster a relief corps, which also figures to have hard-throwing prospect Emiliano Teodo next season. However, that group lacks an established proven ninth-inning option. The soon-to-be 38-year-old converted 33 of 34 save opportunities last year, finishing with a sparkling 1.17 ERA (2.50 FIP), 0.83 WHIP and 85/28 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings (61 appearances).

Davis is not long removed from being considered one of the top outfield prospects in the sport, but injuries and inconsistent performance have seen his stock drop so much he was designated for assignment in the middle of November. The 6-foot-4 outfielder did have an .828 OPS in his time with Triple-A Iowa last year, and the Yankees will give him a shot with no risk involved.

Feinsand notes that the Giants were interested earlier this offseason but their offer to Burnes didn’t come close to meeting that number. He also noted that the Blue Jays have continued expressing interest in Burnes, but they’re another team that might not be willing to make the massive long-term commitment on a pitcher entering his 30’s. The long-time fantasy stalwart is the top pitcher left on the free agent market by a considerable margin. The big question is whether he’s open to taking a short-term deal with opt-outs to potentially hit the market again in the near future if that lucrative long-term offer isn’t out there.

Feinsand adds that Alonso’s market has shrunk considerably in the wake of nearly a quarter of the league turning over their first base situation within the past week. A return to New York seems like the most logical move for Alonso at this point given their financial resources and desire to compete for a World Series title over the next few years. With very few attractive landing spots left for Alonso besides the Mets, it wouldn’t be shocking if the two sides were able to hammer out an agreement at some point in the near future. We’ll see.

Feinsand added that Bregman’s market appears to be shrinking after Houston pivoted to signing veteran Christian Walker earlier this week and the Yankees made a flurry of costly free agent signings and trades over the past few weeks, most notably signing Max Fried and trading for Cody Bellinger. Boston would make a ton of sense for Bregman, especially given his close relationship with Red Sox manager Alex Cora from his days as Houston’s bench coach. However, they would have to free up a spot, likely by moving franchise cornerstone Rafeal Devers over to first base, to facilitate the move. It’s unclear whether Detroit would be willing to make the lucrative financial investment necessary to land Bregman, especially with top prospects like Colt Keith and Jace Jung already at the big-league level. Yet the presence of his former manager in A.J. Hinch can’t be ruled out as a potential variable that might make a difference in negotiations, especially if it’s a short-term deal.