MLB Player News

There are some lingering questions marks for Crews in the hard contact department, but the second-overall selection from the loaded 2023 MLB Draft has been excellent this season in the upper minors, batting .267/.331/.433 with eight homers and 20 thefts in 71 games between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He figures to arrive in the big leagues at some point following the All-Star break. We could spend hours discussing the rest of this fascinating assortment of prospects that includes some of the fastest-rising names in fantasy circles. Here’s the rest of the senior circuit’s lineup: Justin Crawford LF, Crews RF, Termarr Johnson 2B, Bryce Eldridge 1B, Ethan Salas C, Druw Jones CF, Cam Collier 3B, Aidan Miller SS and Drake Baldwin DH.

Both players are now not eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December. Hassell was one of the top prospects acquired from the Padres in the deal for Juan Soto, but hasn’t lived up to expectations just yet. Lara is one of the better pitching prospects in the Washington system, and both certainly would have had interest in the draft next month.

Hoglund will now be protected from the Rule 5 draft. A first-round pick in 2021, Hoglund has a chance to make appearances for the team formerly known as Oakland in 2025.

Cusick would have been eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December if he had not been added ot the 40-man roster. The former first-round pick made 30 appearances in 2024 — 12 of those starts — with a 4.66 ERA and 66/40 K/BB over 63 2/3 innings at the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

So ungrateful. The 13 free agents who received them have until 4 p.m. EST today to accept their qualifying offers. Nick Martinez already decided to take the Reds up on it. With Luis Severino indicating he’ll turn it down and Nick Pivetta receiving significant interest, it appears unlikely that any others will accept.

It looks like Coleman Crow will again be available in the Rule 5 draft, so the Brewers must not have been too impressed with what he did in the AFL as he completes his Tommy John rehab. Henderson and Patrick will both be candidates to make starts for the Brewers next season. Henderson has a good chance of eventually turning into a rotation mainstay. Patrick, who was acquired from the A’s for Abraham Toro a year ago, has fringier stuff, but he managed to go 14-1 with a 2.90 ERA in Triple-A last season.

Feinsand adds that the “feeling around the industry” is that Soto will make his final decision on where to take his generational talent prior to the Winter Meetings, which begin on December 9. He also notes that Soto has already met with the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Mets; with those meetings including representatives from club ownership in addition to front office executives and each team’s manager. The Mets and Yankees remain the favorites to ultimately land Soto on a lucrative long-term contract, but it sounds like the Blue Jays and Red Sox could be legitimate alternatives at this juncture. Of course, we’re never going to rule out the Dodgers either.

Gil received 15 out of 30 first-place votes, with 13 going to Colton Cowser, who narrowly finished in second place. Austin Wells finished third with Mason Miller, Cade Smith, Wilyer Abreu and Wyatt Langford also receiving votes in the AL ROY balloting. Gil delivered one of last season’s more unexpected breakthrough campaigns, emerging as a key component of New York’s starting rotation mix, finishing with a pristine 3.50 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 171/77 K/BB ratio across 151 2/3 innings (29 starts). The 26-year-old righty seems pre-destined to be one of the more polarizing pitchers in the fantasy landscape heading into 2025 drafts, but there’s a strong case for putting him somewhere in the top-40 range among starting pitchers.

Hernandez spent the last few years with the Rays after coming over from the Rangers back in 2020 as one of the ancillary components of the Nathaniel Lowe swap. The 24-year-old outfielder batted .234/.344/.496 with 23 round-trippers and five steals in 428 plate appearances last year between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.

Skenes received 23 out of the 30 first-place votes, with seven going to Jackson Merrill, who finished in second place. Jackson Chourio finished third and Shota Imanaga finished fourth in the NL ROY balloting. Skenes, who is also a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award, put together one of the more memorable rookie campaigns in recent memory after exploding onto the scene in mid-May, allowing three earned runs or fewer in a staggering 22 of 23 starts. The flame-throwing 22-year-old finished last season with a sublime 1.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 170/32 K/BB ratio across 133 innings. He’s the first starting pitcher to claim the senior circuit honors since Jacob deGrom back in 2014. He enters the 2025 campaign as a universally-regarded top three starting pitcher for fantasy purposes.

Merrill, who received seven of 30 first-place votes, made the leap from top prospect to elite fantasy contributor after making San Diego’s season-opening roster as their starting center fielder, batting .292/.326/.500 with 77 runs scored, 24 homers, 90 RBI and 16 stolen bases across 593 plate appearances. The 21-year-old prodigy’s power/speed combination and presence as an x-factor in a loaded Padres lineup makes him a surefire top 15 fantasy outfielder heading into 2025 and beyond.