MLB Player News

Soroka entered the game in the second inning and left after just one pitch in the third, with Chad Kuhl taking his place. The White Sox should have more information soon, but it’s not the best news given Soroka’s long history of injuries.

The Angels first base prospect had a tremendous fall season, slashing .329/.462/.700 with six homers in 20 games. Kavadas entered the offseason looking like a prime candidate for designated hitter at-bats for the Angels but the team has since traded for Jorge Soler, which all but crushes the chances for Kavadas to be anything more than a left-handed hitter off the bench and his lack of defensive value makes that unlikely as well. The 26-year-old hit 183/.283/.333 over 106 plate appearances in his first taste of the Majors in 2024 and looks like he’ll need to wait to get another shot.

Zombro has become well-regarded in the baseball industry for his work as a pitching coach at Tread Athletics where pitchers like Cole Ragans have started to develop their arsenals in the offseason. This is a similar move to when the Red Sox hired Driveline’s Kyle Boddy in the offseason last year. According to Passan, Zombro will “work in all areas of Chicago’s organization to help improve the performance of the Cubs’ arms.” While it’s unclear now just how this might change the outlook for Cubs’ pitchers, keep in mind that the Red Sox as an organization drastically changed their philosophy with regard to fastball usage last season, so there may be wholesale modifications coming here in Chicago.

The elevation protects Munoz from tomorrow’s Rule 5 Draft and keeps him in the Braves organization. The 24-year-old pitched the majority of the season in Double-A and had a mediocre season, registering a 4.24 ERA in 51 innings in 38 appearances and one start. However, he did have 75 strikeouts and 22 walks with three home runs allowed in those innings, which speaks to his potential upside as a reliever with swing-and-miss potential.

The 37-year-old has been playing winter games in the Puerto Rican league and is leading the league in both home runs, with four, and RBI, with ten. Still, despite his success in that league, he hit just .124 in 113 at-bats for the Astros this season and seemed unable to catch up with velocity in the way he had previously. If he does sign with an MLB team, you’d have to assume it would be a minor league contract.

Ortega was with the Mets back in 2023 and will return after spending 2024 with the White Sox. The 33-year-old only appeared in 14 MLB games for the White Sox this year but did hit .289 with 11 home runs and 17 steals in 84 Triple-A games. He’ll simply be a veteran presence to provide depth in the Mets outfield.

This was reported over the weekend but is now official. Martinez was solid for the Reds in 2024, posting a 3.10 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 116/18 K/BB ratio across 142 1/3 innings in 42 appearances and 16 starts. It’s a huge pay raise for Martinez and one would assume the Reds will slot him into the rotation now that they’re paying him that much money. With Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Andrew Abbott all but assured of being in the rotation as well, that leaves only one remaining spot in the Reds rotation.

It’s a 15-year agreement with Daikin Industries, which is known for producing air conditioners. Originally Enron Field, Houston’s ballpark had been known as Minute Maid Park or, better, The Juice Box, for the last 22 years.

Slater was typically a very useful platoon outfielder for the Giants, but he’s coming off a poor age-31 campaign in which he hit .209/.321/.266 in 212 plate appearances. Signing with baseball’s worst team here will probably get him some extra playing time as he looks to rebound. Slater has hit .271/.364/.429 against lefties and .229/.316/.333 against righties in 634 career games.

The 24-year-old shortstop spent the first seven seasons of his minor league career in the Pirates’ organization. In 2024, Acuña played in just 15 games at Double-A Altoona, slashing .290/.405/.387 with no homers, three RBI, one stolen base and a 6/6 K/BB ratio in 39 plate appearances. He’ll begin his Padres’ career as depth at Double-A San Antonio.

Passan notes that the Red Sox have already had discussions with Snell and his representatives as they look to upgrade their starting rotation this winter. Most contenders are going to be in the market for high-end starting pitchers this off-season, so expect that the competition for his services will be robust. Ultimately, Snell is projected by MLBTradeRumors.com to land a deal in the range of five years and $160 million.