MLB Player News

Duran came off the bench to slingshot the American League ahead with a tape-measure 413-foot moonshot to right field off Reds ace Hunter Greene in the fifth inning, which was enough for him to earn him MVP Award honors. The 27-year-old outfielder’s metamorphosis into an upper-echelon fantasy contributor, tallying 47 extra-base hits, including 10 home runs, and 22 stolen bases through 95 games, has been a big reason why the Red Sox find themselves in the playoff race coming out of the All-Star break.

Hart has garnered plenty of interest this offseason as he appears poised to return to the majors following a highly successful stint in Korea where he compiled a sparkling 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 182/38 K/BB ratio across 157 innings (26 starts). The 32-year-old southpaw rode an uptick in fastball velocity to improved results overseas and is most likely going to get an opportunity somewhere as a back-end rotation option or versatile swingman. He’s an interesting name to watch on the pitching market in the coming weeks.

Baltimore has an obvious need for a frontline starter after former ace Corbin Burnes bolted for Arizona last week. Flaherty, who spent the final few months of the 2023 season with the Orioles following a trade from the Cardinals, is the top starter left on the open market by a considerable margin. The 29-year-old faded down the home stretch last year with the Dodgers, but was outstanding with the Tigers at the outset of the year. He makes a ton of sense for the Orioles, who have yet to make a big splash in free agency with the exception of brining in veteran Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano. We’ll see if general manager Mike Elias is ready to finally make a big move.

The deal is now official. Goldschmidt looks like an obvious rebound candidate for fantasy purposes since he’s shown zero signs of physical decline and still makes hard contact at elite rates. The move to an extremely hitter-friendly environment in Yankee Stadium, which ranks 2nd out of 30 ballparks in Baseball Savant’s three-year park factors for right-handed home run pop, raises his realistic over-the-fence power ceiling to the point that he’s a borderline top 10-12 option next season at the cold corner. The 37-year-old is still capable of reaching 20 homers with double-digit stolen bases, which still makes him a mixed-league relevant fantasy contributor.

Castro will compete in spring training for a spot in Houston’s season-opening bullpen after being cut loose back in August by the Diamondbacks after missing most of last year due to shoulder inflammation. The 30-year-old righty made 75 relief appearances the previous season for Arizona. He holds a serviceable 4.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 410/233 K/BB ratio across 460 2/3 innings (419 appearances) in the big leagues dating back to 2015. He’ll presumably operate in middle relief for the Astros if he gets back to the majors.

We’re shocked 10 teams didn’t bother to make at least an initial pitch to Sasaki at all. Wolfe added that his client is currently back in Japan with his family determining his next steps, which will most likely include narrowing his potential destinations, after several in-person meetings with prospective clubs earlier this month in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old phenom, whose posting window doesn’t close until January 23, is expected to make his final decision at some point in mid-to-late January. We’re fairly confident at least a half-dozen teams have met with Sasaki at this point including the Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Rangers and Giants.

The deal, which also includes an opt out following the 2026 season, is now official. Burnes provides the Diamondbacks with a frontline starter to complement Zac Gallen, Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. The 30-year-old fantasy ace told reporters last September that he believes he fixed his cutter, adding a couple inches of additional horizontal break, which led to an immediate uptick in strikeouts (27.7 percent) over his final five starts. There’s optimism he’ll reverse a four-year linear decline in the strikeout department and his extensive track record as a durable fantasy ace with elite control keeps him as an early-round selection in all fantasy formats heading into next season.

The deal is now official. Pederson’s pull-heavy approach seems like a perfect fit for Globe Life Field, which ranks seventh out of 30 ballparks in Baseball Savant’s three-year park factors for left-handed home run power. The 32-year-old righty-masher, who will be utility-only next season for fantasy purposes, figures to bat in the heart of Texas’ strong lineup as their primary designated hitter, which puts him in position to emerge as a strong power plus counting stats fantasy contributor. He’s eclipsed 23 homers in six of the last nine full seasons dating back to 2015, so we’re confident projecting at least 20-25 round-trippers in his Rangers debut. He’s a strong late-round selection in all fantasy formats as a cheap power source that won’t be a complete anchor in the batting average department.

Anderson has been jettisoned from Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for newly-added slugger Joc Pederson. The 27-year-old righty has struggled to a lackluster 6.35 ERA (5.91 FIP), 1.52 WHIP and 59/24 K/BB ratio across 62 1/3 innings (49 appearances) over the last two years at the big-league level.

Breslow doesn’t have much of a choice here when talking to reporters, so we’re not dismissing the possibility that Casas winds up departing prior to spring training. However, those odds appear to be evaporating quickly after the club went out in the last few weeks and swung a trade for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet before signing free agent Walker Buehler.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters on Monday that he’s “very, very open” to the possibility of utilizing a six-man rotation next season. Most teams have gone that route in recent years, so it’s not a huge surprise, especially since Boston brought in Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler to spearhead a rotation mix that also figures to include Giolito, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford. The 30-year-old righty is expected to be ready in the early stages of next season as he continues his rehabilitation process from an internal brace procedure that he underwent back in March.