MLB Player News

Castillo started four games for the Twins, going 2-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBI. He also hit .272/.379/.404 over 71 games in Triple-A this season. He was waived in order to make room for Brock Stewart to come off the 60-day IL.

The move is necessary after the Giants signed Justin Verlander and needed room on the 40-man roster. Sabol, 27, should see interest on the waiver wire as a player who can play in the outfield as well as catch, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was claimed or if the Giants were able to work out a trade for the backup backstop.

Verlander will turn 42 in February, and is coming off a season where he forged a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts and not being used in the postseason. The future Hall of Famer joins friendlier confines in San Francisco and his previous track record can’t completely be ignored, but he shouldn’t be anything more than a late-round selection.

Willingham had a 6.66 ERA in 18 appearances with the Nationals in 2024 before being sent back down in July. The right-hander now hits the waiver wire after the Nationals signed Jorge López to a one-year deal.

Lopez was a solid contributor in 2024 with a 2.89 ERA and 50/19 K/BB in his work for the Cubs and Mets in 2024. The right-hander stands a good chance to earn saves at this point, but fantasy managers will want to see what else the Nats do before assuming he’s worthy of a draft selection.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman says López will be guaranteed $3 million. As long as they don’t stop here, López is a decent enough addition to the Nationals bullpen. The 31-year-old had a 2.89 ERA and a 50/19 K/BB in 53 innings for the Mets and Cubs last season. He probably rates as the current favorite for saves in D.C., but we imagine they’ll add at least one superior option before camp opens.

It’s no surprise, but it’s nice that the pitcher is confirming it, since the brass wasn’t yet willing to. Whitlock is coming off internal brace surgery, but he expects to be ready for Opening Day or at least soon afterwards. He unfortunately struggled to stay healthy as a starter, but he has a 2.65 ERA with a 150/29 K/BB in 132 2/3 career innings as a reliever. He might be a fallback in the closer’s role if Liam Hendriks struggles.

Mayer isn’t in line for a position change, but the Red Sox want to keep their options open in case he breaks out and Trevor Story happens to be healthy and productive for once. Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, hit .307/.370/.480 in 77 games for Double-A Portland last season.

That’s pretty interesting, since, barring an addition, Hamilton seemed to be the favorite to open up as the second baseman against righties, probably in a platoon role with Romy Gonzalez. It suggests there’s a legitimate chance of Campbell making the team after his breakout season. Grissom is also a candidate to steal away the job, turning Hamilton into a utilityman.

The Jays had to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Jeff Hoffman on Friday and de Geus drew the short straw this time around. The 27-year-old hurler struggled to a 7.15 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and a 7/4 K/BB ratio over 11 1/3 innings between the Blue Jays, Marlins and Mariners during the 2024 season. He could pique another team’s interest on waivers.

The two sides went as far as having Hoffman take a physical earlier this week, where the O’s found something that they didn’t like and ultimately decided not to move forward. That’s not to say that Hoffman isn’t healthy at the moment or that he won’t play out his contract with the Blue Jays without any trips to the injured list, but it’s at least something that fantasy managers should keep in mind when calling Hoffman’s name in drafts this spring.