MLB Player News

Neely is a 6-foot-8, 245-pound reliever who has forged a 2.81 ERA and 63/16 K/BB over his 31 appearances and 41 2/3 innings. The right-hander has a slider that gets top-of-the-scales grades along with a plus fastball, and he might have the stuff to be a closer someday.

Brown replaces Turner Ward after Ward didn’t have his contract renewed for 2025. Brown was last with the Mariners under the title of offensive coordinator until he was let go at the end of May. Prior to working with Seattle the 53-year-old was the hitting coach for the Marlins and has also coached for the Dodgers.

Fry dealt with elbow issues late in the season that limited him to the designated hitter position. The 28-year-old was a breakout player for the Guardians in 2025 and hit a game-winning homer in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Yankees, but it’s possible he may need to undergo an operation that could limit his availability to begin 2025. That’s purely speculative, and fantasy managers should have more clarity by the end of October.

Ogasawara has been effective in the NBP, and is coming off a season where he forged a 3.12 ERA over 24 starts and 144 1/3 innings. He’s best known for his command, and his size along with his ability to throw strikes makes him comparable to Shota Imanaga. Fantasy managers shouldn’t expect the same level of success and will want to see where he lands, but his stuff/control makes him an interesting fantasy option wherever he lands.

Blackburn is expected to miss 4-to-5 months after undergoing the procedure. That gives him a chance to be ready for Opening Day, but that’s far from a guarantee. Once healthy, Blackburn should be a backend starter for the Mets in 2025.

There wasn’t any talk of Hoerner dealing with elbow issues this season, but perhaps it was a factor in him putting up the worst exit velocity numbers of his career. Still, he did wind up playing in a career-high 151 games and hitting .273/.335/.373, which was good for a 101 OPS+. He’s finished with OPS+s between 101 and 106 each of the last four years.

Team USA, managed by Mike Scioscia, will play in Mexico from Nov. 9-14. If it advances out of the group stage, the Super Round will take part in Tokyo from Nov. 21-24. Touki Toussaint, Dan Altavilla, Dylan Covey and Anthony Gose are among the other major league veterans on the roster. Top prospects include Carson Williams (Rays), Matt Shaw (Cubs), Termarr Johnson (Pirates), Justin Crawford (Phillies) and Drake Baldwin (Braves).

Cortes last pitched on Sept. 18 and was diagnosed with a flexor tendon strain a week later. He’s expected to serve as a reliever in the World Series, and he could take Marcus Stroman’s roster spot after Stroman went unused in the ALCS.

Boone was mum on the rest of the rotation. Most likely, Carlos Rodón will go in Game 2 and Clarke Schmidt in Game 3, but Boone does have the option of flip-flopping them if he likes the idea of starting Schmidt in Game 2 and being extra aggressive with the bullpen before the off day.

The winner won’t have to make a special trip to pick up his hardware, since both Judge and Ohtani will be in attendance, of course. We imagine Judge will be the pick here, but we’ll see. Other so-called “finalists” for the awards are Judge, Witt and José Ramírez for AL Outstanding Player; Ohtani, Francisco Lindor and Marcell Ozuna for NL Outstanding Player; Emmanuel Clase, Logan Gilbert and Tarik Skubal for AL Outstanding Pitcher; Chris Sale, Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler for NL Outstanding Pitcher; Wilyer Abreu, Colton Cowser and Austin Wells for AL Outstanding Rookie and Jackson Chourio, Jackson Merrill and Skenes for NL Outstanding Rookie.

Treinen dominated in the eighth, and while he did give up an RBI single in the ninth to Jeff McNeil, it came with the Dodgers holding a six-run lead. He still gets the save because he entered with a three-run lead. He’ll get a chance to add to his three playoff saves beginning Friday against the Yankees.