MLB Player News

Anderson predictably went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment last Friday. The 29-year-old journeyman righty has the option to elect free agency, but will probably elect to stick around with Miami as emergency pitching depth.

Ryan was with the Pirates last season, pitching to a 5.66 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 17/9 K/BB ratio in 20 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 29-year-old will serve as organizational bullpen depth again.

Shreve’s contract will pay him $1.3 million if he pitches MLB innings. The 34-year-old pitched just one inning for Colorado in 2024; however, he had a 2.62 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 35/12 K/BB ratio in 34 1/3 Triple-A innings split between the Rockies, Yankees, and Rangers. He figures to operate as organizational depth for the Braves who lost left-hander A.J. Minter from this bullpen this off-season.

The contract will pay Lucchesi $1.5 million if he pitches MLB innings this season. The 31-year-old made just two starts for the Mets in 2024 and pitched to a 4.70 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and 86/56 K/BB ratio in 115 innings at Triple-A Syracuse. He figures to just be organization depth or a possible long-reliever out of the bullpen for the Giants in 2025.

The Blue Jays needed this one. After coming so close on Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Roki Sasaki, the Blue Jays needed to land a premiere talent, and they had no problem paying for it. Santander is coming off his best season ever, hitting a career-high 44 home runs and driving in 102 runs for the Orioles. He will likely slot in as the primary designated hitter and bat clean-up behind Vladimir Guerero Jr. but will also play some corner outfield. His presence in the middle of the lineup is a huge boost for Toronto, who was set to play Will Wagner as one of the primary designated hitters. The additions of Santander and Andres Gimenez squash a lot of Wagner’s fantasy value, and we should see a bit of regression for Santander as well considering he is now in a worse lineup than he was in last year, and Baltimore ranked 8th among all stadiums in Statcast’s park factor for left-handed power, while Toronto ranks 19th. Since the switch-hitting Santander will face mostly right-handed pitchers, we should expect a return to around 30 home runs with a .240 average and around 170 Runs+RBI. That certainly makes him a solid fantasy asset, but we would not pay for last season’s production.

“Our arms are still open. The door is still open. There’s always a chance,” Espada said. While, it’s nice to hear Espada say that, it’s unclear how Bregman would fit. The Astros acquired third baseman Isaac Paredes in the Kyle Tucker trade and then signed Christian Walker to play first base. The only place for Bregman would be to move either Paredes or Walker to a full-time designated hitter spot, but given Yordan Alvarez’s knee issues, it seems unwise for the Astros to force him to play the outfield every day. At this point, we’d still consider it a long-shot that Bregman returns to the Astros.

During the Cardinals’ Winter Warm-up, Walker spoke to the media and admitted that he didn’t make enough contact in 2024 and wanted to return to the swing he used in 2023 and earlier. “I feel as if I was more comfortable hitting that way.” He worked with Brant Brown to focus on a swing that would allow him to make more consistent contact and drive the ball into the gaps. “Hand placement is really the biggest thing,” said Walker, who admitted that his hands were too far back at the start of his swing, and that prevented him from getting a consistent swing path. With the Cardinals in a bit of a rebuilding phase, Walker should get a chance to earn a starting job again, and at just 22 years old, there remains plenty of upside for Walker who could be a great post-hype pick in fantasy baseball leagues this season.

The 33-year-old backstop spent the 2024 season in the Angels’ organization, where he slashed .247/.337/.430 with 12 homers and 46 RBI in 335 plate appearances at Triple-A Salt Lake. He’ll provide some quality depth behind the plate for the Rangers.

The market has been slow to develop this winter for the 40-year-old right-hander after registering a 3.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 40/10 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings in nine starts for the Rangers in 2024. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported in early January that there were four teams interested in Scherzer, though it remains unclear exactly who those teams are that the Jays are competing with for his services.

Castro elected to explore the free agent market after he was sent outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley back in early November but ultimately chose to return to the Phillies. The 25-year-old spent the entire 2024 season in the minor leagues where he slashed .221/.286/.351 with three homers, nine RBI and a 19/6 K/BB ratio over 84 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old backstop was picked up midway through the 2024 campaign and went on to hit .230/.289/.414 with four homers and 20 RBI in 97 plate appearances at Double-A Reading before having a cup of coffee at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’ll add catching depth in big league camp for the Phillies.