MLB Player News

Ramírez went unclaimed on waivers after being removed from Washington’s 40-man roster earlier this week. The 29-year-old outfielder posted a serviceable .638 OPS with one homer, 16 RBI and one steal in 25 games for the Nationals. He might make sense somewhere on a contending roster as a bench bat, but there aren’t a ton of logical landing spots at this late stage of the year.

Petzold notes that the Tigers are in the market in adding a high-leverage reliever with closing experience, and Estévez is the best one remaining on the open market. That’s why interest in him has picked up considerably over the past couple of weeks with the Reds, Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies and Yankees all being linked to him at one point or another. As things currently stand, the Tigers will continue to rely on some combination of Jason Foley, Will Vest, Tyler Holton and Beau Brieske in the late innings.

Reports on Thursday afternoon were that the Cubs were closing in on a deal for the 36-year-old right-hander, but nothing has been finalized yet and Pressly would ultimately have to waive his no-trade clause if a deal does get done. In addition to the Blue Jays, an unidentified west coast team is interested in Pressly as well. It sounds increasingly likely that he’ll be donning a new jersey on Opening Day — and most likely in a closer’s role — which will increase his value from a fantasy perspective exponentially.

The intriguing 32-year-old southpaw registered a stellar 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 182/38 K/BB ratio over 157 innings over 26 starts in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024. The Yankees, Astros, Orioles, Brewers and Twins were all linked to him earlier in the off-season, though it’s unclear which teams remain in the hunt and who else may have joined in the pursuit. It still seems likely that Hart returns stateside for the 2025 season, either as a member of a starting rotation or as a swingman type.

Strider — who is working his way back from an internal brace procedure on his pitching elbow — is on track to have a regular spring training with the rest of the Braves’ pitchers. He won’t, however, be on the team’s Opening Day roster as they want to take every possible precaution and ease him back into action. It’s encouraging news from a fantasy perspective, but we still have no idea what kind of workload he will have in 2025.

There have been reports floating around to the contrary on both players as the hot stove has ramped up a bit in anticipation of spring training. The Blue Jays still look like a strong landing spot for Alonso — assuming he doesn’t go back to the Mets — it just doesn’t appear like a deal with the Jays is imminent.

The Padres are on the hunt for catching help and have discussed Christian Vazquez with the Twins, so perhaps he could be part of a gaudy return package for Cease if the Padres are looking to unload his salary. Hayes did note that nothing is imminent and that talks between the two clubs have slowed recently.

There appears to be momentum here between the two sides toward a deal as the Blue Jays are attempting to bolster their offense in a major way after already adding Anthony Santander to the mix. The expectation is that Alonso would function as the team’s primary designated hitter, but there’s always a possibility as well that the Jays could slide Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back over to third base if he’s willing and let Alonso play first base. Stay tuned, as the stove is burning hot at the moment.

The 27-year-old hurler was just signed to a one-year contract in late November, but the Braves were facing a 40-man roster crunch after signing Jurickson Profar on Thursday and he wound up being the odd man out. Gillispie registered a 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and an 8/5 K/BB ratio over eight innings with the Guardians in 2024, which is probably enough for teams to take a chance on him on waivers.

Profar will earn $12 million for the 2025 season and $15 million in each of the next two years. The 31-year-old outfielder will step in as the Braves’ regular left fielder, joining Michael Harris and Ronald Acuna Jr. to form one of the most dynamic outfields in all of baseball. His arrival (and Acuna’s return) will drastically cut into the playing time for both Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz. Profar was one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 fantasy baseball season and he could reach new heights in 2025 with a stronger supporting cast around him.

Nightengale notes that the deal is “on the verge”. The Cubs have been exploring both the free agent and trade markets for additions to the backend of their bullpen and it sounds like they may be close to landing their new closer. Pressly would need to waive his no-trade clause to approve a deal to the Cubs, but if it’s to be their closer that seems like a no-brainer decision. His fantasy value will rise substantially if he’s back in a ninth inning role. Stay tuned.