MLB Player News

Hill was signed to a minor league contract last week, and there was some speculation that he would quickly fill in for James Paxton in the rotation, but Cora pumped the brakes a bit on that narrative. Despite Hill having thrown bullpens before a workout he held for major-league teams two weeks and also facing hitters in the Cape Cod League in early August, Cora is in wait-and-see mode. “There’s no promises,” the Red Sox manager said, but even if Hill does make it to Boston, he’s not guaranteed a spot in the rotation. “He can start, he can open, he can come in in leverage, but first things first, let’s get him back on the mound, back to competing, and then we’ll go from there.” For fantasy purposes, it seems like Hill may not be much of an option in 2024.

Eaton bolsters the Red Sox’ organizational position player depth heading into next season. The 27-year-old, who has made appearances at four different spots defensively in the big leagues since 2022, spent all of last year at Triple-A Omaha in Kansas City’s system, batting .259/.299/.439 with 16 homers and 27 steals across 464 plate appearances. He’s a non-factor for fantasy purposes at the moment. However, it wouldn’t be shocking if he were in the mix during spring training for a bench role on Boston’s season-opening roster.

Morris has been cut loose by New York after failing to make it back to the big leagues with the club following his arrival last offseason in a trade with the Guardians for outfielder Estevan Florial. The 28-year-old righty compiled a serviceable 4.03 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 46/26 K/BB ratio across 38 innings (26 appearances) last year for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It’s possible he’s been jettisoned to pursue an opportunity overseas, but that remains to be seen.

Skubal celebrates his 28th birthday with his first career Cy Young Award, receiving all 30 first place votes in balloting, following a transcendent 2024 campaign where he helped lead Detroit back to the postseason with an American League-leading 2.39 ERA (2.39) and 228 strikeouts across 192 innings (31 starts). He’ll be the first starting pitcher off the board next spring in all fantasy drafts. Royals veteran Seth Lugo finished second and Guardians stopper Emmanuel Clase came in third.

The eight-time All-Star finally nets his first career Cy Young Award, receiving 26 of 30 first-place votes, after finishing among the top six in balloting a whopping seven times since 2012. The 35-year-old southpaw finished last season with a league-best 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225/39 K/BB ratio across 177 2/3 innings (29 starts) in his remarkable Braves debut. Despite his omnipresent durability concerns, Sale will enter next season as a consensus top 10 starting pitcher in fantasy drafts. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler received the other four first-place votes in balloting to come in second, while Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes followed with a distant third-place finish.

“It looks like (the signing) will happen in the new pool period,” added Manfred. It’s the most logical route for all sides and confirms previous assumptions that Sasaki won’t be able to sign with a major-league team until January 15. It’s worth noting the Yankees and Mets both have $6.26 million worth of international bonus pool money to spend, while the Rays and Mariners are among the teams with the most at $7.55 million. The Dodgers and Giants have the smallest pool at $5.15 million. The 23-year-old phenom is one of the most exciting international pitching prospects in decades and figures to make an immediate impact for fantasy managers.

Zavala fortifies Boston’s catching depth behind Connor Wong. He makes sense as a temporary stopgap until top prospect Kyle Teel is ready to ascend to the big leagues at some point next year. The 31-year-old journeyman backstop holds a lifetime .613 OPS in 194 contests in the majors since 2019.

Boushley augments the Rangers’ relief depth heading into next season after making a pair of relief appearances last year for the Twins. The 31-year-old righty has bounced around the last few seasons between the Padres, Brewers and Twins since 2021. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, which limits his upside, but he represents serviceable emergency relief depth, which doesn’t seem like a big deal until a club desperately needs it.

Medina heads to Seattle as extra organizational relief depth after spending last season in the Nationals’ system at Triple-A Rochester, finishing with a solid 3.76 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 60/26 K/BB ratio across 64 2/3 innings (49 appearances).

Hahn hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2021 season, but he’ll head to Seattle in the hopes of getting back to the big leagues. The 35-year-old journeyman spent last year with the Dodgers at Triple-A Oklahoma City, posting a respectable 4.54 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 44/33 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings (35 appearances). He’s made 82 appearances (50 starts) in the majors between the Padres, Athletics and Royals dating back to 2014.

Severino returns to Minnesota just a few weeks after being removed from the club’s 40-man roster. The 25-year-old first baseman has yet to make his big-league debut, but has showed some decent pop in the minors, with 21 round-trippers in 128 contests last year for Triple-A St. Paul.