MLB Player News

Considering Williams is on the active roster, he’s likely to favorite to get the first crack at the job. The 28-year-old is just 2-for-17 in 23 games at the big league level this season but was hitting .287/.348/.508 in 46 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and 15 steals. He also hit 12 home runs and stole 28 bases in Triple-A last year with the Braves and Dodgers, so there is some mild five-category upside in deeper formats if he can hold onto the job. Both Alejo Lopez and Brian Anderson would need to be added to the 40-man roster, but Lopez is hitting .308/.394/.393 in 96 games at Triple-A with 21 steals, so he could be a speed asset if he gets an opportunity. Nacho Alvarez is currently dealing with pneumonia, which has taken him out of the running for the job, and Bowman claims there are no current plans to move Whit Merrifield to third base.

The 30-year-old left-hander is one of the top starting pitchers available on the open market this season, so he’s going to attract plenty of interest. The Orioles, Red Sox and Yankees have all been linked to him already as well and the Braves have made it a priority to retain him as well. MLBTradeRumors.com expects Fried to land a contract in the range of $156 million over six years.

The Padres have yet to officially announce the deal. Padres’ general manager AJ Preller spoke very highly of Niebla shortly after the season ended, noting, “We’re going to reward the people that perform... Ruben’s been a big performer. Looking forward to him being a big part of the Padres organization for a long time.” Under the three seasons in which Niebla has been in charge of the Padres’ pitching staff, they have ranked near the top of the league in all major pitching categories.

That means that the 25-year-old is now eligible to sign with any team. Revilla led the Cuban league with 29 homers over 110 games during the 2022 campaign. He spent his last two professional seasons playing for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan’s Western League. In 2023 he struggled to a .188/.235/.305 slash line with just three homers, 14 RBI and a 48/7 K/BB ratio over 136 plate appearances. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll be able to land anything other than a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Herget was designated for assignment after the Cubs added Rob Zastryzny on Monday. Herget will have a chance to compete for a spot in the Colorado bullpen, assuming he sticks around.

Neto missed most of the end of the season while dealing with shoulder issues, and the 23-year-old shortstop will go under the knife after he wasn’t able to fix the issue through rehab. Minasian wasn’t sure if Neto would need to miss time to begin the year, so it’s something to monitor for those who are considering Neto as a helper up the middle on their fantasy team.

Arenado is still owed $74 million over the next three seasons, and the 33-year-old has seen his numbers decrease since leaving the friendly confines of Coors Field. The Cardinals would likely need to eat a significant amount of salary in order to get a quality return, but teams who need third baseman should have interest as he’s still a strong defender and capable of above-average offensive numbers.

The deal will pay Montero $850,000 with a $400,00 signing bonus. Elehuris was outrighted off the Colorado roster after hitting just .228/.277/.387 in 2024 with the Rockies, and the 26-year-old will try and get his career back on the upswing with at least one year in Japan.

The Mets announced those operations for Taylor on Friday, and also said that the average timeline for return for both operations was around two months. That should put the outfielder back in plenty of time for spring training, but obviously a complication with either injury could see that timeline change.

Dunn didn’t pitch in 2024 after undergoing surgery in 2024 on his right shoulder. The former top prospect will head to Chicago in hopes of winning a spot on the Chicago pitching staff, but more than likely the 29-year-old will just provide some organizational depth.

It was thought the two sides were working on a multiyear deal, but that hasn’t come to fruition, at least not yet. Boone’s Yankees reached the World Series last season, losing in five games to the Dodgers. His team is 603-429 in his seven years at the helm, but just 22-23 in six postseason appearances.