MLB Player News

Nelson is back with the Phillies for the first time since the first half of April. He’s been toying with a knuckleball while working in relief for the IronPigs. He had a 6.30 ERA in 50 innings overall in Triple-A, but he’d come in at 2.55 in 17 2/3 innings since the beginning of August.

Despite the Dodgers winning the World Series, the 2024 season was a struggle for Kelly personally. The 36-year-old right-hander missed nearly three months due to a pair of shoulder ailments and was limited to just 32 innings in 35 appearances on the season. He wasn’t sharp when he was healthy either — registering a 4.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and a 35/16 K/BB mark. He has a long enough track record that he won’t have any trouble finding work this winter, but there’s no guarantee that he returns to being the elite setup man that he once was.

The dynamic 27-year-old outfielder appeared in five games for the Yankees early in the 2024 season, going 1-for-1 with a walk and a pair of runs scored. He’ll continue to serve as extra outfield depth for the Yankees heading into the 2025 season, most likely at the Triple-A level once again.

The Yankees had a few spots open on their 40-man roster and decided to protect a few players on Sunday. Escarra, 29, had a solid season across two minor league levels in 2024, slashing .261/.355/.434 with 12 homers, 64 RBI and a 68/55 K/BB ratio over 493 plate appearances.

The move protects De Los Santos from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. De Los Santos spent the entire 2024 season at the Triple-A level where he compiled a 4.12 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 55/19 K/BB ratio over 59 innings of work in 51 appearances out of the bullpen. He’ll continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Yankees heading into the 2025 campaign.

Giménez is widely known as one of the best defenders in all of baseball and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him also add a Platinum Glove to his mantle before all is said and done. Here’s the full list of Gold Glove winners in the American League (along with how many times they have won the award): C: Cal Raleigh (1), 1B: Carlos Santana (1), 2B: Andres Gimenez (3), SS: Bobby Witt Jr. (1), 3B Alex Bregman (1), P: Seth Lugo (1), LF: Steven Kwan (3), CF: Daulton Varsho (1), RF: Wilyer Abreu (1), UT: Dylan Moore (1).

Chapman wasted no time winning the award for the first time in the National League in his first season with the Giants -- impressively beating out Nolan Arenado to do it. Here’s the full list of Gold Glove winners in the National League (along with how many times they have won the award): C: Patrick Bailey (1), 1B: Christian Walker (3), 2B: Brice Turang (1), SS: Ezequiel Tovar (1), 3B Matt Chapman (5), P: Chris Sale (1), LF: Ian Happ (3), CF: Brenton Doyle (2), RF: Sal Frelick (1), UT: Jared Triolo (1).

This one was a no-brainer, as the 28-year-old right-hander is the ace of the Brewers’ staff and comes at a significant bargain. Peralta made 32 starts during the 2024 season, going 11-9 with a 3.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 200/68 K/BB ratio over 173 2/3 innings. Expect Peralta to be drafted among the top 15 starting pitchers in fantasy drafts once again in 2025.

Trivino hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2022 ALCS due to an elbow strain and subsequent Tommy John surgery. He threw a total of 11 innings in the minor leagues during the 2024 campaign before being shut down in September with a sore shoulder. The 33-year-old hurler is now free to peddle his wares on the open market.

The 34-year-old right-hander opted out of the final four years and $144 million that he had remaining on his contract with the Yankees, but the club has the option to void that opt-out by adding a fifth year and $36 million to the contract. Multiple sources have indicated that the Yankees are likely to retain Cole, but nothing is official just yet. If they do add the extra year, they’ll owe him $180 million over the next five seasons. Cole looked especially sharp during the Yankees’ postseason run and would be very difficult for them to replace on the free agent market.

The 30-year-old slugger will receive a $2.5 million buyout. Gallo didn’t quite deliver the power production that the Nationals were hoping he would, slashing an anemic .161/.277/.336 with 10 homers, 27 RBI and a 102/32 K/BB ratio over 260 plate appearances. When he’s going right, his ability to hit for power and draw walks does have value in today’s game, so Gallo should be able to latch on somewhere this winter on an incentive-laden deal.