MLB Player News

Francis, the AL Pitcher of the Month for August, gave up a homer to the very first batter he faced, Kyle Schwarber, in September. He later allowed a two-run homer to Kody Clemens in the second. He bounced back nicely afterwards, though, and wound up with six strikeouts and no walks. He’ll face the Mets next.

The 27-year-old is “projected to make $6.2 million via arbitration and is one season from free agency.” As Gleeman notes, “On a contending team without a payroll crunch, he’d be ideal depth and an essential super-utility player,” but the Twins may not have the luxury of having him in that role at that salary in 2025 with the Twins expected to try and cut costs.

Paddack will make $7.5 million in 2025 in the final year of his contract, which is a fair salary for a back-end starting pitcher. In 2024, Paddack pitched to a 4.99 ERA in 88 1/3 innings before missing the second half of the season with a forearm strain. With Pablo López, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews all battling for rotation spots, the Twins would likely prefer to get Paddack’s salary off the books and take whatever prospect they can get in return.

The deal has up to $750K in performance bonuses based on games pitched. Wilson had Tommy John surgery in May of 2022 and missed the entire 2023 season. He came back this past year and made 60 appearances for the Reds, posting a 5.59 ERA. The 37-year-old does have a career 3.61 ERA over 12 years split between the Pirates, Yankees, Tigers, Cubs, Mets, and Reds, so the Red Sox will hope that he can get back to that level of production after another year removed from surgery.

Steinbrenner Field is the spring training home of the New York Yankees and the summer home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees A-ball team. According to Statcast data, the stadium played average amongst A-ball stadiums for runs, slightly above average for hits but below average for home runs overall and well above average for left-handed power. The dimensions are 318 feet down the line to left field, 318, 408 feet to center field, and 314 feet down the line to right field. Tropicana Field was deeper in the gaps and down the right field line and tended to play more pitcher-friendly, so this will seem to be a slight downgrade for pitchers in Tampa Bay and a boost for left-handed hitters.

The Angels seem to be scooping up all the veterans this offseason, trading for Jorge Soler and signing Travis d’Arnaud and now Newman. The 31-year-old hit .278 in 288 at-bats in 2024 with three home runs, 28 RBI, and eight steals. However, the veteran’s real value will come with his elite defense across the infield, which has led him to be a positive-WAR player over his career. He will likely fill a utility role off the bench for the Angels.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman says it will be for one year and include a club option. Newman is coming off a nice season as a utilityman for the Diamondbacks, having hit .278/.311/.375 in 311 plate appearances. He could open up as the Angels’ starting shortstop if Zach Neto requires an IL stint after shoulder surgery. He’ll also likely help out at third base after Anthony Rendon gets hurt.

Hill was released by the White Sox in June after posting a 5.87 ERA, 2.22 WHIP, and 13/10 K/BB ratio in 23 innings. However, after signing with the Yankees, the left-hander had a 2.05 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 18/9 K/BB ratio in 44 innings. He won’t be a fantasy asset but would be a strong addition to the Yankees’ bullpen.

Moncada is a free agent who has reportedly been attracting interest from a few teams this offseason, so a potential injury for an oft-injured player would be a killer to his market. However, it was revealed after the game that he didn’t suffer any fractures, so he should be fully healthy heading into 2025.

It’s a pretty interesting wrinkle for the Pirates as Strom played a pivotal role last decade in building the Astros juggernaut before a three-year stint with the Diamondbacks. He brings a wealth of experience to a talented Pittsburgh staff headlined by the tandem of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones with top prospect Bubba Chandler on the doorstep of the big leagues.

Briceño is the first prospect to launch double-digit homers in the AFL since Mike Olt accomplished the feat back in 2011. The 20-year-old backstop was limited to just 40 games last season at Low-A Lakeland and figures to open up next year back in the lower minors. His over-the-fence pop is unquestioned and he figures to hit for plenty of power once he arrives in the big leagues. That’s unlikely to happen in 2025, but he’s definitely increased his long-term dynasty appeal with his AFL performance.