MLB Player News

Basso, recalled Thursday, previously made three relief appearances for the A’s in May and June. His big curveball has been a nice strikeout pitch for him in the minors, and it served him fairly well today, too. Still, he might be more interesting in relief for the long run. On the other hand, this should earn him another start, one that will most likely come against the White Sox. That makes him a decent enough play in mixed leagues for one week.

That’s one more hole filled for the Yankees. The 37-year-old Goldschmidt is in obvious decline, but he did perk up some in the second half of last season, hitting .271/.319/.480. He’ll have to get used to hitting low in the order in New York, but that process did already somewhat start with the Cardinals. With Ben Rice out of the first base picture now, it will be interesting to see if he’s given a shot at the backup catcher gig in spring training. The problem there, though, is that both he and Austin Wells are left-handed hitters.

It’s likely a minor league deal. Davis, who has been working out at Driveline, spent the last 3 1/2 years in the Rockies organization, amassing a 7.71 ERA in six starts and 12 relief appearances at the big-league level. He’s mostly started in the minors, but the Red Sox will likely want to take a look at him as a reliever.

Heyman lists most of the same apparent suitors as Bob Nightengale did Friday, though he also lumps in the Diamondbacks with the Yankees, Mariners, Giants and Mets. Nightengale also said the Nationals might be a possibility. The Yankees seem like the favorites here, though they’d surely prefer a one-year deal. Goldschmidt appears to be aiming for a two-year pact.

The 28-year-old former top prospect had just inked a minor league deal with the Reds back in early November, but he’ll join the Bombers to serve as extra catching depth with Jose Trevino being shipped to the Reds. Jackson was horrendous at the plate in 155 plate appearances with the Rays during the 2024 season, slashing a cringe-inducing .122/.201/.237 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 53/12 K/BB ratio.

The Yankees were known to be shopping some of their catching depth and wanted to get Trevino’s contract off the books, so being able to land an arm like Fernando Cruz in return seems like a huge win on their end. The 34-year-old hurler has never truly been able to harness his exceptional stuff, but his splitter registers as one of the top overall pitches in all of baseball. He’ll certainly have a major role in the Yankees’ bullpen in 2025.

This one is a bit of a head-scratcher, as you would have thought the Reds would value one of the filthiest bullpen arms in the game (and one that’s under team control through the 2028 season) more than a defensive-minded backup catcher, but I digress. In addition to his defensive prowess, Trevino will also bring moxie and veteran leadership to the Reds where he’ll serve as the primary backup behind Tyler Stephenson. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

In return, the Reds will be sending Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson to the Yankees. Trevino is a highly skilled defender behind the plate and a former Platinum Glove winner. He had a rough year offensively in 2024, slashing just .215/.288/.354 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 234 plate appearances. He’ll share the load behind the plate with Tyler Stephenson for the Reds in 2025 but shouldn’t garner much interest from a fantasy perspective.

That’s at least the third team that has had a face-to-face meeting with Sasaki, as he met with the Yankees and Mets on Thursday. The Mariners and Padres are known to be making a big push to sign him, while the Dodgers and Tigers are among the many other clubs known to have expressed interest already. Sasaki plans to meet with all interested parties in Los Angeles and has until January 23 to come to an agreement with a big league club.

The Marlins needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to sign Eric Wagaman on Friday and unfortunately the 26-year-old former top prospect was the roster casualty. Brujan hit just .222/.303/.319 with two homers, 16 RBI, five stolen bases and a 54/25 K/BB ratio in 278 plate appearances with the Fish. He’s still talented enough that there’s probably another team willing to take a chance on him.

So it is an actual MLB contract. Interesting. No financial details were announced yet, but it’s expected to be for around the league minimum. The 27-year-old will fight for a spot in the team’s Opening Day starting lineup to begin the 2025 campaign, though his fantasy appeal seems limited.