MLB Player News

It’s unclear if this was a true benching or if the Giants were just pulling Luciano for defense at second base, which is something that would make sense but also hasn’t generally happened previously. Fitzgerald, who was playing short, ranged way past second base to try to unnecessarily call Luciano off the easy popup in the seventh. The modest collision resulted in the ball bouncing away from both. Neither player showed any interest in going after the ball following the drop, and the two argued in the dugout afterwards, though things didn’t seem to get physical. If it was a benching, then both players would seem to have deserved one.

The 33-year-old Heller has often racked up big strikeout numbers as a Triple-A reliever, but injuries have been a constant and he’s pitched a total of 62 major league innings to date. He gave up 15 earned runs over 12 innings for the Pirates last season before missing the final month with shoulder inflammation.

Pretty much as expected, but the front office coming out and talking about additions is always worthy of note. The Red Sox are still believed to be interested in Alex Bregman, but it will be interesting to see how they pivot if they fail to land him. As is, they currently have David Hamilton, Vaughn Grissom, Romy Gonzalez and perhaps top prospect Kristian Robinson set to compete at second, but any addition could bring an end to that. Even if the addition happens to be an outfielder, then Ceddanne Rafaela might be penciled in at second base.

Miley only had surgery in May, so that’s an aggressive timetable. Still, at age 38, he doesn’t feel he has much time to waste. Miley has struggled to stay healthy, but he’s usually been effective during the second half of his career. Since 2018, he’s 42-25 with a 3.46 ERA in 114 starts and three relief appearances.

Although the Nationals would have preferred to cut ties with him one year through his previous two-year deal, Williams was astonishingly successful in his 13 starts last season, going 6-1 with a 2.03 ERA and a 59/18 K/BB over 66 2/3 innings. He missed the other 3 1/2 months with a flexor tendon strain. We’re skeptical that he’ll remain an effective starter, but given the modest price and the Nationals’ lack of pitching depth, the contract makes sense. The move could mean that DJ Herz or Mitchell Parker opens up in the minors, assuming that Michael Soroka and the rest of the rotation options make it through the spring healthy.

The Tigers are canvassing the free agent market for strong right-handed bats to add to their lineup and leaving no stone unturned. Their top priority is still Alex Bregman, who they are trying to lock in as their everyday third baseman, but if they’re unable to sign him it sounds like they could pivot to Santander. They’ll face plenty of competition in doing so, as the Blue Jays, Yankees and Red Sox are all believed to be in the mix for his services as well and the Orioles haven’t shut the door on a potential reunion. Santander is reportedly seeking a five-year contract that would be worth more than $100 million.

It feels like a nice bargain for the Nationals, who add a legitimate middle-of-the-order slugger to a lineup that desperately needed another one. The two sides are very familiar with each other as Bell spent the 2021 season and the first half of the 2022 campaign with the Nationals before being dealt to the Padres at the deadline. He had a bit of a down season in 2024 and still slashed a respectable .249/.319/.405 with 19 homers and 71 RBI in 145 contests between the Marlins and Diamondbacks. It’ll be interesting to see who gets squeezed out of playing time, as the Nationals already brought in Nathaniel Lowe to be their regular first baseman, so the assumption is that Bell with function as their primary designated hitter. That’s definitely bad news for Juan Yepez and Andres Chaparro.

The 26-year-old right-hander split his 2024 season between the Athletics’ and Phillies’ organizations where he registered a 7.39 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and a 36/20 K/BB ratio over 31 2/3 innings across three minor league levels. There’s a chance that if he pitches well during Grapefruit League action that he could push for one of the final spots in the club’s Opening Day bullpen.

Buehler will also receive a $3.05 million signing bonus and the option for the 2026 season includes a $3 million buyout, so he’s only receiving a $15 million base salary for the 2025 season. The 30-year-old right-hander will join a revamped Red Sox’ rotation and is very likely to return to fantasy relevance following a disappointing return to the mound in 2024. His current average draft position sits just outside the top 250 players overall.

It’s odd to see cash included in a deal involving two pre-arbitration, minimum-salaried players, but the Marlins will take it however they can get it. Mervis’s performance really backed up last year, but perhaps it was due to injury or simply boredom while spending a third straight summer in Iowa. He hit .297/.383/.593 with a 15% K rate in his intro to Triple-A in 2022, .282/.399/.533 with a 23% K rate there in 2023 and then .235/.329/.434 with a 30% K rate in 81 games last season. As a major leaguer, he’s come in at just .155/.222/.259 with a 31% K rate in 127 plate appearances. His exit velocity numbers are not very impressive, so he’s not going to succeed in the majors with a high strikeout rate. The path is there to at-bats at first base or DH in Miami, but at this point, he doesn’t seem like a particularly good bet. Still, this is the kind of player a rebuilding club on a budget should be trying out.

Bruján gets traded a week after being designated for assignment. He’s now three years removed from being viewed as one of the game’s better infield prospects, and it’s just hard to see much upside here given his lack of power or defensive value. The 26-year-old has hit .189/.261/.270 in 550 major league plate appearances to date. Out of options, he’ll likely battle for the last spot on the Cubs’ roster in spring training.