MLB Player News

It’s too late for Schneider to salvage his season, but a late outburst might make another team want to take a flier on him this winter. The Jays certainly don’t have to move him — he’ll make essentially the minimum again next year — but it doesn’t seem like he’s a part of their long-term plans. He’s hitting .203/.291/.366 with 13 homers in 422 plate appearances.

The deal is now official. Faedo grew up in the Tampa Bay area and gets to head home after losing his spot last week on Detroit’s overcrowded 40-man roster. The 29-year-old former top pitching prospect represents a worthwhile gamble for the Rays as a low-leverage relief specialist after he posted a serviceable 3.61 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 55/28 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings (37 appearances, six starts) last year for the Tigers.

The league’s decision to terminate Hoberg – who has denied betting on baseball and a league investigation found no evidence that he placed bets on games or took any action to manipulate the outcome of any games – was held up following an appeal process in accordance with the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The report details that Hoberg, who had been a full-time umpire since 2017, shared legal sports betting accounts with a friend who placed bets on baseball and impeded a subsequent investigation by deleting text messages between the two parties.

Aranda, who batted .247 with five homers over his final 26 games last year, is expected to pick up some additional at-bats in a complementary role behind Yandy Díaz at the cold corner. The 26-year-old fits the profile of a potential breakout candidate for fantasy purposes since he hits the ball extremely hard, typically to right field, and should thrive in a ballpark ideally suited for his offensive approach. He ranked sixth in the major leagues last year in Baseball Savant’s barrels per plate appearance (11.2 percent) metric among hitters with at least 50 batted ball events and projects to benefit exponentially this upcoming season from Tampa Bay’s unplanned relocation to George M. Steinbrenner Field. He’s an interesting late-round sleeper candidate and a name to watch closely in the early stages of spring training.

Song was returned to the Red Sox from the Phillies after previously being selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Song then underwent Tommy John surgery in March of last season but is reportedly on the way back. The Red Sox are “optimistic about his progress” but “will see how spring training goes... He’s strong, showing good progress.” Song won’t face live hitters until later in the spring so he’ll likely stay in extended spring training to continue to rehab instead of heading to a minor-league affiliate. The 26-year-old has a 3.81 career minor league ERA in 49 2/3 innings with a 50/22 K/BB ratio.

McCarthy also acknowledged that “If [Kristian] Campbell comes out too hot to ignore, they may end up starting Campbell at second over Grissom and keep Grissom on the bench"; however, the Red Sox have a lot invested in Grissom after trading Chris Sale for him last year. Before last year’s injury-plagued season, Grissom had gone 62-for-216 (.287) with five home runs, five steals, and a 49/13 K/BB ratio. He doesn’t have tons of power, but he’s proven himself to be a strong contact hitter who could make good use of the Green Monster in left field. If Grissom does win the second base job, he has a chance to hit for a .270-.280 average with 10 home runs and 10 steals while hitting near the end of a solid lineup. That could be enough for deep league value.

Allard pitched to a 5.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 23/8 K/BB ratio in 27 innings last year for the Phillies. He wasn’t much better in Triple-A with a 5.66 ERA in 90 2/3 innings. The left-hander figures to serve as organization depth for the Guardians.

Haggerty is coming off a lost season after tearing his Achilles in May. He has a career .232/.312/.351 slash line in 202 MLB games with nine home runs and 17 steals. He’s a versatile defender with good speed, which provides value but he has an uphill battle to earn playing time in Texas.

The White Sox brought back Jacob Amaya off waivers from the Orioles, so they needed a spot on the 40-man roster and decided to part ways with DeLoach. The 26-year-old hit .209/.293/.328 in 75 plate appearances with the White Sox but fared much better at Triple-A with a .287/.375/.410 slash line with six home runs and 20 stolen bases in 97 games.

This has been quite an off-season for Amaya, who was designated for assignment by the Astros in August and then claimed by the White Sox, who designated him for assignment in January. The Orioles claimed him off waivers but then let him go when they signed Dylan Carlson, so the White Sox will bring him back. He’s in the right organization to get playing time, but he seems like a glove-first player who should not be on fantasy radars. Zach Deloach was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

The signing was announced last week but is now official. The one-year contract also has a $6 million player option for 2026 with a $750K buyout. If Polanco has 550 plate appearances in 2025 then his player option increases to $8 million. The 31-year-old was injured for much of 2024 and struggled to a .213/.296/.355 slash line with 16 homers, 45 RBI, and four stolen bases. However, he will get a chance to play every day for the Mariners to start the season and has a career .263/.330/.435 slash line in 950 MLB games and has at least 14 home runs in four straight seasons, so there’s a chance he can carve out deeper league fantasy value. Cade Marlowe was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.