MLB Player News

Kelly is back after two hitless innings in a rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had been sidelined since Aug. 31 with shoulder inflammation.

The Dodgers were busy Friday, as they reportedly also agreed to terms with infielder Hyeseoung Kim as well. Hernández was a big part of the Dodgers’ championship run, and is coming off a 2024 where he slashed .272/.339/.501 with 33 homers, 99 RBI and 12 stolen bases in 652 plate appearances. He’ll hit in the middle of one of — if not the — best lineups in baseball, and should remain an excellent fantasy option for 2025.

Velazquez returns to the New York organization three years after joining the Yankees from the Orioles. The 30-year-old infielder can play anywhere on the dirt, but offers no offensive upside whatsoever. He’ll compete for one of the bench spots, but likely is going to provide depth in Triple-A.

A little bit of a surprise, but it’s another move that shows off the Dodgers’ international power. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports the deal will pay him guarantees Kim $12.5 million, with a two-year option for 2028-29 that gives him a chance to earn $22 million. The 25-year-old was one of the best hitters in the Korea Baseball Organization, and he’s coming off a season where he registered an .841 OPS and 30 stolen bases for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO. He should be a regular in the middle infield and could hit at the top of the Los Angeles order, but even if he hits at the bottom it provides opportunity to be driven in by MVP winners like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

The 24-year-old slugger went undrafted out of Texas State then went on to wallop the pitching in the Pioneer League to the tune of a .370/.473/.640 slash line with 19 homers, 84 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 75/57 K/BB ratio over 392 plate appearances with the Yolo High Wheelers. It’ll be interesting to see if he can carry any of that over to affiliated ball with the Astros.

The Brewers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after acquiring Grant Anderson from the Rangers on Thursday and unfortunately Jay pulled the short straw this time around. The 30-year-old left-hander broke through to the big leagues for the first time in 2024, posting a 4.70 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and a 6/6 K/BB ratio over 7 2/3 innings in five appearances between the Mets and Brewers. There’s a chance that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to serve as extra bullpen depth for the Brewers.

The Rangers were going to lose Anderson on waivers without getting anything for him after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week, so instead they opted to flip him to the Brewers for a low-level prospect. Molina, 21, was a seventh-round pick from the 2024 draft class and hurled five scoreless innings at Single-A Carolina in his professional debut last season. He’s probably a couple of years away from being an option at the big-league level.

The 27-year-old hurler had been designated for assignment by the Rangers earlier in the week, so they were content to flip him for anything that they could get at this stage. Anderson made 23 appearances at the big league level for the Rangers in 2024 — posting an 8.10 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and a 29/10 K/BB ratio over his 26 2/3 innings of work. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Brewers.

The parallels make sense, as both Hoffman and Holmes were standouts in their respective teams’ bullpens the past few seasons and both are hoping to make the transition back to the starting rotation in 2025. Interest in Hoffman has been slow to develop this winter though, most likely as teams are still waiting for some of the names at the top of the market (Roki Sasaki, Jack Flaherty) to sign before proceeding to their fallback options.

Dubroff notes that Flaherty did not have a good experience in his first stint with the O’s, so despite the reports that they have interest in a reunion it’s highly unlikely to happen. One of the top remaining starting pitchers remaining on the free agent market, expect Flaherty to make his decision soon. The Tigers, Blue Jays and Dodgers have all been linked to him at various points this off-season.

The Red Sox are expected to be in the mix as well, but Heyman sees the Tigers and Blue Jays as the current frontrunners. Both clubs are also viewed as the favorites to land Anthony Santander, so it’s possible that each club winds up with one of the top remaining free agent sluggers. Bregman is still reportedly seeking a contract in the range of $200 million after turning down a $156 million offer from the Astros.