MLB Player News

Jones singled in runs in the sixth and eighth. A nice day at the plate, but Jones has been one of the biggest fantasy disappointments after his breakout 2023 campaign with an OPS of .633 that is nearly 300 points behind his .931 mark of 2023. There’s reason to believe he can bounce back, but obviously there’s more risk than hoped for coming into the 2025 campaign.

The Padres are “bumping up against much more of a payroll restriction than they were a year ago,” so they are looking to create payroll flexibility and add cost-controlled young talent. That has led the Padres to look to trade away Cease and Michael King. As Morosi noted, Cease is the more likely of the two to be dealt since he is making more money, and the Cubs are an interesting fit since they have seven of the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Morosi mentioned Owen Caissie as a potential name that could go back and start right away in San Diego, but it remains to be seen if Chicago would be willing to give up that much for one year of Cease.

Rosenthal mentioned that “the teams could not find a middle ground on players or dollars,” which is why the Reds pivoted and signed Austin Hays. Robert will earn $15 million in 2025, and his contract also includes $20 million club options for each of the next two seasons. Rosenthal mentions that each option comes with a $2 million buyout, so Robert is guaranteed at least $17 million per season, which could be seen as a lot to pay for somebody who has only played in more than 100 games once during his career. Of course, that was an elite season. The Reds had discussed infield prospect Edwin Arroyo with the White Sox, but they ultimately “could not get comfortable with the total cost,” so now Chicago will head into spring training with Robert Jr. on their roster.

The 29-year-old Abreu was once an intriguing relief prospect for the Yankees, who posted a 4.58 ERA and 22.4 percent strikeout rate in 135 2/3 career innings before being non-tendered after the 2023 season. He spent last year with the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. In 49 innings he pitched to a 2.39 ERA but that came with just a 16.3 percent strikeout rate.

It’s perplexing that Avila went unclaimed on waivers after posting a solid 3.25 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 73/30 K/BB ratio across 74 2/3 innings (50 appearances) last year in his Guardians debut. The 28-year-old righty will head to Triple-A Columbus as extra relief depth, but should factor into Cleveland’s relief mix in short order.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds it’s a two-year, $20.2 million deal with a $13 million club option for 2027 that also includes a $2 million buyout. Estévez’s arrival certainly complicates matters from a fantasy standpoint as lefty Lucas Erceg was the presumptive favorite to close this season for Kansas City. The 32-year-old righty, who has recorded 57 saves combined over the past two seasons, is coming off the best season of his career last year when he posted a stellar 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 50/12 K/BB ratio across 55 innings (54 appearances) for the Angels and Phillies. He figures to be in the mix with the Royals for saves right away, which puts him squarely in the RP18-25 range.

Gibaut returns to Cincinnati as extra organizational relief depth heading into spring training after being non-tendered earlier this offseason. The 31-year-old righty made just two relief appearances last year for the Reds on the heels of a career-high 74 the prior season.

The trade is now official. Rogers provides Cincinnati with an experienced setup option to bridge the gap to fire-balling closer Alexis Díaz. The 34-year-old southpaw leaves his twin brother, Tyler, behind in San Francisco after a stellar two-year run where he compiled a strong 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 128/47 K/BB ratio across 11 2/3 innings (124 appearances) during that span. He’d be the favorite for saves with the Reds if Díaz wound up hitting the injured list, which keeps him on fantasy manager’s radar screens entering next season.

Roxby has yet to pitch above Double-A and heads to San Francisco after registering a lackluster 5.21 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 65/24 K/BB ratio across 48 1/3 innings (39 appearances) last year for Double-A Chattanooga. The 25-year-old is merely extra organizational relief depth for the Giants, who manage to clear $12 million off their books by shipping Rogers to Cincinnati. The move leaves just Erik Miller and Joey Lucchesi as left-handed relief options for the Giants entering spring training.

White draws the short straw for the Reds following the club’s acquisition of veteran southpaw reliever Taylor Rogers. The 25-year-old former top pitching prospect was acquired earlier this month in a trade with the Rangers and is a near-lock to be claimed off waivers by another organization.

Faedo, who is out of minor-league options entering spring training, loses his spot on Detroit’s 40-man roster following the addition of veteran reliever Tommy Kahnle. The 29-year-old former first-round selection excelled last year upon transitioning to a full-time relief role, posting a respectable 3.61 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 55/28 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings (37 appearances, six starts). He should attract some interest on waivers in the coming days.