MLB Player News

Martinez has spent 12 years with the Blue Jays organization, the last six as the team’s hitting coach under Charlie Montoyo and John Schneider. The team hit just .241/.313/.389 this year and scored 671 runs, its lowest total since 1997 (2020 excepted).

Bañuelos returns to Baltimore as extra organizational catching depth after getting into one contest last season for the Orioles. The 28-year-old backstop figures to open the year back at Triple-A Norfolk.

Pacheco was a notable pitching prospect a couple seasons ago, but injuries have derailed his one-promising career. The 26-year-old righty has made only two appearances in the minor leagues over the last two seasons, but will remain with the Tigers as a long-term development project. If he can stay healthy, and the stuff bounces back, he might have a shot to reach the big leagues down the road.

It’s a two-year extension for Shildt, who helped lead San Diego back to the postseason last year in his first season at the helm, finishing the regular season with a strong 93-69 record. The 56-year-old skipper received a two-year deal when he was hired last November to take over after Bob Melvin left for the division-rival Giants.

Milwaukee has had success with their offseason dart throws in recent years and Nittoli seems like a decent fit after pitching well in nine relief outings last year between the Athletics and Orioles. The 33-year-old righty will compete in spring training for a spot in the Brewers’ season-opening bullpen.

León, who turns 36 years old next spring, continues to hang around on the periphery of the big leagues as emergency catching depth. He didn’t appear in the majors last season, but got into 21 contests for the Rangers during the 2023 campaign. He’s appeared in 554 games at the highest level dating back to 2012. With top prospect Drake Baldwin ready to ascend to Atlanta, León figures to open the year at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Hartlieb heads to New York as extra organizational relief depth following five relief appearances last year for the Rockies. The 30-year-old journeyman holds a lackluster 7.37 ERA, 1.87 WHIP and 76/55 K/BB ratio across 79 1/3 innings (64 appearances) in the majors since 2019.

Ohtani is expected to be ready for spring training, according to a team statement, after requiring offseason surgery stemming from a left shoulder dislocation that he suffered during Game 2 of the World Series. The 30-year-old generational talent is coming off a sublime fantasy season where he capped off his Dodgers debut with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases in 159 contests. It doesn’t appear that the shoulder procedure will impact his readiness for the outset of next season, but there won’t be much clarity until spring training rolls around. He’ll be a top three overall selection in all fantasy drafts next spring.

Sisco returns to the fold with the Cardinals as emergency catching depth after latching on back in late August following a stint with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. The 29-year-old backstop was one of the top catching prospects in baseball years ago, but never really was able to carve out a role at the highest level. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since back in 2021.

Knight was up briefly for the Cubs at the conclusion of the regular season as emergency catching depth for Chicago, but didn’t end up getting into a game. The 28-year-old backstop has been removed from the club’s 40-man roster and will open next year back at Triple-A Iowa.

Brown refused to reveal whether they’ve made a formal offer to Bregman, but he reaffirmed that third base remains the club’s biggest priority heading into the offseason. The 30-year-old received a qualifying offer from Houston earlier this week, but is a virtual lock to reject it and hit the open market. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Bregman dip his toes in the water to see what other offers are out there, but it sounds like the Astros are going to be extremely aggressive in trying to bring him back.