MLB Player News

Musgrove is getting moved ahead of Cease here, which is a little surprising. This will put King on six days’ rest, Musgrove on five and Cease on seven, if Game 3 is necessary.

Carrasco posted a 5.64 ERA in 103 2/3 innings with Cleveland last year and a 6.80 ERA in 20 starts for the Mets in 2023, so we’re not expecting much here. The Yankees are likely bringing him in as veteran depth in case he has something left in the tank or something to teach their young arms in spring training.

The Tigers designated Faedo for assignment last week, so it’s nice for them to get something in return for the 29-year-old reliever. Delgado is a 20-year-old catching prospect who played 56 games in A-ball last year. He posted a .259/.382/.400 slash line with a .782 OPS and four homers in those 56 games and is graded out as an elite defensive prospect with a top-tier arm.

This is yet another buy-low move by the Rays to acquire Faedo, who was designated by assignment by the Tigers last week. Faedo was the 18th pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, and Baseball America ranked him as the 50th overall prospect heading into the 2018 season. In his MLB career, Faedo has pitched to a 4.51 ERA in 175 2/3 innings with a 20.9 percent strikeout rate. The Tigers moved Faedo to a full-time relief role last season; however, he possesses an elite slider that could be a tremendous pitch for him if the Rays can figure out the rest of his arsenal. It’s unlikely that change will happen in 2025, but we wouldn’t rule it out in the future.

Speaking at “Dodgerfest,” last week, Glasnow said he has been tweaking his mechanics this off-season to leverage his 6'8" frame down the mound and adjust where his front foot plants. “When I land I used to be very extended, spine angle and stuff,” Glasnow said. “So I’ve been working with some people, trying to make some small changes. It’s hard to explain but once I throw I’ll feel you can probably see it.” Obviously, anything that will put less strain on Glasnow’s arm will be beneficial, but it will be hard for fantasy drafters to count on him for more than the career-high 134 innings he threw in 2024.

The Brewers designated Jay for assignment at the beginning of January and he was claimed off of waivers by the Mariners. However, the Mariners added reliever Will Klein a couple of weeks later and designated Jay for assignment themselves. The 30-year-old is now back with Milwaukee after 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. He also had a 3.02 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 56 2/3 Triple-A innings between the Mets and Brewers, so he should be solid organizational depth.

The deal includes an opt-out for Flaherty if he chooses to exercise it. He’ll earn $25 million in 2025 and then has a $10 million option for the 2026 season that will jump to $20 million if he makes 15 starts in 2025. The 29-year-old hurler spent the first half of the 2024 season with the Tigers before getting dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline and helping his new club win the World Series. The Tigers picked up a strong pair of prospects in the deal and now get the added benefit of Flaherty returning to slide in behind Tarik Skubal at the top of their rotation. As we saw in the first half of 2024, pitching in Detroit is about as good of a situation as it gets for Flaherty’s fantasy value.

The 24-year-old played a pair of minor league seasons in the Diamondbacks’ organization and also appeared in 14 games for the Washington WildThings in the independent Frontier League in 2024. He’ll add minor league depth for the Phillies.

The 29-year-old infielder will make $1.5 million if he makes the team’s Opening Day roster. Lopez appeared in 124 games for the White Sox during the 2024 season, slashing a woeful .241/.312/.294 with one homer, 21 RBI, five stolen bases (in 12 attempts) and a 67/37 K/BB ratio in 445 plate appearances. He can be completely ignored for fantasy purposes.

Cronenworth, 31, split his time between first base (85 games) and second base (70 games) during the 2024 campaign, but it looks like he’ll be able to focus on playing second base regularly heading into 2025. The means that Luis Arraez should function as the club’s primary first baseman barring any additional roster moves.

Aranda is probably going to have a chance to start against righties initially this year, but this does give the Rays some extra flexibility if Eloy Jiménez or someone else outperforms him this spring. Hopefully, it won’t end up mattering; Aranda’s strong exit velocity numbers suggest that he’ll be a nice middle-of-the-order bat, at least as a platoon guy.