MLB Player News

Buehler, who was 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 regular-season starts, has definitely earned himself some money by pitching nine scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts in two postseason outings. Maybe he’ll still take a one-year contract anyway, but he’ll certainly have more options now. He’s due to pitch again if the World Series somehow lasts seven games.

The deal is now official after Kittredge passed his physical. The 34-year-old veteran right-hander features a deadly sinker-slider combo and figures to jump right into Baltimore’s high-leverage mix behind closer Félix Bautista after finishing last year with 37 holds to accompany a sparkling 2.80 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 67/20 K/BB ratio across 70 2/3 innings (74 appearances).

Hunt loses his spot on the Orioles’ 40-man roster after the club signed veteran reliever Andrew Kittredge. The 26-year-old backstop figures to pass through waivers unclaimed and remain with the club as emergency catching depth.

The deal, which also includes $1 million in performance incentives, is official. Solano provides Seattle with some additional bench depth heading into next season after batting .286/.343/.417 with eight home runs and two steals in 309 plate appearances last year with the Padres. The 37-year-old veteran journeyman has spent time with four different organizations in the big leagues dating back to 2019. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes but represents a quality depth addition for the Mariners behind incumbent infield options Dylan Moore, Luke Raley and Ryan Bliss.

Kitchen was claimed off waivers last September from the Marlins and winds up losing his 40-man roster spot after making four appearances (one start) last year for Miami. The 27-year-old southpaw should attract some interest on waivers as extra relief depth.

According to multiple reports, the Rangers, Yankees, Giants and Mets no longer appear to be in the mix. The Blue Jays remain the biggest X-factor left in the running since Sasaki has met with the club and there’s zero indication they’re out of the running. The NL west rival Dodgers and Padres have long been viewed as the favorites to sign the 23-year-old Japanese phenom with Badler’s latest report echoing that belief. We got an early indication that Los Angeles is a clear finalist in the Sasaki derby last week when they lost top international prospect Darell Morel to the Pirates. Sasaki is expected to make a final decision in the coming days once the international signing period officially kicks off.

The Rangers, Yankees and Giants are out of the Sasaki sweepstakes, while the Mets are also considered unlikely to sign with Japanese phenom. The Dodgers, Padres and Blue Jays seem like the most logical destinations with less than 48 hours left until the international signing period opens.

The deal was officially announced over the weekend. Rea fortifies the back-end of Chicago’s starting rotation mix and could also operate in a swingman-type role, if needed. The 34-year-old veteran was a solid innings-eater last year for Milwaukee, posting a serviceable 4.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 135/43 K/B ratio across 167 2/3 innings (32 appearances, 27 starts).

So far on Monday, Sasaki and his team have told the Mets, Yankees, and Giants that they are no longer in the running. The Mets always seemed like they’d have an uphill battle to land Sasaki, but being out of the running is a big blow for them. With Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea at the top of their rotation, the Mets could really use an ace and Sasaki is the the best option remaining on the free agent market

The Yankees join the Giants and Mets as a team that has been eliminated from contention for the Japanese right-hander today. The Yankees already have a full rotation plus Marcus Stroman, who they are dangling in trade talks, so this doesn’t impact the strength of their pitching in 2025, but they obviously would have liked to have signed a player as talented as Sasaki.

Sasaki and his team have entered the final stages of their prolonged off-season schedule as the 23-year-old star can sign with a team starting on Wednesday. It wouldn’t be a surprise to hear other teams begin to be eliminated from contention, but it seems like the Dodgers, Padres, and Blue Jays are the top contenders for now.