MLB Player News

They’re facing a Sunday deadline to make the call. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden also has a Yankees source indicating that the team will likely retain Cole. The Yankees would be paying $180 million for Cole’s next five seasons through age 38. It’d be an easy call if not for the 34-year-old’s elbow injury last season. As is, it’s pretty risky. Still, Cole was the AL Cy Young winner in 2023, and his stuff looked plenty good in the playoffs last month.

Devenski has bounced around between several organizations over the last couple seasons and is at least a half-decade removed from being one of the better relievers in the game. The 33-year-old veteran will compete for a spot in New York’s bullpen next spring after struggling last year in 19 relief outings with the Rays.

Urquidy and Ortega have both opted to elect free agency following their removal from Houston’s 40-man roster. Urquidy underwent Tommy John surgery back in early June and will miss the vast majority of the 2025 campaign. He could make sense as a long-term stash option for a contender willing to wait until he’s finished his lengthy rehabilitation process. Ortega didn’t make an appearance last year for the Astros after undergoing a pair of elbow surgeries.

Petersen is on the move again after being claimed off waivers back in early September from the Dodgers. The towering 30-year-old righty will augment Toronto’s relief depth heading into the offseason.

Ramirez gets caught up in a roster crunch as Toronto clears a spot for newly-acquired reliever Michael Petersen. The 30-year-old rookie righty didn’t make an appearance for the Blue Jays after being claimed off waivers back in early September from the Marlins.

Both Cabrera and Frias will test the free agent waters after being removed from Toronto’s 40-man roster. Cabrera’s tenure with the Blue Jays is over after posting a respectable 3.34 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 70/35 K/BB ratio across 86 1/3/ innings (98 appearances) over the last two years. The 28-year-old southpaw was set to be arbitration-eligible this offseason for the first time in his career.

This one doesn’t come as a surprise after Haniger turned in his second consecutive down year, slashing .208/.286/.334 with 12 homers and 44 RBI in 423 plate appearances over 121 contests. The 33-year-old slugger’s over-the-fence pop has been trending in the wrong direction ever since belting a career-best 39 round-trippers back in 2022. At this point, it’s difficult to envision him carrying much fantasy appeal in 2025 or beyond.

Stallings heads to free agency after just one season with the Rockies where he posted a strong .810 OPS with a career-high nine homers in 82 games. Obviously, a return to Colorado would be the optimal outcome here for fantasy purposes, but the 34-year-old backstop is unlikely to have much appeal, regardless of where he winds up.

Kershaw has spent his entire 17-year career with the Dodgers and recently indicated that he hopes to somehow return to Los Angeles next season. It’ll have to be on a new deal as the 36-year-old future Hall of Fame southpaw hits the open market after undergoing surgery on both his left foot and left knee. The most likely outcome here is that Kershaw ultimately returns to the Dodgers, but his days as a fantasy-relevant impact contributor are pretty much over.

It’s a significant hit to Atlanta’s high-leverage relief mix as Jimenez will be sidelined until at least midseason after undergoing a procedure to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. The 29-year-old righty has been lights-out over the last two years for the Braves, registering a sparkling 2.81 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 155/37 K/BB ratio across 125 innings (128 appearances).

It’s some procedural routine housekeeping for the Twins as they’ve jettisoned a quartet of relievers on the periphery of their 40-man roster at the outset of the offseason. There’s a strong possibility they all wind up electing free agency in search of new opportunities.