MLB Player News

Brogdon is off the 40-man roster. The right-hander missed the overwhelming majority of 2024 with a foot injury, and he’ll need to be added back to the 40-man if he’s going to pitch for Los Angeles in 2025.

The 30-year-old hurler had a brutal regular season in his return from Tommy John surgery but turned things around in the postseason and wound up closing out the final game of the World Series for the Dodgers. While there should be plenty of teams interested in his services this winter, it’s unclear if he’ll find the lucrative multi-year contract that he’s looking for or will have to settle for a one-year prove-it type of deal before hitting the market again next season.

Graderol underwent the operation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and Graterol said that everything went well. It’s another setback for the 26-year-old, who missed almost all of the 2024 season but showed well in the World Series. It’s not known yet how much time Graterol will miss after the operation, but it’s a safe bet that this will cut into the start of his season.

Elias also said the same for Kyle Bradish (elbow). Both Wells and Bradish were unable to contribute much in 2025 because of their UCL injuries, but both have a chance to have some fantasy relevance — even if only for half a season — with the team playing behind them. Neither misses a ton of bats, however, so they’re more of players you should monitor rather than considering them as a potential draft pick.

Wall-timore no more? The Orioles famously — or possibly infamously — made changes to left field before the 2023 season, and it’s obviously created a more difficult hitting park; particularly for right-handed hitters. Elias told reporters the wall will be moved in between 9 and 20 feet after the team “overcorrected” in it’s initial move. This is a boost to several hitters in the Baltimore lineup like Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle, but maybe a bit of a hit on some of the pitchers. Long live Wall-timore.

Zuñiga was designated for assignment after the Angels signed Travis d’Arnaud. The right-hander made 15 appearances for Los Angeles in 2024 with a 5.09 ERA and 12/8 K/BB across 17 2/3 innings. There should be interest in him on a minor-league deal now that he’s on the open market.

Irvin will have a chance to revive his career in the KBO. The 30-year-old’s $1 million deal is the maximum allowed for a first-year foreign player in Korea. Irvin threw 111 innings in 2024 between the Orioles and Twins with a 5.11 ERA.

No word yet on the financial terms of the agreement. The 30-year-old former top prospect was acquired from the Phillies in early November in exchange for cash considerations. His versatility should allow him to secure a bench spot on the Halos’ Opening Day roster as long as he doesn’t completely fall on his face during Cactus League play.

It’s the fourth consecutive season in which the 30-year-old superstar has received the honor. He’s certainly deserving, coming off of perhaps the greatest offensive season in big league history where he slashed a Herculean .310/.390/.646 with 54 homers, 134 runs scored, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases. He’ll add a National League MVP award to his mantle shortly.

It’s hard to find any arguments against that one, as Helsley was an unstoppable force in the ninth inning for the Cardinals in 2024. He secured a league-leading 49 saves while posting a 2.04 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 79/23 K/BB ratio across 66 1/3 innings in his 65 appearances. He also notched seven victories in his extremely impressive campaign. Helsley will find himself among the upper echelon of closers in 2025 fantasy drafts.

The 26-year-old right-hander delivered an unbelievable season out of the Guardians’ bullpen in 2024, registering a minuscule 0.61 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and a 66/10 K/BB ratio over 74 1/3 innings while notching four victories and piling up a league-leading 47 saves. That phenomenal effort has him as a finalist for the Cy Young Award as well, though it’s difficult to see him besting Tigers’ left-hander Tarik Skubal for that award.