MLB Player News

It’s a big cut from the $6.3 million that Farmer made as an arbitration-eligible player with the Twins last season, but we’re skeptical anyone else was offering Farmer this much after a season in which he posted an 82 OPS+. Maybe he’ll bounce back some at age 34... it could mean the difference between the Rockies winning 64 or 65 games next year.

Smith, a Wake Forest product, had a 3.04 ERA and a 113/29 K/BB in 94 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A last season. Rule 5 picks are often traded after being picked, so it’s not clear yet that Smith will be remaining with the White Sox. If he does, though, he’d likely have a very good shot of claiming a bullpen spot in the spring.

The Yankees are in the mix, too, but they might not match up as well as other suitors. Tucker, one of the AL’s best players the last four seasons, has one year to go before free agency. Sherman sees the Cubs as a particularly strong pursuer here. It brings up the interesting possibility of Isaac Paredes perhaps being moved to an Astros ballpark that’s perfect for his swing. However, much of the reason Tucker seems to be on the table at the moment as that his departure would make it easier to re-sign Alex Bregman to a long-term deal.

Solak, who hit .262/.327/.372 in 253 games for the Rangers from 2019-22, spent last season with the Mariners’ Triple-A club and batted .311/.406/.446, though that never got him a callup. He’s no longer much of an option at second base, and the bat probably isn’t there to make him very useful as a corner outfielder.

Brentz, 30, had a fine season as a rookie reliever for the Royals in 2021, finishing with a 3.66 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 64 innings, but he blew out his elbow early the following year and has struggled mightily to make it back. Last season, he walked 52 and gave up 38 earned runs in 30 innings in the Royals’ minor league system. Obviously, he has some work to do before he’ll be a candidate to join Tampa Bay’s pen.

Capel, 27, is thought of as a quad-A player, but he’s experienced success in his brief major league stints, hitting .278/.359/.398 in 153 plate appearances. He’s probably not going to be on the Braves’ Opening Day roster, but he’s a decent enough corner outfield stopgap if needed.

The Yankees are rather surprisingly missing from the list, though that probably doesn’t rule them out as a possibility. It’s currently unclear if any suitor is as interested in Arenado as the Cardinals are in moving on from him. He’s said he’d be willing to shift to first to aid a deal, but that just doesn’t make much sense; most of his value comes from his defense at third base.

It’s been a busy day for Horwitz, who heads to Pittsburgh following his inclusion in a multi-player swap with the Guardians. The widely-held assumption here is that the Pirates have their first baseman of the future. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests last year for the Blue Jays in his first extended opportunity at the highest level. Given the lack of quality options at the cold corner for fantasy purposes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were borderline mixed league-relevant next season playing everyday for the Pirates.

Ortiz has shown occasional flashes of brilliance and represents a fascinating gamble for Cleveland’s pitching development apparatus. The hard-throwing 25-year-old righty boasts an impressive fastball/slider combo, but hasn’t made enough progress with a third pitch to excel as a starter. That might change with the Guardians, who have had success with pitchers like him in the past. He should be in the mix for a spot in Cleveland’s season-opening rotation, which would make him intriguing for fantasy purposes, especially in extremely deep mixed leagues.

Hartle represents the proverbial lottery ticket in the deal as a towering left-hander who was selected in the third round of last year’s MLB Draft. The 21-year-old southpaw made just one appearance this past season in his professional debut. He’ll be a long-term project for Cleveland’s player development engine.

Kennedy was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and has yet to pitch above High-A. We’re not doubting Cleveland’s ability to develop young pitchers, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he wound up reaching the majors in a couple years.