MLB Player News

Gallegos, who possesses a 3.49 ERA in 311 career relief appearances, had a rocky year that saw him get released by the Cardinals with two months to go, but it still seemed like his history might get him a guaranteed deal this winter. Perhaps it still might have eventually, but he’s decided against playing the waiting game and joined a team that has a better chance than most of helping him get things turned around.

Rome adds that the agreement includes opt-outs following the 2025 and 2026 seasons, respectively. Bregman’s pull-heavy approach is perfectly suited for historic Fenway Park’s iconic Green Monster, which makes it easy to forecast 20-plus homers moving forward. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports Bregman is expected to take over as Boston’s starting second baseman, which keeps franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers at third base, and also virtually guarantees that top prospect Kristian Campbell will open the year back at Triple-A Worcester. It’s an ideal landing spot for Bregman from a pure fantasy standpoint as he’ll likely slot into the second spot on manager Alex Cora’s lineup card and should benefit tremendously from the hitter-friendly AL East ballparks.

Abrams told reporters on Wednesday that he feels “faster, bigger and stronger” entering spring training following last year’s unexpected second-half slide (.538 OPS with five homers and 16 steals over his final 49 contests), which concluded with a highly public off-field incident that led to a late-September demotion to the minors for disciplinary reasons. The 24-year-old was a fantasy force during the first half, posting a robust .831 OPS with 15 round-trippers and 15 steals in his first 89 games before suffering a wrist injury in late June, which might’ve contributed to his late-season struggles. He projects as a likely 20-homer, 30-steal fantasy contributor moving forward and the fact that he spent the offseason focusing on his conditioning is an extremely encouraging development.

Interesting. Holmes is making the transition to a starting role with New York and is aiming to throw roughly 160 innings in his Mets debut. The 31-year-old righty boasts a power sinker and the addition of a kick-changeup, which is simply a different changeup grip that leads to sharper vertical break down and away to lefties, gives him another secondary offering against left-handed batters. He’s an extremely intriguing late-round sleeper candidate for fantasy purposes and will be a name to watch closely in Grapefruit League outings.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Cavalli’s workload will be managed this season to ensure his long-term health, but it sounds like he’ll have an opportunity to break camp in the majors if he’s ready. The 26-year-old former top pitching prospect has tumbled off fantasy manager’s radar screens after missing the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he’s talented enough to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues. There are very few obstacles to starts in Washington, which makes it highly likely he gets a shot at some point, even if he winds up opening the year back at Triple-A Rochester.

It’s an extremely positive sign that Alcantara is already facing hitters as he wraps up his lengthy rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery back in October, 2023. The 29-year-old former fantasy ace could have some workload limitations in the early stages of the regular season, but there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll be an impact fantasy contributor in his return to Miami’s starting rotation.

Passan adds that the deal contains opt-outs following the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The top remaining starting pitcher on the open market, Pivetta heads to San Diego to bolster a starting rotation mix that also includes Dylan Cease, Michael King and Yu Darvish. His arrival leaves Matt Waldron, Sean Reynolds and Randy Vásquez battling for the final spot or two in the season-opening mix. The 31-year-old right-hander posted a strong 4.14 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 172/36 K/BB ratio across 145 2/3 innings (27 appearances, 26 starts) last year for the Red Sox. His 22.9 percent K-BB percentage last year was the sixth-best mark in baseball among starting pitchers with at least 140 innings of work. He feels like one of the better bargains out there for fantasy purposes since he’s currently the 61st starter off the board (199th overall), on average, in early NFBC drafts.

Brebbia heads to the Motor City to bolster Detroit’s relief corps after posting a lackluster 5.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 67/19 K/BB ratio across 55 1/3 innings (59 appearances) last year between the White Sox and Braves. The 34-year-old veteran has made 354 appearances (21 starts) in the big leagues dating back to 2017. He’s unlikely to work his way into high-leverage spots, which eliminates his fantasy appeal, but he’s an experienced option in middle relief.

It’s merely a procedural move since Lange was likely to miss time at the outset of the season recovering from a torn lat that he suffered last June at Triple-A Toledo.

McClanahan enters spring training without any limitations having completed his lengthy rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery back in August, 2023. The 27-year-old southpaw was an upper-echelon fantasy contributor prior to the surgical procedure and the only lingering question is how much Tampa Bay is willing to push him from a workload standpoint in his first season back. He’s currently being selected as the 37th starting pitcher off the board (120th overall), on average, in early NFBC drafts. His fantasy value will skyrocket this spring if he looks sharp in Grapefruit League outings.

Gray is making steady progress in his lengthy recovery from last year’s Tommy John surgery that also included an internal brace procedure. The 27-year-old righty figures to rejoin Washington’s starting rotation mix at some point in the second half of the year.