MLB Player News

The deal is now official after Adames passed his physical. Without being too hyperbolic, the move to San Francisco is pretty much the worst-case scenario landing spot for fantasy purposes since Oracle Park ranks almost dead-last (28th) in home runs for right-handed batters, according to Statcast park factors over the last three seasons. That doesn’t mean Adames won’t remain a strong fantasy contributor with the Giants. We’re confident projecting the 29-year-old stalwart as a top 10 shortstop from a fantasy perspective heading into 2025 since we’re still comfortable locking in a realistic 25-homer floor. However, it’s difficult to forecast a repeat of last year’s career-high 32 round-trippers with the Brewers since Oracle Park puts a realistic ceiling on his over-the-fence pop upside.

The Jays needed to free up a spot on their 40-man roster for Josh Walker on Friday and unfortunately Danner was the odd-man out this time around. The 26-year-old hurler spent the majority of the 2024 season at Triple-A Buffalo where he posted a 3.06 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 36/13 K/BB ratio over 35 1/3 innings. There’s a possibility that he could pique another team’s interest on waivers.

The Blue Jays wanted to make sure they got the 30-year-old southpaw, so they gave him a guaranteed one-year deal at the league minimum instead of a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Walker has struggled mightily during his time in the big leagues with the Mets over the past two seasons, registering a 6.45 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and a 23/12 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings of work. Expect him to find a spot in the club’s Opening Day bullpen.

It seems as though the Yankees were still in on Christian Walker after acquiring Cody Bellinger from the Cubs, so the fact that they’re still in the market for a first baseman isn’t terribly surprising. It seems their intention is to play Cody Bellinger in center field if they’re able to land a first baseman, and shift him to first base if they can’t. Nightengale notes that the Mariners, Giants, Nationals and Mets are all currently engaged in talks with Goldschmidt as well, so the Bombers face plenty of competition in their pursuit.

The two sides agreed to the pact on Thursday, but Kepler needed to pass his physical first to make it official. The 31-year-old slugger should slot in as a regular for the Phillies against right-handed pitchers, who he has been known to mash against in the past. He’s coming off a bit of a disappointing 2024 campaign though where he slashed just .253/.302/.380 with eight long balls and 42 RBI in 399 plate appearances with the Twins. Anticipate that his current average draft position — outside the top 475 players overall — will rise now that he has found a favorable landing spot.

The expectation had been that Wagaman would have to settle for a minor league contract, so it’ll be interesting to see if it’s actually a major league deal or some sort of split contract when the Marlins ultimately announce it. For his part, the 27-year-old held his own during his time with the Angels during the 2024 season — slashing .250/.270/.403 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI and a 17/2 K/BB ratio in 74 plate appearances.

The Rangers made their signing of Hoby Milner official on Friday and needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster to do so. Unfortunately for White, he pulled the short straw this time around. It’s possible that the 25-year-old hurler will pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the Rangers at the Triple-A level.

Still no word on the contract details, but the 33-year-old left-hander had been projected to earn around $2.5 million via arbitration before he was non-tendered by the Brewers. While he had a bit of a down season in 2024, Milner has established himself as one of the stronger left-handed relievers in all of baseball and he should be a welcomed addition to the Rangers’ bullpen.

The Royals didn’t say if Fernández was going to get an invitation to spring training, but that’s a relatively small detail. The right-hander signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, but he appeared in just two games in the NPB. Once considered among the better relief prospects in baseball, Fernández will need to pitch exceptionally well this spring to be anything more than depth for Kansas City in 2025.

Shaw is now 37 and has bounced around from organization to organization over the past few years. He spent 2024 in the White Sox organization before signing with the Angels shortly after being released by Chicago, and he was released by Los Angeles before making an appearance. Shaw will get an opportunity to win one of the final spots in the Cincinnati bullpen with a good showing in Arizona.

De Los Santos was non-tendered by the White Sox at the end of November. The 28-year-old pitched well after being claimed off waivers from the Yankees with a 3.63 ERA over 17 1/3 innings after he struggled with New York to a 14.21 ERA after being traded from the Padres at the deadline. He’ll compete for a spot in the Atlanta bullpen, but will have to be added to the 40-man roster in order to pitch for the team when the season begins.