MLB Player News

The deal is now official. Wilson hit free agency last month following his removal from Milwaukee’s 40-man roster. The soon-to-be 27-year-old righty finished last year with a respectable 4.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 82/31 K/BB ratio across 104 2/3 innings (34 appearances, nine starts). He’ll most likely operate in a versatile swingman-type role for Chicago, which is unlikely to translate into significant fantasy appeal.

It’s been roughly two weeks since Arenado invoked his no-trade clause to veto a potential trade to Houston and it’s unclear whether there is another trade partner out there willing to take on the roughly $60 million left on his contract over the next three years. It’s entirely possible that a spring training injury changes the calculus for a contending front office, but at this point it’s becoming increasingly likely that Arenado will return to St. Louis for the upcoming 2025 season.

Williams was fantastic in 2024 before a flexor tendon injury caused him to miss the final three-plus months of the season. He was 6-1 with a 2.03 ERA prior to that, and the Nationals will hope that he can be a semblance of that hurler in 2025 and 2026. Fantasy managers should probably not bet on it considering his track record prior to the breakout campaign.

Gordon was a minor-league free agent after hitting a paltry .227/.258/.369 in 95 game with the Marlins. The former top prospect will battle for a bench spot with Baltimore, but faces an uphill battle and then some to make the Opening Day roster

No word yet as to the financial terms, but it’s not likely to be a (relatively) significant salary. Thielbar was mostly ineffective in 2024 with a 5.32 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, but he’s had success in the past, and will be a middle-innings option for the Cubs in 2025.

Buchanan finished last year as a member of the Reds, and he was outrighted off the 40-man roster by Cincinnati at the beginning of September. The 35-year-old will be a depth piece for Texas in 2025 with an outside chance of making appearances for the Rangers this summer.

Baltimore has an obvious need for a frontline starter after former ace Corbin Burnes bolted for Arizona last week. Flaherty, who spent the final few months of the 2023 season with the Orioles following a trade from the Cardinals, is the top starter left on the open market by a considerable margin. The 29-year-old faded down the home stretch last year with the Dodgers, but was outstanding with the Tigers at the outset of the year. He makes a ton of sense for the Orioles, who have yet to make a big splash in free agency with the exception of brining in veteran Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano. We’ll see if general manager Mike Elias is ready to finally make a big move.

Hart has garnered plenty of interest this offseason as he appears poised to return to the majors following a highly successful stint in Korea where he compiled a sparkling 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 182/38 K/BB ratio across 157 innings (26 starts). The 32-year-old southpaw rode an uptick in fastball velocity to improved results overseas and is most likely going to get an opportunity somewhere as a back-end rotation option or versatile swingman. He’s an interesting name to watch on the pitching market in the coming weeks.

The deal is now official. Goldschmidt looks like an obvious rebound candidate for fantasy purposes since he’s shown zero signs of physical decline and still makes hard contact at elite rates. The move to an extremely hitter-friendly environment in Yankee Stadium, which ranks 2nd out of 30 ballparks in Baseball Savant’s three-year park factors for right-handed home run pop, raises his realistic over-the-fence power ceiling to the point that he’s a borderline top 10-12 option next season at the cold corner. The 37-year-old is still capable of reaching 20 homers with double-digit stolen bases, which still makes him a mixed-league relevant fantasy contributor.

Castro will compete in spring training for a spot in Houston’s season-opening bullpen after being cut loose back in August by the Diamondbacks after missing most of last year due to shoulder inflammation. The 30-year-old righty made 75 relief appearances the previous season for Arizona. He holds a serviceable 4.20 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 410/233 K/BB ratio across 460 2/3 innings (419 appearances) in the big leagues dating back to 2015. He’ll presumably operate in middle relief for the Astros if he gets back to the majors.

We’re shocked 10 teams didn’t bother to make at least an initial pitch to Sasaki at all. Wolfe added that his client is currently back in Japan with his family determining his next steps, which will most likely include narrowing his potential destinations, after several in-person meetings with prospective clubs earlier this month in Los Angeles. The 23-year-old phenom, whose posting window doesn’t close until January 23, is expected to make his final decision at some point in mid-to-late January. We’re fairly confident at least a half-dozen teams have met with Sasaki at this point including the Dodgers, Padres, Yankees, Mets, Cubs, Rangers and Giants.