MLB Player News

Fulmer signed a two-year, minor-league deal with the Red Sox in February after undergoing Tommy John surgery. There was speculation the Red Sox would add him to the 40-man in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but they decided against it, and no one opted to take a chance on him. He’ll be 16 months removed from surgery when spring training begins, so he should be in position to compete for a job. He’ll probably be a reliever if he makes the team, but he hasn’t been ruled out as a starter.

It seemed like there were better third base options out there for the A’s, but they settled for the steady glove. Jon Heyman reported that the deal was worth $2.15 million and includes $400,000 in bonuses. The 33-year-old Urshela hit .250/.286/.361 in 128 games for the Tigers and Braves last season. He shouldn’t be much of a fantasy factor while hitting in the bottom half of the A’s lineup.

The Phillies cash in one of their best prospects here in the hopes that Luzardo will stay healthy after a 2024 season in which he missed time early with elbow soreness and later was shut down for the year because of a stress reaction in his back. He’s expected to have a normal spring, so for now anyway, the Phillies rotation is full, leaving Taijuan Walker apparently bullpen bound and Andrew Painter to toil in the minors for a spell. Luzardo was terrific in 2023, finishing with a 3.58 ERA and 208 strikeouts in 178 2/3 innings, and it looked like he had the potential to do even better going forward. The Phillies will have him for two seasons before he becomes eligible for free agency.

The Phillies face the possibility of losing the out-of-options Rafael Marchán if they don’t carry him as their backup catcher over Garrett Stubbs, so some extra depth is welcome. McIntosh, 27, has a decent enough bat, but he hasn’t proven strong enough defensively to earn consideration for backup gigs yet. He was passed over in the Rule 5 draft earlier this month.

Having just turned 19 this month, Caba is a work in progress offensively, but he’s a legit shortstop, giving the Marlins another strong prospect at the position to go along with Jared Serna, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, and 2024 second-round pick Carter Johnson. The switch-hitter came in at .228/.385/.284 with 50 steals in 78 games between Rookie ball (52 games) and low-A ball (26 games) last season.

Boyd, 21, was an 11th-round pick out of high school in 2022. In two seasons since, he’s posted lines of .262/.366/.324 in low-A and .239/.417/.331 in high-A and stolen a total of 83 bases in 187 games. His defense isn’t particularly well regarded, and he doesn’t figure to add a whole lot of power, so he doesn’t currently project as a starting outfielder.

Gilbert, 31, will always be best known for throwing a no-hitter in his first big-league start for the Diamondbacks in 2021. He’s mostly relieved the last two years, and he allowed three runs over 8 1/3 innings for the Phillies in 2024. While he’s still not a hard thrower at all, he did amass a 52/8 K/BB and a 2.25 ERA in 40 innings for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate last season.

The Marlins are getting prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd in return, while the Phillies will also be picking up catcher Paul McIntosh from Miami (according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb). Caba, a 19-year-old shortstop, rated as one of the Phillies’ biggest minor league talents. Luzardo adds to one of the game’s best rotations, assuming that he’s healthy after being limited to 12 starts by elbow and back problems last season. The chances of Andrew Painter debuting in April just took a hit, but injuries probably will make room for him at some point.

Julks hit .214/.275/.306 with the White Sox in his limited action. The 28-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and it makes room for Cam Booser after the White Sox acquired Booser in a trade with the Red Sox.

Fajardo is an 18-year-old hurler who made 13 starts in the DSL with a 3.91 ERA and impressive 64/8 K/BB over 50 2/3 innings. The right-hander is essentially a lottery ticket for Boston.

Booser should be a big part of the White Sox bullpen after forging a 3.38 ERA in 43 2/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2024. The left-hander is due $800,000 in 2025, and isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031.