MLB Player News

That’s one more hole filled for the Yankees. The 37-year-old Goldschmidt is in obvious decline, but he did perk up some in the second half of last season, hitting .271/.319/.480. He’ll have to get used to hitting low in the order in New York, but that process did already somewhat start with the Cardinals. With Ben Rice out of the first base picture now, it will be interesting to see if he’s given a shot at the backup catcher gig in spring training. The problem there, though, is that both he and Austin Wells are left-handed hitters.

Boettcher was Houston’s 13th round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old outfielder will not report to spring training and will be placed on the restricted list at some point in the coming weeks. The Astros will retain his rights moving forward. Boettcher is expected to re-evaluate his option following the 2025 college football season.

Swaggerty was in camp last spring with the Dodgers before spending the entire year with the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association, batting .269/.378/.422 with seven homers and 20 steals in 321 plate appearances over 73 contests. The 27-year-old outfielder was the 10th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and got into just five games for the Pirates during the 2022 season before being released midway through the following year after missing time to be with his wife while she battled a rare blood disease.

Contreras has yet to appear in the big leagues after spending the first seven years of his career between the Padres and Phillies. The 25-year-old righty struggled to a bloated 9.67 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 51/24 K/BB ratio across 44 2/3 innings (14 appearances, eight starts) last year for Double-A Reading in Philadelphia’s system. He’s merely an experimental lottery ticket for the Padres at this stage of his career.

Hernández provides New York with some emergency infield depth heading into next season after batting .241/.333/.309 with two homers and 13 steals in 322 plate appearances last year for Triple-A Nashville in the Brewers’ system. The 26-year-old holds a lackluster .190/.286/.222 triple-slash line with 13 thefts in 221 plate appearances at the big-league level dating back to 2021.

Pelham provides the Athletics with some extra left-handed relief depth after splitting last year between a stint with the Angels at Double-A Rocket City and the independent Mexican League where he posted an absurd 1.04 ERA over 17 1/3 innings of work. The 29-year-old southpaw hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2018 campaign when he made 10 unremarkable relief appearances for the Rangers.

Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler mentioned earlier this offseason that Jax could potentially make the leap to Minnesota’s starting rotation next season, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. It’ll be Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack in addition to some combination of Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa or Zebby Matthews breaking camp in the rotation mix. The 30-year-old righty, who broke in the majors as a starter back in 2021, has excelled in a high-leverage role for the Twins over the past three seasons. He piled up 10 saves last year to accompany a sparkling 2.03 ERA (1.94 FIP), 0.87 WHIP and 95/15 K/BB ratio across 71 innings (72 appearances). He’ll remain among the most impactful non-closers in the fantasy landscape and a legitimate force in saves plus holds formats heading into 2025.

Brogdon, 29, elected free agency after being sent outright to Triple-A by the Dodgers in the middle of November. The 29-year-old dealt with injuries in 2024, but he’s been a relatively effective hurler when healthy. He could be amember of the Angels’ bullpen to open the year, but he’ll need to earn a spot on the 40-man roster to do so.

Danner was designated for assignment after the Blue Jays acquired Josh Walker in Dcember. Danner, 26, posted solid numbers in Buffalo with a 3.06 ERA and 36/13 K/BB over 35 1/3 innings, and could be given a chance to compete for one of the final spots in the Seattle bullpen this spring.

Rojas will head to Chicago and assuredly be a regular, likely as the starting third baseman. The 30-year-old got off to a roaring start for Seattle, but plummeted over the final few months of the campaign. Even with playing time guaranteed, there’s no real reason to roster Rojas in 2025.

Amaya is booted off the 40-man roster after the White Sox made the signing of Josh Rojas official. The former Dodgers’ prospect struggled at the highest level, but as a 26-year-old capable of playing up the middle he could see interest on the waiver wire.