MLB Player News

That role was vacated on Monday morning with Joc Pederson signing with the Rangers, and it seems like the team is more than happy for Smith to simply step in and take it. As Sommers noted, 85 percent of Smith’s at-bats in 2024 came against right-hand pitching, and he did hit .270/.348/.547 with nine home runs and a .896 OPS in just 158 plate appearances. The lineup around Smith will be good, and he should push over 400 plate appearances in the role, which will give him value in deeper formats, but Chase Field is the worst park in baseball for left-handed power and Smith will be removed mid-game when left-handed relievers come in so it makes it a bit hard to roster him in most fantasy formats.

The 24-year-old slugger went undrafted out of Texas State then went on to wallop the pitching in the Pioneer League to the tune of a .370/.473/.640 slash line with 19 homers, 84 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 75/57 K/BB ratio over 392 plate appearances with the Yolo High Wheelers. It’ll be interesting to see if he can carry any of that over to affiliated ball with the Astros.

The Brewers needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after acquiring Grant Anderson from the Rangers on Thursday and unfortunately Jay pulled the short straw this time around. The 30-year-old left-hander broke through to the big leagues for the first time in 2024, posting a 4.70 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and a 6/6 K/BB ratio over 7 2/3 innings in five appearances between the Mets and Brewers. There’s a chance that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to serve as extra bullpen depth for the Brewers.

The Rangers were going to lose Anderson on waivers without getting anything for him after he was designated for assignment earlier in the week, so instead they opted to flip him to the Brewers for a low-level prospect. Molina, 21, was a seventh-round pick from the 2024 draft class and hurled five scoreless innings at Single-A Carolina in his professional debut last season. He’s probably a couple of years away from being an option at the big-league level.

The 27-year-old hurler had been designated for assignment by the Rangers earlier in the week, so they were content to flip him for anything that they could get at this stage. Anderson made 23 appearances at the big league level for the Rangers in 2024 — posting an 8.10 ERA, 1.61 WHIP and a 29/10 K/BB ratio over his 26 2/3 innings of work. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Brewers.

The parallels make sense, as both Hoffman and Holmes were standouts in their respective teams’ bullpens the past few seasons and both are hoping to make the transition back to the starting rotation in 2025. Interest in Hoffman has been slow to develop this winter though, most likely as teams are still waiting for some of the names at the top of the market (Roki Sasaki, Jack Flaherty) to sign before proceeding to their fallback options.

Dubroff notes that Flaherty did not have a good experience in his first stint with the O’s, so despite the reports that they have interest in a reunion it’s highly unlikely to happen. One of the top remaining starting pitchers remaining on the free agent market, expect Flaherty to make his decision soon. The Tigers, Blue Jays and Dodgers have all been linked to him at various points this off-season.

The Red Sox are expected to be in the mix as well, but Heyman sees the Tigers and Blue Jays as the current frontrunners. Both clubs are also viewed as the favorites to land Anthony Santander, so it’s possible that each club winds up with one of the top remaining free agent sluggers. Bregman is still reportedly seeking a contract in the range of $200 million after turning down a $156 million offer from the Astros.

The 25-year-old hurler spent the 2024 season in the rotation at Double-A Erie where he registered a 4.34 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 108/55 K/BB ratio over 120 1/3 innings in 28 appearances (27 starts). He’ll continue to function as extra rotation depth for the Tigers heading into the 2025 campaign.

Heyman noted that there remains a gap in years, but there is also a gap in years between the Mets and Pete Alonso, so it seems that Alonso currently wants more years than anybody is willing to offer. The Angels are looking for another impact bat for their lineup, and Alonso would fit the Angels’ bill as a player entering the second stage of their career. If the Angels did sign Alonso, Heyman mentions that they would move Nolan Schanuel out to left field. The situation seems like a long shot, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Manoah had Tommy John surgery back in June and is now in the fourth week of his throwing program. The 26-year-old claims that he aims to “pitch the last two months of the regular season,” but he also didn’t want to put a firm timeline on his recovery. Obviously, that timetable would keep him off the radar in most fantasy leagues, but it would be nice to see the talented young pitcher bounce back to his prior form.