MLB Player News

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.

Martin provides the Rangers with a proven high-leverage option and a potential fallback option at closer if they are unable to re-sign Kirby Yates. The 38-year-old veteran struggled with some physical issues last year with the Red Sox but still managed to record a strong 3.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 50/3 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings (45 appearances). He’s made a remarkable 369 relief appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2014.

Festa loses his spot on Texas’ 40-man roster to make room for veteran reliever Chris Martin. The 31-year-old righty made 18 relief appearances last year for the Rangers, posting a pedestrian 4.37 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 23/7 K/BB ratio across 22 2/3 innings of work.

The deal is now official. Lux was outstanding in the second half of last year, batting .304/.391/.508 with seven homers and two steals in 210 plate appearances over his final 61 contests. The 27-year-old former top prospect became expendable for Los Angeles after the club signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim last weekend. He figures to occupy a versatile multi-position role for Cincinnati with Matt McLain possibly moving to center field.

The Dodgers finally get their chance with Sirota after picking him in the 16th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but were unable to sign him. The 21-year-old outfielder will head to Los Angeles as an intriguing development project.

Contreras was claimed off waivers back in mid-December from the Rangers and winds up losing his spot on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster to make room for newly acquired Gavin Lux. The 25-year-old righty figures to generate plenty of interest on the open market.

Bauers augments Milwaukee’s bench depth heading into next season after batting .199/.301/.361 with 12 round-trippers and 13 steals in 346 plate appearances over 116 contests last year with the Brewers. The 29-year-old is merely a platoon option at this stage of his career, but he’s capable of filling in at several defensive spots, if needed.

Passan adds that the deal also includes a $12 million mutual option for 2026. Lorenzen has been a quality back-end rotation stabilizer the past few years but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy appeal at this stage of his career. The 33-year-old veteran right-hander posted a strong 3.31 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 97/60 K/BB ratio across 130 1/3 innings (26 appearances, 24 starts) last year between the Rangers and Royals. He’ll bolster Kansas City’s starting rotation depth heading into 2025.

It’s unclear how exactly Lux fits into Cincinnati’s overcrowded infield mix but he provides them with a versatile multi-position bench option. It’s possible Matt McLain will shift to center field next season, where he played during the Arizona Fall League. The 27-year-old former top prospect, who came on strong during the second half of last year after missing the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL, became expendable after the Dodgers signed Korean second baseman Hyeseong Kim last weekend. Passan adds that outfield prospect Mike Sirota and a competitive balance draft pick are heading to Los Angeles in the deal.

There’s zero indication that the Cardinals are close to finalizing a potential deal, but Denton adds that the Red Sox have emerged as a strong contender to land Arenado. Boston has been linked to free agent Alex Bregman throughout the offseason, but it’s unclear whether there’s any traction there at this juncture. The presence of franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers at the hot corner, and emerging slugger Triston Casas at first base, further complicate matters from a fit standpoint. There’s also the matter of how much of Arenado’s contract, which still has three years and roughly $74 million left on it, the Cardinals would have to absorb to facilitate a deal. Stay tuned.

Wingenter will take his talents overseas after being non-tendered a couple weeks ago by the Cubs. The hard-throwing 30-year-old righty reliever has made 97 appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2018.