MLB Player News

Petersen will begin the season in Triple-A with the Bees, but the 30-year-old has a good shot to make appearances with the Angels at some point in 2025. It just won’t be in a role that has fantasy relevancy

Martinez was the Diamondbacks’ 8th round pick in this last draft. He posted a 5.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 110/33 K/BB ratio in 77 1/3 innings at Arizona State. He’s a tall pitcher with a deceptive delivery and a big upper-90s fastball. While his ratios were not great in college, he has a true four-pitch mix and the frame to hold up to a long MLB season, so this is a solid gamble for the Cardinals, who are desperate for young starting pitching.

This deal came together quickly, and, according to The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, the Diamondbacks are only paying Arenado $5 million this year and $6 million next year, thanks to the money the Cardinals are sending over. Arenado hit .237/.289/.377 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI for the Cardinals in 107 games last season while battling injuries. It was the first time he had played under 144 games in a season since 2014. The 34-year-old is no longer the offensive player that he was in his prime, but he remains a good defender with elite contact rates, both of which will be a boon to the Diamondbacks. Of course, this means that Arizona’s top prospect, Jordan Lawlar, is, once again, without a clear starting job heading into spring training.

The Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays appear to be Tucker’s main suitors, though if he’s willing to accept a shorter deal like this, it really ought to lead to more widespread interest. It is, however, unclear if Tucker has backed off his pursuit of a longer contract.

Maybe the D-backs really don’t think Jordan Lawlar can play. It won’t require much talent to bring in Arenado; it’s mostly just a matter of how much of the contract they’d have to absorb. If something gets done, then there’s a good chance Lawlar will return to Triple-A. The Cardinals would be clearing room for top prospect J.J. Wetherholt, but they’d probably start off the season with Nolan Gorman or Thomas Saggese at third base.

The Yankees have also reached out to the Cubs about Hoerner, but all indications, for now, are that the Cubs would rather hold onto Hoerner and trade Matt Shaw. Both Hoerner and Donovan are high-contact rate hitters who would provide nice balance to a Giants infield that features power bats in Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, and Rafael Devers. Nothing appears imminent, but the Giants don’t appear comfortable beginning the 2026 season with Casey Schmitt or Christian Koss as their starting second baseman.

Kieboom had only eight plate appearances for the Angels in 2025, but hit .319/.368/.449 with nine home runs and 11 steals in 93 games for Triple-A Salt Lake. The former top prospect will likely be corner infield depth for the Guardians in 2026 and should no longer be counted on for any major MLB production.

“We want a neutral ballpark where if you hit a ball well, it should be a home run,” said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo. According to Stacast’s Park Factors, Kauffman Stadium ranked 6th in baseball as an offensive park. However, this ranking was largely due to its having the second-largest outfield in baseball, which promotes doubles and triples. It ranked 25th in baseball as a home run park, which is the fourth-lowest mark of any stadium that has been in use for at least the last three seasons. The team will keep centerfield at 410 feet, but will shorten the power alleys from 389 feet to 379 feet, and “the fences will continue on that path, 9 to 10 feet shorter, nearly all the way to the corners.” This will not only help established power hitters like Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez hit more home runs, but should be a nice boost for young players with plus power like Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. However, batting average hitters with fringe power, like Isaac Collins and Jonathan India, may see a slight regression with a smaller outfield for extra base hits to fall in.

With Carlos Correa now back in town and Yordan Alvarez likely spending all of next season at DH, the Astros have a surplus of infielders and likely need to trade one of Walker or Isaac Paredes. The Astros would like to keep Paredes and play him at first base, but they would need to find a way to trade Walker. The 34-year-old did hit 27 home runs last season, but he has two years, $40 million left on his contract and has been declining offensively over the last couple of years. The Astros would likely get back far more in a trade for Paredes, so the question will be whether Houston prefers to make essentially a salary dump trade or tries to bring back players of value.

There was some thought that the Cubs would try to trade Nico Hoerner and move Shaw to second base, but Law suggests that Shaw may be wearing out his welcome in Chicago. After a poor rookie season, Law reported that Shaw has shown “resistance to help from the Cubs’ staff.” His approach at the plate in 2025 was “undisciplined and often defensive,” according to Law, and he wasn’t eager to make adjustments with the hitting coaches. If that’s the case, it’s easy to see why the Cubs would want to trade Shaw, but may limit his market if teams are worried about him taking the same approach in a new place.

Enright spent the last two seasons as pitching coach for the Angels. Over that stretch, the Angels posted a 4.73 ERA and a poor 20.4 percent strikeout rate. Enright will now be working primarily with minor league pitchers as Mike Maddux serves as the MLB pitching coach, so perhaps he’ll have more success in that role.