MLB Player News

Casali was signed in the middle of January as a non-roster invite, but the 36-year-old didn’t do enough to make the roster even with Sean Murphy (ribs) picking up an injury. Casali will likely see interest from other clubs on a minor-league deal.

Waldichuk represents an intriguing addition for Tampa Bay’s pitching development apparatus to sink their teeth into this spring. The 28-year-old former top prospect’s stuff hasn’t rebounded to pre-Tommy John surgery levels but he still offers some appeal as a potential swingman, capable of stepping into the starting rotation or gobbling up multiple innings out of the bullpen. He spent a couple weeks with the Braves after being jettisoned by the Athletics last month and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign.

Wisely heads to Tampa Bay as a versatile utility infield option after getting into 26 games between the Braves and Giants last season, hitting .185/.279/.315 with one homer and one steal in 63 plate appearances. He offers some appeal as an experienced veteran stopgap at the highest level, but he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Bido’s stint with the Rays wound up lasting only a couple weeks after being picked up off waivers from the Braves. The 30-year-old figures to generate some interest as a versatile swingman despite recording a bloated 6.07 FIP and 68/35 K/BB ratio across 79 2/3 innings over 26 appearances for the Athletics this past season.

Cheng has been removed from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran utility infielder Brett Wisely. The 24-year-old shortstop was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last week after hitting .209/.307/.271 with one homer and 18 steals in 107 games for Triple-A Indianapolis. He got into three contests for Pittsburgh last season, going 0-for-7 at the dish.

Chicago continues fortifying its relief mix with Martin representing their latest middle relief lottery ticket this offseason. The 30-year-old former top pitching prospect was the centerpiece of the Zack Greinke trade between the Astros and Diamondbacks in 2019 before injuries derailed his promising trajectory. He compiled an underwhelming 6.00 ERA — 5.30 FIP — and 23/9 K/BB ratio across 18 innings over 17 appearances for the Orioles this past season in his first big-league action since the 2022 campaign.

One imagines there’s some pressure on the newly acquired Ford to be in Nationals camp gaining reps with all of the team’s pitchers, but at least Great Britain probably isn’t in for a lengthy WBC run. It still might lessen his chances of breaking camp with the Nationals, though giving Keibert Ruiz one last chance as a starter is probably the team’s plan anyway.

The 26-year-old Castro had just signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays in November, so this might mean another opportunity came up for him. Castro didn’t play in the majors last season. He’s hit .219/.292/.380 in 627 career plate appearances with the Pirates and Phillies.

That goes along with what The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reported last week. Bellinger is currently holding out for seven years, but one would think a sixth season might be enough to persuade him. He lost one suitor when the Cubs came to terms with Alex Bregman, but that still leaves the Mets, Dodgers, Jays and others. At this point, he might be best off waiting to see which teams miss out on Kyle Tucker.

Buxton’s presence has been assumed for months, but the confirmation took quite a while. He’s set to be joined by Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Team USA outfield, so it’ll be interesting to see how that sets up. PCA probably should be in there against righties, with Buxton starting in center against lefties and coming off the bench.

Davis played in 38 big-league games from 2019-2022. The first 26 of those came with the Giants, and he hit .159/.221/.270. However, he did have a nice little stint with the Red Sox in 2022, batting .333/.407/.375 in 27 plate appearance. He’d spent the last two years playing indy ball, so the writing was on the wall. Still, he was a fine Triple-A player who could have been a fine Triple-A player for a few additional seasons if not for contraction in the minor leagues.