MLB Player News

Fletcher struggled in the Cactus League, and wasn’t a great bet for the roster even after Andrew Benintendi’s hand injury. Fletcher will likely be up-and-down throughout 2025.

Crouse was a notable pitching prospect just a couple years ago but hasn’t put it together at the highest level, recording a lackluster — 4.96 FIP — 1.30 WHIP and 36/24 K/BB ratio across 32 1/3 innings at the highest level for the Phillies and Angels from 2021-2024. The 27-year-old righty was cut loose by Los Angeles last April after just a handful of appearances for Triple-A Salt Lake.

Rucker hasn’t resurfaced in the majors since making 96 relief appearances for the Cubs from 2021-2023, posting a respectable 4.57 FIP and 120/50 K/BB ratio across 123 1/3 innings during that span. The 31-year-old journeyman righty didn’t pitch anywhere last year after spending the previous season in the Phillies system. He’s merely emergency organizational depth at this juncture of his career.

Castro fortifies Los Angeles’ bullpen depth after making just six relief appearances for the White Sox this past season. The well-traveled 31-year-old veteran has made 425 appearances in the majors between the Blue Jays, Rockies, Orioles, Mets, Yankees, Diamondbacks and White Sox dating back to 2015.

Cowles, who came over from the Yankees in the Mark Leiter Jr. trade back in 2024, returns to the organization after spending time last year with the White Sox. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to reach the big leagues but might get a look at some point next season.

Two-year minor league deals are typically for injured players set to miss a season, so we’re guessing that’s the case here. McGough, 27, got off to an awful start in the White Sox system last season and announced his retirement in May. He had a 1.98 ERA and an 88/28 K/BB in 81 2/3 innings for the Orioles and White Sox in 2024, with the team change coming because he was traded for Eloy Jimenez at the deadline.

The Braves tried to push Suarez through waivers after avoiding arbitration with him last week by signing him to a $900,000 deal. The 28-year-old Suarez had a 1.86 ERA in one start and six relief appearances after the Braves picked him up from the Angels last season. He previously posted a 5.47 ERA in 61 starts and 38 relief appearances for the Halos from 2019-24. He’s out of options, so unless he makes the Orioles out of spring training, he’ll go back on waivers again at the end of March. More likely, though, is that the Orioles just put him right back on waivers in the coming days.

Luciano lasted eight days on the Orioles’ 40-man, which is longer than most of their waiver pickups this winter. Maybe they’ll get lucky and sneak him through waivers, as they just did with Jhonkensy Noel.

Clarke, who was non-tendered by the Royals in November, returns to his original organization here; he had a 4.99 ERA in 20 starts and 58 relief appearances for Arizona from 2019-21 before being non-tendered for the first time. The Royals let him go even though he had a career-best 3.25 ERA in 55 1/3 innings last season, but he is homer-prone and probably a worse fit there with the team moving the fences in. The Diamondbacks figure to treat him as a middle reliever.

Varland was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in August but then spent the rest of the season in Triple-A. The 29-year-old has a 4.82 ERA and a 47/24 K/BB in 46 2/3 with the Brewers, Dodgers and White Sox the last two years.

He’ll get $12.8 million, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Castro seemed in line for a one-year pact after cratering with the Cubs following a deadline deal, but the Rockies needed to commit a little extra, even for a position player who will be lucky to take advantage of Coors Field. The switch-hitting Castro figures to be an everyday player for Colorado, though he could continue to be deployed all over the place. He’s hit .244/.328/.386 with 32 homers and 57 steals in 1,498 plate appearances over the last three seasons. Unfortunately, though, 33 of those steals came in 2023, and he’s gone just 24-for-37 since. Still, with Coors backing him and maybe more steal attempts on a bad team, he could be a factor in mixed leagues.