Cincinnati

Reds

This one is a bit of a head-scratcher, as you would have thought the Reds would value one of the filthiest bullpen arms in the game (and one that’s under team control through the 2028 season) more than a defensive-minded backup catcher, but I digress. In addition to his defensive prowess, Trevino will also bring moxie and veteran leadership to the Reds where he’ll serve as the primary backup behind Tyler Stephenson. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

In return, the Reds will be sending Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson to the Yankees. Trevino is a highly skilled defender behind the plate and a former Platinum Glove winner. He had a rough year offensively in 2024, slashing just .215/.288/.354 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 234 plate appearances. He’ll share the load behind the plate with Tyler Stephenson for the Reds in 2025 but shouldn’t garner much interest from a fantasy perspective.

Shaw is now 37 and has bounced around from organization to organization over the past few years. He spent 2024 in the White Sox organization before signing with the Angels shortly after being released by Chicago, and he was released by Los Angeles before making an appearance. Shaw will get an opportunity to win one of the final spots in the Cincinnati bullpen with a good showing in Arizona.

This is a nice pick-up for the Reds. The Rangers claimed Contreras off waivers from the Angels at the end of October but decided to waive him themselves a week ago when they re-signed Nathan Eovaldi. The 25-year-old transitioned to the bullpen full-time in 2024 and registered a 3.86 ERA and a 52/25 K/BB ratio in 60 2/3 innings. He did struggle in medium and high-leverage situations, allowing 17 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings while striking out 13 and walking four. However, he was much better in lower-leverage spots allowing just eight earned runs in 36 2/3 innings, so he could be a solid option as a multi-inning reliever or first guy out of the pen in Cincinnati last season.

Bowman was acquired by the Athletics in the deal for Frankie Montas back in 2022 from the Yankees. The infielder posted an .844 OPS in Double-A last year, but that number tanked to .594 when he was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas from Midland. His path to a roster spot will be showing defensive versatility during the Cactus League.

The ping pong balls came through for the Nationals as they secure the top selection in next year’s MLB Draft after having just 10 percent odds of landing the first overall pick. Washington hasn’t picked first overall since taking Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Bryce Harper (2010) in consecutive seasons. Oklahoma prep shortstop Ethan Holliday — son of former Rockies star Matt Holliday and brother of Orioles top prospect Jackson Holliday — and Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette are among the top candidates for the first-overall selection next year. The biggest movers were the Mariners, who went from the second-lowest odds at less than one percent, jumping all the way to the third pick. The Marlins, who came into the lottery tied with the Rockies for the best odds to secure the first pick, fell all the way to seventh. Here are the complete lottery results: (1) Nationals, (2) Angels, (3) Mariners, (4) Rockies, (5) Cardinals, (6) Pirates, (7) Marlins, (8) Blue Jays, (9) Reds, (10) White Sox, (11) Athletics, (12) Rangers, (13) Giants, (14) Rays, (15) Red Sox, (16) Twins, (17) Cubs, (18) Diamondbacks.

There had been reports over the past week that the Guardians were willing to listen to offers on both of those hitters, so it’s not surprising to hear that teams would be calling to see what the asking price is. The Reds are known to be in the market for help in the outfield, so Thomas would probably make the most sense, though it doesn’t sound as if there has been anything more than exploratory discussions at this stage.

Cotillo says the Red Sox haven’t been aggressive in pursuing Crochet, even though they’d seem to match up as well with the White Sox as anyone in the league. The Yankees, though, are firmly in the mix. The White Sox are looking for bats in return from Crochet, so the Reds might have to take from the major league club to satisfy them by building a deal around Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand or maybe even Matt McLain. Andrew Abbott or Nick Lodolo could also be on the table, especially since one of them would stand to lose a rotation spot to Crochet anyway.

Antone is back in the fold with Cincinnati as extra organizational relief depth after being jettisoned earlier this month from the club’s 40-man roster. The 30-year-old right-hander, who made four appearances last year for the Reds, was one of the better high-leverage relief weapons in the game a few years ago, but his career has been derailed by an avalanche of elbow issues. At this point, he’s more of a low-probability lottery ticket than anything else for Cincinnati heading into 2025.

Sanmartin has struggled to a lackluster 5.77 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 71/41 K/BB ratio across 82 2/3 innings (61 appearances, six starts) in the big leagues since 2021. The 28-year-old lefty spent all of last season in Cincinnati’s system, making 21 relief appearances, with most of those coming at Triple-A Louisville. He’s merely extra organizational relief depth at this juncture.