1 week agoAccording to an industry source, the Atlanta Braves are interested in free-agent right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi after he declined his $20 million 2025 option to stay with the Texas Rangers. Eovaldi is now looking for a multi-year contract on the open market that will likely exceed an average annual value of at least $20 million. In 29 starts for Texas in 2024, he had a 3.80 ERA in 170 2/3 innings, and his 23.9 percent strikeout rate was his highest mark since 2021. Eovaldi's postseason ledger -- 9-1 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts -- stands out with the Braves potentially looking to replace lefty
Max Fried, who is also a free agent.
Chris Sale,
Reynaldo Lopez and
Spencer Schwellenbach are all locked into rotation spots in 2025, with
Spencer Strider returning from right-elbow surgery. In addition to Fried, the Braves are likely to lose veteran
Charlie Morton.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
1 week agoTexas Rangers right-handed reliever
Josh Sborz (shoulder) has visited with several shoulder expects since the season ended and both he and the team have yet to decide on a path forward, according to president of baseball operations
Chris Young. Sborz appeared only 17 times out of Texas' bullpen in 2024 due to his right-shoulder troubles, ultimately culminating with him finishing the year on the injured list. The 30-year-old is likely deciding on whether to go under the knife, which would almost assuredly mean that he won't be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. The Rangers' bullpen could look quite different next year, with
Kirby Yates,
David Robertson and
Jose Leclerc all being free agents. Sborz had a 3.86 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 17 K's and only four walks in his 16 1/3 relief innings in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
1 week agoFree-agent first baseman/designated hitter
Carlos Santana, who is 38 years old, said he wants to play another three or four seasons in the big leagues, according to his agent, Ulises Cabrera. The veteran Dominican switch-hitter won his first career Gold Glove at first base with the Minnesota Twins in 2024 and is coming off his best OPS (.749) since 2019 with the Cleveland Guardians. In addition to his .749 OPS, he hit .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs, 71 RBI, four stolen bases and 63 runs scored in 594 trips to the plate and 150 games for Minnesota in 2024 in his 15th major-league season. Santana has had a long and successful career as a patient hitter, with high on-base percentages being his calling card in fantasy. He's had a little resurgence the last two years, but fantasy managers can't count on that moving forward, and there's almost zero upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
1 week agoFree-agent infielder
Jorge Polanco (knee) is on track to be cleared for full baseball activities by January and is currently recovering on schedule after having surgery to fix the patellar tendon in his left knee, according to his agent, Ulises Cabrera. Polanco dealt with the knee issue for much of his first season with the Seattle Mariners in 2024 and was limited to 118 games, slashing a weak .213/.296/.355 with a career-worst .651 OPS, 16 home runs, 45 RBI, four stolen bases and 43 runs scored in 469 plate appearances. As a result of the disappointing season and his injury, the Mariners wisely declined Polanco's $12 million club option for the 2025 season. With better health, Polanco could have a bounce-back season elsewhere, but the Dominican infielder is known to be injury-prone, only playing in over 150 games twice in his 11 big-league seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
1 week agoAs expected, the Washington Nationals declined their $8 million 2025 mutual option for outfielder/designated hitter
Joey Gallo on Monday. It was the no-brainer move after Gallo showed more decline in his first year in the nation's capital. The two-time All-Star hit an abysmal .161/.277/.336 with a career-worst .613 OPS, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, three stolen bases and 24 runs scored in 260 plate appearances and 76 games played. The whiff-happy 30-year-old veteran left-handed slugger was always a big swing and miss guy, but it's gotten worse, with Gallo fanning in 102 of his 223 at-bats in 2024. In 10 big-league seasons since debuting in 2015 with the Texas Rangers, he has hit .194 with a .319 on-base percentage in 939 regular-season games. Gallo may have to settle for a minor-league deal elsewhere if he wants to continue his playing career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Nationals Communications
1 week agoJapanese right-handed pitching phenom Roki Sasaki is expected to be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball this winter, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are considered the favorites to sign him. The Dodgers would sign Sasaki with international bonus-pool money and a minor-league deal. After signing two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani to a record contract and also bringing in Japanese pitcher
Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a big deal, the Dodgers are expected to bring in another high-profile Japanese pitcher in Sasaki after winning the World Series over the Yankees. Sasaki has a fastball that hits triple digits, but he's not as polished as Yamamoto and is only 23 years old. Because of his age, he might top out at around $7.56 million on his first MLB deal this winter.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Dodgers Nation - Doug McKain
1 week agoThe Boston Red Sox announced on Monday that they exercised outfielder
Rob Refsnyder's $2.1 million option for the 2025 season. In a Red Sox lineup with plenty of left-handed hitters, Refsnyder was once again very valuable as a right-handed bat in Beantown in his third year with the team. In 307 plate appearances over 93 games, he hit .283/.359/.471 with an .830 OPS, a career-high 11 home runs, 40 RBI, two stolen bases and 32 runs scored as a platoon outfielder. Refsnyder doesn't receive the playing time to make him all that valuable in regular fantasy leagues, but he stands out as a DFS streamer because of his dominance over left-handed pitching. The South Korean outfielder hit .302 (38-for-126) with eight of his 11 home runs against southpaws in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Red Sox
1 week agoAs expected, the St. Louis Cardinals did not extend a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt, according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. If Goldschmidt signs with another team on the open market this offseason, the Cardinals won't receive draft-pick compensation. The Cardinals reportedly don't have a ton of interest in re-signing him on a lesser deal after a disappointing 2024 campaign. The 37-year-old slugger had a second straight down year after winning National League MVP in 2022. The seven-time All-Star slashed .245/.302/.414 with a career-worst .716 OPS, 22 home runs, 65 RBI, 11 steals and 70 runs scored in 654 plate appearances and 154 games. While Goldy looks to be past his prime, there's still some power in his bat, and he could rebound with a change of scenery.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - John Denton
1 week agoThe Cincinnati Reds extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent right-hander
Nick Martinez on Monday, according to sources. He already declined a $12 million player option last week. Martinez and the Reds actually discussed a multi-year contract extension before this point, but neither side could agree to anything, and now the 34-year-old veteran swingman is on the open market. If Martinez rejects the offer and signs with another club this winter, the Reds will receive draft-pick compensation. He had a great first season in Cincy in 2024, going 10-7 with a career-best 3.10 ERA (3.21 FIP), a 1.03 WHIP and a career-high 116 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings over 42 appearances (16 starts). Martinez might see plenty of money on the open market given his versatility, but it also wouldn't be a surprise if he accepted the one-year qualifying offer to stay with the Reds.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
1 week agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent first baseman
Christian Walker on Monday, according to sources. If Walker chooses to reject the offer and signs with another team on the open market, the Diamondbacks would receive draft-pick compensation. Not only is the 33-year-old veteran one of the better first-base bats in baseball, but he also just won a third straight National League Gold Glove at the position. The former fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles out of South Carolina, Walker hit .251/.335/.468 with an .803 OPS, 26 home runs, 84 RBI, two steals and 72 runs scored in 552 plate appearances over 130 games in his eighth year in the desert. It was a slight drop in production from the previous two years, but he did miss some time late in the year due to injury. He has 25-plus homers in each of the last three campaigns.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
1 week agoThe Los Angeles Dodgers extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent outfielder
Teoscar Hernandez on Monday, according to sources. Even though the Dodgers and Hernandez could reunite in 2025, he's almost certainly going to reject the offer. If Hernandez then signs with another team in free agency, the Dodgers would be receive draft-pick compensation. The 32-year-old right-handed slugger helped LA win another World Series title in his first year with the team and was a consistent offensive force all year on a team stacked with All-Stars. Hernandez hit .272/.339/.501 with an .840 OPS, career-high 33 home runs, 99 RBI, career-high-tying 12 steals and 84 runs scored in 154 regular-season games for the Blue. For fantasy purposes, Hernandez's fantasy value would be at its highest if he stays in LA's stacked lineup.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
1 week agoMilwaukee Brewers first baseman/outfielder
Jake Bauers and right-hander
Bryse Wilson both cleared waivers on Monday and were outrighted to Triple-A Nashville. Both Bauers and Wilson were arbitration-eligible but will become free agents after being cast off the team's 40-man roster. Bauers matched his previous career-high of 12 home runs and also drove in 43 and stole a career-high 13 bases in 116 games in 2024 in his first year in Milwaukee, but he also hit just .199 with a .301 on-base percentage, .361 slugging percentage and below-average .662 OPS. He's now hit only .208 in five big-league seasons with five different teams. Wilson, 26, served as a swingman for Milwaukee this year, going 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with a career-high 82 K's and 31 walks in 104 2/3 frames over his 34 outings (nine starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
1 week agoMilwaukee Brewers right-hander
Frankie Montas declined his portion of his $20 million mutual option for the 2025 season on Monday to officially become a free agent. The Brewers also claimed right-hander
Kevin Herget off waivers from the New York Mets and claimed left-hander
Rob Zastryzny off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Montas will receive a $2 million buyout and is now free to sign with any team. The 31-year-old veteran began the year with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded to the Brewers at the deadline. The Dominican hurler went a combined 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA (4.71 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, 148 strikeouts and 66 walks in 150 2/3 innings over 30 starts after missing pretty much all of 2023 due to injury. He was slightly better in 11 regular-season starts for the Brewers and will be hoping to take that momentum into 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
1 week agoThe Milwaukee Brewers extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to free-agent shortstop
Willy Adames on Monday, according to sources. If Adames rejects the offer, which is likely, and signs with another team, the Brewers will receive draft-pick compensation. The 29-year-old should be able to find a lucrative long-term deal on the open market that will pay him more than $21.05 million in 2025 after he hit .251 (153-for-610) with career-highs in home runs (32), RBI (112), stolen bases (21) and runs scored (93) in 688 plate appearances and 161 regular-season games in his third full season in Milwaukee. Adames offers above-average defense at a premiere position on the infield and is an above-average hitter as well, which is hard to come by at shortstop. He's clubbed 24-plus home runs in each of the last four seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
1 week agoAtlanta Braves right-handed reliever
Joe Jimenez (knee) is expected to be out eight to 12 months after having surgery on Oct. 29 to fix cartilage damage in his left knee. The surgery was performed in Chicago by Dr. Brian Cole. We'll have a better idea of Jimenez's specific timetable for a return next year, but he's almost certainly going to miss all of the first half of the 2025 season. It's a significant blow to Atlanta's bullpen, as the 29-year-old hurler was one of the team's best bullpen arms in 2024. Despite going 1-5 in his second season with Atlanta in 69 appearances out of the bullpen, he posted a career-best 2.62 ERA (2.34 FIP), a 0.99 WHIP, three saves, a career-high-tying 82 strikeouts and 23 walks in 68 2/3 innings pitched. Don't be surprised if Jimenez's rehab extends into the second half of next season after the All-Star break.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Justin Toscano
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