2 weeks agoFree-agent right-hander
Enoli Paredes signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, according to a source. Paredes pitched well with the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs this past season, posting a 1.66 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with his first career save, 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 21 2/3 innings over 18 appearances out of the bullpen. It was a nice showing for the 29-year-old reliever after he spent the entire 2023 toiling in the minors. He didn't have a large sample size in 2024, but if Paredes pitches as well as he did in spring training with Atlanta, he'll have a good shot to make the team's Opening Day bullpen. Paredes made his big-league debut in 2020 with the Houston Astros and has a career 4.01 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 53:41 K:BB in 55 appearances in relief covering 54 innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Ari Alexander
2 weeks agoThe St. Louis Cardinals are not considering moving closer
Ryan Helsley into their starting rotation for the 2025 season. Helsley was a starting pitcher as a prospect in the minor leagues, but he has yet to make a start at the major-league with the Cardinals in his six years with the team. He made his second All-Star team in 2024 and was outstanding in the ninth-inning role, posting a league-high 49 saves, a 2.04 ERA (2.41 FIP), 1.10 WHIP, 79 strikeouts and 23 walks in 66 1/3 relief innings. The 30-year-old veteran is entering his final year for salary arbitration, so the Cardinals are reportedly considering dealing him this winter. If Helsley sticks with the Red Birds for the 2025 campaign and in the closer's role, the right-handed reliever will be a high-end fantasy closing option yet again.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
2 weeks agoBoston Red Sox right-hander
Tanner Houck said he's "always" open to talking a contract extension with the team after setting career-highs of 30 starts, 178 2/3 innings and 154 strikeouts in 2024 while posting a 3.12 ERA -- the best by a Red Sox pitcher with at least 30 starts since
Chris Sale in 2018. Houck made his first All-Star appearance and finished on a high note to close out the year. "I'm always open to (extension) conversations. I love Boston. And in the fall, leaves changing, this is what I want. This is right up my alley," Houck said. While the 28-year-old might be open to an extension, the Red Sox might not be prioritizing that with Houck eligible for salary arbitration one final time this offseason while being under team control through 2027. However, it's possible they'll reward him for his strong 2024 campaign sooner than later.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Boston Herald - Gabrielle Starr
2 weeks agoThe Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox have free-agent outfielder
Juan Soto at the top of their offseason wish lists and are planning to meet with him soon, according to major-league sources. The Blue Jays are serious about adding a star alongside first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after losing out on
Shohei Ohtani last winter. In addition to Soto, the Red Sox figure to be aggressive in the starting pitching market. The two favorites to land Soto are the New York Yankees and New York Mets, who also have meetings scheduled with him. Because of his age (26), Soto is expected to warrant the longest contract in baseball history with an expected guarantee in excess of $600 million. The Los Angeles Dodgers won't chase after Soto, but they could get involved in the unlikely event that his market softens later this offseason.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
2 weeks agoFresh off of a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) Fall Stars game, New York Yankees infield prospect
Caleb Durbin continued his push to be in pinstripes to start next season, going 1-for-2 and was hit by a pitch twice in Salt River's victory on Monday. Getting on base three times afforded him the opportunity to once again show off his wheels, stealing four bases in the contest and giving him 27 stolen bases in 22 games.
Milan Tolentino has the second-most steals in the AFL with 11. On Monday, before Durbin's latest performance, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that he expected Durbin "to play a big, big role for us this upcoming season." That should get fantasy managers' ears perked up, and should
Gleyber Torres leave in free agency, there could be an even clearer path to playing time to begin the year.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoAthletics outfield prospect
Denzel Clarke went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored on Monday for Mesa in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). The home run was his second of the fall campaign and he now has his batting average up to .388, good for fourth-highest in the circuit. The 24-year-old has shown off his speed as well, hitting three triples and stealing seven bases in 17 games. Clarke is the Athletics' 10th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com's Top Prospects list. The former fourth-round draft pick is coming off a strong season at Double-A, putting together a .269-13-53-74-36 line in 116 games. A weakness is his strikeout rate, finishing at 29.9% in 2024, but he's shown more patience in the AFL, with a 13:19 BB:K that has buoyed his second-best .506 OBP. He may start next season at Triple-A, but look for him to debut in 2025 should he continue to hit.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoCincinnati Reds infielder
Matt McLain smacked a pair of two-run home runs in a 2-for-5 day at the plate for Glendale in the Arizona Fall League (AFL), his third and fourth homers of the fall season. The 25-year-old missed all of the 2024 regular season due to injuries and is in the AFL trying to knock off some of the rust, while even getting some playing time in the outfield, although Monday he was back at the keystone. Through 11 games in the AFL, McLain is hitting just .220, but six of his nine hits have gone for extra bases. The former first-round draft pick offers multi-category production when healthy and could be a nice value pick in 2025 fantasy drafts since he isn't top-of-mind after missing 2024. When last healthy, McLain put up a .290-16-50-65-14 line in just 89 games in 2023.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoFree agent pitcher
Charlie Morton has stated that he intends to keep his career going in 2025, it's just not known where yet. The 41-year-old pitched the last four seasons for the Braves, and while he was by no means dominant, he was serviceable and reliable. The veteran made at least 30 starts and pitched at least 163 innings each season for Atlanta during his four-year tenure. In 2024, while his ERA was down a bit, to 4.19 compared to a career ERA of 4.01, both his xFIP (3.99) and SIERA (4.06) were slightly better, so there's reason to believe he's still a capable hurler. The righty still averaged a strikeout per inning and even decreased his BB% by 2.3% over 2023. It is anticipated that he'll sign a short-term (one year) deal with a team that is in a position to win now.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
2 weeks agoDetroit Tigers first base/catching prospect
Josue Briceno continued his torrid stretch on Monday for the Scottsdale Scorpions, going 2-for-3 with a walk and his ninth home run in 22 games in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). The nine home runs lead all AFL players (second-most is six), but the 20-year-old also leads the circuit in hits (31), batting average (.403), and RBI (22) as well. Briceno missed a lot of time during the regular season due to a PCL sprain, playing in just 40 games for Single-A Lakeland, so he's getting additional reps in the AFL and making the most of it. The 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter ranks ninth among Tigers prospects and has an ETA of 2027 per MLB.com, but with a performance like this, he could certainly move up quickly and make his MLB debut a bit sooner than anticipated. If he wasn't already, he should now be on dynasty managers' radar.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2
weeks
agoOn
Monday,
the
Atlanta
Braves
sent
minor-league
pitching
prospect
Jared
Johnson
to
the
Athletics
in
exchange
for
shortstop
Nick
Allen.
Allen
made
his
major
league
debut
in
2022
but
has
failed
to
stick
at
the
major
league
level
due
to
his
underperformance
at
the
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2 weeks agoTampa Bay Rays left-hander
Shane McClanahan (elbow) is expected to have a normal, healthy offseason after completing his rehab program from Tommy John Surgery on Sept. 25 by throwing 15 to 16 pitches in a live batting practice session at Tropicana Field. McClanahan looked good during that session and was hitting 94 to 95 mph. He had his second TJ surgery back on Aug. 21 of 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season for the Rays. The 27-year-old southpaw has been an All-Star twice and is expected to be fully ready for the start of spring training in February. As long as he doesn't have any setbacks during the spring, McClanahan will open the start of the 2025 regular season atop Tampa's starting rotation. Although McClanahan has high-end fantasy upside when healthy, he'll also probably be on a strict pitch count early on.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoChicago Cubs third base prospect
Jonathon Long has been swinging a hot bat throughout the Arizona Fall League. Through 16 games, the 22-year-old has posted a stellar .348/.443/.667 slash line with three doubles, six home runs, 19 RBI, and an 11:17 BB:K ratio. This is a great sign for the No.30 ranked prospect in Chicago as he took significant steps in his development last season. Long opened the 2024 campaign with High-A and carried a .247/.346/.417 line through 68 games. Then, with Double-A Tennessee, the former ninth-round pick held an impressive .340/.455/.528 line with nine doubles and seven home run across a 46-game stint. If Long continues to perform at this elite level, he could have a great opportunity to open the 2025 season with Triple-A Iowa.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoTexas Rangers outfield prospect
Alejandro Osuna has continued to progress in the Arizona Fall League. Through 22 games, the No. 16 ranked prospect in the Texas system has posted a stellar .314/.449/.477 slash line and has hit eight doubles, two home runs with 16 RBI and two stolen bases. He has also shown a great eye at the plate with a 20:23 BB:K ratio. Last summer, the 22-year-old opened the campaign with High-A and posted a solid .272/.339/.486 line which earned him a late-season promotion to Double-A Frisco. At this level, Osuna continued to take a step forward as he posted an impressive .306/.379/.523 line with 18 doubles, nine home runs, and seven stolen bases in a 57-game stint. If Osuna can continue to develop during Spring Training, he could open the 2025 campaign at Triple-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoMiami Marlins outfield prospect
Kemp Alderman has been performing exceptionally well in the Arizona Fall League. Through a nine-game stint, the Ole Miss product has gone deep six times and posted a strong .306/.375/.833 slash line. Last summer, the former second-round selection from the 2023 draft class opened the campaign with Single-A and was able to end the season spending time with Double-A. Through 77 games in the Miami system last season, Alderman carried a solid .242/.306/.391 line and hit 15 doubles, two triples, eight long balls, and swiped five bags. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 12 ranked prospect in Miami to spend most of the 2025 campaign in the upper levels of the minor leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoNew York Mets outfield prospect
Drew Gilbert has been showcasing his power throughout the Arizona Fall League. Through 19 games, the No.3 ranked prospect in Queens has gone deep four times, which is tied for the second-most among outfielders. However, he has struggled to find consistency at the plate as he has posted an underwhelming .209/.361/.418 line but has shown a strong eye at the plate with a 13:12 BB:K ratio. Last summer, Gilbert battled injuries and was only able to appear in 56 games at the Triple-A level. Through this stint, the former first-round pick carried a .215/.313/.393 line with ten home runs and eight doubles. Given his struggles in Triple-A last summer, the Mets will likely opt to let him develop more at that level before promoting him to the majors.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
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