2 weeks agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent first baseman
Darick Hall to a minor-league deal. Hall will give the Pirates an extra left-handed bat that can fill in at first base or as a designated hitter. The 29-year-old former 14th-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 out of Dallas Baptist University did not see action at all in the big leagues in 2024. Instead, he hit .236/.320/.387 with 16 home runs in 114 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He debuted in the majors with the Phillies in 2022 and has hit .226/.258/.442 with a .700 OPS, 10 home runs, 19 RBI and 21 runs scored in 198 plate appearances in Philly in 59 games in two seasons. Hall will most likely begin the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Indianapolis, but he'll have a much better shot to reach the big leagues again in Pittsburgh than he did in Philadelphia.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Milb Central
2
weeks
agoDetroit
Tigers
first
baseman
Spencer
Torkelson's
role
for
the
2025
season
has
yet
to
be
defined,
according
to
general
manager
Scott
Harris.
The
Tigers
signed
infielder
Gleyber
Torres
on
Friday
in
free
agency
to
be
their
everyday
second
read more...
2
weeks
agoThe
Detroit
Tigers
will
move
infielder
Colt
Keith
to
first
base
next
year
after
signing
second
baseman
Gleyber
Torres
in
free
agency,
according
to
general
manager
Scott
Harris.
Torres
will
be
Detroit's
everyday
second
baseman.
The
23-year-old
Keith
read more...
2 weeks agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, free-agent second baseman
Gleyber Torres has agreed to a one-year contract worth $15 million with the Detroit Tigers. Last season with the Yankees, Torres posted a career-low .257/.33/.378 slash line with just 15 home runs and four stolen bases. He tallied 26 doubles and 63 RBI. Under the hood, he generated a poor .307 xwOBA, 2.40 xBA, and a .368 xSLG, which were all below the 40th percentile among qualified hitters. However, he showed a solid eye at the plate with a 9.8% walk rate and a 20.5% strikeout rate, both of which were above the average marks. Fantasy managers should expect Torres to spend most of his time at the keystone in Detroit, which will move
Colt Keith to the hot corner or even first base. This may make it difficult for young infielders
Jace Jung or
Trey Sweeney to find consistent playing time as well.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
2 weeks agoFree-agent relief pitcher
Drew VerHagen has re-signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan. The 34-year-old posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 82/22 K/BB ratio across 20 appearances with the Ham Fighters last season. After testing the market, VerHagen has decided to head back to Japan for at least one more season. He last pitched in the MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023. VerHagen posted a 3.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 60/26 K/BB ratio in 60 appearances with the Cards that season. It's uncertain if he plans to return to the big leagues after another year overseas.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Nippon Ham Fighters
2 weeks agoThe Colorado Rockies have signed relief pitcher
Diego Castillo to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. This isn't a blockbuster move, but Castillo has been an under-the-radar pitcher throughout his career. He didn't see much action in the MLB last season as he posted a 2.70 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 6/8 K/BB ratio in seven appearances with the Minnesota Twins. The 30-year-old has a 3.20 ERA across seven big league seasons and has 35 saves across his career. He has a decent shot at making the big league bullpen considering the Rockies don't have many lock-down options in their pen right now.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Sports Illustrated
2 weeks agoFree-agent first baseman
Pete Alonso remains in contract talks with his former club, but there appears to be a sizable gap in terms of a deal. The rumor is that the New York Mets offer is around three years and $90 million. However, Alonso is reportedly looking for a deal that is around $200 million, which means the two sides probably aren't too close. The most likely scenario is Alonso ending up back with the Mets considering most of the other big-name first basemen have already signed.
Christian Walker,
Paul Goldschmidt, and
Carlos Santana have all signed within the last week or so, which leaves Alonso as the biggest name left at the cold corner. Alonso has been an All-Star the last three seasons with 34 home runs or more in each of the last four seasons. The 30-year-old is well deserving of a long term deal as he's one of the top hitters at his position.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
2 weeks agoFree-agent relief pitcher
Andrew Chafin is reportedly drawing interest from the New York Yankees. The 34-year-old became a free agent this winter after the Texas Rangers declined his $6.5 million option for the 2025 campaign. Last season, Chafin posted a 3.51 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 70/31 K/BB ratio across 62 appearances with the Detroit Tigers and Rangers. The veteran southpaw has been a capable and trustworthy option for years now. The Yankees desperately need a reliable left-handed reliever, so the addition of Chafin would make sense for this roster. This bullpen already features
Devin Williams,
Luke Weaver, and
Mark Leiter Jr., so Chafin's chances of getting regular saves is unlikely in the Bronx. That being said, Chafin wouldn't have ideal fantasy value there, but is a good fit for the team.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
2 weeks agoFree-agent second baseman
Gleyber Torres has reportedly declined an offer from the Washington Nationals because he doesn't want to play third base. Possibly, Torres is just giving an excuse because he didn't want to join the 71-win Nationals club. However, there have been reports in the past about Torres not wanting to move away from second base. The 28-year-old was once the top prospect in a trade to the New York Yankees that landed the Chicago Cubs reliever
Aroldis Chapman for their 2016 World Series run. Since then, Torres has put together a few All-Star seasons and has been a serviceable player over the last seven seasons. Last season, Torres hit .257/.330/.378 with 15 home runs and 63 RBI in 154 games in the Bronx. He should be able to get a multi-year deal this offseason, but his inability to move positions could hurt his market value.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
2
weeks
agoAccording
to
Jack
Curry
of
the
YES
Network,
the
Yankees
are
unlikely
to
target
free
agent
third
baseman
Alex
Bregman.
According
to
Curry
on
an
episode
of
Yankees
Hot
Stove,
"That's
not
a
road
the
Yankees
are
going
down."
Curry
noted
that
the
read more...
2 weeks agoAccording to Jack Curry of the YES Network, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman
Nolan Arenado is "not a fit" for what the Yankees are trying to do. Curry reported this on Yankees Hot Stove on the YES Network. Curry noted that while the Yankees may attempt to move starting pitcher
Marcus Stroman to shed payroll, they are not trying to swap him for Arenado. While the 33-year-old has remained an elite defender throughout his career, his hitting metrics have dropped. Last summer, Arenado hit just 16 home runs and held a .394 SLG. He generated a poor .356 xSLG and a .296 xwOBA, both well below the average marks. While the Yankees may still be in the market for a third baseman, it looks like Arenado does not fit their current plan.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and
Oswaldo Cabrera are current candidates to be the Opening Day third baseman.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: New Jersey Advanced Media
2
weeks
agoAccording
to
Justin
Tasch
of
the
New
York
Post,
the
New
York
Mets
had
interest
in
designated
hitter
Joc
Pederson
before
he
signed
a
two-year
contract
with
the
Texas
Rangers.
Last
summer,
Pederson
performed
very
well
being
deployed
on
the
strong
side
of
a
read more...
2
weeks
agoAccording
to
Mark
Feinsand,
Bryan
Hoch,
and
John
Denton
of
MLB.com,
St.
Louis
Cardinals
starting
pitchers
Erick
Fedde
and
Steven
Matz
are
gaining
interest
on
the
trade
market
from
several
clubs
such
as
the
Detroit
Tigers
and
Cleveland
read more...
2 weeks agoAccording to Mark Feinsand, Bryan Hoch, and John Denton of MLB.com, St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher
Ryan Helsley is drawing interest from several clubs, including the Toronto Blue Jays and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The three insiders noted that the Cardinals are looking for a "reset" in 2025, and moving one of their top players could allow them to acquire a top prospect. Last season, the right-hander tallied the most saves in the major leagues (49) and pitched to the tune of a 2.04 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Across 66 1/3 innings, Helsley generated a stellar 2.72 xERA with a 36.1% whiff rate and 29.7% K rate. Helsley should be viewed as a top relief pitcher heading into the 2025 season, as he would be the go-to ninth-inning option wherever he calls home next summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 weeks agoAccording to Jake Oliver of Sports Illustrated, right-handed pitcher
David Robertson could be a potential target for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have expressed interest in adding a reliable high-leverage option and given Robertson's experience, he could fit that bill. Last summer across 72 innings with the Texas Rangers, the 39-year-old held a strong 3.00 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He struck 99 batters with a 9.4% walk rate. Robertson was deployed as the set-up man behind
Kirby Yates. Under the hood, he generated a strong 3.19 xERA and 5.5% barrel rate which were both above the average marks of qualified pitchers. If the Diamondbacks do not pursue Robertson, they could look internally for their ninth-inning arm such as
Justin Martinez or
A.J. Puk.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Sports Illustrated
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