2 weeks agoThe San Diego Padres re-signed infielder
Mason McCoy to a minor-league deal on Friday that includes a non-roster invite to big-league spring training, according to sources. McCoy was non-tendered by the Padres in November but will now return to the organization and will get a chance to compete for an Opening Day roster spot in spring training. The 29-year-old got a short run as the Padres' starting shortstop late in the season when
Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) was injured, but he was a short-term stopgap at the position and hit just .204 (10-for-49) with no homers, three RBI, seven runs scored and 19 strikeouts in his 57 plate appearances over 19 games. McCoy has played in just 25 big-league games since debuting in 2023 with Toronto and has a .200/.273/.240 slash line with a .513 OPS. He'll represent infield depth for the Friars again in 2025 and is off the fantasy radar.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Yahoo Sports - Russell Dorsey
2 weeks agoFree-agent right-hander
Adrian Houser signed a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers on Saturday. Houser will head to the American League after spending the 2024 campaign with the New York Mets. Houser appeared in 23 games (seven starts) for the Mets but wasn't very effective on the mound, going 1-5 with a career-worst 5.84 ERA (4.93 FIP), a 1.53 WHIP, his first career save and a 45:32 K:BB in his 69 1/3 innings pitched before he was cut in late July. The 31-year-old veteran latched on with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs after that but didn't make it back to the majors in the second half of the season. The former second-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2011 wasn't much better in seven starts in the minors, posting a 6.37 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 35 1/3 frames. Houser will most likely open the 2025 season at Triple-A Round Rock as pitching depth for Texas.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
2 weeks agoESPN's Buster Olney writes that the St. Louis Cardinals are working from a limited list of options of third baseman
Nolan Arenado's preferred teams as they consider their trade possibilities for the future Hall of Famer. The Cardinals are shifting their plans this offseason with an eye more toward the future while playing most of their youngsters in 2025, so the 33-year-old Arenado is being shopped this winter. Even though he's still one of the best defensive third basemen in the game, Arenado is willing to shift to first base in 2025 to create more roster flexibility for a contending team that might be interesting in acquiring him. Some teams that could make sense for Arenado include the Red Sox, Dodgers, Astros, Yankees, Mariners and Blue Jays. Offensively, Arenado has been on the decline since he came to St. Louis, and he had just 16 homers in 2024. In addition, he had career-worst marks in average exit velocity (86.3 mph), hard-hit rate (31.6%) and barrel rate (3.2%).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN - Buster Olney
2 weeks agoThe Chicago Cubs announced on Saturday that shortstop
Dansby Swanson (core) had successful surgery on his core in early October with Dr. Bill Meyer. Swanson isn't expected to miss any time as the result of his offseason surgery and should be ready to go for the start of spring training in mid-February. The 30-year-old wasn't quite as good in his second year in Chicago as he was the previous two seasons when he was an All-Star, as he slashed .242/.312/.390 with a .701 OPS, 16 home runs, 66 RBI, a career-high 19 stolen bases and 82 runs scored in 593 trips to the plate and 149 games. If not for a late-season surge, Swanson would have had a terrible 2024, as he hit just .219/.291/.346 with nine homers in his first 99 games. Despite his resurgence from a poor start, Swanson's career-high 49.9% ground-ball rate doesn't pound to a rebound in the power department going forward.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Tribune - Meghan Montemurro
2 weeks agoAccording to sources, Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki is expected to be officially posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan at next week's MLB winter meetings, which will open a 45-day window for major-league teams to sign him once the amateur signing period opens on Jan. 15. The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the best young pitchers in the world, but his contract will be for a fraction of what he would receive as a major-league free agent because he's under 25 years old and has fewer than six years of experience. Because he'll come on the cheap with front-line starting potential, plenty of MLB teams are expected to pursue him, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are considered the front-runners. Sasaki should be fantasy relevant right away in 2025, as he has a triple-digit fastball and one of the best splitters in the game.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
2
weeks
agoThe
Colorado
Rockies
are
in
the
market
for
a
second
baseman
this
winter,
and
according
to
a
source,
one
name
to
monitor
is
free-agent
infielder
Thairo
Estrada.
After
moving
on
from
Brendan
Rodgers
finally,
the
Rockies
signed
read more...
3 weeks agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Mets have signed relief pitcher
Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million contract. Holmes spent his past three seasons serving as a high-leverage option for the New York Yankees. Last season, Holmes began the season as the closer but eventually lost his job towards the back half of the summer after posting a 3.75 ERA and 1.29 in the second half. Earlier in the offseason, there was speculation that potential suitors were viewing Holmes as a possible starting pitcher. Fantasy managers should monitor how the Mets view Holmes during spring training, as he will likely not see any save opportunities with
Edwin Diaz on the roster. Despite his drop in production last summer, Holmes generated a strong 5.6% barrel rate, 30.2% whiff rate, and an impressive 64.6% ground-ball rate, which suggests he could be due for some positive regression in Queens.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
3 weeks agoAccording to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Chicago Cubs are "determined" to trade either outfielders
Cody Bellinger or
Seiya Suzuki. While Bellinger's name has been on the trade block earlier this offseason, Suzuki's name has yet to enter the conversation. Suzuki has spent each of his first three MLB seasons with the Cubs and has posted an overall .278/.354/.470 line. Last season, he hit a career-high 21 home runs and swiped a career-high 16 bags. Under the hood, he generated a stellar 49.2% hard-hit and 11.5% barrel rates. Given Chicago's surplus of young outfielders such as
Pete Crow-Armstrong,
Owen Caissie,
Kevin Alcantara, and even top-hitting prospect infielder
Matt Shaw, the Cubs may opt to ship one of these MLB bats to improve another position on their roster, which will open a spot for one of their budding prospects.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Joel Sherman
3 weeks agoAccording to Gary Philips of the New York Daily News, New York Yankees starting pitcher
Marcus Stroman could be a potential trade candidate. Stroman signed a two-year contract with the Yankees last offseason but could already be on his way out of the Bronx. In his first season as a Yankee, the right-hander held a 4.31 ERA and 1.47 WHIP, which was his worst mark since the 2018 campaign. His underlying metrics were not overly positive as he generated a poor 4.94 xERA and struggled to generate strikeouts at a low 16.7% K rate. Earlier this week, Michael Kay of the YES Network reported that the Yankees had a successful meeting with free agent starting pitcher
Max Fried, which could also suggest that Stroman's tenure in New York could be coming to an end. Given his poor underlying metrics, Stroman will likely only be viewed as a low-end streaming option for fantasy purposes in 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Gary Phillips
3
weeks
agoAccording
to
Mike
Puma
of
the
New
York
Post,
New
York
Mets
third
baseman
Brett
Baty
is
drawing
trade
interest.
Baty
was
drafted
by
the
Mets
with
the
12th
overall
pick
in
the
2019
MLB
Draft.
Baty
made
his
major
league
debut
in
read more...
3 weeks agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays have made an offer "in the ballpark" of $700 million and nearing 15-plus years to free-agent outfielder
Juan Soto. Heyman also noted that the Los Angeles Dodgers have submitted an offer of around "$600 million." The race to sign the 26-year-old superstar continues to heat up as several owners are willing to open their pockets to put themselves as the highest bidder. Last summer in his debut campaign in the Bronx, Soto posted an excellent .288/.419/.569 slash line with 41 long balls. Under the hood, he boasted a .462 xwOBA and .316 xBA, which placed him in the top 100th percentile among qualified hitters. No matter where he calls home in 2025, Soto will be a consensus first-round selection in all fantasy formats this spring.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
3 weeks agoAccording to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, relief pitcher
Clay Holmes is nearing his free-agent decision. Stark noted that the clubs in talks with Holmes suggest he is nearing a final decision. However, it is still unknown whether Holmes will continue to operate as a reliever or consider moving to the rotation. Earlier this offseason, there was some speculation that teams were considering Holmes as a potential starting pitcher. In addition, Stark noted that several of the teams interested in Holmes are contenders. Last season, the 31-year-old opened the campaign as the Yankees closer but eventually lost his job later in the summer. In the second half, he posted a high 3.75 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. However, he still posted solid metrics under the hood, including a 5.6% barrel rate and a stellar 64.6% ground ball rate. Fantasy managers should monitor where Holmes signs, as he could find fantasy production either as a high-leverage option or as a starter.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jayson Stark
3 weeks agoFree-agent right-hander
Shane Bieber (elbow) and the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal on Friday that includes a $16 million player option for the 2026 season, according to sources. Bieber has chosen to return on a one-year pact after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in April. He isn't expected to return until the middle of 2025, so it makes sense for him to return to the Guardians to try and boost his value once again before potentially hitting the open market again next offseason. The two-time All-Star and former American League Cy Young (2020) only made two starts in 2024 before going under the knife, but he was dominant with 20 strikeouts over 12 shutout innings. Bieber has been excellent in the past, but fantasy managers would be foolish to assume he'll suddenly regain velocity and whiffs in his return from TJ surgery in 2025. He'll be a risk/reward fantasy starter on the cheap.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
3 weeks agoMLB.com's Steve Gilbert wonders if the Arizona Diamondbacks would consider turning shortstop
Blaze Alexander into a
Chris Taylor-type of multi-positional player moving forward. Alexander has appeared at shortstop, second base and third base at the major-league level, but he has yet to play the outfield. The 25-year-old is an above-average athlete that can run, and he also possesses a strong arm, so he shouldn't have a ton of issues learning the outfield. Using Alexander at other positions in the outfield would make him much more valuable and give manager Torey Lovullo a lot more options in game. An 11th-round selection in 2018, Alexander made his big-league debut in 2024 for the Snakes and saw extensive action, appearing in 61 games and slashing .247/.321/.343 with a .664 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI, three steals and 19 runs scored in 185 plate appearances.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
3 weeks agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks will likely look at right-hander
Drey Jameson (elbow) as a reliever in his first season back from Tommy John surgery in 2025. Jameson is one of the team's top prospects, but he had Tommy John surgery in September of 2023 and will be ready to go in spring training in February. He threw only 68 2/3 innings between Triple-A Reno and the majors before having surgery in 2023 and obviously didn't pitch at all in 2024, so he'll be on a strict innings limit in his return next year. If that's the direction the Snakes go in, Jameson will lack fantasy upside in 2025, but he could still be an extremely valuable piece out of Arizona's bullpen. The 27-year-old made 15 big-league appearances (three starts) for the D-backs in 2023 and had a 3.32 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, one save, 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 40 2/3 innings.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
RADIO
