3 weeks agoThe Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to major-league spring training with free-agent utility man
Ildemaro Vargas on Tuesday, according to sources. Vargas landed on the open market this offseason after being non-tendered by the Washington Nationals last month. The 33-year-old veteran switch-hitting infielder slashed .246/.295/.316 with only one homer, 30 RBI, a career-high nine stolen bases and 21 runs scored in 95 games with the Nats in 2024 in his eighth big-league season. Vargas made his major-league debut in Arizona back in 2017 and has played parts of five seasons in the desert, so he'll be rejoining an organization he's pretty familiar with. At best, Vargas might be worth a bench spot in NL-only leagues as a utility infielder if an injury opens up more playing time for him.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Aram Leighton
3 weeks agoChicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro reports that it doesn't sound like Chicago Cubs first baseman
Michael Busch is an option to move across the diamond to third base next year after the team traded
Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros last week. Instead, the Cubs could give the job to top prospect
Matt Shaw if he earns the job in spring training. Busch has some experience playing third base in his career, but the Cubs would prefer to keep his solid glove at first heading into his second season with the team. In his first full year in the big leagues in 2024, the lefty hitting Busch batted .248/.335/.440 with 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored in 152 games played. He could build on his solid season in 2025, but Busch's limited positional versatility and struggles against left-handed pitching will limit his overall fantasy upside.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Chicago Tribune - Meghan Montemurro
3
weeks
agoChicago
Cubs
top
prospect
Matt
Shaw
will
receive
a
"long
look"
at
third
base
in
spring
training,
according
to
general
manager
Jed
Hoyer.
"He
has
to
earn
that
job,
I'm
not
going
to
gift
him
that
on
a
conference
call
in
the
middle
read more...
3 weeks agoThe New York Yankees are currently in a stalemate in trade talks with the Chicago Cubs for outfielder/first baseman
Cody Bellinger, so they have turned their attention to the first-base market. The Yankees are engaged in talks with free-agent first basemen
Pete Alonso,
Christian Walker,
Carlos Santana and
Paul Goldschmidt. Alonso and Walker are the two first basemen that have been mentioned the most in regards to the Bombers as they look for a power hitter to help replace some of the production of
Juan Soto, who left to sign with the New York Mets. As things currently stand,
Ben Rice is the top option at the cold corner, but if the Yankees sign another first baseman, Rice could be on the trade block. Ideally, the Yankees probably would prefer to steal Alonso away from the crosstown Mets after they snaked Soto from them.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
3 weeks agoThe Toronto Blue Jays agreed with free-agent catcher
Ali Sanchez on a minor-league deal on Monday that includes an invite to big-league spring training. The 27-year-old backstop split time this past season in the minors with the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs while also appearing in 31 major-league games in Miami. The Venezuelan catcher played went 14-for-84 (.167) with no homers, four RBI, 24 strikeouts and four walks in 96 plate appearances for the Fish in his first MLB action since 2021. In 48 games at Triple-A Iowa and Triple-A Jacksonville, Sanchez slashed .226/.310/.361 with only three home runs and 22 RBI. The light-hitting catcher will have a shot to win an Opening Day roster spot in Toronto as a backup in spring training, but he will most likely kick off the 2025 campaign in the minors with Triple-A Buffalo.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi
3 weeks agoThe New York Mets announced on Monday that they signed free-agent infielder
Jared Young to an undisclosed one-year major-league deal. Young, 29, was a 15th-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2017 out of Old Dominion University. He made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 2022 and has a .210/.290/.435 slash line with two homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored in 22 games played in his two seasons in the Show. Young hit well while at Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization and for the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2024 to get himself another MLB deal heading into 2025. He'll be hoping for a chance to return to the big leagues next season but will most likely open the campaign playing for Triple-A Syracuse for depth at the position in case the Mets cannot re-sign
Pete Alonso.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
3 weeks agoThe New York Mets signed free-agent left-hander
Brandon Waddell to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to a source familiar with the deal. Waddell, 30, was originally a fifth-round draft selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 out of the University of Virginia. He made his debut in the COVID-shortened season in 2020 with the Bucs but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2021, when he appeared in just nine games in relief with the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals. Waddell has spent the last three seasons pitching for the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization and he's done quite well for himself, posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 215 strikeouts in 65 walks over 144 1/3 innings during that span overseas. Waddell will give the Mets some left-handed relief depth in the minors to open 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: FanSided - Robert Murray
3 weeks agoBoston Red Sox left-hander
Garrett Crochet said he doesn't plan on drastically changing his pitch mix in 2025 in his first season with the team. "But ultimately, I don't think that I'll change the fastball/cutter usage a whole lot. I feel like that's kind of my bread and butter, and a big reason why I had success last year. But the addition of the sinker, I think, is a conversation worth having," Crochet said. The 25-year-old southpaw was a rousing success in his move from the bullpen to the starting rotation for the Chicago White Sox in 2024 before he was recently dealt to the BoSox. Crochet tinkered with a sinker later in the season to give him five pitches to attack hitters with, but he should continue to lean on his four-seam/cutter mix. He was an All-Star in 2024 but slowed down in the second half and had his innings monitored. Crochet should be on a longer leash in 2025 and once again has ace potential.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Ian Browne
3 weeks agoJapanese Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano agreed with the Baltimore Orioles on a one-year, $13 million deal on Monday, according to sources. The 35-year-old was excellent in Japan in 2024 with a 1.67 ERA with 111 strikeouts and only 16 walks in 156 2/3 innings pitched for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. In his 12 seasons with the Giants, Sugano held a strong 2.45 ERA and was regarded as one of the country's top arms. He isn't going to blow batters away in the big leagues with his low-90s fastball. Instead, Sugano will need to rely more on inducing weak contact and excelling with his pinpoint command. For that reason, he isn't going to be in high demand in fantasy drafts, but he should at least be in contention for a back-end starting rotation spot for the O's in 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
3 weeks agoFree-agent right-hander
Matt Sauer signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday that includes an invite to major-league spring training, according to a source. The 25-year-old was a big-league Rule 5 pick of the Kansas City Royals last year and was originally the New York Yankees' second-round selection back in 2017. The 25-year-old made the Opening Day roster for the Royals and appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen for KC. He wasn't very good in his MLB debut, though, allowing 14 earned runs on 23 hits while walking 11 and striking out nine in 16 1/3 innings pitched. Sauer was eventually returned to the Yankees and wasn't much better in 32 1/3 frames at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 6.12 ERA. It's possible the Dodgers will look to move him back into a starting role as minor-league depth.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Kiley McDaniel
3 weeks agoThe Minnesota Twins are unsure if right-handed reliever
Brock Stewart (shoulder) will be ready for the start of spring training in February despite starting his throwing program in mid-November. Stewart was given a recovery timeline of five to six months after he had season-ending arthroscopic right-shoulder surgery in August. The 33-year-old has been very productive out of Minnesota's bullpen when healthy, but he might not be available to begin next season. Stewart had a 5.17 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in just 15 2/3 innings pitched in 2024, but the year before, he was lights-out with a 0.65 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, one save and 39 strikeouts in 27 2/3 relief innings for the Twins. He has good control and a high-velocity fastball that can rack up plenty of strikeouts as a high-leverage reliever. When healthy, he has the potential to be a nice target for holds.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minneapolis Star Tribune - Bobby Nightengale
3 weeks agoPittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network that catcher
Joey Bart has taken the pole position at catcher heading into the 2025 season. Bart couldn't get going with the San Francisco Giants and was picked up on waivers by the Pirates early on in 2024. The low-cost move worked out for the Pirates, as Bart eventually became the team's starting catcher and finished with a .265/.337/.462 slash line with a career-high 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs scored in 282 plate appearances over 80 games played. The 28-year-old is in pole position for the starting job in 2025, but he'll need to continue playing well to hold off both
Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and former first-rounder
Henry Davis. The power and hard-hit skills are the draw with Bart, and it was a nice sign that he lowered his strikeout rate in 2024. However, he'll need regular playing time to be fantasy relevant.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Bucco Beat
3 weeks agoTampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said on MLB Network that the team expects left-hander
Shane McClanahan (elbow) to throw "150-ish" innings in his return to action in 2025. McClanahan had his second Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and didn't pitch at all for the Rays this past season as a result. However, the 27-year-old southpaw has been working through a normal offseason throwing program and should be ready to go in 2025, barring a setback. Look no further than right-hander
Walker Buehler's struggles in 2024 in his return from a second Tommy John surgery to see the risks involved with rostering McClanahan in fantasy in 2025. Before his second elbow surgery, McClanahan was a fantasy ace, though, making back-to-back All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023 and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2022.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network
3
weeks
agoThe
New
York
Post's
Jon
Heyman
reports
that
there
is
still
a
money
gap
in
the
trade
talks
for
outfielder/first
baseman
Cody
Bellinger
with
the
Chicago
Cubs
and
New
York
Yankees.
Heyman
describes
the
situation
as
a
matter
of
"who
blinks
first,"
if
read more...
3 weeks agoChicago White Sox second baseman
Lenyn Sosa is enjoying a hot winter in the Venezuelan Winter League, currently slashing .392/.451/.765 with nine home runs for the Leones del Caracas. The 24-year-old was Chicago's ninth-ranked prospect in 2023, but had a rough 2024 campaign before turning it around in September. Through the end of August, Sosa slashed .216/.247/.295 with four home runs and a 51 wRC+ in 281 plate appearances for the big league club, but for the month of September he slashed .373/.398/.566 with four home runs and a 173 wRC+ in 88 PA. It seems the right-handed hitter has carried that momentum into the winter and managers should keep an eye on what he does this spring. While the environment he plays in doesn't boost his value at all, he may have enough pop in his bat to make him fantasy relevant if he can keep up the hot hitting.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Baseball Reference
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