4 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
4 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
4 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
4
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...
4 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
4 weeks agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates have signed infielder
Nick Solak to a minor-league contract. The 29-year-old was drafted in the second round by the Yankees back in 2016, but has spent time in six different organizations since then with Pittsburgh being his seventh. The right-handed hitter debuted with the Rangers in 2019, slashing .293/.393/.491 with a 126 wRC+ in 135 plate appearances, but never posted anything better than an 86 wRC+ in any other season since. The Louisville product enjoyed a solid 2024 campaign at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, slashing .311/.406/.446, so perhaps there is reason for optimism. The Pirates also recently signed
Enmanuel Valdez to an already crowded infield, but if Solak can continue the success he saw in 2024 then maybe he'll prove to be valuable depth later in the 2025 season.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB Roster Moves
4 weeks agoThe Seattle Mariners have signed pitcher
Drew Pomeranz to a minor-league contract. Pomeranz hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021 when he underwent Tommy John surgery and experienced setbacks in his recovery efforts. The 2024 season was spent in the Dodgers' organization, although the lefty tossed only nine innings for the Triple-A affiliate. The veteran will likely need to prove he's still got something left in the tank before we see him in the majors in 2025, so for now he doesn't move the needle for fantasy. Once upon a time in 2016, the now-36-year-old was an All-Star, so perhaps if he's 100% healthy then there could be something there. For his career, Pomeranz has a 3.91 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 14.0% K-BB% which is a tad low due to his tendency to walk batters at an above-average rate.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: Aram Leighton
4 weeks agoThe Texas Rangers have signed pitcher
Michael Plassmeyer to a minor-league contract. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round back in 2018, and has been with Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and spent 2024 in Pittsburgh's organization. The lefty made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2022 and made a brief appearance in 2023, totaling 11 major league innings pitched. He'll presumably start 2025 in Triple-A which is where he was for all of 2024, posting an unsightly 7.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, but with an excellent 22.7% K-BB%, which is probably why the Rangers were willing to give him a shot. The 6-foot-2 southpaw pitched as both a reliever and as a starter, so it remains to be seen how the Rangers intend to deploy him, but until he's in the majors, Plassmeyer is off the fantasy radar.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
4 weeks agoAccording to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent starting pitcher
Jack Flaherty is viewed as a fallback option if the Baltimore Orioles are unable to re-sign
Corbin Burnes. Rosenthal noted that the Red Sox could also present a nice fit for Flaherty as well. Last season, Burnes operated as the Baltimore ace and finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Flaherty enjoyed a solid bounce-back campaign last summer after dealing with numerous injuries for the better part of three seasons. In 2024, Flaherty logged 162 innings (second-highest of his career) and posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Flaherty was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and remained in the rotation during their championship run. Under the hood, he generated an impressive 29.9% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate with an above-average 3.54 xERA. Flaherty should be viewed as a viable SP3 in all formats heading into next season and could have an even brighter outlook, depending on where he calls home.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ken Rosenthal
4
weeks
agoAccording
to
Ken
Rosenthal
of
The
Athletic,
the
Chicago
Cubs
are
less
likely
to
seek
a
trade
partner
for
second
baseman
Nico
Hoerner.
Rosenthal
noted
that
the
Cubs
needed
to
move
an
infielder
to
create
a
path
for
their
top
prospect,
read more...
4 weeks agoAccording to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, The Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Mets are among the teams inquiring about Seattle Mariners starting pitcher
Luis Castillo. Rosenthal noted that while the Mariners are not actively searching for a trade partner, they would be eager to do business to improve other aspects of their roster. With their rotation being their strong suit, moving Castillo could bring an impact bat into the Seattle lineup. In addition, Rosenthal noted that if Castillo were to be traded, this could open up some salary for the Mariners to target free agent first baseman
Christian Walker, who has been connected to Seattle throughout the offseason. While Castillo's ratios took a slight step down last season, the 32-year-old remains a high-volume starting pitcher who has logged at least 150 innings over the past three seasons and over 175 in the past two.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ken Rosenthal
4 weeks agoAccording to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, both
Trevor Megill and
Abner Uribe have a viable path to operate as the closer during the 2025 season. With
Devin Williams being traded to the New York Yankees, the ninth-inning role in Milwaukee is currently vacated. When Williams missed time during the first half of last summer with a back injury, Megill and Uribe both saw ample opportunities. Megill converted 20 saves, while Uribe only tallied three. However, Uribe was given the first save opportunity of the season but struggled to hold the job. Megill generated a solid 2.83 xERA, while Uribe posted a high 4.78 xERA. In addition, southpaw
Aaron Ashby could also be a sleeper candidate for the role as he posted a stellar 1.37 ERA and 0.76 WHIP across his final 19 2/3 innings of relief last summer. For now, Megill should be viewed as the frontrunner and the name to target in early drafts.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoAccording to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Phillies remain open to a reunion with free-agent right-handed pitcher
Jeff Hoffman. Even after the Phillies acquired
Jordan Romano to operate as a high-leverage option out of the bullpen, the Phillies have continued to express interest in Hoffman. Last season, Hoffman held a strong 2.17 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across 66 1/3 frames of relief. He struck out an impressive 89 batters and tallied 10 saves. Earlier this offseason, sources reported that a few clubs viewed Hoffman as a potential starting pitcher, which could increase his value on the open market. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on where the 32-year-old signs, as he could have a wide range of outcomes for the 2025 season as a starter or a reliever. If he returns to Philadelphia, he will likely operate as the setup man and could be in line to earn a high tally of holds.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Matt Gelb
4
weeks
agoChicago
Cubs
outfield
prospect
Alexander
Canario
is
hitting
well
in
the
Dominican
Winter
League,
with
his
slashline
now
up
to
.321/.413/.604
with
four
home
runs
in
63
plate
appearances.
Canario
finished
2023
as
the
Cubs
11th-ranked
prospect,
but
has
since
fallen
outside
the
read more...
4 weeks agoThe Pirates have acquired infielder/outfielder
Enmanuel Valdez in a trade with the Red Sox. Minor league pitcher Joe Vogatsky was shipped to Boston in exchange for Valdez. The 25-year-old debuted for Boston in 2023, playing 125 games and posting a .235-12-47-40-6 line in 372 career plate appearances. It's unclear how the Pirates plan to use the left-handed hitter as they already have
Nick Gonzales,
Jared Triolo, and
Nick Yorke who can play his primary position of second base. Vogatsky was the Pirates' 19th-round pick in the 2024 Draft but has yet to make his minor league debut. Neither player figures to have a significant fantasy impact in 2025.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
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