3 weeks agoThe Baltimore Orioles and infielder
Ramon Urias settled on a one-year, $3.15 million deal to avoid salary arbitration on Thursday. Even before missing time with an ankle injury, Urias was seeing less playing time in Baltimore. When the 30-year-old veteran infielder did play, he was solid, slashing .254/.322/.423 with 11 home runs, 37 RBI and 39 runs scored in 100 games played. Urias made plenty of contact and hit more fly balls, with his 11 homers representing the second-highest total of his career. He typically doesn't make a ton of loud contact at the plate, though, and with a bench role likely in 2025, there's not enough upside to consider Urias in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues. However, Urias can play almost everywhere on the infield, so an injury could quickly open up regular playing time for him.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
3 weeks agoAccording to Robert Murray of FanSided.com, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed right-handed pitcher
Jeff Hoffman to a three-year contract worth $33 million. Hoffman enjoyed a strong campaign in Philadelphia last summer as he posted a 2.17 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP across 66 1/3 innings of work. He tallied ten saves and 21 holds while being deployed as a high-leverage option out of the bullpen. Under the hood, the East Carolina product generated a 2.87 xERA and a .202 xBA which were both within the 90th percentile. In addition, Hoffman's 33.6% K rate and 35.3% whiff rate were significantly above the average marks. Earlier this offseason, the Athletic reported that several clubs viewed Hoffman as a potential starter. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status during spring training. If he were to continue to operate as a reliever, he would compete for save opportunities with
Chad Green.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Robert Murray
3 weeks agoAccording to Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports, the Chicago Cubs have acquired right-handed pitcher
Matt Festa from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated infielder
Miles Mastrobuoni for assignment. Festa was initially designated for assignment by Texas earlier this week but will now look to compete for a spot on the Cubs Opening Day Roster. Last season, Festa posted a 5.70 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP across 23 2/3 innings of relief in the majors. Mastrobuoni was deployed as a depth option in the Chicago infield last season and held a .191/.245/.224 line across 50 games. If Festa were to earn a spot on the roster, he would likely see time as a low-leverage relief option.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Andy Martinez
3 weeks agoAccording to Alex Weiner of AZ Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks have claimed catcher
Rene Pinto off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Pinto will now join a crowded catching room that consists of
Gabriel Moreno, prospect
Adrian Del Castillo, and
Jose Herrera. Pinto has spent his entire major league career with the Tampa Bay Rays. Last season, Pinto appeared in 19 games and posted a .214/.292/.429 line with three doubles and two home runs. Across 83 career major league games, the 28-year-old holds a .231/.263/.404 line with ten home runs. Given the crowded state of the Arizona catcher room, this may suggest that Del Castillo may see time as a designated hitter this season, or another transaction is in the works. For now, fantasy managers should expect Moreno to see the majority of starts behind the dish.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Alex Weiner
3 weeks agoAccording to the team, the Baltimore Orioles have claimed starting pitcher
Roansy Contreras off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. In a corresponding move, the Orioles designated infielder
Livan Soto for assignment. Contreras has been claimed and released by several clubs this offseason. Last season, across 68 1/3 innings with Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, the right-hander held a 4.53 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. He struck out 56 batters and served up 31 free passes. Under the hood, he generated a 4.94 ERA and .260 xBA. In addition, he allowed hard contact at a hefty 43.5% rate and barrels at a 9.7% rate, both of which were well below the average marks. Fantasy managers should not have Contreras on their radar heading into the 2025 season, given his lack of proven success at the major league level.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Baltimore Orioles
3 weeks agoAccording to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, right-handed pitcher
Colin Rea has signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Cubs worth $6 million. Earlier this offseason, the Brewers declined Rea's option. The 34-year-old has spent the past three seasons with the Brewers. Last summer, Rea spent most of the season operating out of the starting rotation but will likely be deployed out of the bullpen in Chicago, given their depth at starting pitching. Across 167 2/3 innings of work, Rea held a 4.29 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He showed strong command with a 6.0% walk rate but struggled to generate strikeouts as he posted an underwhelming 18.9% clip. He also generated a poor 4.91 xERA and .272 xBA, both well below the average marks. Rea could eventually join the rotation later in the season but is best left as a streaming option in deeper NL-only formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jesse Rogers
3 weeks agoAccording to MLB.com, Houston Astros starting pitcher
Lance McCullers Jr. (elbow/forearm) is throwing off the mound and hopes to return early in the 2025 season. The 31-year-old underwent surgery to repair his right flexor in June of 2023 but faced a setback last season due to soreness. As a result, McCullers has not pitched in a major league game since 2022 but could be nearing a return. In 2022, the right-hander posted a 2.27 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP across 47 2/3 innings of work. During this stint, he struck out 50 batters and generated a solid 32.5% hard-hit and 50.4% barrel rates. During his last complete season in 2021, McCullers posted a 3.16 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP across 162 1/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers in deeper AL-only formats should continue to monitor his progression, as he could be a candidate to rejoin the rotation sometime in early 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 weeks agoThe Washington Nationals avoided salary arbitration with second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5 million deal. In addition to Garcia, the Nationals agreed to one-year deals with pitchers
MacKenzie Gore ($2.89 million),
Derek Law ($2.75 million),
Josiah Gray ($1.35 million) and catcher
Riley Adams ($850,000). They were not able to agree on a deal with first baseman
Nathaniel Lowe, who filed at $11.1 million, with the Nat countering at $10.3 million. Garcia, 24, broke out in 2024 in D.C., slashing .282/.318/.444 with a .762 OPS, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 528 plate appearances and 140 games played. His power-speed combination paid off for fantasy managers willing to take a flier on him, and his big season was aided by improvement in his batted-ball skills.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Washington Post - Andrew Golden
3 weeks agoRight-hander
Clarke Schmidt and the New York Yankees agreed to a one-year, $3.6 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration, according to a source. Schmidt only made 16 regular-season starts for the Yankees in 2024 due to a right-lat injury, but when he was on the mound, he was great, posting a career-best 2.85 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP with 93 punchouts in 85 1/3 innings thrown. For his efforts, he'll receive a $1.57 million raise going into 2025. The Yanks added left-hander
Max Fried to their starting rotation this winter, but Schmidt should still be a part of the team's Opening Day rotation. The 28-year-old is by no means a household name, but if he can build on his progress from last year before he got hurt, he could be an excellent value pick in 2025 fantasy drafts. Schmidt does an above-average job at avoiding contact and inducing weak contact.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: KPRC 2 Sports - Ari Alexander
3 weeks agoRight-handed closer
Devin Williams and the New York Yankees agreed on a one-year, $8.6 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration, according to a source. The Yankees acquired Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, and he will be their undisputed closer to begin the 2025 campaign. The 30-year-old did miss the entire first half of last season while recovering from back surgery, but when he returned, he was the same lights-out closer for the Brewers to finish the year. The former second-round pick by the Brewers in 2013 has been one of the most dominant closers in baseball the last three years, posting a combined 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 65 saves, 221 strikeouts and 69 walks in 141 relief innings. There may be some injury concerns surround Williams, but he's a no-doubt top-five fantasy closer with the Yankees.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jorge Castillo
3
weeks
agoThe
Arizona
Diamondbacks
avoided
salary
arbitration
with
right-hander
Zac
Gallen
on
Thursday
by
settling
on
a
one-year,
$13.5
million
deal.
In
addition
to
Gallen,
the
D-backs
also
agreed
to
one-year
deals
with
right-handers
Kevin
Ginkel
and
read more...
3 weeks agoKansas City Royals first baseman
Jac Caglianone, the team's top-ranked prospect and No. 17 on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list, has been invited to big-league camp at spring training next month. The 21-year-old left-handed slugger was taken sixth overall in last year's MLB draft out of Florida. In addition to Caglianone, top hitting prospects
Blake Mitchell (No. 2) and
Carter Jensen (No. 5) will also be in major-league camp with the Royals. The Royals haven't invited a top prospect to spring training since Alex Gordon in 2006, and general manager J.J. Picollo said it's a testament to Caglianone's ability and the way the game has evolved. Caglianone was the best two-way player in college, but he will focus solely on hitting in 2025 with a bat that wields elite raw power. He won't break camp with the big-league team and will likely start at Double-A, but Caglianone will likely be on the fast track to the bigs if he stays healthy.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Anne Rogers
3
weeks
agoTexas
Rangers
third
baseman
Josh
Jung
(wrist)
broke
his
right
wrist
in
just
the
fourth
game
last
year
and
had
surgery
in
October
to
help
alleviate
lingering
swelling,
but
he's
now
swinging
a
bat
without
any
issues
and
should
be
a
full-go
for
read more...
3
weeks
agoThe
New
York
Yankees
are
trying
to
trade
right-hander
Marcus
Stroman
this
offseason
and
are
willing
to
pay
down
his
$18
million
salary
in
2025
to
make
it
happen,
according
to
the
New
York
Post's
Jon
Heyman.
The
Yankees
would
love
to
trade
read more...
3 weeks agoAccording to league sources, free-agent first baseman
Pete Alonso's representatives have offered the New York Mets a three-year deal with opt-outs, and the deal is only available to the Mets right now. However, no deal is imminent, and Alonso's agent, Scott Boras, declined to comment on the situation. Many teams have already found their answer at first base this offseason, but Alonso remains on the open market and hasn't gotten any long-term offers to his liking. At this point, a return to New York, even though the Mets signed superstar outfielder
Juan Soto, is the most likely outcome. The 30-year-old right-handed slugger known as the Polar Bear had a down year offensively by his standards in 2024 with 34 home runs, 88 RBI and a .788 OPS, which were all career-lows. However, he's been extremely durable and remains a good bet for 30-plus homers again in 2025, regardless of where he's playing.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network Radio - Jim Duquette
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