2 days agoThe Toronto Blue Jays have signed left-handed pitcher
Eric Lauer to a minor league contract that contains an invite to Spring Training. Lauer spent the 2024 campaign with Houston and Pittsburgh. Lauer spent the entire summer at the Triple-A level and held a 5.26 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP across 75 1/3 innings. However, from 2018 through 2023, Lauer spent the majority of his time in the major leagues. The southpaw made his big league debut in San Diego in 2018 and then went on to spent four seasons in Milwaukee. He posted a career-best 3.19 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP with a 7-5 record across 118 2/3 innings during the 2021 season. Fantasy managers in deeper AL-only formats should keep an eye on his status during Spring Training as he may contend for a spot in the back-half of the Toronto rotation.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Toronto Blue Jays
2 days agoThe Toronto Blue Jays have signed right-handed pitcher
Eric Pardinho to a minor league contract that has an invite to Spring Training. Pardinho spent the 2024 campaign in the Toronto system splitting time between Double and Triple-A. Across 26 2/3 innings of relief at the Double-A level, the 23-year-old held a stellar 1.01 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. He tallied one save and struck out an impressive 37 batters across this stint. He then moved up to Triple-A Buffalo where he held a much higher 5.34 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP across a 28 1/3 innings of work. He struck out only 29 batters and served up 18 free passes. Pardinho will likely compete for a spot on the Opening Day Roster but should be expected to open the 2025 campaign at Triple-A given that he struggled at that level last summer.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Toronto Blue Jays
2
days
agoAccording
to
Ken
Rosenthal
of
Athletic,
the
Los
Angeles
Dodgers
are
exploring
other
right-handed
bats
while
negotiations
with
free
agent
Teoscar
Hernandez
remain
at
a
standstill.
Rosenthal
mentioned
that
free
agent
infielder
Ha-Seong
Kim,
and
outfielders
read more...
2 days agoThe New York Mets and left-handed pitcher
Anthony Gose have agreed to a minor league contract that has an invite to Spring Training. Gose began his professional career as an outfield prospect with the Toronto Blue Jays but then switched positions and became a pitcher. Last summer in Triple-A, Gose held a solid 3.22 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP across 44 2/3 innings of relief. He tallied ten saves while striking out an impressive 59 batters. However, in the majors he has held a career 4.78 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across a small 32 inning sample size. The 34-year-old has flashed decent strikeout upside but has yet to take the next step in the major leagues. He will likely spend Spring Training competing for a spot in the New York bullpen.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
2 days agoThe Chicago White Sox have designated outfielder
Corey Julks for assignment. In a corresponding move they acquired left-handed relief pitcher Corey Booser from the Boston Red Sox. Julks began his professional career with the Houston Astros. He made his major league debut in Houston in 2023 and held a .245/.297/.352 line with six home runs and 15 stolen bases across 93 games. Last summer in Chicago, he carried a .214/.275/.306 line with just three home runs and five stolen bases across 66 games. While Julks has yet to put it together in the major leagues, he has flashed upside at the Triple-A level holding a cumulative .267/.360/.491 line with 42 doubles, 40 home runs, and 35 stolen bases across 195 games. If Julks were to find a new home, he would likely compete for a spot on an Opening Day Roster during Spring Training.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
2 days agoAccording to Mike Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com, the New York Mets continue to show interest in free-agent third baseman
Alex Bregman and have emerged as a potential landing spot for him. Even after acquiring
Juan Soto on a record-breaking contract, the Mets remain very active for the top free agents on the market. Last season in Houston, Bregman posted a .260/.315/.453 slash line with 26 home runs and three stolen bases. He showed an elite eye at the plate, holding a stellar 13.6% strikeout rate and 12.8% whiff rate, which were among the top marks in the sport. If the Mets were to acquire Bregman, this would likely move
Mark Vientos to the DH spot or potentially first base. Vientos played an integral role in their postseason run this past fall, as he held a stellar .327/.367/.636 line across 13 playoff games. Given Bregman's strong contact skills and eye at the plate, he should be viewed as a top-12 option in 2025.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mike Mayer
2 days agoThe Chicago White Sox have acquired left-handed relief pitcher
Cam Booser from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Yhoiker Fajardo. In a corresponding move the White Sox designated outfielder
Corey Julks for assignment. Last season in Boston, Booser held a 3.38 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP across 42 2/3 innings of relief. He tallied one save. He generated a solid 36.3% hard-hit rate with an above-average 3.56 xERA. Across 68 1/3 Triple-A frames, Booser carried a 5.14 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect Booser to operate primarily out of the bullpen in Chicago and may eventually find a high-leverage role if he has a successful Spring Training as their current bullpen lacks any proven late-inning options.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
2 days agoAccording to Jeff Passan, right-handed pitcher
Slade Cecconi was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for first baseman
Josh Naylor. Cecconi has spent his entire professional career in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. He made his major league debut in 2023 and posted a 4.33 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 27 innings. Last summer, posted a high 6.66 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP across 77 innings. The Miami product bounced between the rotation and the bullpen during both of his major league stints. In the minor leagues he operated primarily as a starter and held a 5.23 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 163 1/3 innings. Despite his high ratios, he possess great command as he posted an impressive 5.0% walk rate. With the Guardians losing
Matthew Boyd earlier this offseason to the Chicago Cubs, Cecconi could have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the starting rotation during Spring Training.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
2 days agoAccording to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Cleveland Guardians have signed first baseman
Carlos Santana to a one-year contract worth $12 million, pending a physical. This transaction occurred just minutes after the Guardians traded first baseman
Josh Naylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks. This will be Santana's third stint with Cleveland. Last season, the veteran first baseman posted a .238/.328/.420 line with 23 home runs and four stolen bases in Minnesota. He tallied 71 RBI with 26 doubles. He showed a great eye at the plate with a strong 10.9% walk rate and 16.7% K rate which placed him in the 82nd and 79th percentile respectively among qualified hitters. He also held a slightly above average .330 xwOBA. Fantasy managers should expect Santana to operate as the everyday first baseman and does carry solid RBI upside this season batting behind
Steven Kwan and
Jose Ramirez.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
2
days
agoAccording
to
Jeff
Passan
of
ESPN,
the
Arizona
Diamondbacks
are
acquiring
first
baseman
Josh
Naylor
from
the
Cleveland
Guardians
in
exchange
for
right-handed
pitcher
Slade
Cecconi
and
a
competitive
balance
Round
B
draft
pick.
Naylor
has
spent
the
past
four
read more...
2 days agoThe Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they signed free-agent right-hander
Junior Fernandez to a minor-league deal. Fernandez, a 27-year-old Dominican hurler, heads to Kansas City after making only two appearances overseas in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines. He has not appeared in the big leagues since the 2022 campaign, when he had a combined 2.41 ERA (5.79 FIP), a 1.61 WHIP and a 14:12 K:BB in 18 2/3 relief innings with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates. In four seasons in the majors, Fernandez has only thrown 54 innings of relief and has a 5.17 ERA and 1.72 WHIP with a weak 18.7% strikeout rate and 13.9% walk rate. He will just be hoping to impress in spring training with the Royals but will most likely open the 2025 season at Triple-A Omaha.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Kansas City Royals
2 days agoThe Toronto Blue Jays designated right-handed pitcher
Hagen Danner for assignment on Friday to make room on the 40-man roster for left-hander
Josh Walker, who the team signed to a big-league deal worth $760,000. The 26-year-old Danner made his major-league debut with Toronto in 2023 but only appeared for one-third of an inning. The former second-round selection in 2017 out of Huntington Beach High School went 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, seven saves, 34 strikeouts and 13 walks in 34 1/3 innings over 33 appearances out of the bullpen for Triple-A Buffalo this past season. If Danner clears waivers, he'll likely return to the Blue Jays and open the 2025 regular season back at Buffalo as relief depth for the organization.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Ben Nicholson-Smith
2
days
agoThe
New
York
Yankees
acquired
right-handed
reliever
Fernando
Cruz
and
catcher
Alex
Jackson
from
the
Cincinnati
Reds
on
Friday
night
in
exchange
for
catcher
Jose
Trevino.
Both
Cruz
and
Jackson
will
give
the
Yankees
some
extra
read more...
2 days agoFree-agent first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt and the New York Yankees agreed on a one-year, $12.5 million deal on Saturday, pending a physical, according to a source. Goldschmidt was also receiving interest from the Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets, but he'll instead head to the Bronx and replace
Anthony Rizzo as the club's regular first baseman in 2025. The 37-year-old right-handed slugger has been an All-Star seven times and was the National League MVP in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he declined significantly on offense in 2024 with a .245/.302/.414 slash line with a career-worst .716 OPS and 22 home runs in 154 games. Although Goldy was better in the second half, it's concerning that his strikeout rate rose to a career-high 26.5% while his walk rate was at a career-low 7.2%. There could be some juice left, and New York isn't a bad landing spot.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
2 days agoThe Cincinnati Reds acquired catcher
Jose Trevino from the New York Yankees on Friday night in exchange for right-handed reliever
Fernando Cruz and catcher
Alex Jackson, according to sources. Trevino was the primary backup for
Austin Wells in the Bronx in 2024 and slashed a weak .215/.288/.354 with eight home runs and 28 RBI in 234 plate appearances in the regular season. The 32-year-old veteran backstop will now head to Cincinnati, where he'll once again be in a backup role, this time behind
Tyler Stephenson. His backup role won't provide him much fantasy value, if any at all, heading into the 2025 campaign. The former sixth-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2014 out of Oral Roberts University carries a .236/.275/.362 career slash line with a .637 OPS and only 32 home runs in 399 games over seven MLB seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
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