4 days agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Washington Nationals are signing free agent first baseman
Josh Bell to a one-year contract worth $6 million. Bell opened the 2024 campaign with the Miami Marlins before being acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks later in the season. Across 145 total games, the switch-hitter held a .249/.319/.405 line with 19 home runs, 23 doubles, and a 51:210 BB:K ratio. Under the hood, the veteran generated a below-average .310 xwOBA and modest 40.1% hard-hit rate. Bell spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in D.C. and held an impressive .301/.384/.493 line in 2022. While the Nationals acquired first baseman
Nate Lowe earlier this week from Texas, Bell should be penciled into the DH spot on a daily basis. If he can see his power numbers climb, he could be worth a look in deeper NL-only formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon He
4
days
agoAccording
to
Sports
Illustrated,
the
Toronto
Blue
Jays
expressed
interest
in
second
baseman
Gleyber
Torres
before
he
signed
a
contract
with
the
Detroit
Tigers.
Earlier
this
offseason,
the
Blue
Jays
acquired
second
baseman
Andres
Gimenez
from
the
Cleveland
Guardians
but
read more...
4 days agoAccording to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media, the Miami Marlins have signed right-handed pitcher
Freddy Tarnok to a contract that includes an invite to Spring Training. The 26-year-old has logged only 15 1/3 career inning in the major leagues. Across this small stint, he has held a 4.70 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Through 92 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level, the right-hander held a 4.68 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with a 48:94 BB:K ratio. The former third-round pick split time with the bullpen and the rotation through the minor leagues but was deployed primarily as a reliever in the majors. Tarnok will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster but will face an uphill battle given his lack of experience and success in the major leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Aram Leighton
4 days agoAccording to a source, the San Francisco Giants have free-agent first baseman
Pete Alonso "on their radar." Earlier this offseason, the Giants made a big splash by signing shortstop
Willy Adames to the largest contract in their franchise history. The team was also heavily linked to starting pitcher
Corbin Burnes but fell short in the bidding to their division foe in the Arizona Diamondbacks. After losing out on Burnes, the Giants may pivot that money to acquire another elite bat for their lineup. Last season, Alonso had a down year to his standards, hitting 34 home runs. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Alonso went deep at least 40 times in each campaign. In addition, he held a .270/.329/.459 slash line with a strong .343 xwOBA. If the Giants are unable to acquire Alonso,
LaMonte Wade Jr. would be penciled in as the Opening Day starter at first base.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 days agoAccording to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Chicago Cubs are acquiring infielder
Vidal Brujan from the Miami Marlins in exchange for first baseman
Matt Mervis. Brujan began his big league career with the Tampa Bay Rays before moving to Miami last summer. Across a hefty 227 games at the Triple-A level, the infielder held a strong .272/.357/.451 line with 243 total hits and 89 stolen bases. However, the 26-year-old was never able to see that production translate to the major leagues as he posted a poor .189/.261/.270 slash line across 201 games at the major leagues. He swiped only 14 bags and hit five long balls. Brujan could compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster but will likely spend most of the summer at Triple-A, given his struggles in the majors.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
4 days agoAccording to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Miami Marlins are acquiring first baseman
Matt Mervis from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder
Vidal Brujan. The 26-year-old was a former top prospect in the Chicago system but was never able to put it together in the majors. However, in the minor leagues, the first baseman showcased high upside at times. Across 241 games at the Triple-A level, Mervis posted a .269/.371/.511 slash line with 52 home runs, 54 doubles, and a 130:244 BB:K. However, in the majors, the infielder held an underwhelming .155/.222/.259 line. He tallied just three hits across 36 contests. Mervis should contend for a spot on the Marlins Opening Day roster but will likely open the 2025 campaign at the Triple-A level.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jeff Passan
4
days
agoAccording
to
MLB.com,
the
Los
Angeles
Dodgers
met
with
free
agent
right-handed
pitcher
Roki
Sasaki
on
Saturday.
The
Dodgers
join
a
relatively
long
list
of
clubs
that
have
met
with
the
international
superstar.
According
to
sources,
the
San
Francisco
Giants,
San
Diego
Padres,
Chicago
Cubs,
New
York
Yankees,
read more...
4 days agoThe Texas Rangers have signed right-handed pitcher
Nolan Hoffman to a minor-league contract that has an invite to Spring Training. After being drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2018 MLB Draft, Hoffman has gone on to spend the past three seasons in the Baltimore Orioles system. Last summer, Hoffman logged a career-high 58.0 innings at Triple-A and held a 3.88 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. Despite the high ratios, he flashes strong strikeout upside, tallying 77 across these 58 frames. He was deployed exclusively as a reliever last summer and did earn two saves. Hoffman will compete for a spot in the Texas bullpen but should expected to open the 2025 campaign at Triple-A.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
4 days agoThe Texas Rangers have signed second baseman/shortstop
Alan Trejo to a minor-league contract that contains an invite to Spring Training. Trejo has spent the first four seasons of his major league career with the Colorado Rockies. Last summer, Trejo held a .143/.182/.143 line with no extra-base hits across 28 games in the major leagues. He sits with a cumulative .228/.276/.334 line through 174 games in the majors. Trejo would also post a .265/.346/.408 line across 59 games at Triple-A last summer. While the infielder has yet to put it together in the majors, he has shown solid upside in the minor leagues. He is worth monitoring in deeper AL-only formats as he could contend for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
4 days agoSecond baseman
Jax Biggers has signed a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers that includes an invite to Spring Training. The 27-year-old has spent his entire career playing in the Rangers organization. Last summer he spent the entire season at the Triple-A level and held a solid .275/.390/.382 line with 22 doubles, three home runs, 12 stolen bases, and a 71:87 BB:K ratio. This was a nice improvement compared to the .269/.380/.359 line he posted across 253 career games at the Double-A level. Even though he has not reached the major league level, given his strong contact skills at Triple-A, he could contend for a spot on the Opening Day Roster if he has a successful Spring Training.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
5 days agoAccording to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Rangers have interest in free-agent relief pitcher
Chris Martin. Last season in Boston, the 38-year-old held a 3.45 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP across 44 1/3 innings of relief. He struck out batters a solid 27.8% rate and showed elite command with a near-perfect 1.7% walk rate. He also generated an above-average 3.41 xERA and 35.0% hard-hit rate. Martin spent time with Texas earlier in his career during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. If Martin were to sign with Texas, he would likely be deployed as a late-inning reliever. Currently, the Rangers do not have a top ninth-inning option but have expressed interest in re-signing
Kirby Yates. If they do not, Martin could mix in for save opportunities if they come to a contract agreement.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Evan Grant
5 days agoAccording to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Tigers remain active in pursuing free-agent third baseman
Alex Bregman. However, Petzold noted that both sides still have mutual interest despite a "gap in perceived value." Earlier this week, the Tigers signed second baseman
Gleyber Torres to a one-year contract. However, even after that deal, the Tigers remain active in improving their lineup. If Bregman were to come to an agreement with Detroit, he would have an everyday role at the hot corner, which would likely move
Matt Vierling to either the outfield or to the designated-hitter spot. Last summer, Bregman held a .260/.315/.453 slash line with 26 home runs and three stolen bases. Bregman will remain a popular target in points leagues in 2025 given his stellar 13.6% strikeout rate and a low-end top-12 option in category leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Evan Petzold
5
days
agoAccording
to
Mark
Feinsand
of
MLB.com,
Arizona
Diamondbacks
starting
pitcher
Jordan
Montgomery
could
still
be
traded.
Feinsand
reported
this
following
their
signing
of
Corbin
Burnes
to
a
massive
six-year
contract.
Montgomery's
name
has
been
on
the
trade
throughout
read more...
5 days agoAccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, right-handed pitcher
Corbin Burnes turned down more money per year from other suitors when he signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier on Saturday. Heyman mentions that the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays offered Burnes larger contracts than Arizona. However, Burnes opted to sign with the Diamondbacks due to a lower state tax and family arrangements. The 30-year-old pitcher ended up agreeing to a six-year deal worth $210 million with the Diamondbacks that includes an opt out after two seasons. Last summer in Baltimore, Burnes posted a strong 2.92 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP across 194 1/3 innings of work. Despite seeing his strikeout production drop, Burnes remains a high-end starting pitcher heading into 2025 given his stable ratios and ability to make over 30 starts each season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
5 days agoBefore outfielder
Teoscar Hernandez re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for three years and $66 million this week, the New York Mets offered him a two-year contract, according to a source. The move would have been a big addition for the Mets after they already landed superstar outfielder
Juan Soto, and it likely would have meant a move back to center field for
Brandon Nimmo. For fantasy purposes, the 32-year-old Hernandez staying in Hollywood in the middle of a stacked Dodgers lineup is probably for the best. It was pretty much expected all along for Hernandez to stay in LA after helping the team win the World Series in his first year with the organization. Hernandez hit .272/.339/.501 with a career-high 33 home runs, 99 RBI, 12 steals and 84 runs scored in 2024. His strong batted-ball metrics suggest he should have another strong season in 2025 in one of the best situations in baseball.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Newsday - Tim Healey
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