2 days agoDetroit Tigers starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, the first time the 28-year-old has won the award. The lefty dominated in his 15 starts in 2023 after his return from Tommy John surgery and backed it up with a full season of dominance in 2024. The southpaw went 18-4 while posting a 2.39 ERA -- FIP, xFIP, and SIERA were all under 3.00 as well -- with a 0.92 WHIP, and an elite 25.6% K-BB% in 31 starts (192 IP). The former ninth-round draft pick also made it to his first All-Star game this season. He'll certainly cost quite a bit more in 2025 fantasy drafts than he did this year, but so long as he can stay healthy, he has the repertoire to deliver on a high draft-day price tag.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB
2
days
agoThe
Chicago
Cubs
acquired
catcher
Matt
Thaiss
on
Wednesday
from
the
Los
Angeles
Angels
for
cash
considerations,
while
RHP
Trey
Wingenter
was
designated
for
assignment
(DFA)
in
a
corresponding
move.
A
week
ago,
Thaiss
was
DFAd
after
the
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3 days agoThe Athletics signed free-agent left-hander
Matt Krook and right-hander
Jason Alexander to minor-league deals late last week. Krook, 30, pitched one inning in relief for the Baltimore Orioles in 2024 and allowed three runs (two earned) while walking one and striking out two. He saw most of his action at Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 3.92 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with a save, 54 strikeouts and 31 walks in 41 relief appearances. Alexander, 31, hasn't pitched in the majors since debuting in 2022 with the Milwaukee Brewers, when he had a 5.40 ERA and 1.62 WHIP over 71 2/3 innings in 18 appearances (11 starts). He spent this past season pitching for Triple-A Worcester in the Red Sox's organization, going 7-6 with a 4.42 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and a 129:39 K:BB in 29 outings (27 starts) covering 138 1/3 frames. Both Krook and Alexander are likely to start at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 days agoFree-agent first baseman
Trenton Brooks signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres. Brooks will stay in the National League West division after making his major-league debut with the San Francisco Giants in 2024. The 29-year-old former 17th-round pick by the Cleveland Guardians in 2016 out of the University of Nevada only played in 12 games for the Gigantes and went 3-for-25 (.120) with an RBI, stolen base and three runs scored while striking out six times. The left-handed hitter was much better in the minors in 94 games with Triple-A Sacramento, slashing a robust .302/.410/.453 with an impressive .863 OPS, 10 home runs, 58 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 407 plate appearances. Brooks will likely start the 2025 season with the Padres in Triple-A El Paso as he looks to work his way back to the majors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
3 days agoThe Colorado Rockies announced on Wednesday that they agreed to re-sign catcher
Jacob Stallings to an undisclosed one-year deal that includes a mutual option for the 2026 season. Stallings became a free agent this offseason after declining his portion of a mutual option for 2025, but he now finds himself back with the Rockies for at least another season. The 34-year-old veteran backstop found himself working as the team's primary catcher down the stretch in 2024 and he finished with a .263/.357/.453 slash line, an impressive .810 OPS, a career-high nine home runs, 36 RBI and 31 runs scored in 281 trips to the plate over 82 games played for Colorado. Stallings will give the Rockies extra catching depth again next year, but fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to serve as the lead backstop all year.
Drew Romo and perhaps even
Hunter Goodman should factor in at the position.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Rockies Club Information
3 days agoThe Chicago Cubs designated infielder
Patrick Wisdom for assignment on Wednesday after the team acquired relief pitcher
Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians, according to sources. The move isn't all that surprising after Wisdom really struggled at the plate in Chicago in 2024. The 33-year-old former first-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 out of Saint Mary's slashed a dreadful .171/.237/.392 with a .629 OPS, eight home runs, 23 RBI, five stolen bases and 16 runs scored in 75 games after hitting 20-plus home runs in each of the previous three seasons for the Cubs. Wisdom struggles to make consistent contact at the plate, but he proved the last three years that he has intriguing pop when he finds the barrel. He could be claimed off waivers by another club, but if he isn't, he should land somewhere for the 2025 campaign.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN Chicago - Jesse Rogers
3 days agoThe Chicago Cubs acquired right-handed reliever
Eli Morgan from the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, according to sources. It's unclear what the Cubs sent Cleveland in return. Morgan went 3-0 with a strong 1.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 34 strikeouts and 11 walks last year for Cleveland in 42 innings out of the bullpen and has a 3.23 career ERA in 173 innings as a reliever in the big leagues. The 28-year-old has pitched a total of 265 1/3 innings at the major-league level over 161 appearances (19 starts) since making his debut in 2021 with the Guardians. Morgan sports a career 23.8% strikeout rate and a nice 6.4% walk rate, although his strikeout rate fell to a career-low 20.4% in 2024. He will likely work in the middle innings for the Cubbies in 2025 and won't be on the fantasy radar.
UPDATE: The Guardians received outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario in return.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
3 days agoThe Seattle Mariners acquired infielder
Austin Shenton from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations. In a corresponding move, the Mariners designated right-hander
JT Chargois for assignment. Shenton was originally drafted by Seattle in the fifth round in 2019 out of Florida International. The 26-year-old made his major-league debut with the Rays in 2024 but played in only 19 games, going 9-for-42 (.214) with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored. He also appeared in 83 games with Triple-A Durham on the farm and slashed .258/.361/.497 with an .858 OPS, 20 home runs, 65 RBI and 49 runs scored in 363 plate appearances. Shenton will provide the M's with minor-league infield depth heading into spring training next year after hitting .283/.388/.527 in his five seasons in the minors.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Daniel Kramer
3 days agoCleveland Guardians manager
Stephen Vogt was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday evening. It was a pretty special first season as manager in the big leagues for Vogt, as he had a winning record, won the AL Central title and helped his club advance to the AL Championship Series. It's the third time in the last decade that a Guardians skipper has won the award, with Vogt being the fifth-youngest manager to win the award. Vogt becomes the fastest person to go from being a player to Manager of the Year winner. He finished playing on Oct. 5 of 2022 and was hired as Cleveland's manager just 397 days after with zero managerial experience. It was an impressive turnaround after the team went 76-86 in 2023. Vogt leaned heavily on his bullpen that combined to post a 2.57 ERA, the fourth-best among all bullpens since 1995.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB
3 days agoMilwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy was named the 2024 National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday evening. Murphy was chosen over the Padres' Mike Shildt and the Mets'
Carlos Mendoza on 27 of the 30 ballots cast. He becomes the first Brewers manager to win the award. What the Brewers were able to accomplish in 2024 was even more impressive, considering they traded co-ace
Corbin Burnes on the eve of spring training and
Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) missed the entire season. Closer
Devin Williams also missed the first four months of the year with a back injury, and former MVP
Christian Yelich missed the last two months due to injury. Milwaukee was projected to win 79 games, yet the Brewers went 93-69 to win their second straight NL Central title, their fourth division crown in the last seven seasons and their sixth playoff appearance in that span.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB
4 days agoThe New York Yankees added infielder
Caleb Durbin and catcher
Jesus Rodriguez to their 40-man roster on Tuesday so that they cannot be taken in the upcoming Rule 5 draft by another team. The Yankees also received right-hander
Carson Coleman as a Rule 5 draft return from the Texas Rangers. It's quickly become clear that the Yankees are high on Durbin heading into 2025 and beyond, and it's hard to blame them after the 24-year-old looked good at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before tearing it up in the Arizona Fall League. Surprisingly, he's not listed among the team's top-30 prospects by MLB Pipeline after slashing .287/.396/.471 with 10 homers, 60 RBI and 29 steals in 82 games at Triple-A this year. If Durbin keeps his strong play going into spring training early next year, he could open the regular season on the Opening Day roster.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Yankees
4 days agoIn moves made to protect some of their better young prospects from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, the St. Louis Cardinals added right-handers
Tink Hence,
Tekoah Roby and
Matt Svanson and outfielder
Matt Koperniak to their 40-man roster on Tuesday. Hence is the team's most decorated prospect, with MLB Pipeline listing him as their No. 2 prospect. Injuries have been a problem for the 22-year-old, but when healthy, he has displayed promising upside on the mound. The former second-round pick in 2020 had a nice 2.71 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 109 strikeouts and only 26 walks in 79 2/3 innings over 20 starts for Double-A Springfield in 2024. Roby checks in as St. Louis' No. 6 prospect, while Svanson and Koperniak aren't listed among the team's top-30 prospects. All four of the young players cannot be claimed in the Rule 5 draft now by other organizations.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Cardinals
4 days agoTo protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, the Chicago Cubs added outfield prospect
Owen Caissie to their 40-man roster on Tuesday, according to a source. As ESPN's Kiley McDaniels' 63rd-best prospect in baseball (back in August), the move doesn't come as much of a surprise. Per MLB Pipeline, Caissie is listed as Chicago's No. 2 prospect, behind only infielder
Matt Shaw. The 22-year-old Canadian hits from the left side but throws right-handed. In 127 games at Triple-A Iowa in 2024, Caissie hit .278/.375/.473 with an .848 OPS, 19 home runs, 75 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 69 runs scored in 549 plate appearances. He impresses talent evaluators the most with his raw power at the plate, giving him 40-homer upside in the majors. If Caissie impresses the Cubs' coaching staff in spring training early in 2025, it's not out of the realm of possibilities that he opens the year on the Opening Day roster.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Kiley McDaniel
4 days agoFree-agent right-hander
Nick Pivetta declined the Boston Red Sox's $21.05 million qualifying offer on Tuesday. It means that if Pivetta signs with another team on the free-agent market this offseason, the Red Sox will receive draft-pick compensation. The 31-year-old should be able to receive a pretty lucrative long-term contract on the open market, but it remains to be seen if he'll return to Beantown. In his eighth year in the big leagues in 2024, the Canadian hurler went 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA (4.07 FIP), a 1.13 WHIP and a 172:36 K:BB in 145 2/3 innings over his 27 outings (26 starts). He has a career 4.76 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 26.0% strikeout rate and 8.6% walk rate, although his strikeout rate has been over 30% in the last two seasons in Boston. Leaving the tough American League East could be good news for Pivetta's fantasy value.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
4 days agoThe New York Mets acquired outfielder
Jose Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in exchange for pitcher
Eric Orze, according to a league source. Siri could see a considerable amount of playing time next year for the Mets with
Harrison Bader potentially leaving in free agency. However, the 29-year-old Dominican is going to need to pick it up offensively after hitting just .187/.255/.366 with a weak .620 OPS, 18 home runs, 47 RBI, a career-high-tying 14 stolen bases and 50 runs scored in 130 games played (448 plate appearances). Siri struck out 37.9 percent of the time. His glove is probably his most attractive attribute, but he can also provide some modest speed in NL-only leagues. Orze is a 27-year-old reliever who had a 2.92 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and three saves in 61 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse in 2024 before making his major-league debut (1 2/3 frames).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
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