5 days agoFree-agent left-hander
Patrick Sandoval (elbow) and the Boston Red Sox agreed on a two-year, $18.25 million deal on Friday, according to sources. The 28-year-old left-hander is coming off an internal-brace procedure on his left elbow but expects to return at some point in the second half of the 2025 season. He became a free agent after the Los Angeles Angels non-tendered him in November. Sandoval won't be on the fantasy radar to begin the season and will probably be too risky to roster in the majority of formats once he returns in the second half in his debut with Boston. He's the second left-handed starter the BoSox have added this offseason after the traded for
Garrett Crochet. Sandoval leans more on his secondary pitches than he does an average fastball, which limits his fantasy upside with a career 22.7% strikeout rate. He has a 4.01 career ERA with a 1.39 WHIP in six MLB seasons to date.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
5
days
agoFree-agent
first
baseman
Christian
Walker
agreed
to
a
three-year,
$60
million
deal
with
the
Houston
Astros
on
Friday.
It's
yet
another
sign
that
the
Astros
won't
be
re-signing
All-Star
third
baseman
Alex
Bregman
this
winter.
The
Astros
acquired
infielder
read more...
5
days
agoAccording
to
Ken
Rosenthal
of
The
Athletic,
the
Toronto
Blue
Jays
are
"not
as
interested"
in
re-signing
infielder
Bo
Bichette
in
comparison
to
first
baseman
Vladimir
Guerrero
Jr.
Rosenthal
noted
that
the
Blue
Jays
will
likely
have
to
make
a
read more...
5
days
agoAccording
to
Ken
Rosenthal
of
The
Athletic,
the
Yankees
are
likely
to
target
an
inexpensive
option
at
first
base.
This
will
likely
make
it
very
challenging
for
them
to
sign
either
Christian
Walker
or
Pete
Alonso.
With
the
read more...
5 days agoAccording to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Blue Jays are continuing to pursue a contract extension for their first baseman,
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Rosenthal noted that the Blue Jays have several contracts to take care of including Guerrero's extension,
Bo Bichette's potential extension, and even the possibility of signing free agent
Alex Bregman. While it will be difficult to accomplish all three of these tasks, Rosenthal noted that all three objectives remain "in play." Guerrero is projected to earn near $30 million in his final year of arbitration and will hit free agency at age 27. Given the massive contract
Juan Soto earned this offseason, Guerrero could be store for a massive payday. The first baseman finished second in AL MVP in 2021 and is coming off another excellent campaign where he posted a .323/.396/.544 line with 30 home runs and 103 RBI.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ken Rosenthal
5 days agoAccording to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, the Seattle Mariners have claimed free agent catcher
Nick Raposo off of waivers. Raposo was released by the Toronto Blue Jays earlier this week. Last summer across 78 games at the Triple-A level, the 26-year-old held a .206/.280/.340 line with ten doubles, eight home runs and a 25:59 BB:K ratio. In 2023, Raposo held a .260/.315/.420 line across Double-A. Raposo may contend for a spot on the Opening Day Roster but will likely open the campaign at Triple-A as he has yet to master that level. Fantasy managers in dynasty formats should not consider stashing him anytime soon as he will likely need more time to develop and has yet to flash any true offensive upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Kramer
5 days agoAccording to Ken Rosenthal of MLB on FOX, the Athletics have signed free agent infielder
Gio Urshela to a one-year contract. Urshela spent the 2024 campaign playing in Detroit and Atlanta. Across 128 games, the infielder held a .250/.286/.361 line with 19 doubles, nine home runs and no stolen bases. Urshela showed a great eye at the plate with a 15.6% K rate and 20.3% whiff rate which were both significantly above the average marks. In addition, he also generated a .264 xBA which suggest he could be due for some positive regression in 2025. In 2022 and 2023 he posted a .285 AVG and .299 AVG respectively. Fantasy managers should expect him to have an everyday role at the hot corner with the Athletics and could be worth a look in deeper AL-only formats given his low strikeout rate and solid batting average.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ken Rosenthal
5 days agoAccording to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Texas Rangers have signed free agent relief pitcher
Hoby Milner to a one-year contract. Milner has spent the past four season working in the Milwaukee bullpen. Across 64 2/3 innings last summer, the southpaw posted a 4.73 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP. However, under the hood he generated a strong 3.24 xERA which suggests he should be in store for some positive regression in 2025. He also allowed hard contract at a low 36.2% rate and barrels at stellar 2.7% rate. In addition, he showed great command with a 5.2% walk rate. Last season he was typically deployed in the seven and eighth innings as a set-up man. Fantasy managers should monitor who else the Rangers sign as Milner could contend for save opportunities or be an elite contributor in leagues that score holds.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Mark Feinsand
6 days agoAccording to the Texas Rangers PR, right-handed pitcher
Roansy Contreras has been claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. The Rangers designated Contreras for assignment earlier this offseason after acquiring him in late October. The 25-year-old spent the 2024 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels. Across 68 1/3 innings, the right-hander held a 4.35 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Contreras operated primarily out of the bullpen but did receive three starts. Under the hood, the right-hander generated a poor 4.94 xERA, 9.7% barrel rate and a 43.5% hard-hit rate. In addition he struggled to generate strikeouts at a poor 18.8% mark and had poor command with a high 10.4% walk rate. Fantasy managers should monitor his progress during Spring Training as he could contend for the final spot in the Cincinnati rotation and may enter low-enter streaming territory for NL-only formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Texas Rangers
6 days agoAccording to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com, the Arizona Diamondbacks have signed outfielder
Cristian Pache to a non-roster invite. Pache spent the 2024 campaign playing in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Miami. Across 88 games, Pache posted a .200/.273/.279 slash line with eight doubles, one home run, and one stolen base. Across 48 games in 2023, he held a slightly higher .238/.319/.417 line. Through 169 games at the Triple-A level, the 26-year-old posted a .260/.325/.401 line with 33 doubles and 13 stolen bases. Pache will likely compete for a roster spot during Spring Training. Pache should not be on your fantasy radar heading into the 2025 season given his lack of consistent production in the big leagues.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Steve Gilbert
6 days agoAccording to Andy Martino of SNY, the New York Mets met with free-agent starting pitcher Roki Sasaki on Thursday. Sasaki was officially posted earlier this month from Nippon Professional Baseball. Last season, the hard-throwing right-hander struck out 129 batters across 111 innings of work. He posted a strong 2.35 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. The 23-year-old is viewed as one of the top pitchers on the current free-agent market. Earlier this offseason, the Mets added right-handed pitcher
Clay Holmes, who is expected to transition to the starting rotation. They also added
Griffin Canning, who will likely compete for the No. 5 spot. Given
Kodai Senga's injury history, adding Sasaki would not only bolster this rotation, but also add some much-needed depth. Fantasy managers should closely monitor where Sasaki signs, as he will likely be drafted as a high-end SP3 this offseason.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Andy Martino
6 days agoAccording to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed free-agent outfielder
Max Kepler to a one-year contract. Kepler has spent his entire 10-year MLB career playing with the Minnesota Twins. Last season, he saw his campaign cut short due to left-knee tendinitis he suffered in early September. Across 105 games in 2024, the veteran outfielder posted a .253/.302/.380 slash line with 21 doubles, eight home runs, 42 RBI and one swiped bag. Under the hood, he generated a below-average 36.8% hard-hit rate and 6.2% barrel rate. In addition, he posted a low .301 xwOBA, which was his lowest mark since the 2019 season. Fantasy managers should expect Kepler to operate as a depth outfielder in Philadelphia who will contend for a starting role in spring training.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Todd Zolecki
6 days agoAccording to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Washington Nationals have signed right-handed pitcher
Michael Soroka. Soroka spent last season pitching for the Chicago White Sox and operated as both a reliever and a starter. Across 79 2/3 innings of work, the right-hander held a 4.74 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with an 0-10 record. However across 7 1/3 innings of relief in September, he held a perfect 0.00 ERA with a stellar 0.55 WHIP. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to how the Nationals plan to deploy Soroka as he flashed decent upside when operating out of the bullpen. If he does find a permanent spot in the bullpen, he could eventually earn a high-leverage role given the lack of proven options in the Nationals bullpen with
Kyle Finnegan currently testing free agency.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Ken Rosenthal
6 days agoThe Philadelphia Phillies signed free-agent reliever
Nick Vespi to a minor-league deal on Thursday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training. The 29-year-old left-hander had a 3.88 ERA (4.23 FIP), 1.27 WHIP, 46:13 K:BB and one save in 53 1/3 innings over 45 relief appearances for the Baltimore Orioles the last three seasons and will provide potential depth to Philadelphia's bullpen for the 2025 campaign. Vespi had his best season with the O's last year, allowing four earned runs on 10 hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out nine in 12 2/3 relief innings. However, Vespi was hit around in the minors at Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 7.23 ERA and 2.03 WHIP with 51 strikeouts and 31 walks in 42 1/3 innings. Vespi will not be on the fantasy radar heading into next season.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
6 days agoRyan Hamill, the agent for free-agent right-hander
Michael Lorenzen, is talking with teams that are interested in signing his client about his two-way abilities. Lorenzen, who turns 33 on Jan. 4, has not hit in a big-league game since 2021 and hasn't had more than one plate appearance in a season since 2019. Hamill is discussing with teams the possibility of getting Lorenzen the necessary plate appearances to qualify for two-way status and then flipping him to a contender that would carry him as a 14th pitcher. A player with two-way designation (only
Shohei Ohtani right now) doesn't count against a team's 13-pitcher limit on the 26-man roster. Lorenzen was an All-Star in 2023 and also threw a no-hitter, and he finished with a 3.31 ERA in 130 1/3 innings in 2024 with the Rangers and Royals. The White Sox, Marlins and Rockies could be idea fits for what Hamill is proposing, but it remains to be seen if it will happen.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
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