MLB News
Dedniel Nunez Progressing Nicely, Could Pitch In Winter Ball
New York Mets relief pitcher Dedniel Nunez (forearm) is progressing well from a strained right flexor tendon after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection. Nunez was once at risk of needing surgery for his injury, but he's going to work out with the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League and could even make some appearances in that league if he continues to progress. It's really good news for the 28-year-old high-leverage arm after he missed the majority of the second half in 2024 due to the injury. If Nunez is able to avoid any setbacks once he begins ramping back up this offseason, he should be ready for spring training and the start of the 2025 campaign. When healthy, he was great out of New York's bullpen with a 2.31 ERA, 48 strikeouts and only eight walks in 35 innings pitched.
5 hours ago
Shohei Ohtani In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (shoulder), who was just named the 2024 National League MVP unanimously on Thursday night, is in the early stages of his recovery from arthroscopic surgery to fix a labrum tear in his left shoulder. "We've already removed the stitches," Ohtani said. "The current goal is to bring back my range of motion. Today we started working on core and we're slowly ramping up right now." He had surgery on Nov. 5. Ohtani didn't pitch at all in 2024 after rehabbing from right-elbow surgery in September of 2023. The 30-year-old's goal is still to be ready for Opening Day in 2025 as both a pitcher and hitter, although he's taking his time in his rehab this offseason. Ohtani became the first 50-homer, 50-steal player in MLB history in 2024 and will also be highly coveted in fantasy as a starting pitcher in 2025.
6 hours ago
Hobie Harris Agrees To Minors Deal With Mets
Free-agent right-hander Hobie Harris agreed to a minor-league deal with the New York Mets on Thursday, according to a source. Harris is mostly known for his splitter. He made his major-league debut with the Washington Nationals in 2023 and allowed 12 runs (11 earned) on 21 hits (two homers) while walking 13 and striking out nine in 19 1/3 innings out of the bullpen that year. The 31-year-old was originally a 31st-round selection by the New York Yankees in 2015 out of the University of Pittsburgh. While pitching in the Minnesota Twins' system last year, Harris went 4-6 with a 6.79 ERA and 1.84 WHIP while walking 31 and striking out 62 in 44 relief appearances covering 54 1/3 frames. Harris is most likely to open the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Syracuse as minor-league relief depth for the Mets.
6 hours ago
Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Eric Haase
The Milwaukee Brewers avoided salary arbitration with catcher Eric Haase on Friday, agreeing to an undisclosed one-year deal. The Brewers now have their backup catcher locked up for the 2025 season while catching prospect Jeferson Quero starts the season in the minor leagues. All-Star William Contreras is Milwaukee's starter behind the dish. The 31-year-old Haase will be in his second year with the Brew Crew in 2025 after hitting .273/.304/.515 with a career-best .819 OPS, five home runs, 14 RBI and 10 runs scored in only 30 games played for the Brewers in the regular season. It wasn't a bad showing in a limited sample size, but Haase obviously will be off the fantasy radar going into next season with limited playing time behind Contreras.
6 hours ago
Chris Sale To Have Normal Offseason
Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale (back), who was named the 2024 National League Cy Young winner on Wednesday, won't have his offseason hampered at all by the back spasms that he dealt with at the tail end of the season. Sale was unable to take his final turn of the regular season against the division-rival New York Mets in the regular season and then also wasn't available for the Braves in the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres. However, had Atlanta advanced to the NL Division Series, he would have started Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's great news for the 35-year-old southpaw as he looks for an encore in 2025 with the Braves. He posted a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 225 K's and only 39 walks in 177 2/3 innings in his first year in Atlanta. Sale obviously has ace upside, but there's also high bust potential because of his lengthy injury history.
6 hours ago
Garrett Crochet Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Chicago White Sox star left-hander Garrett Crochet is drawing big trade interest from the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and others. The Orioles and Red Sox have plenty of ammunition from a position-player standpoint, which is what the White Sox are seeking. Now that the innings issue is out of the way for Crochet, his trade value is even higher this offseason. The 25-year-old southpaw was returning from Tommy John surgery in 2024 and was moving from a relief role to the starting rotation, but he ended up making 32 starts (146 innings) while posting a 3.58 ERA (2.69 FIP), a 1.07 WHIP and a 209:33 K:BB as a first-time All-Star. Crochet slowed down later in the year as the White Sox limited his workload, but he has ace potential and two years left of team control, which makes him very attractive to contenders.
6 hours ago
Guardians And Triston McKenzie Avoid Arbitration
The Cleveland Guardians and pitcher Triston McKenzie avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $1.95 million deal for one year. McKenzie was the 42nd overall pick in the 2015 Draft, but after peaking with a 2.96 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and a 19.7% K-BB% in 2022, the last two seasons have been marred by injury and underperformance, culminating with his demotion to the minors in late June. Things didn't go well there either, posting a 5.23 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and a 9.7% K-BB% over 53 1/3 IP. The Guardians need rotation help though and McKenzie is still only 27 years old, so if he can return to some semblance of his former self, then he could help Cleveland and fantasy managers. Keep an eye on how his spring goes to see if he appears to be headed in the right direction.
17 hours ago
Nationals Sign Mason Thompson To A One-Year Deal
The Washington Nationals have signed pitcher Mason Thompson to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old missed the entire 2024 season after he underwent Tommy John surgery and it is presumed that he'll miss at least some portion of the beginning of 2025 as well. Once he returns, the righty will help the Nats out of the bullpen. When Thompson last played in 2023, the former third-round draft pick pitched to a 5.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 9.2% K-BB% in 51 appearances (54 IP). Unless he finds himself in some high-leverage role, the 6-foot-6 hurler will be off the fantasy radar until further notice.
18 hours ago
Seby Zavala Signs Minor-League Deal With Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox have signed catcher Seby Zavala to a minor-league contract. The veteran debuted back in 2019 but hasn't logged more than 205 plate appearances in any season and is a career .205 hitter, although it was even lower in 2024, batting just .154 in 38 at-bats with Seattle. It wasn't much better in the minors, hitting .188 in 101 ABs at Triple-A. With a career K% of 35.9% in the majors, it's hard to see that getting any better. The former 12th-round pick will provide depth for the Red Sox but the backstop doesn't move the needle for fantasy.
18 hours ago
Rangers Sign Pitcher Caleb Boushley To A Minor-League Deal
The Texas Rangers have signed right-hander Caleb Boushley to a minor-league contract. Boushley pitched in the Twins organization for the entirety of 2024, but only briefly in the majors with just four innings pitched this year. At Triple-A in 2024, the 31-year-old made 26 starts but pitched to a 5.23 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. The righty doesn't miss a lot of bats, logging just a 7.24 K/9, but he also only walked 4.9% of the batters he faced. The former 33rd-round draft pick will need to perform better in 2025 if he hopes to make it back to the bigs, but unless he changes something, he doesn't have the stuff to make him fantasy relevant.
19 hours ago
Mets Sign Joey Meneses To Minor-League Deal
Free-agent first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses has signed with the New York Mets on a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring camp. Meneses debuted with the Nationals back in August of 2022 and impressed with a .324/.367/.563 slash line over 240 plate appearances with a .395 wOBA and 158 wRC+, but failed to come close to that type of production over the next two seasons. The 32-year-old finished last season with a .231/.291/.302 slash line with a .264 wOBA and 68 wRC+ in 313 plate appearances. If Meneses wants to make it back to the majors, he may have an easier path if the Mets don't re-sign Pete Alonso. Either way, he won't be on the fantasy radar unless he's getting regular at-bats with the big-league club.
19 hours ago
Shohei Ohtani Named National League MVP In 2024
As expected, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani was named the 2024 National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday night, his third MVP award in the last four seasons. If not for Aaron Judge's amazing season in 2022 in which he set a new American League mark for home runs in a season, Ohtani would have four straight MVP awards under his belt. Ohtani is the first DH to win the award after becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season. The Japanese two-way player (he'll return to pitching in 2025) becomes the 12th player ever to win three MVPs and the second to do so within his first seven seasons, joining Stan Musial. After signing an unprecedented $700 million deal with LA, Ohtani led the Dodgers to a World Series title and led the NL in homers (54), RBI (130) and OPS (1.036).
23 hours ago
Aaron Judge Wins American League MVP Award
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge was named the 2024 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday night after receiving all 30 first-place votes for the award. It's Judge's second career MVP award as he beat out the Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr. and teammate Juan Soto. The honor was well-earned, as Judge led the majors in home runs (58), RBI (144), OPS (1.159) and wins above replacement (11.2) this year while spending most of his time in center field in the Bronx. He also led the Yankees back to the World Series, although they fell short against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Judge's 223 adjusted OPS was the highest for a right-handed hitter since 1900, according to ESPN research. He becomes the seventh Yankees player to win multiple MVPs, joining Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Maris.
23 hours ago
Rich Hill Wants To Pitch In 2025
Free-agent left-hander Rich Hill said that he wants to pitch again in 2025. Hill's performance for the United States in the WBSC Premier12 tournament with four scoreless innings against Japan certainly helps his cause, although he'll most likely have to settle for a minor-league deal. The 44-year-old southpaw only pitched in 3 2/3 relief innings for the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and allowed two earned runs. If Hill does land with another team on the open market this offseason, he'll be a long shot to return any fantasy value and will mostly be used in mop-up relief duty out of the bullpen instead of as a starter. In 2023 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres, Hill wasn't very effective, posting a 5.41 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 129 strikeouts and 58 walks in 146 1/3 innings over 32 outings (27 starts).
Yesterday
Phillies Could Play It Safe With Andrew Painter
The Philadelphia Phillies are high on right-handed pitching prospect Andrew Painter, especially after he just looked dominant in the Arizona Fall League, but they will surely limit his innings in 2025. Painter is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, but he'll also turn 22 in April of next year and has problems with injuries in the past. He made six shortened starts in the AFL and logged 15 2/3 innings while being named the league's top pitcher, but he will be limited in 2025 in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. The Phillies would prefer to have Painter at the back of their rotation later in 2025, which means he might not pitch spring training games to preserve his innings. It means that the Phillies need a plan for the back of their rotation in the early portion of the season. Painter's fantasy value will be limited in 2025, but there's no doubt his stuff makes him a high-upside, long-term fantasy starter.
Yesterday
Red Sox Could Be Looking To Trade Wilyer Abreu
The Boston Red Sox could be looking to trade outfielder Wilyer Abreu this offseason as they seek to upgrade their starting rotation. The primary reason that makes Abreu expendable is the fact that Boston is rich with young outfielders at the moment -- Roman Anthony is their top prospect, while Kristian Campbell is their No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and they also have Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela. The Seattle Mariners are one team that would be interested in Abreu after he received some votes for Rookie of the Year in 2024. MLB Network's Jon Morosi also mentioned the San Francisco Giants as a potential good fit for Abreu. The 25-year-old Dominican also won a Gold Glove in 2024 while slashing .253/.322/.459 with 15 home runs, 58 RBI, eight steals and 59 runs scored in 132 games in his first full MLB campaign.
Yesterday
Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Rival executives are saying the Chicago Cubs want to trade first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger this offseason, but it might not be that easy. The 29-year-old has a remaining guarantee of $32.5 million -- $27.5 million in salary with $5 million in a potential buyout -- by choosing not to opt out of his deal. Bellinger could sacrifice his buyout and opt in for another $27.5 million in 2026. He was 11 percent above league average in OPS but wasn't as impactful in 2024 as he was in 2023. If the New York Yankees don't re-sign outfielder Juan Soto, Bellinger could be one of their options. However, the $32.5 million that Bellinger is guaranteed would mitigate the return. In order to trade the lefty slugger, Chicago might need to take back an inflated contract or accept marginal prospects in any deal. Bellinger hit .266 with 18 homers, 78 RBI and nine steals in 130 games for the Cubs in 2024.
Yesterday
A's Don't Want To Trade JJ Bleday
The Athletics said at the winter meetings that they will not trade designated hitter Brent Rooker, and center fielder JJ Bleday also falls into that category, according to a source briefed on the team's thinking. The A's desperately want to add plays as they transition to playing their home games in a minor-league stadium in Sacramento in 2025, but they are also reluctant to trade the few quality players they have. Star closer Mason Miller perhaps could be on the trade block, but the A's would want a quality position player under long-term control in return. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier this year that if the San Diego Padres wanted Miller, the A's likely would have asked for outfielder Jackson Merrill. The A's are deep in outfield prospects, but they're looking for immediate big-league help, which the rest of the league is also doing.
Yesterday
Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Free-agent left-hander Blake Snell recently met with the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. It's also possible that Snell met, or will meet, with the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and other teams looking for a high-end starter this offseason. He did not sign until March 19 with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, so Snell is surely looking to land with a team sooner than he did a year ago. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is older than both Max Fried and Corbin Burnes, the other two high-profile free-agent starters on the market. However, unlike Fried and Burnes, he wasn't given a qualifying offer, so a team that signs him won't have to give up draft-pick compensation. Snell got off to a slow start in 2024 and dealt with injuries, but he once again finished strong and exercised an opt-out clause to once again become a free agent.
Yesterday
Tigers Sign Jahmai Jones To Minor-League Deal
The Detroit Tigers signed infielder/outfielder Jahmai Jones to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to camp. The 27-year-old last played with the Yankees in 2024, having logged just 47 plate appearances this season in 33 games, slashing .238/.304/.381 before he was sent down to Triple-A in August for the rest of the season. The former second-round draft pick hit well at Triple-A, batting .304 with an .880 OPS while adding 10 steals in 34 games, and owns a career slashline of .259/.351/.756 in the minors, but has yet to translate that to the big leagues. There are financial incentives in his contract if he makes the big league roster out of camp, but regardless, he'd likely be no more than a platoon player. If Jones were able to work his way into an everyday role, then presumably he'd be hitting and, combined with his speed, he could be an impactful fantasy asset. But that is a big 'if' at this point.
Yesterday
Dedniel Núñez
• RP
•
Mets
