MLB Betting

Nelson hit free agency at the conclusion of last season after being removed from Arizona’s 40-man roster. The 29-year-old southpaw bolsters Atlanta’s organizational relief depth after posting a serviceable 4.34 ERA – 4.26 xERA – 1.31 WHIP and 115/45 K/BB ratio across 116 innings over 136 appearances in the majors since 2020.

Nottingham hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2021 and strictly qualifies as emergency catching depth at this stage of his journeyman career. The 30-year-old backstop got into just 16 games for Triple-A Tacoma last year.

It qualifies as a massive surprise that Suwinski passed through waivers unclaimed. He’ll remain with the Dodgers as organizational outfield depth heading into the regular season. The 27-year-old was gobbled up from the Pirates last month as a potential reclamation project. The procedural move frees up a spot on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster.

Scherzer returning for a 19th season feels less like a transaction and more like a reminder that certain careers refuse to fade quietly. The deal is now official, bringing the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer back to Toronto, where he adds experienced depth to a contending rotation. The surface numbers from last season — 5.19 ERA (4.62 xERA) with a 1.29 WHIP and 82/23 K/BB ratio over 85 innings across 17 starts — were pedestrian in nature, though his postseason performance looked far more familiar. Scherzer may no longer be a relevant fantasy contributor at this stage of his legendary career, but he remains the type of presence who can bend a playoff series in subtle, consequential ways.

It’s happening. Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters over the weekend that deGrom was close to making his spring debut following a 30-pitch bullpen session. The 37-year-old veteran managed to stay healthy last year for his first 30-start season since 2019. We’re skeptical he’ll repeat the feat but the Rangers clearly have a plan in place to slow-play his ramp-up process.

The deal is now official. MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reports Marte can earn an additional $2 million with active roster and performance bonuses. The 37-year-old veteran provides Kansas City with another complementary right-handed platoon partner for either Jac Caglianone in right field or Carter Jensen at DH. He spent the last four years with the Mets and batted .270/.335/.410 with nine homers and seven steals in 98 games in a part-time role this past season.

Blanco loses his spot on Kansas City’s 40-man roster with the arrival of Starling Marte. The 32-year-old appeared in just nine games for the Royals last year and was highly unlikely to open the season in the majors.

Soderstrom took Padres ace Michael King deep in the opening frame for his first big fly of the spring exhibition season. It traveled an estimated 410 feet and left his bat at 113.3 mph, per Statcast. The 24-year-old former backstop signed a seven-year, $86 million contract extension during the offseason and will be an integral run-producing component of an Athletics core that is one of the more exciting young nucleuses in baseball.

King struck out three and only handed out a pair of free passes. He gave up five hits, including a colossal homer to A’s slugger Tyler Soderstrom in the opening frame. The encouraging news here is that he averaged 92.6 mph and topped out at 95.5 mph on a first-inning heater to Nick Kurtz. He induced seven swinging strikes and finished with a respectable 25 percent CSW. The 30-year-old former fantasy ace projects as a logical bounce-back candidate after a lost season due to injury last year.

Espinal drew praise from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts earlier in camp and continues to fortify his case for a spot on Los Angeles’ season-opening roster as a utility infielder. The 31-year-old veteran fell out of favor with the Reds last year but has looked rejuvenated this spring. There’s a chance he beats out prospect Alex Freeland for a spot on the Dodgers bench, especially if he keeps tearing the cover off the ball.