MLB Player News

Hanifee, 25, made his big league debut with the Tigers during the 2023 season, posting a 5.40 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and a 3/0 K/BB ratio across his five innings of work. He’ll need a strong showing in Grapefruit League action to crack the team’s Opening Day bullpen.

The 28-year-old hurler really struggled in his time at the big league level in 2023 — posting an 8.31 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 12/7 K/BB ratio over 13 innings between the Diamondbacks and Padres. He’ll add bullpen depth from the left side for the Dodgers.

The 33-year-old right-hander will earn a $650,000 salary, a $200,000 signing bonus and has the ability to earn an additional $200,000 in incentives. Peña made 32 starts with the Eagles in 2023 — going 11-11 with a 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 147/59 K/BB ratio over 177 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2021 season.

The 28-year-old right-hander is in the process of recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to be ready to return until around midseason. It’s a nice low-risk flier for the Giants, as they may end up with a viable contributor for the second half of the season.

As they did with Evan White and Marco Gonzales after their deal with the Mariners earlier in the week, the Braves plan to continue their wheeling and dealing by moving Stassi elsewhere in the coming days. The 32-year-old backstop still has decent power, so there should be other teams interested even after his down season in 2023. His ultimate fantasy value — if any — will be determined by where he ends up and how much playing time he stands to see.

The 27-year-old southpaw made 24 appearances in the minor leagues with the Mets in 2023, compiling a 2.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 41/13 K/BB ratio over 34 2/2 innings between Double-A Binghampton and Triple-A Syracuse. He was then plucked by the Braves in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft on Wednesday. He’ll add bullpen depth for the Halos.

For the second time in a week, White finds himself dealt to a new ballclub. After being included as a salary dump by the Mariners as they shipped Jarred Kelenic to the Braves, White now finds himself right back in the American League West with a move to the Angels. The 27-year-old first baseman hasn’t appeared in a big league game since the 2021 season.

Once considered a piece of the Angels’ core, Fletcher has fallen on hard times in recent years. The 29-year-old infielder saw just 97 plate appearances at the big league level in 2023 — hitting .247/.302/.326 with a pair of long balls and 12 RBI. He should have a shot at landing a utility infield role with the Braves.

Stassi, 32, had a down year offensively with the Angels in 2023 — hitting just .180/.267/.303 with nine homers and 30 RBI in 375 plate appearances. With the Braves already having a terrific catching tandem of Sean Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud, it’s likely that Stassi will soon be on the move elsewhere.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet hears the same. In fact, CBC photographer Evan Mitsui reports that the supposed private jet flying in to Toronto actually had Canadian businessman Robert Herjavec (of Shark Tank fame) and his family on board, not Ohtani. Way to ruin all the fun. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported Friday afternoon that Ohtani was indeed en route to Toronto, but it appears that is inaccurate. The Blue Jays are still believed to be a finalist along with the Dodgers, but for now we’ll continue to wait and enjoy the intrigue.