MLB Player News

Martino notes that the Padres are asking for a package involving Michael King, Drew Thorpe and as many as four or five additional prospects — in return for Soto and Trent Grisham. It seems as though the Yankees are reluctant to include King as part of the deal, and would rather ship Clarke Schmidt to the Padres instead. There’s still time for talks to pick back up, but in the meantime the Blue Jays have emerged as another potential suitor for Soto.

The 25-year-old hurler wanted to go with a more conservative approach to his recovery, which led to him undergoing a Tenex procedure in mid-October and a PRP injection the following week. He’s currently participating in physical therapy, with no clear timeline for when he may be able to resume throwing. While the rest and rehab route seems to be the choice here, Tommy John surgery always looms as a possibility in the near future for Waldichuk

It has looked increasingly likely that Soto is going to be traded this offseason. The Yankees have already talked to the Padres as well, but those two sides are said to be far apart on consummating a deal. Rosenthal notes that the Padres are looking for major-league-ready or near major-league-ready pitching as part of a large multi-player return package for Soto. You’d think that Jays’ top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann would be a hot topic of conversation for the Padres in those discussions. Stay tuned, as the stove is starting to heat up.

Interesting. The 26-year-old backstop has just 14 career plate appearances in the big leagues — dating back to his time with the Mets and Cardinals in 2020 and 2021 respectively. He spent the 2023 season at Triple-A Reno for the Diamondbacks — slashing an impressive .311/.375/.492 with 11 homers, 43 RBI and a 42/26 K/BB ratio in only 267 plate appearances. Financial terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed. It’s possible this signing could mean that one of the Pirates’ other catchers will be on the move shortly.

It could enhance Bieber’s trade value a bit, as it’s not a complete guarantee that he’ll be just a one-year rental player. The 28-year-old former Cy Young award winner was limited to just 21 starts in 2023 due to injuries, but still registered a solid 3.80 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 107/34 K/BB ratio over 128 innings.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had noted in November that at least 4-5 teams had already touched base with Maldonado, with the Astros expressing their desire to retain the glove-first catcher. The 37-year-old flailed to a .191/.258/.348 slash line with 15 long balls and 36 RBI across 407 plate appearances with the Astros in 2023.

The move clears a spot on the club’s 40-man roster in advance of next week’s Rule 5 draft. La Sorsa finally broke through to the big leagues in 2023 — compiling a 4.41 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 28/9 K/BB ratio over 32 2/3 innings between the Nationals and Rays.

The 23-year-old right-hander spent most of the 2023 season at the Triple-A level with the Nationals and Braves — compiling a 5.42 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and an 81/53 K/BB ratio over 78 innings of work. With a strong showing in Grapefruit League play, he could compete for a spot in the Pirates’ Opening Day bullpen.

The 33-year-old hurler passed his physical and the deal became official on Friday. The contract does include an opt-out after the first season. He’s expected to compete for a spot in the Reds’ opening day rotation. If he loses out, he’ll function in the same swingman role that he worked out of with the Padres. Either way, the move away from Petco Park and to the hitter-friendly confines of the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati won’t help his ratios in 2024.

Marte was examined on Friday and is expected to be fully recovered and ready to go for the start of spring training. The dynamic 22-year-old hit the ground running in his first taste of big league action in 2023 — slashing .316/.366/.456 with three homers, 15 RBI and six stolen bases in just 123 plate appearances with the Reds. He’s expected to open the 2024 campaign as the team’s primary third baseman.