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    Jacob Lopez bounces back with six solid in win

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    ATH Starting Pitcher #57
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    Jacob Lopez allowed just one run over six innings to earn a win over the Astros on Friday.

    Baseball is so weird. A start after Lopez gave up a whopping 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings, Lopez allowed just a solo homer to Christian Walker and one other hit in one of the best starts of the 28-year-old’s career. There have been flashes of this from Lopez in his short career, but this was the closest we’ve seen to him putting it all together, much to the Astros’ dismay. Lopez still ends the year with a 5.47 ERA, and will need to win one of the final spot in the A’s rotation in the Cactus League come next spring.
    - Christopher Crawford
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  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
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    Lopez got into trouble right away, putting two runners on for Chase DeLauter, who took him deep for a three-run blast before recording an out. Angel Martínez followed with a two-run homer to make it a five-run opening frame. The Guardians did not let up, bringing four more runs in to score on five hits in the third. Lopez would be relieved with two outs at 63 pitches with one strikeout. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 5.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and a 108/56 K/BB ratio across 117 1/3 innings into a start against the Astros in Sacramento on Friday.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez allowed six hits and walked three before departing in the fourth. He’s given up nine runs in his last two starts after allowing only 15 runs and 13 earned in his previous nine starts. He’ll likely make his next start Saturday against the Guardians.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    It’s Lopez’s first time giving up more than two runs in 10 second-half starts, but it didn’t have to be; he allowed only an Alejandro Kirk solo homer through six. The seventh started with a Kazuma Okamoto homer, but even so, Lopez was left in to allow a pair of soft singles and an RBI double before being lifted. Luis Medina took over then and did nice work in getting out of the inning with only one more run scoring. Lopez was still in line for a win at that point, but it didn’t last, and he was left with his seventh no-decision in his last eight starts. He figures to make his next start Sunday against the Mariners.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez allowed six hits and two walks in the 102-pitch performance, continuing a tremendous second-half run. He was optioned to the minors earlier this season after a rough couple of months, but he’s been fantastic since returning. The southpaw now has a 2.38 ERA with 60 strikeouts over his past 49 2/3 innings, spanning nine starts. He’ll look to keep it going at home against the Blue Jays next time out.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez, 28, had his usual control issues while issuing three walks and throwing 63-of-100 pitches for strikes. The 6-foot-4 starter also allowed only three hits while striking out six in an outing that showed why Lopez would be so intriguing if he threw more consistent strikes. He’ll look to continue to lower his 4.82 ERA against the Rangers next week in Texas.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez was excellent against the Astros on Saturday, holding them scoreless through three innings before giving up a run on a walk and a double in the fourth. He’d give the A’s two more scoreless frames, collecting an impressive nine strikeouts through six innings while scattering just three hits and one walk. The 28-year-old left-hander will take a 4.98 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and a 90/47 K/BB ratio across 94 innings into a start against the Orioles in Sacramento on Friday.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez gave up five hits, walked one and struck out five. He turned the game over to the bullpen in the eighth inning with a 6-2 lead. The Athletics’ bullpen proceeded to allow eight runs to Rays in the eighth inning, costing Lopez the win. That’s a tough break for Lopez as well as fantasy managers. Lopez is lined up to face the Rangers at home on Sunday.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez gave up four hits, walked one and struck out nine. He now has a 2.13 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings over his last five starts. Lopez has a 5.43 xFIP this year, making him a risky streamer against the Rays at home next week. With 17 strikeouts in his last two starts and two starts on tap next week, Lopez will be worth the risk for strikeout-needy fantasy managers.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    The unearned run was kind of sneaky. Third baseman Tommy White dropped an easy foul popup from Romy Gonzalez with none out and one on. Gonzalez went on to fly out to right, seemingly erasing the error from the scoring, but Caleb Durbin tagged up from first on the play and made it to second, which is something that obviously wouldn’t have happened if the foul pop had been caught. Durbin later scored from second on a Nick Sogard single, so the run was unearned. Lopez’s eight strikeouts were a new season high. He did that eight times in 21 outings last year, but he’d topped out at six in 13 starts and three relief appearances this season. His ERA still stands at 5.79, but this makes three decent showings in a row. He’ll face the Reds next.
  • ATH Starting Pitcher #57
    Lopez had a bit of a funny game here. The Twins sent up a lineup of nine right-handed hitters to face-off with the lefty, which is never an easy task. His five scoreless innings were great as were his 14 swings-and-misses, just one off his season-high that he set last time out. On the flip side, he barely threw one-third of his pitches in the strike zone and relied on some poor swing decisions to get in and out of at-bats. Otherwise, he walked four and hit another batter in what could politely be described as an erratic night for his slider. Still, it’s easy to see the flashes that have made him effective in the past and it’s not hard to see him putting together a solid stretch run this season. He’s scheduled to face the Red Sox at home next time out.

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    Austin Dean has signed a one-year contract extension with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization.

    Dean has been one of the top sluggers in the KBO since making the jump from MLB in 2023. He did his best work during the 2026 season, slashing an absurd .331/.427/.635 with 41 homers, 127 RBI and 114 runs scored across 640 plate appearances. Dean will earn $2 million on his one-year pact with the Twins.
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    According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, free agent left-hander Kris Bubic has been generating interest from multiple teams.

    The 29-year-old southpaw returned in September after a lengthy stint on the injured list and fired 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball for the Dodgers with a 5/0 K/BB ratio. He’s one of the most intriguing options available on the open market and should be able to land a lucrative multi-year pact.
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    Phillies OF prospect Dante Nori went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Peoria in the Arizona Fall League Championship.

    The Javelinas beat the Surprise Scorpios 8-3 in the contest. Nori was the Phillies’ first-round pick in 2024, and he’s an athletic outfielder who could be a major stolen base threat who gets a chance to play in large part because of his defense. His overall offensive skill set is still very much a work-in-progress, but at at the age of 22, there’s time for it to develop.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • PHI Relief Pitcher #64
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    Phillies signed RHP Geoff Hartlieb to a minor league contract.

    Hartlieb heads to Philadelphia as organizational relief depth. He’ll presumably have a shot at competing for a bullpen spot in spring training. The well-traveled 32-year-old posted a serviceable 4.82 ERA across 28 innings over 18 appearances for the Athletics last season.
  • AZ 2nd Baseman #4
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    The Orioles and Diamondbacks have discussed a potential Ketel Marte trade, according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill.

    Rill adds that no deal is imminent. Marte’s inclusion in trade rumors once again comes as little surprise after a disappointing season where he slashed .249/.316/.432 with 78 runs scored, 22 home runs, 76 RBI and four steals across 624 plate appearances over 141 games. The 33-year-old second baseman still managed to finish as a top-12 option at the position for fantasy purposes, but he’s no longer the high-volume source of batting average and power production that made him one of the premier players at the position just a few years ago. A change of scenery could be ideal for both sides as Marte hits his mid-30’s following a turbulent year both on and off the field.
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    Guardians SS prospect Welbyn Francisca was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

    Francisca, who started at shortstop for the American League in the Fall Stars Game last week, led the fall circuit in batting average (.427), slugging percentage (.733) and OPS (1.227). The 20-year-old prodigy launched four homers in 17 games and also collected seven stolen bases. He’ll open next season back at Double-A Akron after hitting .272/.366/.513 across three minor-league levels this past season. He’s not on Cleveland’s 40-man roster, so his offseason won’t be impacted by the impending lockout. He’s a rising prospect that fantasy managers need to monitor closely next season.
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    Despite seemingly having a full rotation, the Twins aren’t ruling out signing a starter this winter.

    As Twins GM Jeremy Zoll put it, “It’s something that we need to be open-minded to, knowing that it feels like an area of surplus but also want to be mindful of not eating into that too much since we know we’re going to need real depth to attack the season.” Assuming that Pablo López is ready to go after elbow surgery, the Twins would likely open up with a rotation of he, Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Dean Kremer and Bailey Ober, with Connor Prielipp, Mick Abel and Zebby Matthews in reserve. If they add a starter, that might push Kremer or Ober to the pen for a spell and perhaps lead to the team seeing what potential Prielipp or Matthews might have in short relief.
  • FA Starting Pitcher #34
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    Free agent Zach Plesac is marketing himself as a two-way player after going 7-for-15 at the plate in indy ball last season.

    Plesac did play a little outfield at Ball State, though he hit a modest .276/.361/.429 in 125 plate appearances over his three seasons in college. It’s hard to imagine Plesac performing as a legitimate two-way player, but a non-contender could sign him as a pitcher, give him 20 starts in the outfield or at DH and get him officially designated as a two-way player, potentially making him interesting to contenders looking for the advantage of being able to carry a 14th pitcher as a position player. At least, it’s only a matter of time until some team tries that with some pitcher. The problem with trying it with Plesac, though, is that he hasn’t been a useful major leaguer since 2021.
  • FA Relief Pitcher #43
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    The Dodgers are one of five teams in the running for free agent Jonathan Loáisiga, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

    Rogers only mentioned the Dodgers, but Jon Heyman said earlier this week that the Yankees, Mets and Blue Jays were all interested. Last winter was the time to sign Loáisiga, who now seems likely to command a two-year deal coming off the second completely healthy season of his nine-year major league career. He had a 2.42 ERA in 67 innings for the D-backs last season.
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    Carlos Santana went 0-for-4 in his first game for Escogido of the Dominican Winter League on Friday.

    Santana still isn’t ready to call it as he approaches his 41st birthday in April, so he’s playing winter ball for the first time in 13 years in an effort to show he still has something left. Santana opened last season with the Diamondbacks, but he got hurt right away in April and Arizona chose to release him once he was ready to return in late June. He went on to sign with Atlanta and hit .292/.385/.382 in 27 games in Triple-A, but the Braves never called him up.