MLB Player News

Rather than his typical roller coaster ride, Capps set down the Rays in order on just nine pitches. While not the most dominant reliever in the league, Capps proved once again that he can still be a solid source of saves.

The former Braves prospect moved to the bullpen midway through the 2024 season and has pitched there for the last two years with the White Sox and Athletics. The results have not been great with Shuster combining for a 6.94 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, and 28/14 K/BB ratio in 35 innings at Triple-A last year.

Sato, who was considered a likely choice as the No. 1 overall pick in Japan’s draft next year, is planning to sit out next season before pitching for Penn State in 2027 and entering that year’s MLB draft. With his high-90s fastball and hard splitter, he could easily be a first-round pick that year.

Fletcher first appeared on fantasy radars in 2023 with an intriguing debut with the Diamondbacks. He spent the last two years with the White Sox and failed to produce at the MLB level, but did hit .260/.317/.453 with 17 home runs and seven steals in 105 games at Triple-A. Perhaps the 28-year-old can emerge as a fourth outfielder in Pittsburgh.

Every team needs depth, but the rest of the AL East is making big moves to fill out their MLB rosters, and the Yankees are just signing players around the fringes. Sánchez has just 133 MLB plate appearances in his four MLB seasons, so the 28-year-old will likely just be organizational depth.

The Red Sox have been linked to Bregman all offseason and seem to have every intention of re-signing their third baseman from last year. However, Bregman’s market is heating up, so if he were to sign with another team, McCaffrey notes that the Red Sox intend to “push harder for free-agent infielder Bo Bichette with the intent of playing him at second base” and starting Marcelo Mayer at third base. “The Red Sox are also in the mix for free agent third baseman Eugenio Suárez and have shown interest in Houston’s Isaac Paredes and Arizona’s Ketel Marte” per McCaffrey. However, trades feel less likely now that the Red Sox have depleted much of their minor league starting pitching depth.

The 25-year-old Canario has a .229/.283/.368 slash line in 108 MLB games. He was a prospect of note back in 2023 after a huge 2022 season, but he was never able to match that level again. Last season, he slashed .243/.336/.514 with 18 home runs, 47 RBI, and five steals in 64 games in Triple-A. It wouldn’t be surprising if he lead Nippon Professional Baseball in home runs next season.

The Cardinals will get righties Hunter Dobbins, Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita and will send Boston $8 million, according to Passan. Contreras, who is owed $41.5 million for the next two years or, if his option is picked up, $54 million for the next three, will apparently be waiving his no-trade clause to take over as Boston’s first baseman. That means Triston Casas could open up in Triple-A if healthy, though if he impresses in the spring, there’s also the chance the Red Sox could go with him and Contreras splitting time between first and DH. The Cardinals figure to install Alec Burleson at first, which would open an outfield spot back up for Jordan Walker alongside Lars Nootbarr and Victor Scott II. Contreras hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 homers in 135 games last season in his first year since giving up catching.

The 34-year-old slugger was acquired for the second time at last season’s trade deadline and Suárez added significant right-handed punch to a lineup that was devoid of it. Suárez hasn’t seen his market materialize quite as expected this winter, so a reunion with the M’s on a multi-year deal may make sense for both sides.

The 30-year-old slugger will earn more than $1 million guaranteed on the deal. Dalbec slashed an underwhelming .222/.290/.422 with seven homers and 47 RBI in 338 plate appearances across six big league seasons, so taking the guaranteed money overseas with a chance to showcase what he can do in a full-time role makes a great deal of sense.

The deal is now official. The 25-year-old slugger comes to Major League Baseball after blasting 265 home runs in eight seasons in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, including a record 56 long balls during the 2022 season. He’s expected to serve as the White Sox’ everyday first baseman and will play half of his games in the friendly confines of Rate Field in Chicago. His counting stats will be negatively impacted by the overall quality of the White Sox’ lineup, but in terms of overall landing spots, it’s not terrible. He’ll also be incredibly motivated to prove his worth after the bidding on his services was underwhelming.