MLB Player News

No surprises here. Barden batted a robust .478/.538/.565 this spring, but he was never a real Opening Day roster candidate.

He’ll be flanked by Brandon Marsh and Marsh’s platoon partner (probably Otto Kemp or Weston Wilson) in left and Adolis García in right. The Phillies could also carry Johan Rojas as a center field alternative against lefties and potential late-game defensive replacement, but the hope is that Crawford will seize the moment and turn into an everyday guy. The soon-to-be 22-year-old hit .334/.411/.452 with 46 steals in Triple-A last season, but his groundball tendencies on offense and his occasional poor routes in center make him something of a question mark.

The 30-year-old Brooks has seen a little major league action the last two years, batting .136/.208/.212 in 72 plate appearances for the Giants and Padres. He’s a career .279/.382/.472 hitter in 468 Triple-A games. Brooks is slated to be the lone foreign position player on Kiwoom’s roster after the team employed Yasiel Puig and Stone Garrett at times last season.

He’ll make $910,000. After six years in the Rays system, Wiles, 27, joined the Braves last season and had a 3.04 ERA and a 105/34 K/BB in 112 2/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett. He also made his major league debut, but that didn’t go very well; he gave up three runs in one inning in his lone appearance back in April. If things go well in the KBP, we’ll probably be hearing from him again in a year or two.

García is slated to replace Nick Castellanos as the Phillies’ right fielder, though Castellanos will remain on the roster until the team can find someone willing to take on a portion of his $20 million salary. It may or may not prove to be an offensive upgrade for the Phillies, but García has had the better OPS+ of the two three of the last four seasons (2024 was the exception) and he’ll be a big upgrade on defense. The ballpark switch should be big for García’s fantasy value, as Globe Life Park has really punished right-handed hitters the last couple of years. He’ll still likely be a liability in terms of batting average, but he could bounce back to 25-30 homers and make a run at 90 RBI.

Wendzel represents a depth addition for the Pirates heading into next season as a potential bench option. The 28-year-old got into 27 games for the Rangers back in 2024 and hit .251/.346/.428 with 13 homers in 98 games at the Triple-A level with Cincinnati this past season.

The deal is official. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Kim turned down multi-year offers elsewhere to return to Atlanta, where he’ll serve as the club’s starting shortstop — pushing versatile Mauricio Dubón to a utility role — before re-entering free agency next winter in pursuit of a larger payday. The 30-year-old middle infielder, who turned down a $16 million player option last month to hit the open market, posted an underwhelming .234/.304/.345 slash line with five homers and six steals across 191 plate appearances split between the Rays and Braves this past season after working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. From a career-arc standpoint, Atlanta represents about as clean a runway as Kim could ask for to rebuild long-term value, offering everyday reps on a competitive roster without the immediate pressure of a long-term commitment. From a fantasy perspective, though, the bar at shortstop remains high enough that he profiles as more of a deeper mixed-league option with power/speed combo ceiling upside heading into next spring.

Well, that was quick. Bido’s stint with Atlanta lasted only a couple weeks as he loses his spot on the club’s 40-man roster with shortstop Ha-Seong Kim returning to the fold. The 30-year-old righty posted a calamitous 5.87 ERA — 6.07 FIP — across 79 2/3 innings over 26 appearances (10 starts) this past season for the Athletics. He figures to latch on somewhere as a versatile swingman heading into next season.

The deal, which was originally agreed to last week, is now official. Soto figures to operate in a setup capacity ahead of incumbent closer Dennis Santana for the Pirates after registering a respectable 4.18 ERA — 3.42 FIP — 1.43 WHIP and 70/24 K/BB ratio across 60 1/3 innings between the Orioles and Mets this past season.

The deal is now official. Jansen takes over as the Rangers primary backstop after the club decided to move on from Jonah Heim earlier this offseason. The 30-year-old backstop hit just .215/.321/.399 with 14 round-trippers across 337 plate appearances between the Brewers and Rays this past season. He’s no longer a relevant fantasy option at this stage of his career but it’s a decent landing spot if he’s going to put together a bounce-back campaign.

The deal is now official. Alexander provides the Rangers with a versatile swingman capable of soaking up innings as a traditional starter or versatile reliever. The 31-year-old posted an inflated 4.98 ERA — 3.64 FIP — 1.40 WHIP and 82/30 K/BB ratio across 97 2/3 innings over 52 appearances between the White Sox and Brewers.