MLB Player News

Rodriguez left Cuba last May in order to pursue a contract with a major league team and has finally found a home. Known more for his glove than his bat, the 21-year-old batted .265/.301/.284 with no home runs and 12 steals over 304 plate appearances in his last year in Serie Nacional. He will be subject to the international bonus pools and won’t be big league-ready for a while.

Leiter will join the A’s bullpen after posting a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. The 34-year-old should be a high-leverage option in 2026, and could even be inline for saves this summer. Fantasy managers will need some clarification in that situation before investing a draft pick.

Koperniak gets removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Dustin May. The 27-year-old will hit the waiver wire, and a team that believes he can provide some outfield help in 2026 could put in a claim.

The mutual option is for $20 million, and contains a $500,000 buyout. May will get a chance to pitch in the middle of the St. Louis rotation after forging a 4.98 ERA and 123/56 K/BB in his 25 appearances and 132 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and Red Sox in 2025.

Thomas can make another million in incentives. The 30-year-old should be a regular for Kansas City in 2026, and his power/speed potential makes him a sneaky late-round draft pick this spring.

Rom hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023. The 26-year-old left-hander will be an organizational depth piece for Milwaukee in 2026.

Winans is being released so that he can pursue an opportunity to play in Japan. The 30-year-old will get a chance to pitch in the Nippon League and revitalize his career.

According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, McClanahan will make $3.6 million once again. That’s what he earned each of the last two years as part of a $7.2 million contract signed when he was first eligible for arbitration as a Super Two player in 2024. Of course, he hasn’t pitch in the majors since, having undergone Tommy John prior to the deal and then going down with a nerve issue as he completed his TJ rehab last spring. McClanahan is expected to be fully back for spring training. He’ll have one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2027.

Bruihl, 28, had a 5.27 ERA in 13 2/3 innings for Toronto last season, putting him at 4.72 in 89 2/3 career innings since he debuted with the Dodgers in 2021. Still, his Stuff metrics have improved, and he struck out 28% of the 65 batters he faced last season. He’s out of options, so he’ll probably have a spot in the Cleveland bullpen.

The A’s might have dropped someone else for Justin Bruihl had Noel had an option remaining, but that he’s out of them at age 24 does cut into his value. A helpful platoon player as a rookie in 2024, Noel came in at just .162/.183/.297 with 52 strikeouts in 153 plate appearances last season. He has top-of-the-line power, but it seems unlikely that he’ll ever make enough contact to rate as a useful regular. He could, however, bounce back well enough to contribute against lefties.

Kim would have been guaranteed just $48 million, though bonuses probably would have pushed his salaries higher. It’s interesting that the A’s were willing to make such a commitment to a middle infielder, given that Jacob Wilson is locked in and top prospect Leo De Vries, the primary return in the Mason Miller trade, might be ready in 2027. Still, the A’s probably ought to commit at least a one-year deal to a starter at second or third. Right now, they have Zack Gelof, Max Muncy, Max Schuemann, Darell Hernaiz, Brett Harris and Michael Stefanic as possibilities at those two spots.