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MLB Player News

Rotoworld

  • MLB Relief Pitcher #35
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    Rockies sent RHP Julian Fernández outright to Triple-A Albuquerque.
    Fernández passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain with the organization as extra relief depth. The 26-year-old righty made six relief appearances last year at the major-league level.

  • TOR Relief Pitcher #94
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    Blue Jays signed RHP Kevin Gowdy to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
    Gowdy spent the last two years in the Dodgers organization, finishing last year with a respectable 4.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 45/23 K/BB ratio across 51 1/3 innings (42 appearances) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 27-year-old righty was a second-round pick of the Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft and has yet to ascend to the big leagues. He’ll augment Toronto’s organizational relief depth at Triple-A Buffalo.
  • FA Left Fielder #22
    The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich report Juan Soto has begun the process of eliminating potential landing spots.
    The significant development comes directly from Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, who made the comments on Tuesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium during Blake Snell’s introductory press conference. Rosenthal and Drellich add that multiple sources briefed on the negotiations say that all remaining contenders have made offers surpassing $600 million. No word yet on exactly how many teams are left in the running at the moment, but previous reporting indicated that five teams were in the mix including the Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers. ESPN’s Alden González reports that Soto is expected to sign at some point in the coming days prior to the start of next week’s Winter Meetings.
  • KC Third Baseman #84
    Royals signed INF Jordan Groshans to a minor league contract.
    Groshans was a notable prospect a couple years ago after being selected 12th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, but he never broke through with the Blue Jays before bouncing around the last three years between the Marlins, Yankees and Athletics. The 25-year-old infielder batted .235/.311/.318 with four homers in 383 plate appearances last year at the Double-A and Triple-A levels. He’ll continue to get opportunities based on his prospect pedigree alone, but he’s done nothing at the plate to suggest that he’s on the verge of becoming an impact fantasy contributor.
  • LAD Relief Pitcher #59
    Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters Evan Phillips (shoulder) should be ready for spring training.
    Phillips missed the Fall Classic due to shoulder inflammation, so it’s an extremely encouraging development that he won’t require offseason surgery, which would’ve kept him sidelined for most of next season. The 30-year-old closer, who converted 18 of 22 save opportunities last year, figures to enter spring training without any restrictions. He’ll have to beat out burgeoning relief ace Michael Kopech for the right to close out games for Los Angeles’ imposing Death Star.
  • KC Starting Pitcher #50
    The Athletic’s Katie Woo, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal report the Royals are planning for Kris Bubic to be a starter next season.
    In the wake of Brady Singer being shipped to Cincinnati, Bubic will get a shot in Kansas City’s starting rotation after pitching exclusively in relief last season following his return from Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old lefty excelled in shorter bursts out of the bullpen, finishing with a sparkling 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 39/5 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings (27 appearances). The central question for fantasy purposes is whether Bubic will come remotely close to replicating last year’s astronomical 32 percent strikeout rate as a traditional starter after never topping 25 percent in any of his previous four seasons at the highest level. He’ll have to beat out Kyle Wright and Alec Marsh in spring training, and will also likely have an innings limit in his first full season back from Tommy John. However, last year’s transition to a fastball/slider combo, while also mixing in the occasional changeup, gives him a shot a continuing to miss bats, and could make him a viable early-season streaming option for fantasy purposes. He certainly fits the bill as a deep sleeper heading into spring training.
  • TOR Shortstop #11
    Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters Tuesday that Bo Bichette (finger) is on track to be ready for Opening Day.
    It wasn’t a firm declaration, but Atkins made it clear that Bichette hasn’t experienced any setbacks during his rehabilitation process following surgery back in late September to address a lingering right middle finger injury. The 26-year-old shortstop looks like an obvious bounce-back candidate for fantasy purposes next season and should be an easy top-15 selection at the position in drafts next spring.
  • TOR Center Fielder #25
    Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters it could be unrealistic to expect Daulton Varsho (shoulder) to be ready for Opening Day.
    Atkins added that Varsho isn’t necessarily behind schedule in his recovery from late September shoulder surgery, but it doesn’t appear that he’ll be a full-go at the outset of spring training as originally expected. There should be some clarity on his status once we get closer to the spring, but fantasy managers should anticipate Varsho missing at least some time in the early stages of the year.
  • TOR Starting Pitcher #6
    Alek Manoah (elbow) has started a throwing program.
    Manoah underwent Tommy John surgery back in June and is expected to miss a significant portion, if not all, of next season. There’s a chance he’s ready to return at some point in the late stages of the 2025 campaign, but that’s up in the air at the moment. The 26-year-old former ace seems like a bit of a long shot to be fantasy-relevant at any point in the future.
  • FA Relief Pitcher #68
    Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters Tuesday that Jordan Romano (elbow) is expected to be fully healthy entering next season.
    Romano was non-tendered by the Blue Jays a couple weeks ago in what Atkins described to reporters as purely a business decision. He added that it was a mutual decision for both sides to allow the veteran closer to explore his options on the open market and that they’re “heavily pursuing” a reunion. The fact that the 31-year-old stopper is expected to be fully healthy heading into spring training is notable since he missed the four months of last year due to persistent elbow issues. There’s a chance he’s closing somewhere, possibly back in Toronto, at the outset of the 2025 campaign, which would make him relevant in all fantasy formats.
  • STL Left Fielder #50
    Cardinals signed OF Ryan Vilade to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.
    Vilade broke into the big leagues back in 2021 with the Rockies and got into a career-high 17 contests this past season for the Tigers, batting .178 (8-for-45) with one homer across 49 plate appearances. The 25-year-old former second-round pick is merely extra organizational depth at this stage of his career.