MLB Player News

Mercedes has lost his 40-man roster spot but has cleared waivers and will remain in the organization.

Although he wound up with a 4.64 ERA in 141 2/3 innings for the Royals last season, Lorenzen gets the second-highest salary of his career to go take on Coors Field. Unfortunately, he’s no longer the groundball pitcher he used to be — he’s been well below his career norm there three years running — but he’ll probably take some steps to change that while dealing with the game’s worst environment for pitchers. He’ll join Kyle Freeland and Chase Dollander as the sure things in the Colorado rotation. As is, it’s Tanner Gordon, Ryan Feltner and McCade Brown for the last two spots, but one imagines the Rockies will try to bring in at least one more veteran.

Cabrera, who has three years left before free agency, looked like he turned the corner after making mechanical adjustments last season, though he did miss time down the stretch with another arm issue. The 27-year-old’s 144 2/3 innings (including two rehab starts) were easily a career high in his nine seasons in the Marlins organization. The Cubs are hoping he’s the kind of pitcher who gets healthier with age, but we’ll see. He’d seem to finish off a rotation that will also include Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon and Cade Horton, with Justin Steele expected back in June or July. Colin Rea is now due to open up in middle relief, though that was also the case at this time last year (he went on to make 27 starts). Caissie’s departure leaves Moisés Ballesteros as the now obvious Kyle Tucker replacement, with Seiya Suzuki shifting from DH to right field, but it also could make it more likely that they’ll add a bat.

The 23-year-old Caissie is the prize of the deal for the Marlins, and he’s obviously ready for a major league gig after hitting .281/.380/.507 with 41 homers in 982 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa the last two years. Still, his upside is in question, especially given that he’s been striking out 28% of the time in the minors. If the Cubs were particularly high on him, they probably would have kept him and given him a shot in Kyle Tucker’s spot next season. Most likely, he’ll turn out to be a decent enough regular, but not a guy who goes to All-Star games. The Marlins will probably primarily roll with a Kyle Stowers-Jakob Marsee-Caissie outfield, with Griffin Conine more focused on first base and DH.

One of the top international signings in the 2021 class, Hernández has yet to hit as hoped, but he does have some plate discipline and he still figures to add some power. At age 21, he came in at .252/.329/.365 with seven homers and 52 steals in 115 games in High-A ball. He’s a legitimate shortstop, so he won’t have to excel offensively to turn into a decent regular. Still, he has some improving to do over these next two years. The Cubs failed to protect him from the Rule 5 draft last month, but he went unpicked.

The 18-year-old De Leon hit .276/.353/.500 in 153 plate appearances in the Complex League last season and figures to advance to Low-A ball this year. He’s limited to the infield corners, but he’s on his way to possessing impressive power.

Van Belle made his major league debut with the Rays in August, allowing five runs over 8 1/3 innings in four appearances, before finishing up on the injured list with elbow soreness and then undergoing surgery. He’s expected to miss all of 2026, but the Rays will have compete for a spot in 2027.

The Mets had a similar clause in their contract with Japanese RHP Kodai Senga. It’s noteworthy in Murakami’s case because he comes to Major League Baseball with some strikeout concerns. If he were to have an extended period of struggle at the start of the season, the White Sox would not be able to have him work it out in Triple-A unless he agreed. Of course, the White Sox aren’t likely to be competitive this season, so he’d likely be given a long lease regardless. But that’s noteworthy for fantasy managers.

This is the same salary that Graterol made last year before he missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. With Edwin Diaz now in town, the Dodgers don’t need Graterol to fill a high leverage role, so he will likely be given plenty of time to work himself back into meaningful innings.

Meckler spent most of last season at Triple-A Sacramento, hitting .287/.390/.370. He’s a left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions and still has minor league options. That will make him valuable outfield depth for the Angels.

The deal is pending physicals. Caissie is the 47th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and a solid return for Miami in exchange for three years of Edward Cabrera. Despite being unable to break into the Cubs’ lineup in 2025, Caissie hit .286/.386/.551 with 22 homers in 99 games for Triple-A Iowa. He did miss time at the end of the season with a concussion, but Caissie pairs solid power with a consistently high walk rate, which helps to offset some of his strikeout concerns. The likely profiles best in right field and will join an exciting young outfield in Miami that also features Kyle Stowers in left field and Jakob Marsee in center field.