MLB Player News

Lugbauer spent the last seven years in Atlanta’s minor league system after being selected in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. The 27-year-old first baseman launched 25 homers in 95 games this past season between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett.

Alonso lives in Tampa and the meetings are in Orlando, so he doesn’t have too far to go. It’s unclear if he’ll be meeting with the Mets, but there will always be time for that later.

The report from North Side Baseball’s Matthew Trueblood here is extra interesting, because it suggests the Cubs are looking for just one more reliever on a major league contract. If that’s the case, one would think they should try to do much better than the 34-year-old Stanek, who has finished with ERAs of 4.09, 4.88 and 5.30 while pitching for contenders the last three seasons. That said, his stuff numbers are still very good, and the Cubs might think they have a fix for him.

Fellow youngsters Kyren Paris and Denzer Guzman are also working out in preparation of playing some third base. Moore, the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, has thus far only played second base as a pro. He isn’t guaranteed to open 2026 in the majors, but he did hit the ball harder as a rookie than his .198/.284/.370 line suggests.

That same source also says that top pitching prospect Connelly Early wasn’t part of the trade deadline offer for Ryan. The Twins would presumably want either Early or Payton Tolle as part of a Ryan deal. The Red Sox would still surely love to have Ryan, but they have plenty of starting pitching depth at the moment and seem to be more focused on their lineup.

Good news for the Braves. Holmes should be in the mix for a rotation spot in the spring, but he might have a better chance of remaining healthy in the pen. The right-hander was 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA in 21 starts and one relief appearance before getting hurt last season.

On one hand, Abrams is coming off his best offensive season, slashing .257/.315/.433 with 19 home runs, 92 runs scored, and 31 steals. On the other hand, Abrams has had some off-field issues that led him to be sent to Triple-A by the last management team. With a new president of baseball operations, the Nationals could decide to move on from Abrams and start fresh. The shortstop is projected by MLBTR to make $5.6 million in arbitration next year and will be eligible for free agency after the 2028 season.

Stefanic was with the Blue Jays last season, going just 4-for-22 at the big league level and hitting .287/.403/.383 with six home runs and six steals in 106 games at Triple-A. He figures to serve as organizational depth for the Athletics, given his ability to play everywhere on the infield.

Could this be another bullpen-to-rotation transition for the Mets? Edwards has only ever been a reliever in the big leagues, posting a 3.56 ERA across 286 innings throughout his career, but he did start in Mexico last season and then in seven games at Triple-A for the Rangers, posting a 5.31 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 26-percent strikeout rate. It seems more likely the Mets keep Edwards in the bullpen, and he’ll also likely only serve as organizational depth, but he’s an interesting name to watch in spring training.

There is no timeline beyond that, so the shortstop’s return will depend on how his off-season recovery goes. The Yankees went from insisting Volpe wasn’t playing through an injury to likely being without their starting shortstop for at least the first month of the season. Jose Caballero figures to begin the year at short for the Yankees, unless they make a move in the off-season.

The previous update from the club put Cole on track to face hitters in spring training but be delayed to start next season. Now, it seems like the veteran right-hander will miss at least the first two months of the year. Given what we have seen from pitchers coming back off of a full year lost to Tommy John surgery, Cole shouldn’t be drafted in re-draft leagues before a later-round flyer. He’s likely to be scooped up earlier than that in most drafts based on name recognition alone.