MLB Player News

The deal, which was agreed to earlier this week, is now official. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the Cubs have the option to pick up a $27 million option for 2028 at the conclusion of the 2025 and 2026 campaigns. If they decline at either juncture, Imanaga has the option to become a free agent at that time. The 30-year-old southpaw is an interesting option for fantasy managers entering 2024 due to his ability to consistently miss bats at the top of the strike zone, which he pairs with elite control. He’ll likely wind up as a borderline top-50 fantasy starter in drafts this spring, especially if he excels in Cactus League outings.

Lockridge picked up the injury while diving back to the bag during the Cactus League game. The 28-year-old should resume throwing soon, and the hope is to get him back into games before the end of the week.

Lewis was scratched with tightness in his side Thursday, but the MRI on his oblique revealed all was good. The 26-year-old will be an everyday option as long as he can stay on the field in 2026.

White was recently diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain, but he wasn’t likely to make the club anyway. The left-hander does stand a good chance of joining the Marlins at some point in 2026, and his ability to miss bats makes him worth roster consideration whenever that takes place.

McDermott will be a depth piece for Baltimore in 2026. He was hit hard in his limited time with the O’s in 2025 as seen in 15 runs in 8 2/3 innings, but the right-hander isn’t far removed from being considered one of the better pitching prospects in the Orioles’ system.

Crawford will make his spring debut, albeit as the DH instead of his usual shortstop position. The 31-year-old has battled a “minor” shoulder issue ahd should be fine by the team the regular season rolls around. It’s likely Crawford’s last year as the starting shortstop for Seattle with Colt Emerson taking over in 2027.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the hope is that Lindor will be able to take batting practice Wednesday. The star shortstop underwent hamata bone surgery in the offeseason, and recently had his stitches removed. There’s a good chance Lindor will be ready for the start of the regular season, and if not, it should be a relatively short stint on the injured list to begin 2026.

McLean is scheduled to start against Italy on Monday, but the right-hander will obviously need to get healthy for that to take place. The good news for fantasy managers is that there’s no reason to think McLean won’t be ready for the start of the regular season.

Stanton is still working through his tennis elbow injury — something that is going to likely be an issue for the rest of his career — but it’s encouraging to see him in the lineup relatively early in the Grapefruit League. When healthy, Stanton still offers significant power production potential, but he’s essentially a lock to miss significant time on the injured list at this stage.

Nelson hit free agency at the conclusion of last season after being removed from Arizona’s 40-man roster. The 29-year-old southpaw bolsters Atlanta’s organizational relief depth after posting a serviceable 4.34 ERA – 4.26 xERA – 1.31 WHIP and 115/45 K/BB ratio across 116 innings over 136 appearances in the majors since 2020.

Nottingham hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2021 and strictly qualifies as emergency catching depth at this stage of his journeyman career. The 30-year-old backstop got into just 16 games for Triple-A Tacoma last year.