MLB Player News

The Dodgers are narrowing down their roster sooner than most around the league as they’re opening the season against the Padres in South Korea. There were no huge surprises among this batch of cuts, though Gage could have potentially pushed for a spot in the club’s Opening Day bullpen — especially with Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen slowed by minor injuries.

Stewart is the clear favorite to take home the hardware after hitting .263/.330/.457 with 32 homers, 112 RBI and 15 steals across 162 games. That shouldn’t diminish what the other two finalists accomplished, as both put together remarkable rookie campaigns of their own. Benge made a compelling late-season push to turn the race into a legitimate debate, finishing with a .282/.346/.430 slash line, 20 homers and 22 steals across 156 contests. Wetherholt also enjoyed an impressive debut, batting .242/.339/.365 with 89 runs scored, 17 homers, 51 RBI and 14 steals in 139 games.

McGonigle is the overwhelming favorite to claim the hardware in a year that featured one of the most impressive rookie classes in recent memory. The 22-year-old hitting machine delivered a four-hit performance on Opening Day and never looked back, finishing with a sublime .278/.376/.430 slash line with 97 runs scored, 18 homers, 72 RBI and 12 steals in 707 plate appearances over 156 games. Messick was the best rookie pitcher in baseball this past season, posting a remarkable 2.56 ERA (3.13 xERA), 1.06 WHIP and 193/49 K/BB ratio across 186 1/3 innings over 32 starts. Tolle flashed top-of-the-rotation upside while finishing with an impressive 3.03 ERA (2.69 xERA), 1.10 WHIP and 171/40 K/BB ratio across 148 2/3 innings over 26 starts.

There’s a chance they’re re-naming this trophy after Miller when his career is over. The hard-throwing 28-year-old posted a career-best 1.67 ERA and 129/26 K/BB ratio over 70 innings of work while converting 38 saves this past season. Duran turned in arguably the best performance of his career last year with a pristine 1.82 ERA across 59 1/3 innings. He also picked up 33 saves in the process. Megill tossed a career-high 61 2/3 innings and topped 30 saves for the second straight season.

Smith has been a model of consistency since taking over as Cleveland’s closer and finished this past season with 41 saves and a 1.95 ERA across 74 innings. Baker came out of nowhere to emerge as Tampa Bay’s stopper, notching 41 saves of his own. Varland made the leap into one of the more dominant relief pitchers in the game, posting a microscopic 1.27 ERA and 97/23 K/BB ratio across 78 innings. He also finished with a career-high 35 saves.

Murphy is a finalist for the third consecutive season after guiding Milwaukee to their first World Series title in franchise history. Mattingly is a worthy inclusion after taking over as Philadelphia’s skipper and propelling the club back to the postseason. Weiss won 94 games in his first season at the helm for Atlanta, his first season as a big-league manager since 2016.

There’s a pretty compelling case to be made for Cash after the Rays put together a remarkable 98-win season to capture the AL East division title. However, Venable should be in the conversation after helping lead the White Sox to a remarkable turnaround as they went from losing 102 games to making the postseason. Tracy took over as Boston’s interim manager in late April and managed to spark their unexpected turnaround.

Austin lost his spot on Chicago’s 40-man roster heading into the offseason after missing last season while recovering from right knee surgery. The 35-year-old first baseman suffered the injury before making his Cubs debut after spending the previous six years playing overseas in Japan.

There was little doubt that Severino was going to stick around after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury back in late May. The 32-year-old righty is far less appetizing from a fantasy standpoint while having to contend with the hitter-friendly paradise that is Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.

No surprise here. Berríos has two years and $48 million left on his contract with the Blue Jays. The 32-year-old is recovering after undergoing Tommy John back in late May. There’s a chance he’s able to contribute at the tail end of next season, but a return in 2028 seems more realistic.

Misiorowski is the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware after establishing himself as the most dominant starter in baseball, forging a microscopic 1.80 ERA (2.12 xERA), 0.80 WHIP and 252/44 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old flamethrower recorded 10 double-digit strikeout performances and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 30 starts. Sale continued his remarkable late-career renaissance in Atlanta, delivering another stellar campaign with a 2.16 ERA (2.97 xERA), 0.98 WHIP and 200/31 K/BB ratio across 162 2/3 innings over 27 starts. He would have been the choice in just about any other season, but Misiorowski made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to an outright force of nature.