MLB Player News

Holman has been downright dominant this season with a surreal 0.55 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 54/22 K/BB ratio across 48 2/3 innings (40 appearances) this season between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas. The 24-year-old figures to operate in middle relief initially, but could work his way into high-leverage spots by the end of the year.

Maldonado has been a complete zero at the dish for over a decade at this point, but he remains a league-average defender behind the plate, which gives him some appeal for San Diego as emergency catching depth behind Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan. The 38-year-old can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes until further notice.

Jiménez was a central component of Oakland’s high-leverage mix for the past three seasons, recording 13 saves to accompany a respectable 3.89 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 80/51 K/BB ratio across 83 1/3 innings (84 appearances), before being non-tendered back in November. The 31-year-old hurler will get a fresh start in Atlanta and seems to have a decent shot at securing one of the final spots in the Braves’ bullpen, if he’s healthy and throwing strikes.

Kitchen went unclaimed on waivers and will remain with Seattle as extra organizational relief depth heading into spring training. The 27-year-old lefty was claimed off waivers back in September after making four appearances last year for the Marlins.

It’s one of the better landing spots for Stewart to compete for a bench spot as the Pirates are a bit thin from a depth perspective at the moment. The 31-year-old showed some signs of life over the last two years with the Mets, but struggled last season to a pedestrian .622 OPS with five homers in 194 plate appearances for New York. He can be safely ignored for fantasy baseball purposes.

Neither Wetherholt or Mathews have a real shot at breaking camp with the Cardinals, but the pair of top prospects will have an opportunity this spring to leave a lasting impression on the big-league club. Wetherholt was selected seventh overall in the 2024 MLB Draft and looked extremely impressive in his 29-game professional debut at Low-A Palm Beach, posting an .805 OPS with two homers and two steals. Mathews made arguably the biggest jump of any pitching prospect last year, turning an unexpected uptick in fastball velocity into a sparkling 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 202/49 K/BB ratio across 143 1/3 innings (26 starts) across four levels to close the year at Triple-A Memphis.

The two sides will avoid a typically contentious arbitration hearing by essentially meeting in the middle after they were $2.5 million apart earlier this month when Tucker requested $17.5 million and the club filed at $15 million. The 27-year-old fantasy superstar, who was acquired last month from the Astros in a Winter Meetings blockbuster and has expressed interest in negotiating a long-term extension, is shaping up to be a first-round selection in all fantasy formats this spring in his Cubs debut.

Murakami is a power-hitting 24-year-old from Japan who is likely to join an MLB team in 2026. Kay believes that the Yankees’ one-year contract with Paul Goldschmidt is a stopgap measure until they can land Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Murakami in the off-season. At 6'2" and 215 pounds, Murakami has the frame to hit for power in MLB games and did hit 56 home runs with a .318/.458/.711 slash line as a 22-year-old in 2022. He has failed to match those numbers since, but he did hit 33 home runs with a .472 slugging percentage in 2024, so the power remains. How he does in 2025 will determine just how much money he’s set to make when he comes stateside in 2026.

This jives with what Ken Rosenthal reported earlier as well. There were some rumors that the Mets were trying to put together a sizable trade package to pry Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Blue Jays; however, it always seemed unlikely Toronto would make that kind of move now. The team will try to extend their star first baseman, but if they are unable to do so then a trade could be possible if they fall out of contention during the 2025 season.

The Orioles needed space on the 40-man roster for SS Jacob Amaya, so they were just the latest team to waive Contreras. Since the end of the 2024 season, Contreras has been waived by the Angels, Rangers, Reds, and now Orioles. However, teams will continue to take a chance on the former Top 100 prospect since he’s only 25 years old and posted a 3.86 ERA and a 52/25 K/BB ratio in 60 2/3 innings as a reliever for the Angels in 2024.

Amaya was an 11th-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017 and was traded to the Marlins in 2023 for Miguel Rojas. The Marlins later designated Amaya for assignment and traded him to the Astros, who then designated him for assignment in August before the White Sox claimed him. Now the Orioles will give him another shot, but Amaya seems to be settling in as a glove-first infielder who won’t make enough consistent contact to hit at the big-league level. The Orioles designated Roansy Contreras for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.