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MLB Player News

Rotoworld

  • STL Shortstop #4
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    Cardinals signed INF/OF José Barrero to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
    A former top prospect, Barrero spent 2024 with the Rangers’ organization, and struggled to a .188 average and .477 OPS with Triple-A Round Rock. That was over a sample of just 49 games due to injury, and the Cardinals will hope Barrero can add some solid depth up the middle for the 2025 campaign at a low cost.
  • PIT First Baseman #48
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    Pirates acquired 1B Spencer Horwitz from the Guardians for RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Josh Hartle and LHP Michael Kennedy.
    It’s been a busy day for Horwitz, who heads to Pittsburgh following his inclusion in a multi-player swap with the Guardians. The widely-held assumption here is that the Pirates have their first baseman of the future. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers across 381 plate appearances in 97 contests last year for the Blue Jays in his first extended opportunity at the highest level. Given the lack of quality options at the cold corner for fantasy purposes, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he were borderline mixed league-relevant next season playing everyday for the Pirates.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #48
    Guardians acquired RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Michael Kennedy and LHP Josh Hartle from the Pirates for 1B Spencer Horwitz.
    Ortiz has shown occasional flashes of brilliance and represents a fascinating gamble for Cleveland’s pitching development apparatus. The hard-throwing 25-year-old righty boasts an impressive fastball/slider combo, but hasn’t made enough progress with a third pitch to excel as a starter. That might change with the Guardians, who have had success with pitchers like him in the past. He should be in the mix for a spot in Cleveland’s season-opening rotation, which would make him intriguing for fantasy purposes, especially in extremely deep mixed leagues.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher
    Guardians acquired LHP Josh Hartle, RHP Luis Ortiz and LHP Michael Kennedy from the Pirates for 1B Spencer Horwitz.
    Hartle represents the proverbial lottery ticket in the deal as a towering left-hander who was selected in the third round of last year’s MLB Draft. The 21-year-old southpaw made just one appearance this past season in his professional debut. He’ll be a long-term project for Cleveland’s player development engine.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher
    Guardians acquired LHP Michael Kennedy, LHP Josh Hartle and RHP Luis Ortiz from the Pirates for 1B Spencer Horwitz.
    Kennedy was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and has yet to pitch above High-A. We’re not doubting Cleveland’s ability to develop young pitchers, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he wound up reaching the majors in a couple years.
  • TOR Second Baseman #0
    Blue Jays acquired 2B Andrés Giménez and RHP Nick Sandlin from the Guardians for 1B Spencer Horwitz and OF Nick Mitchell.
    The trade is now official. Giménez, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, is a phenomenal defender at the keystone and should pair with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette as Toronto attempts to one final playoff push before the duo reach free agency next offseason. The 26-year-old has underwhelmed from a fantasy perspective over the last two seasons ever since his 2022 breakthrough when he batted .297 with 17 homers and 20 steals as his batting average has tumbled back into the .250 range and his over-the-fence power has dropped into the single digits. He’s eclipsed 30 stolen bases in each of the last two years and remains one of the better fantasy options at second base, which is arguably the weakest positional group in the fantasy landscape by a considerable margin. He’s a borderline top 12 second baseman in fantasy drafts heading into next season.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #52
    Blue Jays acquired RHP Nick Sandlin and 2B Andrés Giménez from the Guardians for 1B Spencer Horwitz and OF Nick Mitchell.
    Sandlin augments Toronto’s bullpen heading into next season after spending the last four years as a reliable cog in Cleveland’s bullpen, posting a strong 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 223/92 K/BB ratio across 195 1/3 innings (209 appearances).
  • CLE First Baseman #48
    Guardians acquired 1B Spencer Horwitz and OF Nick Mitchell from the Blue Jays for 2B Andrés Giménez and RHP Nick Sandlin.
    It’s merely a procedural move as Horwitz was subsequently shipped to the Pirates for righty Luis Ortiz and a pair of left-handed pitching prospects. We’re assuming Cleveland doesn’t want to put too many obstacles of top prospect Travis Bazzana, who was selected first overall in last year’s MLB Draft.
  • CLE Center Fielder
    Guardians acquired OF Nick Mitchell and 1B/2B Spencer Horwitz from the Blue Jays for 2B Andrés Giménez and RHP Nick Sandlin.
    Mitchell is the proverbial lottey ticket in the larger deal for Cleveland. The 21-year-old outfielder was a fourth-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft and batted .289/.350/.467 for Single-A Dunedin in his professional debut.
  • MIA Third Baseman #36
    The Rangers are acquiring Jake Burger from the Marlins for prospects Max Acosta, Brayan Mendoza and Echedry Vargas, according to multiple reports.
    The Marlins are obviously content to remain a joke franchise for another season. The Rangers, on the other hand, are upgrading from their Silver Slugger utilityman at DH by acquiring Burger to play over Josh Smith. Of course, Smith will still get time at other spots. Burger, though, is a nice upgrade for the middle of the lineup and should get quite a fantasy boost while playing in an MLB-quality offense. The Marlins are getting a couple of solid middle infield prospects in Acosta and Vargas, though neither is any kind of lock to turn into a regular. Mendoza, a 20-year-old lefty, is a potential bullpen arm. Burger’s exit from Miami would seem to increase the chances of Deyvison De Los Santos landing a starting job.
  • TOR First Baseman #48
    The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports the Guardians are trading Spencer Horwitz to the Pirates.
    MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds the Guardians are getting left-handed pitching prospect Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, in addition to big-league righty Luis Ortiz in the deal. Technically, Horwitz hasn’t been officially traded to the Guardians yet. However, once that deal is announced, he’s going to be on the move again, this time to Pittsburgh. No word yet on the return from the Pirates. The 27-year-old, who makes a ton of contact and boasts strong plate disciple as well, figures to take over as Pittsburgh’s primary first baseman, unless they make some additional moves in the lead up to spring training.