MLB Player News

The writing was already on the wall that the Dodgers weren’t going to win the Juan Soto sweepstakes but signing Conforto and still pursuing Hernández afterwards does seem to confirm that. There’s plenty of room in the outfield for Conforto and Hernández to coexist though, so don’t be surprised if they’re able to get a deal done — especially since the 32-year-old slugger has already said it’s his preference to stay in Los Angeles.

Fletcher, briefly a quality regular for the Angels at the end of the last decade, has played in just 38 major league games the last three years, and the long-term deal he got from the Halos ran out at the end of last season. After a one-year experiment with pitching, he returned to the infield and hit .185/.233/.258 in 83 games with the Braves’ Double- and Triple-A teams last season

It’s a small solace for Red Sox fans who watched their team get eliminated in the playoffs while Anthony was sidelined. However, the 21-year-old, who finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting, will head into the offseason fully healthy and look to establish himself as a true fantasy star next season.

Breslow specifically said that he felt that it made no sense for the Red Sox to look to acquire a number four or five starter, but wanted to find somebody who “can pitch alongside [Garrett] Crochet” at the top of the rotation. Considering the Red Sox were close to trading for Joe Ryan at the deadline, you’d have to assume that he remains a major target for them this offseason. The power bat could be a free agent like Pete Alonso or perhaps a trade acquisition, but it seems that the Red Sox plan to be active this offseason.

Baldwin received 21 out of the 30 first-place votes, with nine going to Cade Horton, who finished in second place. Caleb Durbin finished third and Isaac Collins finished fourth in the NL ROY balloting. The 24-year-old backstop broke out as Atlanta’s primary catcher, slashing .270/.340/.470 with 19 homers and an .810 OPS across 124 games. He’s the first catcher to take home the hardware since Buster Posey back in 2010.

Kurtz received all 30 first-place votes to become the 28th unanimous Rookie of the Year winner. His teammate Jacob Wilson finished second, while Roman Anthony placed third, with Noah Cameron and Colson Montgomery also receiving second-place votes in AL ROY balloting. The 22-year-old burgeoning superstar delivered one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in recent memory, slashing .290/.383/.618 with 64 extra-base hits — including 36 homers — and 86 RBI over 117 games. He seems destined to be one of the more polarizing fantasy sluggers next spring, but there’s a strong case for including him in the first-round conversation.

Darrell-Hicks passed through waivers unclaimed after being removed from Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster last week. The 27-year-old righty posted an inflated 7.45 ERA over 9 2/3 innings over seven appearances between the Pirates and Angels.

There were rumblings late in the regular season that Hendricks was considering retirement, and it appears he’s decided to hang up his spikes after 12 years in the majors. The soft-tossing 35-year-old spent his first 11 seasons with the Cubs, winning a World Series title in 2016, before finishing his career with the Angels. He retires with an impressive 3.37 ERA over 1,745 innings across 307 appearances (301 starts) dating back to 2014.

According to a league statement, these measures are intended to mitigate integrity risks and maintain the transparency and data-access benefits the regulated sports betting market provides. The announcement comes roughly 24 hours after Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted on charges related to a scheme to manipulate bets on pitches thrown in games.

Misner heads to Kansas City after being jettisoned from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster earlier this week. The 27-year-old outfielder hit .213/.273/.345 with five homers, 22 RBI, and eight steals over 217 plate appearances in 71 games last season. He’ll provide the Royals with additional outfield depth behind Kyle Isbel, John Rave and Jac Caglianone heading into spring training.

Thames spent last season with the White Sox. He’ll work alongside Connor Dawson as one of two hitting coaches behind senior director of hitting performance Alec Zumwalt. Joe Dillon and Keoni DeRenne previously occupied the two roles behind Zumwalt, but they were let go after the season.