MLB Player News

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports Witherspoon will receive a $5 million signing bonus, which represents a nearly full-slot deal for the 15th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. The 20-year-old righty ships up to Boston following a standout collegiate career at Oklahoma. His combination of athleticism, mid-90’s fastball velocity and improving command give him a shot at reaching his top-of-the-rotation ceiling in a couple years.

Phillips was non-tendered in November but returns at the precipice of Spring Training. He pitched in just seven games for the Dodgers last year, with a 0.00 ERA and six strikeouts in 5.2 innings pitched. The contract says Phillips should have a real shot at the Opening Day roster if healthy. The Dodgers now have Edwin Diaz on hand, so despite how well Phillips has pitched, he has no closer appeal without a Diaz injury.

He’ll be “a little behind” but it’s not expected to prevent him from being ready for Opening Day at this point. Jhoan Duran projects as Philadelphia’s closer and Kerkering only figures to have spot opportunities to close when healthy, so there’s not much reason to roster him in shallow leagues.

Alvarez hasn’t shown a lot of potential at the plate, but being able to serve as a viable third catcher would help his chances of making it as a bench player. The 22-year-old has hit .216/.277/.298 in 240 plate appearances since debuting with the Braves in 2024. As things stand now, it’s probably between him, Brett Wisely and Kyle Farmer for the last spot on Atlanta’s bench.

The Padres and Adam appear to disagree, as Adam said that “in my mind” he will be ready for Opening Day. Stammen continued by saying “We’re going to decide what’s best for him. And hopefully we’re on the same page together. We may have a different opinion at times, but we’ve got the best interest in him, not only for this season but for the rest of his career.” It appears as if Adam’s Opening Day status is in some question. Luckily Mason Miller seems well-locked into the closer’s role so it shouldn’t make much difference in leagues that don’t count holds.

Assuming that holds up, Stephenson could figure into the Angels closing plans. Stephenson did not pitch in 2024 and managed just 12 appearances in 2025, where he had a 2.70 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 10 innings off a return from the 60-day injured list. He was re-shelved in September. Stephenson is fragile enough that we probably shouldn’t invest a high-round pick in him, but he has the stuff to close if his arm is up to the task.

Jiménez already missed all of last season following knee surgery, and he needed a cleanup procedure in November. He was very good when last seen, amassing a 2.62 ERA over 68 2/3 innings as a setup man in 2024, but it’s unclear what he’ll have to offer this season as he enters the final year of a three-year, $26 million pact.

This confirms some speculation last week from The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner. While the Paul Goldschmidt reunion looked like something tough for Rice after Goldy played against left-handers last year, this is a terrific update for Rice’s fantasy value. He may even be able to maintain catcher eligibility for 2027 if he gets into enough games at the position, giving him some extra keeper league value going forward.

He added that Cole could graduate to game action by the end of spring training. The word over the offseason was that Cole was likely to be out until late May or early June, and this update seems to jive well with that timetable. Cole figures to rejoin the Yankees at midseason as long as his rehab and ramp-up go well.

It’s notable because Counsell has normally given a boilerplate answer about having “an outs-getter” or something along those lines. Palencia looks like a good bet for 30 or more saves if he can stay healthy this season, and the fact that there’s no committee that we know of entering Spring Training is great news for his fantasy stock.

There’s a mutual option for 2027. Andujar figures to be the primary DH for the Friars in 2026 and could also see time as a corner infielder and outfielder. He will probably bat low enough in the order to not be much of a threat for runs scored, but could be a useful NL-only player at the outset of the season.