MLB Player News

The White Sox carried a 5-0 lead into the sixth inning of this one, but it was all downhill after that. They entered the ninth inning tied at five runs apiece but got to work as Nolan Schanuel smacked a one-out double off of Tyler Alexander. Mike Trout was then walked intentionally, setting the stage for Ward’s heroics. After a six-pitch battle, he swatted a 397-foot (103.1 mph EV) three-run shot that sent the Angels’ home faithful into a frenzy. Ward also had an RBI single in the sixth inning, finishing the day 2-for-5 with four RBI. On the season, he’s now slashing .230/.305/.483 with 26 homers and 82 RBI.

It’s that time of year when the veterans who were holding out for major league deals start taking their best minor league offer in hand. Neris wound up with a 6.75 ERA in 35 appearances for the Braves, Angels and Astros last season, but he still had a nice 28.2% strikeout rate in the process. The 36-year-old has 107 saves and a 3.47 ERA in 643 relief appearances since debuting with the Phillies in 2014.

Velázquez, who hit .212/.286/.433 with 31 homers in 615 plate appearances for the Cubs and Royals from 2022-24, bounced around all over the place last year. The Royals released him from their Triple-A roster in May, at which point he went to Mexico and hit .357/.444/.658 in 49 games. That earned him a minor league contract from the Pirates, and he hit .284/.349/.554 in 18 games at the end of the year for Triple-A Indianapolis. Since then, he’s spent time in both the Dominican and Puerto Rican Winter Leagues. He should have some chance of making the Cardinals as a right-handed platoon option in the outfield corners and at DH, assuming the team doesn’t bring in a veteran option for that role.

The move to open up a spot on the 40-man has not been announced, but it’ll probably be either Michael Siani or Marco Luciano going back on waivers. Bellinger gets a full no-trade clause and opt outs after the 2027 and ’28 seasons. The 30-year-old is likely to remain the Yankees’ primary left fielder, though he could play some center against lefties. He’s also still very capable at first base, but the Yankees didn’t like putting him there last year. He’ll probably hit second ahead of Aaron Judge or third behind him, setting him up nicely to remain a top-20 fantasy outfielder, even if he’s probably not quite as good as he was last season.

Ryan will make $6.1 million this year and then get a $100,000 buyout of a $13 million mutual option for what will be his final year of arbitration in 2027. It’s a nice little win for Ryan, who had filed at $6.35 million. The Twins submitted a $5.85 million figure.

It’s a surprise that Sandlin couldn’t find an MLB deal. The 29-year-old had a 2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year and has a career 3.19 ERA in 211 2/3 innings out of the bullpen since debuting in 2021. He’s a good bet to make the Angels’ bullpen.

Williams was just acquired from the Mets as part of the Freddy Peralta trade last week. The 22-year-old also has experience at second base and center field and is “pretty comfortable at all three positions now,” but he’ll begin his Brewers career playing shortstop. That means that current starting shortstop Joey Ortiz, who was also acquired for a pending free agent starting pitcher, is on notice. Williams hit .262/.363/.465 with 17 homers and 34 steals between Double- and Triple-A last year and could push for MLB at-bats if he gets off to a strong start in Triple-A.

Atlanta and Baltimore are rearranging deck chairs with their end-of-bullpen moves. The Orioles designated George Soriano for assignment back in January and then claimed Jose Suarez off waivers from the Braves. Now, the Orioles have designated Suarez for assignment, so the Braves claimed him back and designated Soriano for assignment. The 26-year-old has a 7.64 ERA in 66 innings over his last two seasons, so we’ll see where he lands next.

Atlanta tried to sneak Suarez through waivers earlier in January after avoiding arbitration, but the Orioles snapped him up. The Orioles then waived him last week, and Suarez is right back in Atlanta. The left-hander had a 1.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 16/10 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings last season.

The deal is pending a physical, but the two sides have been circling each other for months now. Bader is coming off one of his best seasons, hitting .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers in 501 plate appearances for the Twins and Phillies. That came with career-bests in barrel rate and hard-hit rate. Bader also remains a strong defender, so he should man center field for the Giants, which would push Jung Hoo Lee to right field, where he would likely be on the strong side of a platoon with Jerar Encarnacion.

Mancini was in the Diamondbacks organization last season and hit .308/.373/.522 with 16 homers in 335 plate appearances over 75 games. When the Diamondbacks didn’t give him any MLB at-bats, he opted out of his contract on July 1st. Production like that could net him some opportunities with the Angels, but the 33-year-old has not had an MLB at-bat since hitting .234/.299/.336 with four home runs in 79 games for the Cubs in 2023.