MLB Player News

The Reds lost to the Brewers on Sunday afternoon, so all the Mets needed to do was beat the Marlins to secure the final Wild Card berth in the National League. They couldn’t muster a single run in the ballgame. Lindor did his part, with a double and a pair of walks in three plate appearances, but it simply wasn’t enough. The 31-year-old shortstop concludes his 2025 season hitting .267/.346/.466 with 31 homers, 86 RBI and 31 stolen bases in what was another outstanding all-around campaign.

Fairchild fortifies Cleveland’s outfield depth and will compete for a bench role in spring training. The well-traveled 29-year-old defensive specialist got into 28 games this past season for the Braves, batting .216 (11-for-51) with two steals across 55 plate appearances. He’s gotten into 277 games at the highest level dating back to 2021.

Brown highlighted the newly-acquired pitching prospect as an “upside play” that they feel can be part of their rotation. The 26-year-old should have a relatively clear path to a rotation spot with a strong showing in spring training after compiling a serviceable 3.94 ERA — 4.00 FIP — 1.24 WHIP and 97/31 K/BB ratio across 96 innings over 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Pirates this past season. The addition of a two-seamer should theoretically help him neutralize left-handed batters after leaning mostly on his fastball and changeup combo against southpaws while shelving his slider almost entirely. At the bare minimum, Burrows is an interesting late-round lottery ticket for fantasy managers in deeper leagues on the chance that he makes a leap in the strikeout department working with Houston’s pitching development engine.

The crown jewel of Tampa Bay’s prospect haul from the Astros as part of a three-team swap that also included the Pirates, Melton struggled in his first taste of the big leagues this past season during a brief 32-game cameo where he batted .157 (11-for-70) with 29 strikeouts. Still, the Rays clearly view the 25-year-old as their long-term answer in center field, with veteran Cedric Mullins signed to a one-year deal as a temporary bridge. Neander added that Melton is not terribly far off and will have an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Rays’ season-opening roster next spring. He boasts an enticing power-speed profile for fantasy purposes and his immediate path to playing time feels more likely in the outfield corners which are occupied by Chandler Simpson and Josh Lowe for now. The move to Tampa Bay offering a clean reset — positioning him as a potential core piece of a younger roster rather than a fringe component behind Houston’s veteran-heavy group. He checks in as a borderline top-100 dynasty outfielder with the athleticism and upside to take a meaningful leap if everything clicks in spring training.

Robinson returns to Los Angeles where he got into one game this past season before being claimed off waivers by the Braves in late September. The 31-year-old journeyman backstop is merely emergency organizational catching depth behind Will Smith and Dalton Rushing entering spring training.

Bernabel heads to Washington after slashing an underwhelming .252/.288/.410 with four homers and just a 17 percent strikeout ratr across 146 plate appearances for the Rockies last season. The 23-year-old corner infielder represents a worthwhile low-risk gamble for the rebuilding Nationals but departing high-octane Coors Field is a hit to his fantasy upside. He’ll presumably have a chance to compete with an in-house option like Andrés Chaparro for playing time between first base and DH next season. His path to regular at-bats evaporates if the Nationals move Luis García Jr. to first base permanently.

Asigen, who was originally expected to sign with the Yankees, is now set to sign with the Mets for a bonus expected to be around $3.8 million. The 16-year-old left-handed swinging shortstop is universally-regarded as one of the top players in this year’s international signing class thanks to his combination of athleticism, bat speed and raw power. He projects as a surefire top-100 dynasty prospect once he officially signs with New York in a couple weeks.

The deal is now official. Houser heads to San Francisco where he’ll have an opportunity to start after compiling a respectable 3.31 ERA — 3.81 FIP — 1.28 WHIP and 92/38 K/BB ratio across 125 innings over 21 starts between the Rays and White Sox. The 32-year-old projects as a back-end rotation stabilizer behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray next season.

Hamilton will get a chance to compete for a spot in Atlanta’s bullpen, and while he’s on the 40-man roster, there’s no guaranteed cash for the 30-year-old. He was non-tendered by the Yankees after posting a 4.28 ERA over 36 appearances with a K/BB of 42/22 to go with it.

Cheng is removed from the 40-man roster after the Pirates traded for Brandon Lowe, Mason Montgomery and Jake Mangum on Friday evening. Cheng will now be on waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, it seems likely he’ll report back to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Luciano’s time in the Pittsburgh organization is very likely to be short, as the 24-year-old was just claimed off waivers at the beginning of December. The former top prospect could sneak through unclaimed this time, but it seems likely someone will take that chance.