MLB Player News

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.

Miller will likely be out for most, if not all, of 2026 following Tommy John surgery in October of last year. However, he was really impactful as a reliever, pitching to a 2.74 ERA in 46 innings for the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The multi-year deal would allow him to rehab with the Cubs this season and then be a factor in their bullpen in 2027.

The Red Sox signed Sandoval to a two-year, $18.25 million contract before last season, knowing that he would spend most of last year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. That financial commitment could give him an inside track to winning the fifth rotation spot, if he’s healthy and effective this spring. However, Sandoval also said that he’s open to pitching out of the bullpen, if that’s what the team wants. The 29-year-old could also attract some interest on the trade market if he looks good this spring.

The 30-year-old hit .228/.307/.381 in 153 games for the Nationals and Red Sox last year with 18 home runs and 84 RBI. He is probably closer to his .264/.347/.424 slash line than last year would suggest, but it’s hard to see a fit here in Cincinnati. With Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, and Eugenio Suarez at designated hitter, first base already is a competition between Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer. It’s hard to see Lowe sticking in Cincinnati.

Kim tore a tendon in his right middle finger in January, and the initial prognosis is that he would be out for four-to-five months. This would put him on schedule or slightly ahead of it. He has not yet started hitting, and we don’t know what the injury will do to his power production, so he is still be left undrafted in all redraft formats.

Loperfido was originally an Astros prospect but was traded to Toronto in 2024 as part of the Yusei Kikuchi deal. He is not back in Houston after hitting .333/.379/.500 with four home runs in 104 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year. Loperfido also cut his strikeout rate to 21.4 percent in 91 Triple-A games in 2025 after posting a 28 percent mark in Triple-A in 2024. Improved plate discipline would help Loperfido utilize his plus raw power, and there’s a real chance that Houston gives him a chance to be their starting left fielder against right-handed pitching.

This trade came together very quickly. Sánchez should start against all right-handed pitchers and hit near the middle of a solid Blue Jays lineup. His inability to hit lefties is going to make it hard to roster him in fantasy leagues with weekly lineup locks, but he should have lots of value in daily moves leagues or leagues with mid-week roster changes.

This was to be expected, with Spencer Schwellenbach needing elbow surgery and AJ Smith-Shawver also sidelined after elbow surgery. Despite being limited to just one start last season, we’d much rather gamble on López in fantasy drafts, who posted a 1.99 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 148/42 K/BB ratio in 2024. Holmes is also coming off a late-season UCL injury that he did not have surgery for in the offseason, so he remains a huge risk in fantasy leagues.

This move seems to be directly connected to Anthony Santander being out for six months. Sánchez should slot in as a starter against right-handed pitching since he is a career .253/.324/.450 hitter against RHP with a 111 wRC+. Davis Schneider would then likely platoon with him and start against lefties. Loperfido also has minor league options remaining while Sánchez doesn’t, and, as Chandler Rome points out, Sánchez is owed $6.8 million while Loperfido is making the league minimum. This allows the Astros to save money for future potential moves.

We assume this will be a minor league deal. Taylor hit .186/.256/.301 in 58 gams for the Dodgers and Angels last season, and he wasn’t much better in batting .202/.298/.300 in 2024. A bounce back at age 35 would be pretty surprising.

King was non-tendered by the Cardinals in November after posting a 4.66 ERA last year. The sinkerballer had come in at 3.47 over the previous four seasons, and the Marlins are making a small bet that he’ll get back into that territory. If it works out, he’ll probably be flipped for a prospect in July.