MLB Player News

It comes as a mild surprise that four players — Shota Imanaga, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Woodruff and Trent Grisham — accepted the short-term pact this cycle instead of testing the open market since only 14 of 144 players since 2012 previously accepted qualifying offers. Tucker, Bichette, Schwarber, Valdez, Cease, Suárez and Díaz were no-doubters here while there was some thought that Gallen and King might take the one-year deal to build up their values before hitting free agency next offseason.

The deal is now official. Sánchez returns to Milwaukee following a one-year detour in Baltimore where injuries limited him to just 30 games. The 33-year-old backstop’s time as a fantasy-relevant option are clearly over, but he provides the Brewers with a reliable veteran backup behind ironman starter William Contreras.

Holmes was sitting in the mid-90’s with his fastball during his latest early-spring throwing session, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos confirmed earlier this week that the 29-year-old, who is working his way back from a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, will have a spot in the club’s season-opening rotation. He’s a worthwhile late-round dart throw in deeper mixed leagues, especially if Atlanta opts against putting a governor on his workload.

The deal is now official. Sewald, who spent time with Arizona from 2023-2024, fortifies Arizona’s bullpen depth after being limited to just 22 relief appearances between the Guardians and Tigers last year. The 35-year-old former closer could potentially factor into the Diamondbacks’ ninth-inning mix with a strong spring, but it’s a murky situation that fantasy managers should avoid outside of NL-only formats.

Martinez will miss at least the first half of the upcoming season while recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing 24-year-old former closer should return to Arizona’s high-leverage mix at some point in August, barring any setbacks. The procedural move frees up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for veteran hurler Paul Sewald.

Mercado hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign and is likely ticketed for Triple-A Reno at the conclusion of spring training. The 31-year-old augments Arizona’s corner outfield depth with Corbin Carroll (hand) recovering from a hamate injury.

Ross bolsters Arizona’s middle relief depth after compiling a pedestrian 5.12 ERA — 6.08 xERA — 1.47 WHIP and 39/18 K/BB ratio across 51 innings for the Phillies last year. The 32-year-old journeyman has made 160 appearances (87 starts) in the majors since 2015.

The Padres already have Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Ramon Laureano in the outfield, so this makes some sense. Castellanos has not played first base before, but he certainly has the frame for it, and it’s unlikely that he’d be much worse than Luis Arraez, who put up a -6 Outs Above Average in 993 innings at first base for San Diego last year. Castellanos could play first base against left-handed pitchers while Gavin Sheets shifts to the bench. As a result, it may take Castellanos a while to earn first base eligibility in fantasy leagues, if he does at all.

Canning got off to an impressive start for the Mets last season, pitching to a 3.77 ERA in 76 1/3 innings before rupturing his Achilles in June. The 29-year-old has a 4.65 ERA in 584 1/3 career MLB innings, but perhaps his new approach from last year, leaning on his slider more, can lead to continued success. He has a chance to earn a spot in the Padres rotation if he’s healthy.

It figures to be a major league deal at the minimum, since the Phillies are already on the hook for the rest of the $20 million that Castellanos is owed. Castellanos seems kind of redundant with Miguel Andujar, another right-handed bat who shouldn’t do much other than DH, but the Padres can stick one in the field against lefties. Castellanos probably has the better chance of emerging as the regular DH.

It’s qualifies as a surprise that Chafin was forced to settle for a non-roster invite with the rebuilding Twins given his extensive experience as a high-leverage option at the highest level. The 35-year-old southpaw compiled a strong 2.41 ERA — 3.44 xERA — 1.43 WHIP and 36/19 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings over 42 appearances between the Nationals and Angels last year. He’ll compete for a spot in Minnesota’s season-opening bullpen and offers some appeal for contenders in a couple months as a trade deadline target.