MLB Player News

The 23-year-old Caissie is the prize of the deal for the Marlins, and he’s obviously ready for a major league gig after hitting .281/.380/.507 with 41 homers in 982 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa the last two years. Still, his upside is in question, especially given that he’s been striking out 28% of the time in the minors. If the Cubs were particularly high on him, they probably would have kept him and given him a shot in Kyle Tucker’s spot next season. Most likely, he’ll turn out to be a decent enough regular, but not a guy who goes to All-Star games. The Marlins will probably primarily roll with a Kyle Stowers-Jakob Marsee-Caissie outfield, with Griffin Conine more focused on first base and DH.

Chicago continues fortifying its relief mix with Martin representing their latest middle relief lottery ticket this offseason. The 30-year-old former top pitching prospect was the centerpiece of the Zack Greinke trade between the Astros and Diamondbacks in 2019 before injuries derailed his promising trajectory. He compiled an underwhelming 6.00 ERA — 5.30 FIP — and 23/9 K/BB ratio across 18 innings over 17 appearances for the Orioles this past season in his first big-league action since the 2022 campaign.

Stoudt hasn’t resurfaced at the major-league level since making four appearances for the Reds back in 2023. The 28-year-old former pitching prospect has bounced around between a couple different organizations, including the Orioles and Mariners, over the past two seasons while pitching in relief in Triple-A. He’s merely organizational depth at this stage of his career.

Waldichuk represents an intriguing addition for Tampa Bay’s pitching development apparatus to sink their teeth into this spring. The 28-year-old former top prospect’s stuff hasn’t rebounded to pre-Tommy John surgery levels but he still offers some appeal as a potential swingman, capable of stepping into the starting rotation or gobbling up multiple innings out of the bullpen. He spent a couple weeks with the Braves after being jettisoned by the Athletics last month and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign.

Wisely heads to Tampa Bay as a versatile utility infield option after getting into 26 games between the Braves and Giants last season, hitting .185/.279/.315 with one homer and one steal in 63 plate appearances. He offers some appeal as an experienced veteran stopgap at the highest level, but he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Bido’s stint with the Rays wound up lasting only a couple weeks after being picked up off waivers from the Braves. The 30-year-old figures to generate some interest as a versatile swingman despite recording a bloated 6.07 FIP and 68/35 K/BB ratio across 79 2/3 innings over 26 appearances for the Athletics this past season.

Cheng has been removed from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran utility infielder Brett Wisely. The 24-year-old shortstop was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last week after hitting .209/.307/.271 with one homer and 18 steals in 107 games for Triple-A Indianapolis. He got into three contests for Pittsburgh last season, going 0-for-7 at the dish.

One imagines there’s some pressure on the newly acquired Ford to be in Nationals camp gaining reps with all of the team’s pitchers, but at least Great Britain probably isn’t in for a lengthy WBC run. It still might lessen his chances of breaking camp with the Nationals, though giving Keibert Ruiz one last chance as a starter is probably the team’s plan anyway.

The 26-year-old Castro had just signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays in November, so this might mean another opportunity came up for him. Castro didn’t play in the majors last season. He’s hit .219/.292/.380 in 627 career plate appearances with the Pirates and Phillies.

That goes along with what The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reported last week. Bellinger is currently holding out for seven years, but one would think a sixth season might be enough to persuade him. He lost one suitor when the Cubs came to terms with Alex Bregman, but that still leaves the Mets, Dodgers, Jays and others. At this point, he might be best off waiting to see which teams miss out on Kyle Tucker.

Buxton’s presence has been assumed for months, but the confirmation took quite a while. He’s set to be joined by Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Team USA outfield, so it’ll be interesting to see how that sets up. PCA probably should be in there against righties, with Buxton starting in center against lefties and coming off the bench.