MLB Player News

Robertson went unclaimed after being designated for assignment by the Orioles at the end of December. The 28-year-old outfielder will be organizational depth with Baltimore if he doens’t elect free agency.

“I think we can pretty much guess how it’s going to go, given that one of them a historic number of saves on his resume,” Hinch said while discussing the ninth on Tiger Territory. Jansen has said he wasn’t promised anything ahead of signing with the Tigers in December, but he has, of course, been a full-time closer since 2012, and he’s fourth all-time with 476 saves. The primary alternatives in the ninth would be Will Vest, who had 23 saves for the Tigers last season, and Kyle Finnegan, who has 112 career saves.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan says it’s a one-year, $4 million deal. Heyman, who had previously linked Andujar with the Padres, Rangers, Cardinals and Cubs, notes there’s a mutual option for 2027. Andujar’s contact ability makes him pretty useful as a part-timer, but his lack of defense, middling power and poor walk rate don’t translate well to regular play. He should primarily occupy a platoon role in San Diego, probably mostly splitting time with Gavin Sheets at DH.

What interesting timing, given that the Tigers are supposed to learn Thursday whether they’re paying Tarik Skubal $32 million or $19 million next season. Perhaps they got some early good news on that front. Valdez is receiving $38.33 million per year here on the short-term deal. He gets a $20 million signing bonus and an opt out after 2027, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. He’s set to join a rotation that would seem to be locked in with Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize and Reese Olson, though the Tigers could look at moving Flaherty or Mize for a bat. As things stand now, neither Troy Melton nor Drew Anderson would be in line for a spot.

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo says it’s worth $6 million. Kiner-Falefa still plays passable defense at short and has a plus glove at second or third, but he offers nothing but the occasional single with the bat. He’s even stopped walking the last two years, and his OBP was down to .297 last season. He ought to be a true backup in Boston, even if the team fails to make further upgrades on offense.

Madris failed to appear in the majors last year for the first time 2021 and wound up hitting .238/.328/.410 in 60 games for Triple-A Toledo. The 29-year-old former Pirates prospect has hit .204/.273/.286 with two homers and two steals in 228 career MLB plate appearances.

Fulmer’s stuff didn’t immediately come all of the way back after Tommy John, so he bounced around last year, pitching for four organizations. He ended up with a 3.39 ERA and an 86/29 K/BB in 66 1/3 innings while working mostly as a reliever in Triple-A. During his time in the majors, he allowed three earned runs and struck out three in 5 2/3 innings. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year hasn’t started regularly since 2020, so he’ll presumably compete for a spot in the Giants pen this spring.

The 38-year-old Peralta already sat out last season after failing to draw any quality offers as a free agent, though he did make a cameo in the Venezuelan Winter League and go 10-for-40 with a homer in 12 games. Originally a pitcher in the Cardinals system, Peralta started playing outfield in indy ball after being released at age 22. He surfaced in the majors with the Diamondbacks at age 26 and put together a really nice career 11-year career that saw him hit .278/.335/.448 in 4,590 plate appearances. He twice led the NL in triples, and he won a Silver Slugger after hitting 30 homers in 2018.

The White Sox gave Clevinger a try as a reliever last year, but it didn’t take at all. After returning to the minors, he made 22 starts for Triple-A Charlotte with a 4.20 ERA and a 93/36 K/BB in 100 2/3 innings. He’s enjoyed major league success just once in four years since returning from Tommy John surgery, going 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA for the White Sox in 2023, and he seems like quite a long shot to help the Pirates.

We’re not at all sure a merely competent outfielder was a thing the White Sox already needed with Andrew Benintendi already locked into the lineup, but Hays should be a steady enough presence, even if he is a below average hitter against right-handers. Since he’s potentially more valuable as a fourth outfielder starting against lefties, there’s also the bonus that he could be attractive to contenders at the deadline. Playing for the Reds last year, he hit .266/.315/.453, giving him a 105 OPS+ that’s right in line with his career mark of 106.

After the White Sox traded for Jordan Hicks and signed Seranthony Dominguez, it was clear they did not view Grant Taylor as a potential closer. However, the former starter is not moving back into the rotation either. The team will keep him in a bulk relief role, and Taylor himself is targeting 100 innings pitched as his goal for this upcoming season. White Sox manager Will Venable had a slightly different idea, saying, “We are going to have more freedom to use Grant to win games, as opposed to fulfill some innings limit.” However, Venable acknowledged that Taylor may one day move back to starting games, so they would like to keep him as stretched out as possible. While we don’t normally draft middle relievers in fantasy baseball, it does seem like Taylor will be given plenty of innings and brought in during plenty of close games, which could lead to a surprising amount of fantasy value.