MLB Player News

No word yet on the financial terms or the duration of the deal. Several Padres’ players, including Manny Machado, had mentioned to the media over the weekend that Preller was deserving of an extension — especially after adding Nick Castellanos to the team’s lineup for the MLB minimum salary. Look for Preller to continue at the helm of baseball operations for the foreseeable future in San Diego.

The Dodgers will probably go with Hyeseong Kim and Miguel Rojas at second initially, but Freeland could sneak into the mix by outplaying Kim this spring. He’s reached in five of his six plate appearances, having walked four times in two games. Obviously, some of that is facing minor league pitchers, but the walk is a big part of his game; he drew 83 in 508 plate appearances in Triple-A last year and 91 in 615 plate appearances at three levels in 2024.

Gilbert was last seen looking exhausted at the end of the ALCS, but his batteries have been recharged since; he averaged 96.7 mph with his fastball today, which was up 1.3 mph from last year. His slider was up even a bit more, averaging 89.6 mph. It seems like a good sign for the top-10 SP.

Lockridge made a statement against his former club, smacking a seventh-inning round-tripper — his second of the spring already — as part of a multi-hit effort. The 28-year-old offers the versatility to handle all three outfield spots and will compete with Blake Perkins for a bench role this spring.

Arraez will draw plenty of scrutiny this spring regarding his defense at second base, but for fantasy managers, the real intrigue lies in his projected spot atop San Francisco’s lineup in front of Rafael Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman. The contact-oriented specialist remains somewhat one-dimensional for fantasy purposes, but that singular skill has tangible value. In a format increasingly obsessed with power and velocity, Arraez represents something simpler — batting average as ballast, the quiet stabilizer that keeps a roster from drifting too far into volatility.

Jump cemented his status as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball by compiling a stellar 3.28 ERA and 131/34 K/BB ratio across 112 2/3 innings between Double-A Midland and High-A Lansing last year in his professional debut. The 22-year-old southpaw has a chance to reach the big leagues later this year and should miss enough bats to provide an instant fantasy impact.

Ginn appears to be on the outside looking in when it comes to the Athletics’ season-opening rotation, barring an unexpected development. He could potentially make the club’s Opening Day roster as a versatile swingman but that diminished role wouldn’t make him fantasy-relevant outside of AL-only formats.

Mateo landed with the Braves last month after Ha-Seong Kim was ruled out for the beginning of the season, and he’ll serve as a utilityman while Mauricio Dubón starts at shortstop initally. Still, one of the game’s best basestealers, he’s probably not going to get enough to an opportunity for at-bats to help in fantasy leagues.

He allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one before departing. The Orioles’ additions have knocked Povich down to seventh or eighth on the SP depth chart for now, so he’s probably Triple-A bound to start the year. Still, it’s important that he pitch well and avoid getting passed by anyone else.

The 30-year-old Smith, who just signed a minor league deal with the Braves last week, doesn’t seem like a fit for Atlanta’s roster, but that’s not the only team he’s auditioning for this spring. He had a nice run with the Giants last year, batting .284/.333/.417 over 225 plate appearances, though his exit velocity numbers didn’t really back it up.

Neto’s two hits carried exit velocities of 101.7 mph and 95.5 mph, respectively, per Statcast. The 25-year-old former top prospec will be a second or third-round pick in fantasy drafts this spring on the heels of last year’s 26-homer, 26-steal campaign, which he accomplished in just 128 contests. He possesses 30-homer, 30-steal upside, if he manages to stay healthy for anything close to a full season.