Jonathan Villar Will See Time In Center Field

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said that infielder Jonathan Villar will play the middle of the field in his first year in Miami, noting center field, second base and shortstop. Third base was mentioned more in passing. Villar was extremely valuable to fantasy owners in 2019 despite playing for the last-place Orioles, as he hit […]

Salvador Perez Close To 100 Percent

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (elbow) caught a bullpen session during the team's first spring training workout on Wednesday and said his surgically repaired right elbow is at "90 percent." Perez hurt his elbow in spring training last year and required Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2019 season. He is hitting and throwing […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Won't Be Limited In Spring Training

San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler said that all the medical reports on shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (back) were positive and he won't have physical limitations during spring training. "He's been out here early, he's swung the bat, he's running, he's playing defense, so we do not expect any limitations," the manager said. Tatis reported […]

Falcons May Move On From Devonta Freeman

The Atlanta Falcons may move on and release running back Devonta Freeman this offseason to save around $3 million in salary cap space. Freeman is due over $6 million in 2020 if they keep him around. The Falcons strongly considered trading Freeman at last year's trade deadline. The 27-year-old (28 in March) has played in […]

Cardinals Sign Brad Miller

The St. Louis Cardinals signed infielder Brad Miller to a one-year major league deal on Wednesday. Relief pitcher Jordan Hicks (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Miller, 30, hit .260/.329/.565 with 13 home runs and 25 RBI in 79 games for the Indians and Phillies as a utility infielder […]

Raiders Ready To Pursue Tom Brady

The Las Vegas Raiders are poised to pursue New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady if he doesn't re-sign with the Patriots before free agency begins, according to league sources. But it's uncertain if the Raiders can lure Brady to Las Vegas. The Patriots are expected to want a decision to be made well before the […]

Patriots, Tom Brady Haven't Made Progress In Extension Talks

The New England Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady haven't made any progress in contract talks, according to sources. The Patriots will absorb a $13.5 million salary cap charge if Brady is not on the roster when the 2020 league year begins on March 18, so owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick are expected […]

Hunter Harvey To Begin Year As Reliever

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Hunter Harvey, a former first-round pick, will be a relief pitcher in 2020. A former top pitching prospect in Baltimore's system, Harvey never lived up to expectations because of injuries. But he made his big league debut in 2019 out of the bullpen and excelled, posting a 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and […]

Martin Prado Announces Retirement

Free-agent third baseman Martin Prado announced his retirement on Wednesday. Prado finished the 2019 season with the Marlins, hitting .233/.265/.294 with two home runs and only 15 RBI in 104 games. The 36-year-old spent 14 years in the majors and was an All-Star back in 2010 with the Braves. He started his career with Atlanta […]

Ben Zobrist Has No Plans To Play

Free-agent infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist hasn't announced his retirement yet, but he is currently at home and has no plans to play. The Cubs just signed Jason Kipnis to help at second base on Tuesday, so it's unlikely Zobrist is even in Chicago's plans if they were considering bringing him back. If this is the end […]

No Plan To Limit Jesus Luzardo, A.J. Puk

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said there's no plan for a specific innings limit for starting pitchers Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk. Both Luzardo and Puk are top left-handed pitching prospects and have extremely high fantasy ceilings in the long term, but the A's are expected to limit their innings in 2020 eventually. Per MLB […]

Gio Gonzalez Slowed With Shoulder Discomfort

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (shoulder) is dealing with discomfort in his shoulder and has been slowed down by the team in camp. Gonzalez's injury is minor and he should be ready for Opening Day, but he'll be slowed in early Cactus League action as a precaution. The 34-year-old left-hander was solid for […]

Yasmani Grandal Has Calf Strain

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (calf) was diagnosed with a minor calf strain in his left leg after undergoing an MRI exam. Grandal will be held out of the first week of Cactus League action, but he's expected to be fine for Opening Day. The White Sox will play it safe with their big […]

Lucas Giolito Dealing With Minor Injuries

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito (rib cage) is dealing with soreness in his rib cage and has a strain in his chest muscle. Giolito will miss the first week of Cactus League games, but the injury isn't serious and he's expected to be ready for Opening Day. The 25-year-old broke out last year […]

Reds Re-Sign Derek Dietrich

The Cincinnati Reds re-signed infielder/outfielder Derek Dietrich to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league spring training on Wednesday. Dietrich had a career-high 19 home runs and drove in 43 runs in 113 games for Cincinnati in 2019, but he hit just .187/.328/.462 and struck out 74 times. He's useful to the […]

Mike Leake Dealing With Wrist Soreness

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Mike Leake (wrist) has left wrist soreness and is undergoing a precautionary MRI exam on Wednesday. It's to his non-pitching arm, so Leake should be fine as long as it's not a serious injury. The veteran 32-year-old had a 4.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 127 strikeouts and 27 walks in 32 starts […]

Madison Bumgarner Expected To Start On Opening Day

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo all but said that starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner will start on Opening Day. Bumgarner will make his debut with the D-Backs against the Braves at home on March 26. It's not a great matchup for his first start with Arizona, as the Braves have one of the most imposing lineups […]

Mariners Agree With Taijuan Walker

The Seattle Mariners agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker on Wednesday, according to sources. Walker can earn up to $3 million in incentives. The 27-year-old was drafted in the first round by the Mariners in 2010, so this is a homecoming for him. He hasn't been able to stay […]

Cameron Maybin Returns To Tigers

The Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year major league deal with outfielder Cameron Maybin on Wednesday. The deal is for $1.5 million with the chance to make extra in incentives. Maybin played for Detroit in 2007 and 2016 and was the team's first-round pick in 2005. He'll turn 33 in April and hit .285 with […]

Red Sox Unsure If Dustin Pedroia Will Report For First Workout

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke is unsure if second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) will report to spring training before the first full-squad workout on Monday. Pedroia has been held to nine games over the last two seasons due to a left knee injury, and he suffered a significant setback in his rehab late last […]

Darwinzon Hernandez Could Be A Starter

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke said that pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez is a relief pitcher right now, but the coaching staff discussed the idea of him starting again at some point. The 23-year-old left-hander made his MLB debut in 2019 by making one start and 28 relief appearances. He posted a 4.45 ERA and 1.75 […]

Red Sox View Brandon Workman As Their Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke believes that relief pitcher Brandon Workman will be the team's closer entering the regular season, barring something unforeseen. “I think with what he did last year, he deserves that shot to be the closer,” Roenicke said. Workman became Boston's closer late in the year in 2019, posting a stellar […]

Chris Sale Expected To Report On Friday

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (illness) had a flu bug that turned into pneumonia, but he's expected to report to camp on Friday. It's not the start that Sale wanted, but the good news is his left arm is healthy following a year filled with injury and poor performance in 2019. Despite his […]

Cole Hamels Won't Be Ready For Opening Day

Updating a previous report, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Cole Hamels (shoulder) won't have time to build up for Opening Day, according to general manager Alex Anthopoulos. Hamels is dealing with a shoulder issue, but it's nothing serious. However, he'll miss at least three weeks in camp and won't have enough time to build up before […]

Cubs Still In Talks With Other Teams Regarding Kris Bryant

The Chicago Cubs are still engaged in talks with other teams about the possibility of trading third baseman Kris Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP. The Cubs have spoken with the Rangers, Rockies, Nationals and Phillies in recent weeks, according to sources. There is no evidence that trade talks have progressed, but the Cubs haven't […]

49ers Want Dante Pettis To Get Stronger

The San Francisco 49ers want wide receiver Dante Pettis to report to the team stronger than he did in his first two seasons. The 24-year-old second-round pick in 2018 caught 27 passes for 467 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games his rookie season, but things took a turn for the worse in his sophomore […]

Jalen Hurd Expected To Be Ready For OTAs

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jalen Hurd (back) is expected to be ready for organized team activities this spring. Hurd, who missed all of his rookie season due to his back injury, could have a chance to make some noise in the team's passing game in 2020 if he can just stay on the field. […]

Chargers Could Go With Tyrod Taylor Under Center

All the big-name free-agent quarterbacks will be linked to the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason now that they have moved on from Philip Rivers, but general manager Tom Telesco said that he likes "our internal options" at quarterback in Tyrod Taylor and Easton Stick. Still, it would be a surprise if the Bolts didn't sign […]

Cam Newton's Future Depends On Health

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper said that quarterback Cam Newton's (foot) future with the team will come down to his health. The Panthers won't make a definitive statement on whether Newton will be with them in 2020, and they want to see him demonstrate his health this spring before they decide his future. Newton played […]

Eric Pardinho Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and will miss the entire 2020 season. Pardinho, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, had a nice 2.15 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 35 strikeouts and 16 walks in seven games and one relief outing (37 2/3 innings) for Low-A Lansing […]