3 days agoFree agent right-hander Yariel Rodriguez held a private workout for the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox on Saturday. The 26-year-old was officially declared a free agent in early November and granted his release from Japan. Rodriguez posted a 1.15 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and a 60/18 K/BB ratio over 54 2/3 innings for the Chunichi Dragons of Japan in 2022. He then sat out the 2023 campaign while on the restricted list. There have been nearly a dozen teams connected to Rodriguez this offseason. The expectation is that he'll get a lucrative multi-year deal later this offseason.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Francys Romero
3 days agoThe Seattle Mariners have agreed on a minor-league deal with first baseman
Rangel Ravelo on Sunday. It's fair if baseball fans don't know his name as Ravelo hasn't played in the MLB since the 2020 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. After that, Ravelo went to Japan in order to reestablish his value. He signed a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres last season. Ravelo hit .310/.428/.473 with eight homers and 35 RBI across 203 plate appearances in the minors last season. He's expected to serve as depth to the Mariners roster. He'll receive an invite to spring training and will likely start the year in Double-A or Triple-A, assuming he makes the team.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Francys Romero
3 days agoThe Los Angeles Angels have agreed on a minor-league deal with infielder
Charles Leblanc on Sunday. The 27-year-old got his first taste of MLB action with the Miami Marlins in 2022. He slashed .263/.320/.404 across 169 plate appearances with the Marlins. He spent last season in Triple-A Jacksonville hitting .252/.384/.423 with 12 homers and four stolen bases across nearly 400 plate appearances. Leblanc is nothing more than a depth signing for the Halos. He'll likely start the season in the minors and possibly come up if someone gets injured.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Kevin Barral
4 days agoA visit to Seattle as the special guest of the Seattle Seahawks has spiked rumors that the lefty starter and the Seattle Mariners could have mutual interest. Snell, a native of Washington that graduated from Seattle suburb Shoreline before being a first-round draft pick by the Tampa Bay Rays
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4 days agoLeft-handed reliever
Edwin Escobar will return to MLB with the Chicago Cubs. Details of the contract are not yet released, but Escobar has confirmed the transaction on his social media, and local reporting in Venezuela has also confirmed the signing. Escobar, a 6'2", 225-pound
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4 days agoPittsburgh Pirates Cuban right-hander
Johan Oviedo (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery in the coming days, according to sources. Tommy John surgery was on the table for Oviedo once the 2023 season ended, and now it's become a reality that will knock him out for the entire 2024 season. The 25-year-old went 9-14 with a 4.31 ERA (4.49 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP while walking 83 and striking out a career-high 158 in a career-high 177 2/3 innings over 32 starts in his first full season in Pittsburgh in 2023. Oviedo wasn't really anything special from a fantasy perspective, but he was a useful innings-eater for a beleaguered Pirates starting rotation. In his four major-league seasons, Oviedo has a 4.32 ERA (4.57 FIP), 1.39 WHIP, a 10.8 percent walk rate and 19.6 percent strikeout rate in 320 2/3 innings over 72 appearances (58 starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Francys Romero
4 days agoFree-agent outfielder
Jackie Bradley Jr., who was one of the better defensive center fielders of his era, is expected to retire this offseason. Bradley played in 43 games for the Kansas City Royals in 2023 before being waived in June. In his 113 plate appearances, he went just 14-for-105 (.133) with a home run, five doubles, six RBI and 10 runs scored. The 33-year-old was an All-Star back in 2016 with the Boston Red Sox, when he slashed .267/.349/.486 with an .835 OPS, a career-high 26 home runs, 87 RBI and nine stolen bases in 156 games. Bradley won a Gold Glove in 2018 and will finish his 11 year big-league career with a .225 career batting average, 109 home runs, 449 RBI, 69 stolen bases and 514 runs scored in 1,181 career games with Boston, Kansas City, Toronto and Milwaukee if he indeed hangs up his cleats.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
4 days agoThe New York Yankees remain interested in re-signing right-hander
Frankie Montas this offseason. The Yankees are very much in the starting pitching market this winter and are also eyeing Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and free-agent left-hander
Jordan Montgomery, among others. The Yankees acquired Montas from the Oakland Athletics in the second half of the 2022 season, but he made just eight starts for them that year and required arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The 30-year-old then managed to pitch in one game in relief in 2023. New York must think Montas has the potential to return to his 2021 form with better health, when he went 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and career-high 207 strikeouts in 187 innings (32 starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
5 days agoNew York Yankees first baseman
Anthony Rizzo (concussion), who slumped in 2023 and then was shut down after suffering a concussion, is said to be doing "great" so far this offseason, according to his agent, Ryan Gleichowski. Rizzo expects to have a completely normal offseason after his 2023 campaign ended early on Sept. 12 when he was moved to the 60-day injured list. The 34-year-old veteran left-handed hitter finished with a .244/.328/.378 slash line with 12 home runs, 14 doubles, 41 RBI and 45 runs scored in 421 plate appearances and 99 games in his second full season in the Bronx. It came a season after he hit just .224 but with 32 home runs and 75 RBI in 130 games for the Bombers. He'll have bounce-back potential with better health in 2024 and expects to be a full-go for the start of spring training next year.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
5 days agoThe New York Yankees are interested in trading for San Diego Padres outfielder
Juan Soto and they have also inquired about Korean outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee, a two-way center fielder who is only 24 years old. However, Lee already has 20 teams after him despite not being posted by his Korean team yet. The Yankees like
Cody Bellinger after his big bounce-back year with the Chicago Cubs, but some Yankees people are worried about his hard-hit rate. Still, Bellinger feels like the perfect fit as an excellent center fielder who bats left-handed and hit .306 after a couple years dealing with injuries in LA. The Yankees are trying to find another outfielder that can stay healthy and provide some middle-of-the-order protection for
Aaron Judge in 2024 and beyond. Soto would require quite the prospect haul and would also require a massive long-term contract.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
5 days agoAs expected, there are no shortage of suitors for free-agent two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani this winter. At least the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs are believed to be going big for Ohtani, while the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are waiting and praying they'll have a chance to lock him up. Sources say that Ohtani loves southern California, which is why the Dodgers are considered the favorites. Most teams are presumed to only be able to afford one of Ohtani and Japanese star right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani should cost around $500 million and Yamamoto around $200 million. Ohtani will not be able to pitch at all in 2024 after having surgery on his right elbow, but he'll offer plenty of value with his bat from the left side of the plate after leading the league with 44 home runs, a .412 on-base percentage, .654 slugging percentage, a 1.066 OPS and 325 total bases in 2023.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
5 days agoStarting pitcher
Jordan Montgomery was a big piece of the Texas Rangers championship season, and they are hoping to bring him back for 2024 and beyond. With an ERA of 3.20 and an FIP of 3.56 in 2023 for the Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, Montgomery should be on most teams' radar this offseason. The soon-to-be 31-year-old was a top-30 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes in 2022 and 2023, so he should be able to keep that pace for a couple more seasons at least. Montgomery has pitched at least 30 games in three straight seasons, and while his strikeout rate has decreased over that time, he's gotten better in the walk and ERA departments.
--Justin Raffone - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman
5 days agoKorean outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee could be posted in early December after his medical records were sent from Lee's team, the Kiwoom Heroes, to the KBO on Nov. 22. The KBO will have to review them before sending them to the MLB, so it could take a week or so. Lee will be a hot name for teams this winter and should be popular come draft time for fantasy managers. Lee hasn't been a prodigious power hitter but will contribute in all offensive categories. A good contact hitter, his walk rate is also positive, making him even better in OBP leagues. Look for more to be relayed on Lee when he signs with an MLB team.
--Justin Raffone - RotoBallerSource: Jeeho Yoo
5 days agoStarting pitcher
Kenta Maeda has been in talks with the Detroit Tigers this week, and those talks have intensified over the last couple of days. Maeda signed an eight-year, $25 million contract with the Dodgers in 2016 that was full of incentives -- his first contract stateside. The Japanese-born pitcher will be 36 years old next season and will likely receive a one- or two-year contract toward the end of his career. Steamer projections have Maeda pitching in 24 games and finishing 2024 with a 4.15 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched. Those numbers are similar to his 2023 stats, which means he'd be a good fantasy player in deeper leagues as rotation depth.
--Justin Raffone - RotoBallerSource: Jon Morosi
5 days agoThe Minnesota Twins are interested in bringing back starting pitcher
Kenta Maeda. The right-hander has spent the past three seasons in Minnesota, most recently working to a 4.23 ERA across 21 outings (20 starts) in the 2023 season. However, there's reason to believe he pitched better than his surface ERA might suggest as he also posted a 3.76 SIERA while his 20.8% K-BB% was the second-best mark of his MLB career and his best figure among non-COVID seasons as he put forth a 28.2% K-BB% in the shortened 2020 season when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting. The 35-year-old missed the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery but is garnering interest ahead of his second season back while the rival Detroit Tigers have also shown interest in the veteran.
--Brenton Kemp - RotoBallerSource: Jon Heyman -- New York Post
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