1 day agoChicago White Sox relief pitcher
Gregory Santos (elbow) is working out in Arizona and has had good medical reports, according to general manager Chris Getz. The team's goal is to have Santos ready for the start of the 2024 season, but he just started a throwing program, so he might not be full-go for the start of spring training. The 24-year-old is projected to share the closer's role next year with left-hander
Garrett Crochet, but first Santos must fully recover after closing the 2023 campaign on the injured list with right-elbow inflammation. The White Sox are in full rebuild this offseason, though, so the Chicago bullpen may not yield many saves for Santos and company. The Dominican reliever had a 3.39 ERA (2.65 FIP) and 1.29 WHIP with his first five career saves and 66 K's in 66 1/3 relief innings this past season in his first full MLB season after debuting in 2021.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Scott Merkin
1 day agoThe Baltimore Orioles have been "seriously engaged" with free-agent relief pitcher
Craig Kimbrel, MLB Network's Joel Sherman reported Tuesday. The O's will be without their All-Star closer
Felix Bautista (elbow) in 2024 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery. While the team does have several late-inning relievers, a player with Kimbrel's career numbers could help shut things down at the end of games. The 35-year-old veteran had a mixed 2023 season with the Phillies, converting 23 of 28 save opportunities in the regular season with a 3.26 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 33.8% strikeout rate. However, he posted a bloated 6.00 ERA in seven postseason appearances.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Joel Sherman - Twitter.com
1 day agoThe San Francisco Giants are among the teams that heavily scouted free-agent outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and could attempt to sign him to bolster their outfield, per MLB's Maria Guardado. The 25-year-old has a .340 career batting average over his seven seasons in the KBO and slashed .318/.406/.455 with six home runs and 45 RBI in 387 plate appearances in 2023, which was cut short due to a left ankle fracture. The Giants had 11 players play center field last season and ranked 28th in the majors with an overall -13 outs above average, so bringing in a player like Lee, who won five Golden Gloves in KBO, would benefit them both offensively and defensively.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Maria Guardado - MLB.com
1 day agoFree-agent veteran catcher
Martin Maldonado is drawing interest from the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, and Chicago White Sox, per the Athletic's Chandler Rome. The 37-year-old spent the last four full seasons with the Astros. However, the team reportedly signed
Victor Caratini Tuesday, which would suggest there will not be a reunion for the Astros and Maldonado. Known for his defense and pitcher management, Maldonado slashed .191/.258/.348 with 15 home runs and 36 RBI in 407 plate appearances in 2023. His skill set will likely land him a backup role with a new team, but it does not lend itself to fantasy.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Chandler Rome - Twitter.com
1 day agoThe Houston Astros reportedly signed free-agent catcher
Victor Caratini to a two-year, $12 million deal Tuesday, per MLB's Theo DeRosa. The team has not confirmed the deal. The Astros needed a backup catcher to
Yainer Diaz with
Martin Maldonado also a free agent and will seemingly turn to the 30-year-old Caratini. Caratini served as the backup catcher for the Brewers in 2023, slashing .259/.327/.383 with seven home runs and 25 RBI in 226 plate appearances. While the lineup change will benefit Caratini, it likely will not be enough to make him fantasy-relevant except perhaps in the deepest of two-catcher leagues.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Theo DeRosa - MLB.com
1 day agoThe Atlanta Braves traded newly-acquired starting pitcher
Marco Gonzales and cash considerations to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for a player to be named later. The Braves acquired the left-handed veteran from the Seattle Mariners on Sunday night as part of a deal for outfielder Jared Kelenic. Gonzales will now slot into a Pirates' rotation desperately in need of support. He went 4-1 with a 5.22 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 15.8% strikeout rate in 10 starts in 2023 before being shut down in August due to surgery to fix a nerve issue in his left forearm. While Gonzales has served as a stable rotation piece who can eat innings in the past, his lack of strikeout upside and pitch-to-contact approach limit his fantasy value.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Jason Beck - MLB.com
1 day agoThe Boston Red Sox traded outfielder
Alex Verdugo to the division-rival New York Yankees on Tuesday in exchange for three right-handed pitchers, the most notable being 23-year-old right-hander
Richard Fitts. The 27-year-old Verdugo fulfills the Yankees' search for a left-handed bat. Verdugo finished 2023 as a Gold Glove finalist while slashing .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs, 54 RBI, and five stolen bases in 602 plate appearances. General manager Brian Cashman has stated that he is searching for two outfielders, so the Yankees may not be done bolstering their outfield. Verdugo is a solid all-around baseball player but does not particularly stand out for fantasy purposes. Ultimately, his shift to Yankee Stadium may benefit his home-run numbers, but his overall value will be determined by the final state of the Yankees' lineup heading into 2024.
--Connelly Doan - RotoBallerSource: Bryan Hoch - MLB.com
1 day agoThe Cleveland Guardians won the MLB Draft Lottery held on Tuesday at the winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. It will be the first time the Guardians have selected at the top of the draft, having picked second overall on five occasions. Cleveland had only the ninth-highest chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick at 2.0 percent. The Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals will round out the top-10 picks in the 2024 draft. The Pirates won last year's draft lottery and took LSU right-hander
Paul Skenes with the No. 1 overall selection.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Jonathan Mayo
1 day agoFree-agent right-hander
Erick Fedde and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal on Tuesday, according to sources. The 30-year-old went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA for the NC Dinos in the Korea Baseball Organization, where he was named the MVP in 2023. He will now make his way back overseas to the big leagues. Fedde made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Washington Nationals and spent six years in D.C., going 21-33 with a 5.41 ERA (5.17 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP in 454 1/3 innings over 102 outings (88 starts). The rebuilding White Sox had a need for starting pitchers on the cheap this offseason, so Fedde will get a chance to re-establish his value in the majors. He'll be in a good spot to make some noise as a sleeper candidate in the weak American League Central division.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
1 day agoHouston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that outfielder
Jake Meyers will get a chance to be the team's primary center fielder next year. The Astros also plan to play
Chas McCormick regularly between left and center field. The 27-year-old Meyers was a better defender than hitter in 2023 in his first full season in the big leagues, as he hit only .227/.296/.382 with a career-high 10 home runs, 33 RBI, five stolen bases and 42 runs scored in 112 games played. McCormick, 28, is the much more attractive offensive piece for fantasy managers. He had his best season yet this past year in his third big-league campaign, slashing .273/.353/.489 with an .842 OPS, a career-high 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 19 stolen bases and 59 runs scored in 115 games played.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
2 days agoFree-agent infielder
Jose Iglesias signed a minor-league deal with the New York Mets on Tuesday. The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Iglesias will provide infield depth, mainly at shortstop, for the Mets heading into next spring. The 33-year-old Cuban didn't surface in the big leagues at all in 2023 but did impress in 28 games for Triple-A El Paso in the San Diego Padres system with a .317/.356/.537 slash line, .892 OPS, four home runs and 27 RBI in 135 plate appearances. Iglesias was an All-Star for the Detroit Tigers in 2015, when he hit .300 with only two homers, 23 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 120 games. He's always been a glove-first player and has only 47 home runs in 11 major-league seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: New York Mets
2 days agoFree-agent right-handed reliever
Chris Devenski and the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with a team option on Tuesday, according to sources. Devenski began the 2023 season with the Los Angeles Angels and finished it off with the Rays. The 33-year-old had a combined 4.46 ERA (3.96 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with 11 walks and 42 strikeouts in 42 1/3 relief innings for the Angels and Rays this past season. He'll return to the Rays in 2024 and give them some experienced bullpen depth after just completing his eighth year in the big leagues. Devenski was an All-Star with the Houston Astros back in 2017 and has a decent 3.78 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with eight career saves in 373 1/3 career innings pitched.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
2 days agoFree-agent right-hander
Lucas Giolito is drawing interest on the open market from the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Kansas City Royals. The sweepstakes for Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani could impact Giolito's destination for next season. The 29-year-old had a 4.88 ERA in 2023 with a 1.31 WHIP, 204 strikeouts and 73 walks over 184 1/3 innings for the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Guardians while tying for a league-best 33 starts. Giolito has had a couple disappointing seasons in 2022 and 2023 after being an American League Cy Young contender from 2019-21. He still has plenty of strikeout upside and could be an intriguing bounce-back candidate if he lands in the right situation.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
2 days agoThe Chicago Cubs and free-agent first baseman
Rhys Hoskins (knee) remain in contact on a potential free-agent deal this winter, according to sources. The Cubs and Hoskins have discussed both a one-year deal and a multi-year contract. It was a no-brainer for the Philadelphia Phillies to decline a qualifying offer for Hoskins after he missed all of 2023 due to a torn left ACL he suffered in spring training. But the 30-year-old right-handed slugger should be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign and has reached the 30-home run mark in two of his last four full seasons in the league. Hoskins could make for a nice replacement for free-agent outfielder/first baseman
Cody Bellinger if he's completely healthy for next season in Chicago. He could be a great bounce-back candidate, especially in Chicago.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
2 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Christopher Morel's name has come up in talks with the Tampa Bay Rays about right-hander
Tyler Glasnow. The Rays are expected to trade Glasnow this offseason, potentially right after two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani decides his next team. In addition to the Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds and their glut of young talent already at the major-league level are interested in potentially dealing for Glasnow. Morel can also play third base but has been more of a designated-hitter type for the Cubs. He's streaky at the plate but has impressive power from the right side of the batter's box. The 24-year-old Dominican slugger hit .247 (96-for-388) with a career-high 26 home runs, 70 RBI and six stolen bases in 107 games for the Cubs in 2023 in just his second year in the majors. Morel does have 270 strikeouts to boot in 220 games over two seasons.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
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