Mets Re-Sign Alex Ramirez To Minor-League Deal: The New York Mets re-signed outfielder Alex Ramirez to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to a league source. Once considered a top prospect in the organization, Ramirez's development with the bat has stalled at the Double-A level, but they will keep him around for another year. Despite his offensive struggles, Ramirez had a strong market as a free agent. The 21-year-old Dominican spent all of this past season with Double-A Binghamton, slashing .210/.291/.299 with a career-low .590 OPS, five home runs, 46 RBI, a career-high 40 stolen bases and 62 runs scored in 542 trips to the plate over 123 ballgames. Ramirez's offensive decline has been a disappointment, but the Mets will take another chance on him as he heads into his age-22 season. His speed on the basepaths certainly gives him a higher floor if his bat continues to struggle in 2025. - as of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:29:02
Jonah Heim, Kyle Higashioka To See Equal Playing Time: The Texas Rangers are planning to give catchers Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka equal playing time in 2025, according to general manager Ross Fenstermaker. The Rangers signed Higashioka to a two-year, $13.5 million deal on Monday night and will plan to give him plenty of playing time behind the plate given Heim's struggles on offense this past season. The 29-year-old Heim was an All-Star in 2023, won a Gold Glove and a World Series ring, but he wasn't as good in 2024, slashing .220/.267/.336 with a weak .602 OPS, 13 home runs, 59 RBI and 45 runs scored in 131 games played in his fourth year in Texas. Meanwhile, Higashioka had a career year in his lone season with the San Diego Padres with 17 home runs and 45 RBI in 84 games played as the team's primary backstop. Texas will be hoping a straight split in playing time will keep them both productive, but it will surely limit their fantasy upside. - as of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:06:01
Tirso Ornelas Showing Well In Mexican Winter League: San Diego Padres outfield prospect Tirso Ornelas was added to the team's 40-man roster in July of last season, prompting speculation that there was a chance fans could see him inside Petco Park before the conclusion of 2024. That did not come to fruition, but Ornelas had a solid season at Triple-A nonetheless, slashing .297/.367/.497 with 23 home runs and a below-average strikeout rate of 16.1%. The 24-year-old has carried over that success into the Mexican Winter League while playing for the Charros de Jalisco. San Diego's 17th-ranked prospect is slashing .314/.419/.524 with five home runs and seven stolen bases in 30 games (124 PA). The Padres are likely set in the outfield at the moment with Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and assuming they bring back free agent Jurickson Profar, but at the very least, Ornelas looks like a potential bench bat for 2025. If the Padres lose out on Profar, Ornelas could become fantasy-relevant, so it's a situation worth monitoring. - as of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:02:02
Eight Teams Interested In Tommy Kahnle: Free agent reliever Tommy Kahnle is drawing attention on the open market, with up to eight teams showing interest in adding his services. Kahnle pitched for the Yankees last season, posting a 2.11 ERA (4.01 FIP), 1.15 WHIP, and a 15.1% K-BB% while collecting 16 holds and one save over 42 2/3 IP during the regular season. The 35-year-old even pitched eight-and-two-thirds innings of scoreless ball in the postseason before allowing all three batters he faced in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the World Series to reach base, ultimately going down as the losing pitcher in the series finale. Despite that, the Yankees have been rumored as one of the teams interested in bringing him back. The veteran has a career 3.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 17.8% K-BB%, but would likely only be relevant for fantasy in leagues that reward holds unless he were to be thrust into a closing role for some reason, although the righty has just eight career saves. - as of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 11:38:01
Aroldis Chapman Agrees To One-Year Deal With Red Sox: The Boston Red Sox and relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman have agreed to a one-year, $10.75 million deal. Boston was looking to add a left-handed bullpen arm and Chapman would fulfill that need. The 36-year-old was a reliever for the Pirates last season, taking over as closer down the stretch, and tallied a 3.79 ERA (3.04 FIP), 1.35 WHIP, 22.3% K-BB%, 22 holds, and 14 saves over 61 2/3 IP. Right now it's uncertain who will be the closer as Kenley Jansen is a free agent and Liam Hendriks was shut down late last season due to elbow soreness after recovering from Tommy John surgery. Chapman could be a solid source of strikeouts for fantasy managers regardless of role, but would be even more relevant were he to be named closer, so keep an eye on this situation come spring. - as of Tue, 03 Dec 2024 11:18:02
Matthew Boyd Lands With Cubs On Two-Year Deal: Free-agent veteran left-hander Matthew Boyd agreed to a two-year, $29 million deal with the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Boyd will make $14.5 million per year plus $1 million in incentives ($500,000 per season). The 33-year-old southpaw was recovering from Tommy John surgery early in 2024 and didn't sign with the Cleveland Guardians until June. When he finally debuted, he was effective on the mound in Cleveland, going 2-2 with a 2.72 ERA (3.29 FIP), a 1.13 WHIP, 46 strikeouts and 13 walks in 39 2/3 frames over his eight starts during the regular season. In the postseason, Boyd was even better, giving up only one run in 12 innings pitched. Although Boyd hasn't made more than 15 regular-season starts in a single season since 2019, he'll give the Cubbies some valuable starting experience for their starting rotation to open the 2025 campaign. - as of Mon, 02 Dec 2024 14:10:03