Mega Thread 2024-2025 MLB Hot Stove
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Dixie Flatline
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The Texas Rangers have signed LHP Hoby Milner to a one-year contract, and designated former top prospect Owen White for assignment to create roster space for Milner. Milner will reportedly receive a guaranteed salary of $2.5 million, and can earn another $500,000 in incentives depending on the number of appearances he makes in 2025. Milner has previously been with the Phillies, the Rays, the Angels and the Brewers, but was non-tendered by the Brewers at the end of the 2024 season after his ERA climbed from 2.79 to 4.73 in 2024.
apnews.com
Sidearm-throwing lefty reliever Hoby Milner agrees to 1-year deal with his local Texas Rangers
Left-handed reliever Hoby Milner has agreed to a $2.5 million. one-year contract with the Texas Rangers, joining the team he grew up watching in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and where he still lives.
apnews.com
Dixie Flatline
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The Miami Marlins announced that they have signed utility player Eric Wagaman to a one-year major league deal. To create roster space, the Marlins designated infielder Vidal Brujan for assignment. Financial terms were not available, but it is unlikely that Wagaman would be making much more than league minimum given that he only made his MLB debut in 2024. Wagaman spent all but last season in the Yankees' organisation, but was selected by the Angels in the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 draft and made his MLB debut for Los Angeles during the 2024 season, playing 18 games in September for .250/.270/.403 in 74 plate appearances. The Angels non-tendered Wagaman, sending him into free agency without going through waivers.
To make room for Wagaman, the Marlins designated Brujan for assignment. He was once considered a top prospect in baseball when with the Tampa Bay Rays but his bat has let him down, hitting just .189/.261/.270 in 550 plate appearances over the last four years. Brujan stole 14 bases but was also caught 13 times.
To make room for Wagaman, the Marlins designated Brujan for assignment. He was once considered a top prospect in baseball when with the Tampa Bay Rays but his bat has let him down, hitting just .189/.261/.270 in 550 plate appearances over the last four years. Brujan stole 14 bases but was also caught 13 times.
Dixie Flatline
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The Toronto Blue Jays announced that they have signed LHP Josh Walker to a one-year split contract. According to reports, Walker would make $760,000 for time spent in the majors (the league minimum) and $180,000 for time spent in the minors. The Blue Jays designated RHP Hagen Danner to create the roster space for Walker. Walker has managed 22 1/3 innings in the last two seasons in the majors with the Mets, but he was designated for assignment by the Mets in July 2024 and traded to the Pirates, who subsequently designated him for assignment and then released him.
apnews.com
Right-hander Josh Walker agrees to a 1-year contract with the Blue Jays
Left-hander Josh Walker and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a one-year contract that pays $760,000 while in the major leagues and $180,000 while in the minors.
apnews.com
Dixie Flatline
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed RHP Julian Fernandez on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
Dixie Flatline
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The New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds executed a trade over the weekend that sent catcher Jose Trevino to Cincinnati in exchange for reliever Fernando Cruz and non-rostered catcher Alex Jackson. Trevino became expendable for the Yankees after the emergence of rookie catcher Austin Wells as his defensive metrics declined. Trevino had problems controlling would-be stealers, with Statcast assessing Trevino as having the second longest pop time (throw time to second base on stolen base attempts) ahead of only Yasmani Grandal. Opponents successfully stole second base 57 times out of 70 attempts with Trevino catching. Trevino still receives solid grades for his blocking and framing abilities.
Trevino will likely slot in behind primary catcher Tyler Stephenson with the Reds, who hit .258/.338/.444 with 19 homeruns in 2024. Stephenson started 112 games last season, with just over 1,000 innings of work behind the plate. Stephenson had previously played first base for the Reds, but did not do so in 2024, so it it possible that the Reds could rotate Stephenson and Trevino at catcher, with Stephenson playing first base when not catching.
Cruz has been a fixture in the Reds bullpen for the last two seasons, and has achieved a high strikeout rate in both 2023 and 2024 but also has been prone to giving up runs. Cruz's best pitch is a splitter, which produced a .116 batting average against all batters in 2024 and it was his strikeout pitch for 88 of his 109 strikeouts in 2024. However, Cruz's other pitches are less effective, with Cruz putting up a combined ERA of 4.52 in the last two seasons (though both FIP and SIERA suggest that he's been better than the ERA suggests).
Trevino will likely slot in behind primary catcher Tyler Stephenson with the Reds, who hit .258/.338/.444 with 19 homeruns in 2024. Stephenson started 112 games last season, with just over 1,000 innings of work behind the plate. Stephenson had previously played first base for the Reds, but did not do so in 2024, so it it possible that the Reds could rotate Stephenson and Trevino at catcher, with Stephenson playing first base when not catching.
Cruz has been a fixture in the Reds bullpen for the last two seasons, and has achieved a high strikeout rate in both 2023 and 2024 but also has been prone to giving up runs. Cruz's best pitch is a splitter, which produced a .116 batting average against all batters in 2024 and it was his strikeout pitch for 88 of his 109 strikeouts in 2024. However, Cruz's other pitches are less effective, with Cruz putting up a combined ERA of 4.52 in the last two seasons (though both FIP and SIERA suggest that he's been better than the ERA suggests).
Dixie Flatline
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The Houston Astros signed first baseman Christian Walker to a three year contract worth $60 million over the weekend, seemingly closing the door on a reunion between the Astros and third baseman Alex Bregman, as the Astros will likely now slot Isaac Paredes (acquired from Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade) in at third base and Walker at first base.
Walker has been consistent with his results at the plate over the past few seasons with Arizona, hitting .251/.335/.468 in 2024 compared to a slashline of .253/.333/.464 in 3,171 plate appearances since the start of 2019. Walker also has three Gold Glove awards at first base in the last three seasons and has been rated the best defensive first baseman in the sport over that time period through advanced stats, with 33 defensive runs saved and 39 outs above average both leading the respective metrics.
Walker declined a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks, so the signing of Walker will cost Houston their second highest and fifth highest picks in the 2025 draft, as well as $1 million in international amateur free agency money, since the Astros exceeded the luxury tax threshold in 2024. The Diamondbacks will receive a compensatory draft pick after the first round since Walker signed a contract with a value exceeding $50 million.
Walker has been consistent with his results at the plate over the past few seasons with Arizona, hitting .251/.335/.468 in 2024 compared to a slashline of .253/.333/.464 in 3,171 plate appearances since the start of 2019. Walker also has three Gold Glove awards at first base in the last three seasons and has been rated the best defensive first baseman in the sport over that time period through advanced stats, with 33 defensive runs saved and 39 outs above average both leading the respective metrics.
Walker declined a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks, so the signing of Walker will cost Houston their second highest and fifth highest picks in the 2025 draft, as well as $1 million in international amateur free agency money, since the Astros exceeded the luxury tax threshold in 2024. The Diamondbacks will receive a compensatory draft pick after the first round since Walker signed a contract with a value exceeding $50 million.
Dixie Flatline
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The Kansas City Royals have signed RHP Junior Fernandez to a minor league contract, according to the team. Fernandez last pitched in the majors in 2022. He went through the carousel in 2023 without making a major league appearance for any of the teams that signed him. After electing free agency at the end of the 2023 season, Fernandez signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB but he only made two appearances before being released by the Marines following an injury.
Dixie Flatline
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The Chicago White Sox acquired LHP Cam Booser from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, in exchange for RHP Yhoiker Fajardo. To make room for Booser, the White Sox designated Corey Julks for assignment.
Dixie Flatline
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The Detroit Tigers have signed LHP Matt Gage to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Gage would receive a $800,000 salary should he make the majors. Gage did not appear in the majors at all in 2024 after making the majors in 2022 and 2023 with the Blue Jays and the Astros.
Detroit Tigers sign left-handed reliever Matt Gage to minor league contract
The Detroit Tigers signed left-handed reliever Matt Gage to a minor league contract. He spent 2024 at the Triple-A level with the Dodgers and Mets.
www.freep.com
Dixie Flatline
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The New York Yankees will have a new first baseman in 2025, with the Yankees in agreement with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year, $12.5 million contract. Surprisingly, it was the first time in his career that Goldschmidt (37 years old) was a free agent since making his MLB debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2011. The Diamondbacks signed Goldschmidt to an extension that kept him under team control until the end of the 2019 season and when he was traded to the Cardinals, he signed another extension that ran through to the end of the 2024 season.
Goldschmidt won the NL MVP in 2022 with the Cardinals, and is a seven-time All-Star player with the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, as well as a five-time Silver Slugger. Goldschmidt owns a career slashline of .289/.381/.510 with 362 homeruns for the Diamondbacks and Cardinals. However, his bat has slipped over the last two seasons. In 2023, he managed 122 wRC+ while in 2024 he was bang on league average, with a 100 wRC+.
However, the Yankees would gladly accept league average play from Goldschmidt, as their first base production was an achilles heel in 2024. Yankees first basemen ranked last in OPS, 29th in wRC+ and 26th in fWAR, so if Goldschmidt repeats his 2024 campaign in 2025, he would be an upgrade on the combination of Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice.
The signing of Goldschmidt almost assuredly locks recent acquisition Cody Bellinger into the outfield, with Goldschmidt not capable of playing anywhere else (except designated hitter, but that position belongs to the defensively incapable Giancarlo Stanton).
Goldschmidt won the NL MVP in 2022 with the Cardinals, and is a seven-time All-Star player with the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, as well as a five-time Silver Slugger. Goldschmidt owns a career slashline of .289/.381/.510 with 362 homeruns for the Diamondbacks and Cardinals. However, his bat has slipped over the last two seasons. In 2023, he managed 122 wRC+ while in 2024 he was bang on league average, with a 100 wRC+.
However, the Yankees would gladly accept league average play from Goldschmidt, as their first base production was an achilles heel in 2024. Yankees first basemen ranked last in OPS, 29th in wRC+ and 26th in fWAR, so if Goldschmidt repeats his 2024 campaign in 2025, he would be an upgrade on the combination of Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Ben Rice.
The signing of Goldschmidt almost assuredly locks recent acquisition Cody Bellinger into the outfield, with Goldschmidt not capable of playing anywhere else (except designated hitter, but that position belongs to the defensively incapable Giancarlo Stanton).
Dixie Flatline
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The Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians executed a trade over the weekend that sent first baseman Josh Naylor to the desert in exchange for RHP Slade Cecconi and a competitive balance round B draft pick.
Naylor has been a solid player for the Guardians, making the All-Star team for the first time in 2024 with .243/.320/.456 (118 wRC+) with a career-high 31 homeruns in 152 games.
The Guardians acquired a young pitcher in the form of Cecconi who has pitched in parts of the last two seasons for the Diamondbacks but is yet to establish himself in the majors. He managed a 4.33 ERA (102 ERA+) in 2023 but took a step back in 2024, with a 6.66 ERA (63 ERA+) in 77 innings of work.
Naylor has been a solid player for the Guardians, making the All-Star team for the first time in 2024 with .243/.320/.456 (118 wRC+) with a career-high 31 homeruns in 152 games.
The Guardians acquired a young pitcher in the form of Cecconi who has pitched in parts of the last two seasons for the Diamondbacks but is yet to establish himself in the majors. He managed a 4.33 ERA (102 ERA+) in 2023 but took a step back in 2024, with a 6.66 ERA (63 ERA+) in 77 innings of work.
Dixie Flatline
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The Cleveland Guardians signed first baseman Carlos Santana to a one-year, $12 million contract, shortly after trading former first baseman Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks. Santana has played 15 years in the major leagues, and returns to the Guardians for his third stint with the club. Santana made his MLB debut for Cleveland back in 2010 and then later returned in 2020. He spent 10 seasons altogether with Cleveland and will return for his 11th season (out of 16) in 2025.
Dixie Flatline
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The Detroit Tigers have re-signed RHP Brendan White to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The Tigers non-tendered White in November and will earn $765,000 if he makes the majors.
Detroit Tigers re-sign Brendan White to minor league contract with camp invite
Right-handed reliever Brendan White re-signed with the Detroit Tigers for the 2025 season after injuries limited him to just eight games in 2024.
www.freep.com
Dixie Flatline
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The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired LHP Jesus Luzardo from the Miami Marlins in exchange for shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and outfield prospect Emaarion Boyd. The Phillies also received minor league catcher Paul McIntosh from the Marlins.
Luzardo has been a long intriguing pitcher who has been plagued by injuries. He made only 12 starts in 2024 due to a lumbar stress reaction in his back and struggled to a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+) in 66 2/3 innings of work. He only managed a strikeout rate of 21.2% which was a long way below his average career strikeout rate, while his fastball velocity had dropped compared to his average fastball velocity in 2023.
However, in 279 innings of work for the Marlins between 2022 and 2023, he managed a 3.48 ERA (129 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP. He averaged almost 97 mph on his four-seam fastball and he ranked eighth among starters with a strikeout rate of 28.7%.
Luzardo will join a deep Phillies starting rotation which boasts Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez.
In exchange for Luzardo, the Marlins gain one of the top prospects in the sport. Caba is ranked 81st overall by MLB Pipeline and 54th at Baseball America. Caba only just recently turned 19 years old and looked good in complex play with a .254/.427/.335 slashline. While he did not offer much power, he walked more than he struck out and stole 37 bases in 45 attempts. Caba did receive a promotion to Single-A from the Phillies at the end of the season, but struggled with a slashline of .179/.304/.190 in 115 plate appearances, though he managed more walks than strikeouts at that level.
Luzardo has been a long intriguing pitcher who has been plagued by injuries. He made only 12 starts in 2024 due to a lumbar stress reaction in his back and struggled to a 5.00 ERA (91 ERA+) in 66 2/3 innings of work. He only managed a strikeout rate of 21.2% which was a long way below his average career strikeout rate, while his fastball velocity had dropped compared to his average fastball velocity in 2023.
However, in 279 innings of work for the Marlins between 2022 and 2023, he managed a 3.48 ERA (129 ERA+) with a 3.40 FIP. He averaged almost 97 mph on his four-seam fastball and he ranked eighth among starters with a strikeout rate of 28.7%.
Luzardo will join a deep Phillies starting rotation which boasts Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez.
In exchange for Luzardo, the Marlins gain one of the top prospects in the sport. Caba is ranked 81st overall by MLB Pipeline and 54th at Baseball America. Caba only just recently turned 19 years old and looked good in complex play with a .254/.427/.335 slashline. While he did not offer much power, he walked more than he struck out and stole 37 bases in 45 attempts. Caba did receive a promotion to Single-A from the Phillies at the end of the season, but struggled with a slashline of .179/.304/.190 in 115 plate appearances, though he managed more walks than strikeouts at that level.
Dixie Flatline
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To make room for Luzardo, the Phillies designated LHP Tyler Gilbert for assignment, according to a team announcement. Gilbert pitched 8 1/3 innings for Philadelphia in 2024 after signing a minor league deal with the Reds last off-season and being traded to the Phillies in May.
Dixie Flatline
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The Athletics are in agreement with infielder Gio Urshela on a one-year, $2.15 million contract. He is likely to have the first opportunity to play third base for the Athletics in 2025. Urshelsa started the 2024 season with the Tigers and ended the season with the Braves. Between the two teams, Urshela hit .250/.286/.361 in 461 plate appearances, with nine homeruns.
Dixie Flatline
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The Athletics have signed LHP Ben Bowden to a minor league contract, according to the player's transactions tracker at MLB.com. Bowden has previously pitched for the Rockies, and has been in the organisations of the Rays, the Phillies and Braves, although without reaching the majors at any time since leaving Colorado.
www.mlb.com
Ben Bowden Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News
Ben Bowden Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News
www.mlb.com
Dixie Flatline
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The Chicago Cubs have signed catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league contract, according to his MLB.com page's transactions tracker.
www.mlb.com
Carlos Pérez Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News
Carlos Pérez Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News
www.mlb.com
Dixie Flatline
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The Boston Red Sox have signed RHP Austin Adams to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Adams could make up to $1.5 million if he makes the majors and hits the incentives in his contract. Adams pitched in 2024 for the Oakland Athletics but was non-tendered in November. Adams has previously pitched for five other MLB teams, including Oakland and the Padres.
Dixie Flatline
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The Washington Nationals have acquired first baseman Nathaniel Lowe from the Texas Rangers in exchange for LHP Robert Garcia. Lowe began his career with the Tampa Bay Rays but found his path to regular playing time blocked by a surfeit of first base options. The Rays traded Lowe to the Rangers in 2020 and Lowe ended up playing 615 out of a possible 648 games in four years with Texas. He hit .274/.359/.432 with 78 homeruns in 2,576 plate appearances. Lowe won a World Series with the Rangers in 2023.
Dixie Flatline
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The Boston Red Sox signed LHP Patrick Sandoval to a two-year, $18.25 million contract after the Angels non-tendered Sandoval last month.
Sandoval is set to miss the first half of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024 but should be in line to be a part of the 2026 rotation and could return to the Red Sox late in the 2025 season.
Sandoval is set to miss the first half of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024 but should be in line to be a part of the 2026 rotation and could return to the Red Sox late in the 2025 season.
