MLB Player News
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Jason Heyward RF | HOU
Padres' Jason Heyward: Signs with Friars
Heyward agreed to terms on a contract with the Padres on Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
Heyward got off to a rough start with the Dodgers last season, slashing just .208/.289/.393 across 197 plate appearances before being released by the team in late August. He was able to latch on with Houston and ended the regular season on a relatively positive note, going 12-for-55 with four homers and nine RBI over 24 regular-season games. Now in San Diego, the 35-year-old will likely form a platoon in left field with Connor Joe, who also signed a one-year pact with the Padres on Friday.
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Connor Joe RF | PIT
Padres' Connor Joe: Headed to San Diego
Joe signed a contract with the Padres on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Joe was non-tendered by the Pirates in November after spending the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. He appeared in 256 regular-season games for the Pirates and slashed .238/.330/.396 with 20 home runs and 78 RBI over that span. The 32-year-old Joe should see some playing time in the outfield and at first base for the Padres in 2025.
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Alika Williams SS | PIT
Pirates' Alika Williams: Clears waivers
Williams cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Indianapolis, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
The 25-year-old infielder was booted off the Pirates' 40-man roster Monday to make room for Tim Mayza, but Williams went unclaimed off waivers and will officially remain in the organization. He slashed .311/.384/.396 with 13 RBI across 186 plate appearances in Triple-A last season, but he owns just a .529 OPS over his major-league career.
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Xavier Edwards 2B | MIA
Marlins' Xavier Edwards: Aiming for 60 stolen bases
Edwards said Friday that his goal is to steal 60 bases this season, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.
Edwards pilfered 31 bags while being caught only four times over 70 games with the Marlins in 2024, so it's not unreasonable to think he could get to 60 stolen bases in 2025 if he has a full, healthy season. The 25-year-old speedster is light on power but should be an asset in the steals and batting average categories in 2025.
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Andrew Nardi RP | MIA
Marlins' Andrew Nardi: Will be behind at start of camp
Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Friday that Nardi (elbow) will be behind at the start of spring training after something flared up over the offseason, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
McCullough didn't disclose the nature of the injury, but it's probably safe to assume it's related to the left elbow injury that caused Nardi to miss the final five-plus weeks of the 2024 season. The skipper noted that the team is still waiting for further clarity on the severity of Nardi's injury. If healthy, Nardi could be in the mix for saves in 2025. He held a 5.07 ERA but a 70:18 K:BB over 49.2 innings last season.
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Bryce Eldridge SP | SF
Giants' Bryce Eldridge: Receives spring training invite
The Giants have extended Eldridge an invitation to big-league camp during spring training, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Giants' top prospect, Eldridge stormed through four levels in the minors in 2024 in his first full professional season, slashing .292/.374/.516 with 23 home runs. Eldridge is only 20, but the first baseman could push to make his major-league debut at some point during the 2025 season.
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Miguel Del Pozo RP | SF
Giants' Miguel Del Pozo: Signs with San Francisco as NRI
The Giants re-signed Del Pozo to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Del Pozo inked a minor-league deal with the Giants last June as he continued his rehab from Tommy John surgery but never pitched in a game in 2024. He appears healthy now and will look to return to the majors for the first time since 2021, although an initial assignment to Triple-A Sacramento is likely.
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Ronny Mauricio 2B | NYM
Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Likely ticketed for Triple-A
Mauricio seems likely to begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse even if he's fully healthy following last year's knee surgery, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The Mets have little incentive to rush Mauricio's recovery given that he originally tore his ACL in winter ball after the 2023 season, but then needed a clean-up procedure in August and wound up missing the entire 2024 campaign. The 23-year-old infielder also lost his clearest path to a starting job when New York re-signed Pete Alonso, which will keep Mark Vientos at third base. Mauricio appeared to have mastered Triple-A prior to the injury, slashing .292/.346/.506 for Syracuse over 116 games in 2023 with 23 homers and 24 steals, so assuming he proves he's healthy and has shaken off the rust, he could be pushing for a big-league job very quickly. Second base might be his most likely position with the Mets, as the team heads into spring training with Jeff McNeil still atop the depth chart despite a disappointing 2024 campaign that featured career lows in batting average (.238) and OBP (.308).
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Brandon Sproat SP | NYM
Mets' Brandon Sproat: Could make MLB debut in second half
Sproat might be a rotation option for the Mets in the second half, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The 24-year-old right-hander roared through the system in his pro debut last year after being a second-round pick in 2023. Sproat dominated both High-A and Double-A with a fastball that can touch triple digits and a plus changeup, producing a combined 2.05 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 110:31 K:BB through 87.2 innings between the two levels, but he struggled late in the season after another promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. Fatigue may have been a factor in the downturn, so if Sproat can master Triple-A over the first couple months of 2025 the way he did the lower levels of the minors, he figures to emerge as the next man up for a Mets rotation that features plenty of uncertainty between Kodai Senga's health, Frankie Montas' inconsistency and Clay Holmes' conversion from the bullpen.
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A.J. Smith-Shawver SP | ATL
Braves' AJ Smith-Shawver: In mix for starts
Smith-Shawver will get a chance in training camp to win a rotation spot, and figures to get opportunities early in the season even if he begins the year back at Triple-A Gwinnett, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
With Spencer Strider (elbow) set to begin the season on the IL, Grant Holmes and Ian Anderson are penciled into the final two spots in the rotation headed into the spring. Smith-Shawver will get a look too however, and the 22-year-old right-hander has by far the best raw stuff of that trio if he can learn to harness it more consistently. He made only one regular-season appearance for Atlanta in 2024, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Cubs on May 23 with a 4:2 K:BB, but he strained his oblique during that start, missed six weeks and was never able to regain his form afterward. While his 4.86 ERA in 87 innings at Gwinnett last year wasn't very impressive, it came with a 104:40 K:BB. If Smith-Shawver puts together an impressive camp, he could force his way into the back of Atlanta's Opening Day rotation.