MLB Player News

Lowe will make $10.3 million in 2025 after losing his arbitration hearing against the Nationals on Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Lowe will receive $800,000 less than what he filed for, but it still represents a $2.8 million raise from last season. The 29-year-old slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBI across 565 plate appearances last season with the Rangers. He was traded in December to Washington, where he should continue to see regular opportunities at first base.

Rosario signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Rosario endured the worst season of his MLB career last year, slashing .175/.215/.316 with 35 RBI and nine stolen bases across 319 plate appearances between Washington and Atlanta. He'll now look to bounce back with the Dodgers, though the amount of talent Los Angeles has on its big-league roster bodes poorly for Rosario's chances of getting reps in the majors.

The Mets placed Smith (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Mets on Wednesday that includes a club option for 2026. However, he isn't expected to pitch until very late in the season, if at all, after undergoing a Tommy John and internal brace hybrid procedure in July, so New York will move him to the 60-day IL to conserve a spot on its 40-man roster.

Tucker, who was traded to the Cubs in December, seems unlikely to sign a long-term deal with the team during the season and could enter free agency after the year, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Chicago traded Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and prospect Cam Smith for Tucker, but it could end being only a one-year relationship. Mooney notes that the Cubs' failed pursuit of Tucker's former Houston teammate Alex Bregman could signal the team's financial constraints this year and next. While Chicago may still attempt to sign Tucker in free agency, the talented outfielder will likely be able to attract richer offers. That makes 2025 essentially an audition year for Tucker, who was limited to 78 games with the Astros last year due to injury but still managed 23 home runs and a robust .993 OPS.

Cavalli will have his workload managed in the early part of the season, with the goal being to have him in the big-league rotation later in the year, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old right-hander has pitched just 8.1 innings over the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, but Cavalli is healthy to begin spring training and threw a bullpen session Thursday. "When you see him throw and he's healthy and in the right frame of mind and the right shape, the sky's the limit for that guy," general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday. "His first bullpen today was terrific, and we're just going to take it slow with him. But to have him healthy and pitching like he's capable of is exciting to me." A first-round pick in 2020, Cavalli displayed his upside in 2022 when he posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB over 97 Triple-A innings, and he's expected to get a chance to regain that form with Triple-A Rochester to begin the current campaign before the Nats give him another crack at big-league hitters.

Ogasawara threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session Friday, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old left-hander didn't even fly in from Japan until Wednesday night, but Ogasawara had already been throwing with an MLB ball prior to his arrival in camp and may actually be a little ahead of the Nationals' other pitchers. While he doesn't have overpowering stuff or the strikeout upside to be worth a late-round dart throw in most fantasy formats, Ogasawara will be given every opportunity to win a spot in a Nationals' rotation that has plenty of arms in the mix but little established depth -- only MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin made 30-plus starts in the majors last year among the Nats' starting pitching options. Over 144.1 innings for the Chunichi Dragons in 2024, Ogasawara posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 82:22 K:BB.

Yelich (back) said Saturday that "there's no reason to think he won't be ready for Opening Day," Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Yelich still isn't quite at 100 percent after undergoing a microdiscectomy procedure in August to address a herniated disc in his lower back, but he noted Saturday that he's on schedule in his rehab. He likely won't be ready for game action once the Cactus League schedule begins, but he should be able to get into a few games later this spring, at which point we'll have a better idea of how his oft-injured back is holding up.

Blackburn (back) is a little behind the Mets' other rotation options at the start of spring training, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

This is no real surprise, as Blackburn underwent spinal surgery in October. The 31-year-old right-hander made only five starts for the Mets in 2024 after being acquired from the A's, stumbling to a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB in 24.1 innings, and he's never thrown more than 111.1 innings in a big-league season. If he demonstrates he's fully recovered from the surgery and back to his pre-injury form, Blackburn should compete for the No. 6 starter role alongside Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill.

Canning may be the favorite to win the Mets' sixth starter job, Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report.

His primary competition, Tylor Megill, still has minor-league options remaining, while Canning would need to clear waivers to be sent to Triple-A Syracuse. Whoever wins the job could begin the season working out of the bullpen, potentially in a piggyback role to take some of the load off Clay Holmes or Kodai Senga -- the Mets have three early off days, and may not need to use a sixth starter until Apr. 16. Paul Blackburn (back) might also put himself in the mix for the No. 6 starter job if he looks healthy and effective this spring.

Strider (elbow) could see action in at least one spring training game, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The right-hander is recovering from an internal brace procedure performed on his elbow last April, and after he threw another bullpen session Friday, general manager Alex Anthopoulos seemed optimistic that Strider could make his regular-season debut a little earlier than anticipated. "He's throwing bullpens, he looks good. Live [batting practice] will definitely happen in spring training, assuming no setbacks or things like that," Anthopoulos said Friday. The GM indicated that while Atlanta has an internal timeline for Strider, he wouldn't make it public just yet other than to say the 26-year-old ace would begin the campaign on the IL. "We have a calendar for him, but I think if we start saying, 'Hey, on this date he's doing this' and for whatever reason we decide to move it back a day or two, then it's a story and it's viewed as a setback or [that] we weren't forthcoming," Anthopoulos said. "So, what I can tell you is he will not be on the Opening Day roster, that has been decided."