MLB Player News

Rockies manager Bud Black said Wednesday that he plans to bat Doyle leadoff next season, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

The Rockies' primary leadoff hitter in 2024, Charlie Blackmon, is now retired, and it appears Black will put Doyle at the top of the batting order in 2025 rather than Ezequiel Tovar, who made the second-most starts at leadoff last season. Doyle doesn't have strong on-base skills with a career .289 OBP (.317 in 2024), but settling in as the Rockies' leadoff hitter will nonetheless boost his runs scored outlook. Tovar seems likely to be used in the two hole.

The Rangers traded Acosta to the Marlins on Tuesday alongside Echedry Vargas and Brayan Mendoza in exchange for Jake Burger, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

In 104 games with Double-A Frisco last season, Acosta slashed .286/.351/.423 with 56 RBI and swiped 26 bags. He was selected to the Rangers' 40-man roster in November to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, which means he will now have a spot on Miami's 40-man roster. While the 22-year-old is unlikely to crack the big-league squad out of spring training, a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville could come in the near future.

The Rangers traded Vargas to the Marlins on Tuesday alongside Max Acosta and Brayan Mendoza in exchange for Jake Burger, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Vargas spent all of last year with the Rangers' Single-A affiliate, where he slashed .276/.321/.454 with 49 RBI and 29 stolen bases in 97 games. The 19-year-old infielder will have an easier path to the majors now that he's joining a rebuilding Marlins organization, though his MLB debut is likely still several years away.

The Guardians traded Horwitz to the Pirates on Tuesday in exchange for Josh Hartle, Luis Ortiz and Michael Kennedy, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Just hours after being traded to Cleveland in the deal that sent Andres Gimenez to Toronto, Horwitz will now land in Pittsburgh instead while the Guardians add to their organizational depth. The 27-year-old has covered first and second base during his time in the big leagues and should have no problem starting regularly in a Pirates infield that lacks impact bats. Moving to Pittsburgh will also reunite him with hitting coach Matt Hague, under whom Horwitz posted a .790 OPS in 2024.

Adames passed his physical with the Giants on Tuesday, making his seven-year, $182 million contract with the team official, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Giants and Adames agreed to the lucrative deal Saturday, one he earned in large part due to the career-high 32 home runs and 112 RBI he compiled across 161 regular-season games with the Brewers in 2024. The star shortstop's contract is the largest in team history, and he'll be formally introduced at a news conference Thursday.

The Rockies agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract with Estrada on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Estrada slashed only .217/.247/.343 over 96 games for the Giants in 2024 and finished the season off the 40-man roster. However, the 28-year-old infielder hit .266/.319/.408 while averaging 14 home runs and 22 stolen bases from 2022 to 2023. He should slot in at second base for the Rockies and immediately gains some fantasy appeal playing half his games at Coors Field. The deal includes a mutual option for 2026 with a $750,000 buyout.

Suzuki's agent, Joel Wolfe, said he was told Monday by Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer which teams have expressed trade interest in his client, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Suzuki has a full no-trade clause and Wolfe noted that "it's a small universe" when discussing the locations to which his client might approve a trade. Wolfe also said Suzuki does not want to be a full-time designated hitter, which is how he finished last season with the Cubs. Suzuki slashed .283/.366/.482 with 21 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 2024.

The Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball have posted Ogasawara for major-league teams, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Ogasawara's posting had been viewed as imminent, and now the clock has officially begun on a 45-day window for the left-hander to reach a deal with a big-league club. The 27-year-old generated a 3.12 ERA and 3.7 percent walk rate in 2024 with the Dragons, although he also had a modest 13.6 percent strikeout rate.

Mathews will begin spring training with the major-league team as a non-roster invitee, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mathews moved his way quickly through the Cardinals' farm system in 2024, taking care of business at both Single-A Palm Beach and Peoria before being promoted to Double-A Springfield and ultimately Triple-A Memphis, where he struggled to find his footing. He accrued a 6.48 ERA and 1.98 WHIP with a 22:14 K:BB across 16.2 innings for the Redbirds. Mathews may not break camp with the big-league team, but he'll gain some experience against major-league bats at the very least.

Manager Dave Roberts stated he's unlikely to deploy Ohtani (shoulder) as a pitcher during the team's opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers are expected to exercise caution as the club brings him back to the mound following Tommy John surgery, so this report isn't a big surprise. Roberts also mentioned that once Ohtani is cleared to pitch, he expects to utilize the reigning MVP in the DH slot on the days he pitches.