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According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Chicago Cubs are trading first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitcher Cody Poteet and cash. Bellinger has spent the past two seasons playing with the Cubs. After hitting 26 home runs in 2023, Bellinger took a slight step back last summer, tallying just 18 round-trippers. In addition, he carried a .266/.325/.426 line, which was also a decline from the .307/.356/.525 line he held in 2023. Under the hood, Bellinger generated an underwhelming 32.9% hard-hit rate with a poor .301 xwOBA. However, with the short porch in right field. Fantasy managers should expect Bellinger to see his home run numbers be more in line with 2023 production. Bellinger will likely see most of his starts in center field, which would move Aaron Judge back to right field. Cody Poteet will likely operate as a high-leverage option in the Chicago bullpen as he posted a solid 2.22 ERA and 1.07 WHIP but could see an occasional start as he did make four last summer.

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Former Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams said he was a bit surprised when he learned he was traded to the New York Yankees this offseason. However, Williams called it "a tremendous honor" to join the Yankees after he initially thought he'd be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 30-year-old right-hander was sent to the Yankees in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes, second base prospect Caleb Durbin and cash considerations last weekend. Williams got a late start in 2024 while recovering from a back injury that required surgery, and although he only threw 21 2/3 innings in the regular season, he returned to lights-out form, posting a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 38 strikeouts and 14 saves. The two-time All-Star should immediately take over closing duties from Luke Weaver in the Bronx and will have even more fantasy upside as an elite closing option in 2025.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to major-league spring training with free-agent utility man Ildemaro Vargas on Tuesday, according to sources. Vargas landed on the open market this offseason after being non-tendered by the Washington Nationals last month. The 33-year-old veteran switch-hitting infielder slashed .246/.295/.316 with only one homer, 30 RBI, a career-high nine stolen bases and 21 runs scored in 95 games with the Nats in 2024 in his eighth big-league season. Vargas made his major-league debut in Arizona back in 2017 and has played parts of five seasons in the desert, so he'll be rejoining an organization he's pretty familiar with. At best, Vargas might be worth a bench spot in NL-only leagues as a utility infielder if an injury opens up more playing time for him.

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Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro reports that it doesn't sound like Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is an option to move across the diamond to third base next year after the team traded Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros last week. Instead, the Cubs could give the job to top prospect Matt Shaw if he earns the job in spring training. Busch has some experience playing third base in his career, but the Cubs would prefer to keep his solid glove at first heading into his second season with the team. In his first full year in the big leagues in 2024, the lefty hitting Busch batted .248/.335/.440 with 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored in 152 games played. He could build on his solid season in 2025, but Busch's limited positional versatility and struggles against left-handed pitching will limit his overall fantasy upside.

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Chicago Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw will receive a "long look" at third base in spring training, according to general manager Jed Hoyer. "He has to earn that job, I'm not going to gift him that on a conference call in the middle of December," Hoyer said. Michael Busch, who served as the team's primary first baseman in 2024, doesn't sound like an option to slide across the diamond to play third, which only increases the odds of Shaw winning the Opening Day third base job after the club traded Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros last week. The 23-year-old would be worth selecting in single-year fantasy drafts if he wins the starting job in spring training given his overall upside. Shaw was impressive in 121 combined games with Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2024, slashing .284/.379/.488 with an .867 OPS, 21 homers, 71 RBI and 31 steals in 523 plate appearances. He has 25-homer, 25-steal potential in the big leagues.

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The Toronto Blue Jays agreed with free-agent catcher Ali Sanchez on a minor-league deal on Monday that includes an invite to big-league spring training. The 27-year-old backstop split time this past season in the minors with the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs while also appearing in 31 major-league games in Miami. The Venezuelan catcher played went 14-for-84 (.167) with no homers, four RBI, 24 strikeouts and four walks in 96 plate appearances for the Fish in his first MLB action since 2021. In 48 games at Triple-A Iowa and Triple-A Jacksonville, Sanchez slashed .226/.310/.361 with only three home runs and 22 RBI. The light-hitting catcher will have a shot to win an Opening Day roster spot in Toronto as a backup in spring training, but he will most likely kick off the 2025 campaign in the minors with Triple-A Buffalo.

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The New York Mets signed free-agent left-hander Brandon Waddell to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to a source familiar with the deal. Waddell, 30, was originally a fifth-round draft selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 out of the University of Virginia. He made his debut in the COVID-shortened season in 2020 with the Bucs but hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2021, when he appeared in just nine games in relief with the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals. Waddell has spent the last three seasons pitching for the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization and he's done quite well for himself, posting a 2.98 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 215 strikeouts in 65 walks over 144 1/3 innings during that span overseas. Waddell will give the Mets some left-handed relief depth in the minors to open 2025.

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The New York Mets announced on Monday that they signed free-agent infielder Jared Young to an undisclosed one-year major-league deal. Young, 29, was a 15th-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2017 out of Old Dominion University. He made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 2022 and has a .210/.290/.435 slash line with two homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored in 22 games played in his two seasons in the Show. Young hit well while at Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization and for the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization in 2024 to get himself another MLB deal heading into 2025. He'll be hoping for a chance to return to the big leagues next season but will most likely open the campaign playing for Triple-A Syracuse for depth at the position in case the Mets cannot re-sign Pete Alonso.

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Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet said he doesn't plan on drastically changing his pitch mix in 2025 in his first season with the team. "But ultimately, I don't think that I'll change the fastball/cutter usage a whole lot. I feel like that's kind of my bread and butter, and a big reason why I had success last year. But the addition of the sinker, I think, is a conversation worth having," Crochet said. The 25-year-old southpaw was a rousing success in his move from the bullpen to the starting rotation for the Chicago White Sox in 2024 before he was recently dealt to the BoSox. Crochet tinkered with a sinker later in the season to give him five pitches to attack hitters with, but he should continue to lean on his four-seam/cutter mix. He was an All-Star in 2024 but slowed down in the second half and had his innings monitored. Crochet should be on a longer leash in 2025 and once again has ace potential.

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The Minnesota Twins are unsure if right-handed reliever Brock Stewart (shoulder) will be ready for the start of spring training in February despite starting his throwing program in mid-November. Stewart was given a recovery timeline of five to six months after he had season-ending arthroscopic right-shoulder surgery in August. The 33-year-old has been very productive out of Minnesota's bullpen when healthy, but he might not be available to begin next season. Stewart had a 5.17 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in just 15 2/3 innings pitched in 2024, but the year before, he was lights-out with a 0.65 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, one save and 39 strikeouts in 27 2/3 relief innings for the Twins. He has good control and a high-velocity fastball that can rack up plenty of strikeouts as a high-leverage reliever. When healthy, he has the potential to be a nice target for holds.

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Free-agent right-hander Matt Sauer signed a minor-league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday that includes an invite to major-league spring training, according to a source. The 25-year-old was a big-league Rule 5 pick of the Kansas City Royals last year and was originally the New York Yankees' second-round selection back in 2017. The 25-year-old made the Opening Day roster for the Royals and appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen for KC. He wasn't very good in his MLB debut, though, allowing 14 earned runs on 23 hits while walking 11 and striking out nine in 16 1/3 innings pitched. Sauer was eventually returned to the Yankees and wasn't much better in 32 1/3 frames at Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a 6.12 ERA. It's possible the Dodgers will look to move him back into a starting role as minor-league depth.

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Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on MLB Network that catcher Joey Bart has taken the pole position at catcher heading into the 2025 season. Bart couldn't get going with the San Francisco Giants and was picked up on waivers by the Pirates early on in 2024. The low-cost move worked out for the Pirates, as Bart eventually became the team's starting catcher and finished with a .265/.337/.462 slash line with a career-high 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs scored in 282 plate appearances over 80 games played. The 28-year-old is in pole position for the starting job in 2025, but he'll need to continue playing well to hold off both Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and former first-rounder Henry Davis. The power and hard-hit skills are the draw with Bart, and it was a nice sign that he lowered his strikeout rate in 2024. However, he'll need regular playing time to be fantasy relevant.

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Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said on MLB Network that the team expects left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) to throw "150-ish" innings in his return to action in 2025. McClanahan had his second Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and didn't pitch at all for the Rays this past season as a result. However, the 27-year-old southpaw has been working through a normal offseason throwing program and should be ready to go in 2025, barring a setback. Look no further than right-hander Walker Buehler's struggles in 2024 in his return from a second Tommy John surgery to see the risks involved with rostering McClanahan in fantasy in 2025. Before his second elbow surgery, McClanahan was a fantasy ace, though, making back-to-back All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023 and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2022.

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The New York Post's Jon Heyman reports that there is still a money gap in the trade talks for outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger with the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees. Heyman describes the situation as a matter of "who blinks first," if ever. A trade could still go down between the two clubs this winter, but the Yankees are also considering signing/trading for first baseman Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, Carlos Santana, Josh Naylor and Nathaniel Lowe, among others. The Cubs are even more willing to trade Bellinger and try to offload his contract after acquiring All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros last week. The 29-year-old Bellinger, a former MVP in 2019 with the Dodgers, came back to Earth in 2024 in Chicago after hitting over .300 with 26 homers in 2023. The left-handed hitter could be enticing in fantasy in the Bronx, but his poor contact numbers and high strikeout rate are cause for concern.

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Chicago White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa is enjoying a hot winter in the Venezuelan Winter League, currently slashing .392/.451/.765 with nine home runs for the Leones del Caracas. The 24-year-old was Chicago's ninth-ranked prospect in 2023, but had a rough 2024 campaign before turning it around in September. Through the end of August, Sosa slashed .216/.247/.295 with four home runs and a 51 wRC+ in 281 plate appearances for the big league club, but for the month of September he slashed .373/.398/.566 with four home runs and a 173 wRC+ in 88 PA. It seems the right-handed hitter has carried that momentum into the winter and managers should keep an eye on what he does this spring. While the environment he plays in doesn't boost his value at all, he may have enough pop in his bat to make him fantasy relevant if he can keep up the hot hitting.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed infielder Nick Solak to a minor league contract. The 29-year-old was drafted in the second round by the Yankees back in 2016, but has spent time in six different organizations since then with Pittsburgh being his seventh. The right-handed hitter debuted with the Rangers in 2019, slashing .293/.393/.491 with a 126 wRC+ in 135 plate appearances, but never posted anything better than an 86 wRC+ in any other season since. The Louisville product enjoyed a solid 2024 campaign at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, slashing .311/.406/.446, so perhaps there is reason for optimism. The Pirates also recently signed Enmanuel Valdez to an already crowded infield, but if Solak can continue the success he saw in 2024 then maybe he'll prove to be valuable depth later in the 2025 season.

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The Seattle Mariners have signed pitcher Drew Pomeranz to a minor-league contract. Pomeranz hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021 when he underwent Tommy John surgery and experienced setbacks in his recovery efforts. The 2024 season was spent in the Dodgers' organization, although the lefty tossed only nine innings for the Triple-A affiliate. The veteran will likely need to prove he's still got something left in the tank before we see him in the majors in 2025, so for now he doesn't move the needle for fantasy. Once upon a time in 2016, the now-36-year-old was an All-Star, so perhaps if he's 100% healthy then there could be something there. For his career, Pomeranz has a 3.91 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 14.0% K-BB% which is a tad low due to his tendency to walk batters at an above-average rate.

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The Texas Rangers have signed pitcher Michael Plassmeyer to a minor league contract. The 28-year-old was drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round back in 2018, and has been with Tampa Bay, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and spent 2024 in Pittsburgh's organization. The lefty made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2022 and made a brief appearance in 2023, totaling 11 major league innings pitched. He'll presumably start 2025 in Triple-A which is where he was for all of 2024, posting an unsightly 7.93 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, but with an excellent 22.7% K-BB%, which is probably why the Rangers were willing to give him a shot. The 6-foot-2 southpaw pitched as both a reliever and as a starter, so it remains to be seen how the Rangers intend to deploy him, but until he's in the majors, Plassmeyer is off the fantasy radar.

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According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, free-agent starting pitcher Jack Flaherty is viewed as a fallback option if the Baltimore Orioles are unable to re-sign Corbin Burnes. Rosenthal noted that the Red Sox could also present a nice fit for Flaherty as well. Last season, Burnes operated as the Baltimore ace and finished fifth in AL Cy Young voting. Flaherty enjoyed a solid bounce-back campaign last summer after dealing with numerous injuries for the better part of three seasons. In 2024, Flaherty logged 162 innings (second-highest of his career) and posted a 3.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. Flaherty was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and remained in the rotation during their championship run. Under the hood, he generated an impressive 29.9% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate with an above-average 3.54 xERA. Flaherty should be viewed as a viable SP3 in all formats heading into next season and could have an even brighter outlook, depending on where he calls home.

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According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Chicago Cubs are less likely to seek a trade partner for second baseman Nico Hoerner. Rosenthal noted that the Cubs needed to move an infielder to create a path for their top prospect, Matt Shaw, and that was accomplished by including Isaac Parades in the package to bring in Kyle Tucker. With Parades out of the lineup, the Cubs will likely prefer to keep Hoerner for the time being. Last season, the 27-year-old held a .273/.335/.373 line with seven home runs and 31 stolen bases. Hoerner opened the season as the leadoff hitter but was eventually pushed down to the bottom half of the lineup. Hoerner also underwent flexor tendon surgery in October but was not given a definite timeline and could miss some time early on. Fantasy managers should monitor his status during Spring Training. If he returns to his spot at the top of the order, Hoerner does have a path to being a reliable top-12 second baseman in category formats, given his elite speed and batting average. He could also be in line to tally a career-high in runs batting in front of Kyle Tucker.

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