MLB Player News
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Patrick Wisdom 3B | CHC
Cubs' Patrick Wisdom: Designated for assignment
The Cubs designated Wisdom for assignment Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the newly-acquired Eli Morgan. Wisdom, 33, fell off to a lowly .171/.237/.392 batting line this season for the Cubs. Rather than pay him a raise in arbitration, the team is removing him from the roster now. Wisdom slugged 76 homers from 2021-23 and still hits the ball very hard when he makes contact, so he should be able to find work with a club that's willing to deal with his strikeout problems.
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Trenton Brooks 1B | SF
Padres' Trenton Brooks: Lands with Friars
Brooks signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Wednesday.
Brooks struggled in his first 12 regular-season games as a big-leaguer, going just 3-for-25 with an RBI and six strikeouts with the Giants last year. However, he slashed .302/.410/.453 with 58 RBI over 407 plate appearance in the minors, which is good enough for the Padres to bring him in as organizational depth at first base.
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Owen Miller 1B | MIL
Rockies' Owen Miller: Shipped to Colorado
The Brewers traded Miller to the Rockies on Saturday in exchange for cash, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Miller spent the majority of 2024 with Triple-A Nashville, where he slashed .274/.353/.382 with 36 RBI across 385 plate appearances. He'll have a better chance of getting back to the majors as part of the Rockies organization, though he will first need to be added to the 40-man roster.
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Wilmer Flores 1B | SF
Giants' Wilmer Flores: Sticking with Giants
Flores (knee) exercised his $3.5 million player option for 2025 on Saturday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Flores slashed just .206/.277/.318 with 26 RBI across 242 plate appearances in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury in late July. Given his poor performance and injured knee, he was unlikely to receive more than $3.5 million on the open market, making it easy to see why he chose to opt in for 2025. It's unknown if he'll be ready for the start of spring training.
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Rhys Hoskins 1B | MIL
Brewers' Rhys Hoskins: Exercises $18 million player option
Hoskins exercised his $18 million player option for 2025 on Friday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
It's possible Hoskins could have netted a multi-year deal on the open market, but it's unlikely he would have been able to top an average annual salary of $18 million. In his first year back from ACL surgery, Hoskins slashed .214/.303/.419with 26 home runs across 131 games for the Brewers. Slated to turn 32 in March, Hoskins should be Milwaukee's primary first baseman again in 2025, with some starts at designated hitter mixed in.
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Malcom Nunez 1B | PIT
Pirates' Malcom Nunez: Back with Pittsburgh as NRI
The Pirates re-signed Nunez to a minor-league contract Friday with an invitation to spring training, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Nunez, who turns 24 in March, slashed .250/.310/.365 with 11 home runs over 128 games this season for Triple-A Indianapolis. He'll be with the Pirates in spring training but is likely headed back to Indianapolis to begin 2025.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Wins World Series MVP
Freeman was named the World Series MVP after Wednesday's win over the Yankees in Game 5.
Freeman homered in each of the first four games of the series and added a two-RBI single during the Dodgers' rally in the fifth inning Wednesday. He drove in 12 runs during the Fall Classic, which tied the World Series record for RBI that was set by Bobby Richardson in 1960, per Buster Olney of ESPN. The 35-year-old entered the playoffs as a question mark due to an ankle injury but is now a two-time World Series champion.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Record-breaking homer in Game 4
Freeman went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI Tuesday as the Dodgers fell to the Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series.
Freeman got things off on the right foot for the Dodgers, taking Luis Gil deep with a two-run blast in the top of the first inning. He's homered in all four games of the series and has gone deep in six straight World Series games overall, which is a major-league record. Freeman also added an RBI groundout later in the contest, which cut the Yankees' lead to 5-4 at the time before the Yanks put the game away late.
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Christian Encarnacion-Strand 1B | CIN
Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Activated from 60-day IL
The Reds activated Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) from the 60-day injured list Monday.
The move was required because Encarnacion-Strand is in the Arizona Fall League on a rehab assignment, which has expired. He will continue to play in the AFL and is now back on the Reds' 40-man roster after missing most of the season following wrist surgery.
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Freddie Freeman 1B | LAD
Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: In Game 1 lineup
Freeman (ankle) will start at first base and bat third Friday in Game 1 of the World Series versus the Yankees, Travis Sawchik of theScore.com reports.
Freeman didn't play in Game 4 or Game 6 of the NLCS as he battles lingering soreness in his right ankle, but nearly a week off between games has the first baseman feeling better. The 35-year-old Freeman is 7-for-32 with zero extra-base hits and one RBI so far this postseason.