MLB Player News

The Orioles claimed Pinto off waivers from the Rays on Monday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Pinto began the 2024 season as the Rays' starting catcher but was sent down in early May after a slow start and was never recalled. The 28-year-old has hit .231/.263/.404 with 10 home runs over 82 games at the big-league level. Baltimore has an opening at backup catcher and Pinto will be a candidate to fill it.

The Orioles exercised Dominguez's $8 million club option for 2025 on Monday.

Dominguez collected a 3.97 ERA and 28:9 K:BB over 22.2 innings while notching 10 saves down the stretch of the regular season for the Orioles after being acquired from the Phillies via trade. While Dominguez finished the 2024 season as Baltimore's closer, Felix Bautista (elbow) should reclaim that job in 2025.

The Orioles exercised O'Hearn's $8 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

O'Hearn made $3.5 million in 2024, so he will be getting a nice salary bump in 2025. The 31-year-old has slashed .275/.329/.450 with 29 home runs over 254 regular-season games during his two years in Baltimore. He'll garner regular playing time against right-handed pitching again next season.

The Orioles exercised Perez's $2.2 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Perez, 28, held a 4.53 ERA and 46:28 K:BB over 53.2 innings for the Orioles this season. He posted a 53.5 percent ground ball rate and didn't surrender a single home run over his 62 appearances.

Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that Sborz has been examined by multiple shoulder experts but has not yet made a decision on a course of action, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Sborz dealt with a right shoulder problem off and on throughout the 2024 campaign and ended the season on the injured list with what the team simply referred to as shoulder fatigue. It would seem as though surgery could be one possibility Sborz is considering, although Young didn't divulge specifics in regards to what injury exactly the reliever is dealing with. With Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Jose Leclerc all becoming free agents, the health of Sborz is paramount.

The Red Sox exercised Refsnyder's $2.1 million club option for 2025.

Refsnyder was a useful platoon bat for the Red Sox again in 2024, slashing .283/.359/.471 with 11 homers over 93 games, which included a .941 OPS versus left-handed pitching. Boston currently projects to be very left-handed heavy again in 2025, so Refsnyder should be busy again as a short-side platoon outfielder.

The Yankees selected Trammell's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.

Trammell spent most of the 2024 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .256/.381/.488 with 18 homers and 20 steals. He's hit only .167/.270/.363 with a 37.1 percent strikeout rate over parts of four major-league seasons, but the Yankees decided the 27-year-old was worthy of a 40-man roster spot heading into the offseason.

Wacha agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Royals on Sunday that includes a $14 million club option for 2028, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The right-hander was expected to decline his $16 million player option for 2025, but Kansas City utilized the exclusive five-day negotiating window after the World Series to secure a new deal. Wacha was a key rotation piece for the Royals during their 2024 resurgence with a 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB over 166.2 innings.

Cole opted out of his contract with the Yankees on Saturday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The Yankees have the opportunity to void Cole's opt-out decision by adding an extra year and $36 million to his contract, which would result in him being owed $180 million through 2029. The 34-year-old posted a 3.41 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 95 innings this season after missing the first couple months due to an elbow injury. There is no guarantee that New York will want to keep him around for such a hefty price.

Straw cleared waivers Friday and was sent outright to Triple-A Columbus.

Straw spent the vast majority of the season with Columbus, slashing .240/.321/.329 with 29 steals in 30 attempts across 434 plate appearances. Now that the 30-year-old outfielder no longer has a spot on the 40-man roster, it's unlikely he makes a significant contribution to the Guardians in 2025 -- barring a drastic turnaround at the plate.