International guys

[Padres]

The Rockies ZiPS have already been released so if this player shows up it will be in the final spreadsheet:

Rockies signed LHP Jefry Yan to a minor league contract.

The 28-year-old southpaw spent the 2024 season pitching in Japan and in the Dominican Winter League, compiling a 3.84 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and a 73/34 K/BB ratio across 61 innings. He’ll add an intriguing and talented arm as minor league bullpen depth for the Rockies.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/jefry-yan/69217

[Padres]

Available in the upcoming IBC Draft:

Orioles signed RHP Tomoyuki Sugano on a one-year, $13 million contract.

The deal is official. Sugano has been one of Japan’s top starting pitchers for over a decade at this juncture and will finally make the leap to the major leagues after finishing last year with a sparkling 1.67 ERA and 111/16 K/BB across 156 2/3 innings. The 35-year-old righty doesn’t offer premium velocity, but boasts a six-pitch mix that is headlined by a deadly splitter. The lack of strikeout upside limits his fantasy appeal to deeper mixed leagues, but he should provide a serious lift in the ratio departments as a back-end rotation stabilizer for fantasy purposes. He’s a decent late-round target in deep mixers heading into next season.

https://www.nbcsports.com/tomoyuki-suga ... fdd42a000f

[Padres]

May be included in Mets ZiPS release:

Mets signed INF-OF Jared Young to a one-year contract.

Young, 29, spent the first half of last year hitting .285/.411/.506 for the Cardinals’ Triple-A team before taking off for a brief stint in Korea and batting .326/.420/.660 in 38 games for Doosan. He’s come in at .210/.290/.435 in 69 major league plate appearances, all with the Cubs between 2022 and ’23. Young is limited defensively and works best at first base, though he has experience at third and in the outfield corners. He’s a nice fallback option as a first baseman or DH against righties, but the Mets should be able to do better on the Opening Day roster.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/jared-young/50088

[Padres]

May appear in Mets ZiPS release:

Mets signed RHP Brandon Waddell to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Waddell is back stateside after spending the previous three seasons split between the Korea Baseball Organization and Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. The 30-year-old righty made 11 relief appearances between four different organizations from 2020-2021. He’ll provide the Mets with some extra organizational relief depth heading into next spring.

https://www.nbcsports.com/brandon-wadde ... fd5f26031a

[Padres]

Detriot's ZiPS have been released so this is one of Dan's spreadsheet guys:

Dietrich Enns, who spent the last three seasons pitching in Asia, said he is signing with the Tigers.

Enns, 33, made a handful of major league appearances for the Twins in 2017 and the Rays in 2021 before trying his luck in Japan. He went 10-7 with a 2.94 ERA in his first year for Seibu, only to follow it up by going 1-10 with a 5.17 ERA in 2023. He then moved on to Korea last season and went 13-6 with a 4.19 ERA and a 157/50 K/BB in 167 2/3 innings for the LG Twins. The Tigers are pretty well stocked when it comes to starting pitching depth, so Enns will likely open up in the Triple-A rotation.

https://www.nbcsports.com/dietrich-enns ... fd8d8100f4

[Guardians]

https://x.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/18712 ... 96264?s=19

[Padres]

https://x.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/18712 ... 96264?s=19

This guy should be in Rays ZiPS release when Dan posts it:

Rays signed INF Coco Montes to a minor league contract.

Montes is a long-time Rockies minor leaguer who made his MLB debut in 2023. He hit .335/.414/.551 slash line with 9 HR, and 47 RBI in 64 games for Triple-A Albuquerque in 2024 before being released by the Rockies and signing to play in Japan. He then hit .272 in 46 games in Japan and will now provide organization depth in the infield for the Rays.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/coco-montes/68133

[Padres]

Ford's ZiPS projection was included in today's Reds release:

Twins signed 1B Mike Ford to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Ford played 17 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024, hitting .150/.177/.233 with one home run and 15 strikeouts. He was designated for assignment and decided to play in Japan, where he hit .211/.281/.429 with eight home runs and 24 strikeouts in 41 games. The 32-year-old is a career .205 hitter with a .700 OPS and even though he hit 16 home runs for the Mariners in 2023, the Twins will likely hope he doesn’t have to become a regular in their starting lineup.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/mike-ford/50317

[Padres]

This player may be included when the Padres ZiPS is released:

Robert Murray of FanSided reports that the Padres have signed RHP J.B. Wendelken to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Wendelken spent the last two years overseas, and the 31-year-old right-hander was able to post a 1.57 ERA in 95 games in Japan the last two seasons. He’ll compete for a bullpen spot with the Padres, and while he has a chance to make the team even with the minor-league contract, it likely won’t be in a role that provides fantasy upside.

https://www.nbcsports.com/j-b-wendelken ... fd86bf01d9

[Padres]

This player may be included when the Padres ZiPS is released (one of 6 teams remaining to be released):

Robert Murray of FanSided reports that the Padres have signed RHP J.B. Wendelken to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Wendelken spent the last two years overseas, and the 31-year-old right-hander was able to post a 1.57 ERA in 95 games in Japan the last two seasons. He’ll compete for a bullpen spot with the Padres, and while he has a chance to make the team even with the minor-league contract, it likely won’t be in a role that provides fantasy upside.

https://www.nbcsports.com/j-b-wendelken ... fd86bf01d9

[Padres]

Should be on Dan's spreadsheet later:

Nationals signed OF Franchy Cordero to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

The 30-year-old slugger spent the 2024 season playing for the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball where he slashed .247/.322/.392 with nine homers, 53 RBI and a 105/43 K/BB ratio over 447 plate appearances. He’ll add outfield depth in big league camp for the Nats.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/franchy-cordero/49228

[Padres]

He will likely be on Dan's spreadsheet as the Brewers ZiPS were already released:

Brewers signed RHP Elvin Rodriguez to a one-year contract with a club option for 2026.

Rodriguez gets an MLB deal after spending the 2024 season with the Yakult Swallows in Japan. He was very effective in the NPB with a 1.74 ERA over 88 innings, and he’s well known for having one of the more lively fastballs in terms of movement. Rodriguez will likely be a middle-inning option, but the 26-year-old could compete for saves at some point with the Milwaukee closing situation far from concrete.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/elvin-rodriguez/50146

[Padres]

Another one for Dan's final spreadsheet:

Phillies signed RHP Koyo Aoyagi to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

The 31-year-old hurler has pitched professionally in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball for the past nine seasons. In 2024, he registered a 3.00 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 78/39 K/BB ratio across 114 innings of work in his 23 starts. He’ll add depth for the Phillies but seems like a longshot to crack their Opening Day roster.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/koyo-aoya ... 6b7fc50000

[Padres]

I presume we'll see Mr. Castro when the Royals ZiPS are released:

Royals signed INF-OF Harold Castro to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Following a miserable season with the Rockies in 2023, Castro, 31, spent last year hitting .320/.366/.447 in Mexico. That .813 OPS was barely above the league average of .800. While Castro can play a bunch of positions, he doesn’t offer much value at any of them. Making contact is his one major league skill at this point, and it’s probably not enough to justify a roster spot.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/harold-castro/49268

[Padres]

Another upcoming spread sheet guy:

Rangers signed OF Cody Thomas to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Thomas returns stateside after spending last year in Japan with the Orix Buffaloes. The 30-year-old is merely extra organizational depth at this stage of his career. He appeared in 29 contests at the big-league level with the Athletics from 2022-2023, hitting .250 (18-for-72) with one homer and two RBI.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/cody-thomas/50120

[Padres]

And yet another guy for Dan's spread sheet:

Reds signed RHP Aaron Wilkerson to a minor league contract.

Wilkerson returns stateside following a two-year stint overseas in Korea with the Lotte Giants. The 35-year-old journeyman righty last appeared in the big leagues during the 2019 campaign when he made a career-high eight relief appearances for the Brewers. He’s merely extra organizational depth for Cincinnati entering spring training and can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/aaron-wil ... fd8d810125

[Padres]

Dan's spread sheet keeps growing:

White Sox signed LHP D.J. Snelten to a minor league contract.

Snelten hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since making four relief appearances during the 2018 campaign for the Giants. The 32-year-old journeyman southpaw was out of affiliated ball last year, making a handful of appearances south of the border in the independent Mexican League.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/d-j-snelten/50062

[Padres]

Yet another ...

Giants signed LHP Enny Romero to a minor league contract.

Romero hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2018 when he made eight relief appearances split between the Nationals, Pirates and Royals. The 34-year-old journeyman southpaw has spent the past several years overseas in Japan including stints with the Chunichi Dragons and Chiba Lotte Marines. He’ll presumably give the Giants some extra relief depth in spring training.

https://www.nbcsports.com/enny-romero/0 ... fd8026007d

[Padres]

Another spread sheet guy:

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the Mariners have signed Luis F. Castillo to a minor league contract.

No relation. Castillo spent the last two years in Japan with Orix, and he forged a 3.01 ERA over 143 innings in his two years with the Buffaloes. A strong showing in Peoria this spring could see him compete for a roster spot, but more than likely he’ll be heading to Tacoma to begin 2025.

https://www.nbcsports.com/luis-castillo ... ff023a021d

[Padres]

Royals signed RHP Thomas Hatch to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Hatch is back in the U.S. after going 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in five starts for Hiroshima in Japan last season. He originally signed to pitch in Korea this year, but he failed his physical with Doosan. The 30-year-old had a 4.96 ERA in 69 big-league innings for the Blue Jays and Pirates from 2020-23.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/thomas-hatch/48989