As the first pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 9, here is a look at some of the latest notable minor league deals heading into Spring Training for the 2025 MLB season.
Trey Mancini Attempts Comeback with Arizona Diamondbacks via Minor League Deal
Mancini, 32, signed a MiLB deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Feb. 7 per ESPN reporter Jeff Passan.
This deal includes an invite to spring training as a non-roster invitee. Mancini was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2020 and missed the shortened season. He heroically recovered and eventually returned to play first base and designated hit for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021. Mancini is a right-handed hitter and he made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 2016.
In 2022, he was traded to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline and won the World Series with them. He signed as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs before the 2023 season. He was out of baseball in 2024 after being released by the Cubs and failing to make the Miami Marlins MLB roster out of Spring Training.
Mancini’s career MLB numbers in seven seasons are 129 home runs, 400 RBIs, and a slash line of .263/.328/.448 in 3,051 at-bats.
San Diego Padres Sign Gavin Sheets to Minor League Deal
Sheets, 28, signed a MiLB deal with the Padres on Feb. 9 per Fansided reporter Robert Murray.
Sheets is a left-handed first baseman, who has played his entire four-year MLB career with the Chicago White Sox from 2021-2024. He will undertake his first career change of scenery with an invite to spring training from the Padres.
His career MLB numbers are 46 home runs, 176 RBI, and a slash line of .230/.295/.385 in 1,299 at-bats.
Dominic Smith Returns to New York on Minor League Deal With Yankees
Smith, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Jan. 13 per Yes Network reporter Jack Curry.
Smith is a left-handed hitter who is 29 years old and made his MLB debut with the New York Mets in 2017. He was the 11th overall pick by the Mets in the 2013 MLB Draft. His best seasons came in 2019 and 2020. Oddly enough, his best moment was a walk-off home run against the Yankees in the shortened 2020 season. In 2020, Smith had 10 home runs, 42 RBI, and an OPS of .993 in 177 at-bats.
Smith played with the Washington Nationals in 2023 and played for both the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds in 2024.
Smith’s MLB career numbers in eight seasons are 64 home runs, 259 RBI, and a slash line of .246/.313/.403 in 2,266 at-bats.
Yankees Also Sign Carlos Carrasco to Minor League Deal
Carrasco, 37 is a Venezuelan right-handed pitcher and he signed an MiLB deal with the Yankees on Feb. 3 per Curry.
His deal gives him an invite to spring training and $1.5 million if he makes the MLB roster.
Carrasco, similarly to Mancini, battled cancer and that caused him to miss three months in the 2019 season. Carrasco will get the chance to reunite with the Yankees’ pitching coach Matt Blake. They spent four years together with the Cleveland Indians from 2015-2018. Carrasco is also a former Met moving to the other side of town like Smith.
Carrasco has pitched 15 MLB seasons and his numbers are 1,641 1/3 innings, 1662 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.14.
Tim Anderson Gets New Life with Los Angeles Angels Minor League Deal
Anderson, 31, signed a minor league deal that includes an invite to spring training with the Los Angeles Angels on Jan. 22 per USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale.
Anderson is a right-handed hitter and he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the White Sox Anderson made his MLB debut with them in 2016 and is a Two-time All-Star. He also won a Silver Slugger in 2020 and the American League batting title with a .335 batting average in 2019.
He played eight seasons from 2016-2023 with the White Sox and signed with the Miami Marlins before the 2024 season after struggling severely in 2023.
His MLB career numbers are 98 home runs, 347 RBI, 121 stolen bases, and a slash line of .278/.308/.411 in 3,856 at-bats.
Yolmer Sánchez Also Signs Minor League Deal with Angels.
Sánchez, 32, signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels and the team announced it on Feb. 4.
Sánchez is a switch-hitting infielder, who played five seasons with Anderson in Chicago. Sánchez also has a Gold Glove on his resume that he won playing second base in 2019 for the White Sox. He also can play third base and was released after the 2020 season by the White Sox. He didn’t play in MLB in 2021 and returned with the Red Sox and Mets in 2022. Sánchez hasn’t been on an MLB roster for the last two seasons.
Sanchez has played eight MLB seasons and his career numbers are 32 home runs, 217 RBI, 32 stolen bases, and a slash line of .243/.299/.355 in 2,276 at-bats.
Nicky Lopez Signs Minor League Deal with Chicago Cubs
Lopez, 29, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on Feb. 2 per New York Post reporter Jon Heyman.
The deal will be worth $1.5 million if he makes the MLB roster. Lopez is a left-handed hitting infielder, who made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2019 and was with them through the 2023 trade deadline. He was traded to the Braves and played 124 games with the Chicago White Sox last season.
His MLB career numbers in six seasons are seven home runs, 152 RBI, 47 stolen bases, and a slash line of .248/.312/.314 in 2,104 at-bats.
Cubs Also Sign Brad Keller to Minor League Deal
Keller, 29, signed a MiLB deal with the Cubs on Jan. 29 per Jacob Zanolla of CubsInsider.com.
The deal includes an invite to Cubs spring training. Keller is a right-handed pitcher, who made his debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2018. He pitched six seasons with the Royals before he pitched for the White Sox and Red Sox last season.
His MLB career numbers are 720 1/3 innings, 538 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.34.
Nick Madrigal Signs Minor League Deal with Mets
Madrigal, 28, signed a minor league deal with the Mets on Jan. 31 per a team announcement.
Madrigal is a right-handed infielder, who played with both Chicago teams. He made his debut with the White Sox in 2020 and has spent his last three seasons with the Cubs. His batting average was .317 in two seasons with the White Sox in 321 at-bats. Madrigal was traded across town to the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline and has yet to find that same success while dealing with injury.
His MLB career numbers are four home runs, 77 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and a slash line of .274/.323/.344 in 868 at-bats.
Neftalí Feliz Returns with Seattle Mariners Minor League Deal
Feliz, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners and earned a spring training invite per a team announcement on Jan. 30.
Feliz is a right-handed pitcher and hasn’t pitched in MLB since the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his debut with the Texas Rangers and was named both Rookie of the Year and an All-Star with the Rangers in 2010. Feliz also pitched in back-to-back World Series in 2010 and 2011, but the Rangers lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games and the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games respectively.
Feliz was released by the Rangers in 2015 and signed with the Detroit Tigers. He also pitched for several other teams before his last appearance with the Dodgers. Feliz pitched in LIDOM for Estrellas Orientales this past winter. He threw 21 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.11 in the Dominican.
His MLB numbers in 10 seasons are 393 1/3 innings, 366 strikeouts, 107 saves, and an ERA of 3.55.
San Francisco Giants Sign Pitchers Lou Trivino and Enny Romero to Minor League Deals
Trivino, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Giants on Feb. 6 per Robert Murray.
The deal includes a spring training invite and it will be a fresh start for Trevino after not pitching for two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a shoulder injury. Trevino last pitched for the Yankees in the 2022 ALCS against the Houston Astros. He was traded to the Yankees at the trade deadline from the Oakland Athletics in 2022.
He made his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2018 and pitched five MLB seasons. His career numbers are 284 2/3 innings, 299 strikeouts, 37 saves, and an ERA of 3.86.
Romero, 34, signed a MiLB deal with the Giants on Jan. 11 per MLB.com transaction tracker.
Romero pitched in LIDOM this past winter and was named pitcher of the year with Águilas Cibaeñas. He led LIDOM with an ERA of 1.24 in 51 innings with 47 strikeouts in the 2024-2025 season. Romero also played in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan With the Chunichi Dragons from 2019-2020 and Chiba Lotte Mariners from 2021- 2022.
Romero made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013 and pitched five MLB seasons with his last one coming in 2018.
His MLB career numbers are 146 1/3 innings, 156 strikeouts, and an ERA of 5.12.
St. Louis Cardinals Sign Nick Anderson to Minor League Deal
Anderson, 34 signed an MiLB deal with the Cardinals on Feb. 7 per a team announcement.
Anderson is a right-handed reliever, who pitched with the Royals in 2024. Anderson made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins in 2019 and was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2019 MLB trade deadline. Anderson was in the Rays bullpen when they made the World Series in 2020 and lost to the Dodgers in six games.
Anderson had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and didn’t pitch in MLB until 2023 with the Atlanta Braves.
His MLB career numbers in five seasons are 158 1/3 innings, 202 strikeouts, 10 saves, and an ERA of 3.18.
Nationals Sign Colin Poche to Minor League Deal
Poche, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals on Feb. 7 per a team announcement.
Poche was also a former Ray but was injured during Tampa Bay’s World Series appearance in 2020. Poche is a right-handed reliever who made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2019. Poche had to get Tommy John like Anderson and it caused him to miss the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He returned to the Rays in 2022 and pitched through the 2024 season with them.
His career numbers in four MLB seasons are 208 1/3 innings, 230 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.63.
Rangers Bring Back Matt Festa to Minor League Deal
Festa, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers and received an invite to spring training on Feb. 5 per Dallas Morning News Reporter Evan Grant.
Festa is a right-handed reliever and he also signed a minor league deal with the Rangers last season in July. He also pitched with the Padres and Mets organizations in 2024. Festa ended up getting promoted to the Rangers big league club on Aug. 11. He pitched 22 2/3 innings with 23 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.37 last season with the Rangers.
Festa made his MLB debut with the Mariners in 2018 and pitched with them on the MLB level for four seasons. He was designated for assignment on Aug. 8, 2023, by the Mariners.
He also pitched for Italy in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He pitched four innings with five strikeouts and an ERA of 2.25 in the 2023 WBC.
His MLB career numbers are 117 1/3 innings, 126 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.60.
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Photo Credit: Chicago Cubs’ Trey Mancini (36) runs after a hit during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Saturday, April 29, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
