Fantasy Baseball Player News
Also follow all fantasy baseball player news by
RSS Feed or Twitter
Tyler Soderstrom (OF/1B - Ath)

12/28/25 8:02 PM -
[Last Word on Sports] - Following the Blueprint: How the Athletics Are Building Something Real. When the Athletics committed seven years and a franchise record $86 million extension to , they were not just rewarding a breakout season. They were announcing, in a sport that listens closely to where money goes, that they intend to matter again. Not later. Not someday. Now. This is how serious teams start acting before anyone believes them. Jul 8, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; American League Futures first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (21) of the Oakland Athletics catches the ball to put National League Futures Jackson Merrill (1) of the San Diego Padres out at first base during the seventh inning of the All Star-Futures game at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports Tyler Soderstrom Extension Shows the A’s Are Following a Familiar Pattern There are contracts, and then there are statements. This one is a statement. is 24, squarely in that dangerous space where potential begins to harden into production. His bat already plays like something you build around, not something you market and trade. Twenty-five home runs. A steady on-base presence. Power that doesn’t cheat the game. And maybe most telling of all, a willingness to move off first base, away from the catcher’s gear, into left field—because winning teams are built by players who adapt, not cling. The Athletics saw that and did the unthinkable by their own recent history: they kept him. That’s the first step. That’s how the Houston Astros changed their fate in the . Before the postseason runs, before October became a yearly reservation, the Astros identified a core and refused to let it scatter. They paid players early. They endured skepticism. They trusted that if enough talent stayed in one place long enough, something inevitable would happen. This feels like that moment. Look at the shape of the lineup now, and it doesn’t feel theoretical anymore. and are locked in through the end of the decade, middle-order bats who do not feel temporary. arrived and immediately played like the kind of hitter who bends game plans. hits as if contact is still a skill worth mastering. brings thunder from behind the plate. can erase mistakes with his glove. Five regulars are performing well above league average offensively. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a foundation. And foundations only matter if you build on them. Tyler Soderstrom’s extension with the Athletics is the largest guarantee in the club’s franchise history, per multiple reports — FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) It’s Only Step One The annual value of Soderstrom’s deal won’t shock the sport, but that’s not the point. What matters is control—of his prime, of the narrative, of the direction of the franchise. You don’t make this kind of commitment if you plan to pull the plug when things get uncomfortable. You make it when you believe the uncomfortable years are nearly over. Houston once lived in that same space. The losses were loud. The patience was thin. But underneath it all was a plan that didn’t flinch. When the wins finally arrived, they arrived in waves, because the players had grown together. That’s what the Athletics are chasing now. They’re not there yet. The rotation still needs answers. The margins in the American League West are unforgiving. But the difference between rebuilding and arriving is belief—and belief shows up in contracts long before it shows up in standings. Soderstrom is now the face of that belief. A young hitter trusted to anchor the middle of the order. A player signed not for what he’s been, but for what the organization expects him to become. This is how contenders are born—not in headlines about championships, but in moments when a franchise decides to stop preparing for tomorrow and starts committing to it. Houston once showed that this path works. The Athletics are betting they can walk it too. Main Photo Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Source:
https://sportspyder.com/mlb/oakland-athletics/arti...
Sonny Gray (P - BOS)

12/28/25 1:00 AM -
Prospect News: Red Sox Are In The Cards For St. Louis.
The front offices of Boston and St. Louis have been on the phone with each other (or texting back and forth) all offseason, culminating in two big trades so far.
Around Thanksgiving, the teams agreed to swap RHP Sonny Gray (36) along with $20 million for RHP Richard Fitts (26) and LHP Brandon Clarke (22, A+).
Gray should play as a known quantity, and it sounds like he’s eager to pitch in the AL East again. “It’s easy to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees,” he said at this introductory press conference, instantly endearing himself to a new fanbase. He also restructured his contract to turn a guaranteed year into a mutual option that Boston can refuse for a $10 million payout. With the Cardinals covering $20 million, Gray will cost $11 million for the Red Sox in 2026. If he’s good for them, Boston can bring him back next year for $30 million at a $25 million luxury tax hit. Source:
https://razzball.com/prospect-news-red-sox-are-in-...