MLB

If you’ve heard of Braswell, it’s probably from seeing him at third base on LSU’s College World Series-winning club over the summer. He went undrafted after hitting just .189/.309/.270 as a Senior, but he’s trying his hand at pitching for the first time since making seven relief appearances as a Freshman at South Carolina in 2022. It’s unclear at the moment whether the Royals will develop him as a starter or as a reliever.

Couldn’t have saved this until tomorrow, eh? Soderstrom looked like trade bait after Nick Kurtz pushed him off first base, but he adapted to left field much better than anyone would have expected and it seems like he’ll be just fine there for the long term. He also broke through offensively in hitting .276/.346/.474 at age 23, and while the ballpark switch helped there, he actually fared better in road games than at home (.837 OPS to .804). Soderstrom would have been eligible for arbitration for the first time after next season and free agency following 2029. Passan says the new deal could make out at $131 million over eight years.

Chavis opened last season by hitting .291/.350/.547 with 13 homers in 63 games for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, which led to some Japanese interest. However, upon joining Chunichi in July, he hit just .171/.267/.352 in 38 games. The 30-year-old is a lifetime .238/.283/.401 hitter in 1,186 major league plate appearances, the last of which came with the Nationals in 2023.

One of three sons of Vladimir Guerrero in professional baseball, Vladi is out of work after hitting .210/.329/.285 in 72 games over two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. The 19-year-old wasn’t particularly highly regarded upon being signed two years ago, and obviously, the Mets didn’t see him progressing much further.

Both teams have acquired starters (Mike Burrows in Houston, Shane Baz in Baltimore) since engaging the Marlins prior to the winter meetings. Miami is still open to parting with Cabrera, but no one has been willing to meet the team’s demands just yet. The Marlins are planning on holding on to Sandy Alcantara, according to Jackson.

He’ll likely get a camp invite, but that will be announced later. Baumann had a 4.95 ERA in four starts and 130 relief appearances, most of them with the Orioles, from 2021-24. He went to Japan last season, but he pitched just 15 innings for the Swallows and finished with a 4.20 ERA. The Mets will most likely stash him as relief depth in Triple-A.

These was thought Mervis’s declining EV numbers during a rough 2024 were the product of a broken hamate bone, so the Marlins gave him a chance last season. However, he hit just .175/.254/.383 in 134 plate appearances before being cast off. He went on to hit 19 homers in 65 Triple-A games, and his EV numbers were better at the end of the year. Still, he mostly just seems like a Triple-A slugger at the moment.

Miami wanted a ninth-inning guy anyway, but they became especially motivated after losing Ronny Henriquez to elbow surgery. As a result, Fairbanks is getting $2 million more than he would have received had the Rays picked up his option. And that doesn’t include the $1 million buyout he received from Tampa Bay. Fairbanks had a 2.83 ERA in a career-high 60 1/3 innings last season. With a closing gig assured, he rates as a top-20 fantasy RP for 2026.

Nick Sanzeri recently posted training video of Snelten topping out at 102.5 mph off a mound, which surely piqued some interest in the 33-year-old. Snelten’s only major league experience came in the form of four relief appearances with the Giants back in 2018. He pitched in indy ball the following year, but in large part because of injuries, he’s rarely been seen since. He actually signed minor league deals with the Angels two years ago and the White Sox last season, yet he never pitched in games in either organization. Hopefully, this works out better.

The deal includes $500K in performance bonuses in each season. It’s another solid move for the Pirates, who also acquired Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum just last week. The 32-year-old O’Hearn rejuvenated his career in Baltimore over the last three years and hit .281/.366/.427 in 144 games for the Orioles and Padres last year while clubbing 17 home runs. He does struggle against lefties, so the Pirates will likely need to platoon him with somebody like Jhostynxon Garcia or Nick Yorke, but O’Hearn should be the regular starter against right-handed pitching and hit in the middle of what is becoming a deeper lineup in Pittsburgh.