Report: Reds promoting Julian Garcia for MLB debut

Bader, now halfway through a two-year, $20.5 million deal, spend the last two months of last season suspended without pay after a scooter accident left him with a significant foot injury. Before that, he was already expected to miss the rest of the season with plantar fasciitis. Posey didn’t indicate what the official update would be, but he did say Bader would remain in the organization. It sounds like Bader intends to return healthy next season.

Jefferson Rojas could be ready to make the position his own by the middle of next year, so the team will stick with Marcus Semien, Brett Baty and maybe a little bit of Ronny Mauricio, if he’s still around. Starting Baty against righties and Semien against lefties is one option. However, Stearns labeled Semien the starter for now.

Vest, who saved 23 games for Detroit in 2025 before struggling in a setup role in the first half of last season, needed a stress fracture repaired at the tip of his elbow. “He looks good. He feels good,” GM Scott Harris said. “All the reports we’ve gotten have been really positive, and so we’re expecting him to be good to go.”

This was widely assumed by the end of the season, as the Mariners no longer see Crawford as a starting shortstop. The 31-year-old Crawford had an excellent eight-year run in Seattle, racking up 21.7 bWAR while hitting .247/.340/.367 in a tough environment for offense.

Hernández had a 5.06 ERA and a 133/73 K/BB in 85 1/3 innings as a major leaguer for the Red Sox from 2019-22 before signing with Softbank in 2023. He’s been an excellent setup man since, particularly in posting a 1.48 ERA and a 52/16 K/BB in 42 2/3 innings last season. The left-hander turns 30 next month.

Elias wouldn’t go into specifics. But with Gunnar Henderson locked in at short and Pete Alonso at first, that doesn’t leave enough room in the infield for all of Jackson Holliday, the returning Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. They also have Blaze Alexander and Jeremiah Jackson, both of whom already have ample outfield experience. Holliday in the outfield might make some sense for Baltimore, given how mediocre he’s been at second base to date.

Seager has a full no-trade and is owed $155 million over the next five years, so a deal probably won’t come together easily. The Rangers, though, no longer seem interested in sporting a top-10 payroll, and they have one of the game’s best shortstop prospects in Sebastian Walcott. Some have already linked Seager to the Yankees as their next third baseman.

Rogers is expected to turn down the $23.15 million qualifying offer from Baltimore and could land a four- or five-year deal as one of this winter’s younger free agents (he turns 29 later this week).

Cashman said he’s “open minded” about finding a replacement for McMahon, who has hit just .211/.289/.349 since arriving from the Rockies at the 2025 trade deadline. The Yankees will almost certainly add either a second baseman or a third baseman this winter, if not both. Should they sign a second baseman, then Anthony Volpe could compete for the job at third base. McMahon will make $16 million next year in the final season of his six-year deal.

Strider was unable to make it back last season after going on the IL with elbow inflammation in June, but no surgery was required. The Braves will hope he comes back a little stronger next year, as he’s gotten very homer prone with his velocity down about three mph from his peak. He’s entering the fifth year of the six-year, $75 million extension he signed after the 2022 season.