Willson Contreras in concussion protocol after HBP

Cease received 22 second-place votes, with Messick receiving seven and finishing third. Drew Ramsussen got the remaining second-place vote and finished fourth, with Sonny Gray in fifth place. Closers Cade Smith and Bryan Baker got two and one fifth-place votes, respectively. Schlittler is the 13th unanimous AL Cy Young winner and the seventh Yankee to win the award. Gerrit Cole in 2023 and Roger Clemens in 2001 were the only Yankees to win since 1980.

At least that’s what he’s hearing from sources with rival teams. The 27-year-old Goodman hit homers last season and is under control for three more years, so he’d net quite the hefty return if the Rockies aren’t planning on trying to contend any time soon. The Yankees, Rays and Red Sox were among the teams thought to be interested in him at the deadline, though the Red Sox can probably be crossed off the list now after acquiring Adley Rutschman.

Fenstermaker singled out catcher and, with Evan Carter unavailable for the start of the year after hip surgery, center field. At catcher, the Rangers will have Danny Jansen back to finish up a two-year deal, and they’re also currently employing Logan O’Hoppe, though he seems like an obvious non-tender candidate. They should have some interest in Carson Kelly in free agency, but with limited funds available, perhaps Jake Rogers or Austin Hedges would make sense.

Harris said he got some video of Olson throwing just a couple of days ago and “he looks great.” Olson has a 3.60 ERA in 53 starts and three relief appearances since debuting with the Tigers in 2023. If healthy, he’ll definitely be in contention for a rotation spot in spring training, though he does have options remaining if he needs some extra time.

Happ would be a cheaper alternative to his former Cubs teammate Seiya Suzuki, but Suzuki’s right-handed bat would certainly be a better fit in a lefty heavy Seattle lineup. Happ is a switch-hitter, but he’s considerably better against right-handed pitching and he finished out last season as a platoon guy for the Cubs.

Imai opted into an $18 million salary next year after struggling to a 4.93 ERA over 76 2/3 innings in his first season in Houston. “This guy has great ability,” Boras said. “Obviously, the consistency you want to improve. We’re continuing to have meetings about it and getting him more locked in to a routine that fits in well for the Astros and us.” It’s unclear how much faith Houston has in Imai’s ability to bounce back, but one imagines he’ll get a chance to contend for a rotation spot in spring training.

Joseph, 35, served as an assistant hitting coach in Seattle in 2024 and Baltimore in 2025. As a player, he hit .247/.294/.460 with 43 homers in his only two major league seasons with the Phillies in 2016-17.

That seemed to be the original plan last year after signing O’Hearn, but they saw a chance to further improve the offense by signing a pure DH in Marcell Ozuna and turning O’Hearn into more of an outfielder. Of course, that proved to be a total disaster when Ozuna didn’t hit at all. O’Hearn will probably DH the majority of the time next year and play some first base when Spencer Horwitz is out of the lineup. The Pirates will seek to add outfield help, though if they splurge to keep Brandon Lowe, they might be more inclined to stick with their current group.

The Red Sox were open to moving Duran last winter, but they never received the right offer. They’ll find the offers even more underwhelming this time around, but it seems likely that he’ll be traded anyway. The Red Sox could then pursue Randy Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki as an upgrade as a left fielder/designated hitter. Duran has two seasons left before free agency. He was a big disappointment in hitting .207/.266/.361 in 2026, but he has accrued 14.3 bWAR while posting a 110 OPS+ over the last three seasons combined.

Suzuki is very likely to command a four- or five-year deal with an annual salary at a little above the $23.15 million he’d get in 2027 by accepting the qualifying offer. The Mariners, Padres, Red Sox and Phillies are reported to have interest in him, and the Cubs are expected to make some effort to retain him.