Astros claim OF Nelson Velázquez off waivers

The other NL winners were P Nolan McLean, C Gabriel Moreno, 1B Matt Olson, 2B Brice Turang, SS Geraldo Perdomo, 3B Alex Bregman, LF Jackson Chourio, RF Corbin Carroll and UT Mauricio Dubón. Crow-Armstrong and Olson are the only two returnees here from last year, though Dubón did win the AL utility Gold Glove last year. Fernando Tatis Jr. probably would have won again if left alone in right field, but his time at second base ruled him out there. Masyn Winn also had a really good case for repeating, but Perdomo got the nod at short.

Abreu has won all three years since becoming Boston’s right fielder. The other AL Gold Glove winners were P Tanner Bibee, C Dillon Dingler, 1B Christian Walker, 2B Cole Young, SS Taylor Walls, LF Cody Bellinger and UT Ezequiel Duran. The win by Walls snaps Bobby Witt Jr.'s two-year streak at shortstop.

Second base seemed like the AL’s most interesting call, being that DRS thought Young was far-and-away the AL’s best, whereas OAA had him below average. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who didn’t finish in the top three, had the top OAA and a below average DRS. Kansas City’s Michael Massey was the only player deemed clearly above average by both.

The lefty swinging Furman is a contact hitter with limited pop who is currently limited to second base on defense. He hit .293/.377/.414 with seven homers and 19 steals in 102 games for Triple-A Sacramento before struggling in a late-season audition with the Giants. There’s the chance the Nationals could carry him next year if they keep CJ Abrams at shortstop, but it seems more likely that he’ll be Triple-A depth initially.

Neubeck, 23, signed with the Nationals and made two A-ball appearances last season after going undrafted out of Indiana. This was mostly about clearing a spot on the 40-man for the Giants.

The well-traveled Lovelady had a 4.11 ERA in 35 innings for the Mets and Nationals last season. He’ll likely be invited back for next year on a minor league deal if he’s interested.

That’s one more 40-man roster spot cleared for the Giants ahead of Monday’s deadline. Furman, 25, debuted for the Giants in August, going 4-for-32 with no extra-base hits in 22 games before landing on the IL with an oblique strain. The 25-year-old hit .293/.377/.414 with just a 12 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A prior to his callup. He doesn’t really project as a starter at second base, and he also hasn’t developed any versatility with the Giants never playing him anywhere else the last two years. He does have three option years left, so the Nationals can work on moving him around some in Triple-A next year.

Stanek’s 4.02 ERA in 70 appearances last season was his low mark since he came in at 1.15 for the 2022 Astros. The Cardinals, though, are going to buy him out for $1 million instead of paying him $6 million for 2027.

The Padres obviously weren’t picking up their half of Andujar’s $8 million option, and he was getting a $2.5 million buyout either way. Initially the Padres’ top option at DH, Andujar wound up missing most of the final 3 1/2 months with a hamstring strain and then a wrist fracture. He did return for the postseason, going 0-for-3 with a walk off the bench. He hit .259/.303/.423 in 74 games while healthy. It’s possible he’ll get a major league deal as a platoon starter against lefties.

A late addition as he tried to overcome his late-season elbow issue with the Red Sox in 2025, Giolito signed one-year, $3 million deal with an $8 million mutual option in late April. With his velocity down 2-3 mph, he pitched a total of seven times for Padres in the first half, amassing a 5.16 ERA and an ugly 18/23 K/BB in 29 2/3 innings. He then went on the IL with elbow inflammation and never returned, leaving his future very uncertain.