Cardinals option Hancel Rincon back to Triple-A

Kelly had a 3.31 ERA in 16 1/3 innings last season before missing the second half with elbow inflammation. The 31-year-old has a career ERA of 4.04 in 131 1/3 innings since debuting with Boston in 2022.

The 23-year-old Rivera pitched four times for the Red Sox last season, giving up seven runs in 10 innings. He’s rather wild and he’s not viewed as having a ton of upside, but he could be at least a nice innings eater in middle relief, and since he has two option years left, some team is going to want him.

After seven years in the Reds organization, Sanmartín had a 4.22 ERA in 24 appearances for the Giants last season. If he clears waivers, he might be offered a minor league deal to stick around.

Wick, who spent all of 2026 rehabbing after Tommy John surgery, gets a $100,000 buyout of an $800,000 option. Since he doesn’t have enough service time to become a free agent, he’s still on the Giants’ roster for now, though that might change at some point.

There’s a pretty compelling case to be made for Cash after the Rays put together a remarkable 98-win season to capture the AL East division title. However, Venable should be in the conversation after helping lead the White Sox to a remarkable turnaround as they went from losing 102 games to making the postseason. Tracy took over as Boston’s interim manager in late April and managed to spark their unexpected turnaround.

Stewart is the clear favorite to take home the hardware after hitting .263/.330/.457 with 32 homers, 112 RBI and 15 steals across 162 games. That shouldn’t diminish what the other two finalists accomplished, as both put together remarkable rookie campaigns of their own. Benge made a compelling late-season push to turn the race into a legitimate debate, finishing with a .282/.346/.430 slash line, 20 homers and 22 steals across 156 contests. Wetherholt also enjoyed an impressive debut, batting .242/.339/.365 with 89 runs scored, 17 homers, 51 RBI and 14 steals in 139 games.

The Alvarez versus Caminero debate was a scorching and divisive one for most of the summer, but Houston’s middle-of-the-order force seemingly did enough to hold off Tampa Bay’s rising superstar. Alvarez led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing .316/.432/.601 with 105 runs scored, a career-high 42 home runs and 106 RBI across 158 games. Caminero topped the 40 home run mark for the second consecutive season, leading the Rays to a remarkable 98-win season and another AL East division title.

Crow-Armstrong took the senior circuit by storm this past season and is the overwhelming favorite to claim MVP honors after authoring a phenomenal 45-homer, 41-steal campaign. The 24-year-old finished as the most impactful hitter in the fantasy landscape while continuing to establish himself as one of the premier defensive center fielders in the game. He’s also just beginning to enter his physical prime, making this season feel more the start of his ascent rather than a metaphorical peak. Ohtani appeared poised to claim MVP honors for the fifth time in his remarkable career, thanks in large part to his extraordinary early-season work on the mound, before knee and biceps issues kept him from pitching in the second half.

It’s an extremely manageable financial commitment for San Diego as Hart will continue to function as a long relief option. The 33-year-old southpaw posted a serviceable 4.92 ERA across 64 innings this past season.

The Mets claimed Paris on waivers from the Angels last week. They’re hoping that the contract they’re giving him helps him get through waivers this time. Paris, though, is just turning 25 next and has intriguing tools; there’s a decent chance another team will claim him.