Mets hire former catcher Ellis to coaching staff

Rodríguez returned this fall to give up three runs over two innings in three appearances in the Arizona Fall League. He was shut down early, but it wasn’t because of any setback, and he’s expected to be ready to go in the spring. Still, the Giants could look outside of the organization for a closer. They obviously need to add relief help anyway, though a strong return from Rodríguez would be huge.

Murphy is the first manager to win the award three consecutive seasons. He received 20 of the 30 possible first-place votes, with Walt Weiss (7), Craig Stammen (2) and Don Mattingly (1) getting the others. The 67-year-old culminates a dream campaign where he led the Brewers to the best record in the National League and a dominant performance in the postseason that ended with the Brew Crew winning their first World Series championship. He’ll have a chance to make it four in a row in 2027 if the BBWAA isn’t tired of voting for him.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters that the procedure will be a “clean up.” It’s not yet known if Larnach will need to miss time because of the operation.

Zero surprise here. Venable received 15 first-place votes while Kevin Cash received 12 and Chad Tracy the other three. Venable helped the White Sox to an improbable playoff run after winning just 60 games in 2025 and took the club to within a game of the ALCS. If you weren’t expected to be good and outperform expectations, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to win Manager of the Year.

Atkins had a chance to see Berrios during his rehab in the Dominican Republic. The 32-year-old is recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in May, so even with the positive development, it’s unlikely he returns until the end of 2027 at the very earliest.

DePodesta said that “door is open” for a reunion with Freeland. He posted a 6.65 ERA in 2026 and has statistically been among the worst pitchers in baseball over the past four seasons. The Rockies will need innings, so a reunion does make some sense. It obviously doesn’t matter where Freeland pitches from a fantasy perspective, there’s no reason to have any interest.

Suzuki is coming off a .270/.368/.473 season with 26 homers over 545 plate appearances. The Mariners need bats, and with the team not expected to pursue a long-term extension with Randy Arozarena, it would not be a surprise if the 32-year-old was the replacement. There’s likely to be several suitors for Suzuki, but Seattle does make sense as a landing spot. It may not be an ideal one for fantasy managers, however, considering how tough it can be to hit in Seattle’s home park.

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, it sounds like Semien might enter camp with the edge for the starting job.

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.”