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Thompson also walked in the contest and was coming off a 1-for-4 with a walk performance in his lone start in the majors yesterday. He deserves to play more than Terrence Long while Gary Sheffield is out, but we’re still skeptical that will happen.

Heuer only pitched 4 2/3 innings in the big leagues last year and had not thrown an MLB inning since 2021 prior to that. The 29-year-old had a 3.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 62/17 K/BB ratio in 48 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year and feels like a decent bet to make the Guardians’ bullpen.

The 2028 option vests at $12 million if he throws 170 innings in 2027 or $14 million if he tops 185 innings. Kelly is getting a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $17 million in 2026 and $21 million in 2027.

He’ll get a $2 million bonus, a $2 million salary and $200,000 each for 35, 40, 45, 50 and 55 innings, which could bring the total value of the deal to $5 million. The 39-year-old Martin almost surely could have done better elsewhere, but he again wanted to be close to home as he finishes up his career.

The deal includes a $4 million player option for 2029 and a $7 million mutual option for 2030 with a $1 million buyout. The 29-year-old hit .315/.387/.530 with 26 homers, 90 RBI, and 25 stolen bases for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2025. He has a scoop in his swing, which could be problematic against the high velocity in Major League Baseball, but he showed a well-rounded skillset in Korea and is a solid defender at a few positions, so he could emerge as a super utility player for the Padres.

The Cubs declined to keep an out-of-options Reese McGuire as a third catcher, so Bethancourt will fill that role from Triple-A Iowa. The 34-year-old hit .173/.219/.332 for the Jays’ Triple-A club last season. He’s a lifetime .229/.259/.362 hitter in 1,301 plate appearances.

Rodriguez is a 17-year-old that the A’s signed a year ago. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Mets are giving the A’s $5.75 million of the $15.75 million that McNeil is owed next year and will also cover his $2 million buyout on his $15.75 million option for 2027, assuming that it’s not exercised. McNeil, who was cast aside in favor of Marcus Semien in New York, figures to take over at second for the A’s, who previously tried to sign Ha-Seong Kim for that spot. Zack Gelof will get to battle Max Muncy and others for the third base job, assuming that the A’s also don’t fill that spot with a veteran.

The Cardinals are sending along $8 million. Since he received a $1 million bonus to waive his no-trade clause, Contreras is due to earn $42.5 million for two years or, if his 2028 club option is exercised, $55 million for three. After missing out on Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso, getting Contreras could be seen as a letdown for the Red Sox, but this is a truly excellent hitter who still might yet have a career year in him after being freed from catching duties. His OPS+s the last four years have ranged from 123 to 138, and he was still showing 95th-percentile bat speed at age 33 last season. This is also a nice little ballpark upgrade for him, adding to his fantasy value. He’ll probably be Boston’s first baseman on Opening Day, though he could do more DHing if the Red Sox trade an outfielder and Triston Casas proves more worthy of playing time than Masataka Yoshida.

As a 25-year-old rookie, Dobbins had a solid 4.13 ERA in 11 starts and two relief appearances for the Red Sox before tearing his ACL while going to cover first base in July. If he’s not ready for the start of 2026, he shouldn’t be far behind, and he’ll definitely get a look in the rotation at some point. While his ceiling seems limited, Dobbins has the varied arsenal, above average command and solid groundball rate of a No. 4 starter. Contreras’s exit leaves a big hole in the St. Louis lineup, but the Cardinals are rebuilding anyway and now there’s another 600 plate appearances freed up for Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman and Thomas Saggese. Or maybe they’ll want to give Iván Herrera a look at first, which would open the door for catcher Jimmy Crooks to play a significant role.

It’s already the second trade of the career of the young Fajardo, who just turned 19 in October. Oddly enough, the Red Sox picked him up from the White Sox for Cam Booser a year ago today. He had a 2.25 ERA and an 83/27 K/BB in 72 innings as a starter between Rookie and Low-A ball last season. MLB Pipeline had him as Boston’s No. 23 prospect, while SoxProspects.com placed him eighth in the system.

Aita, a 22-year-old righty, had a 3.98 ERA and a 99/30 K/BB in 115 1/3 innings between Low-A and High-A in 2025. MLB Pipeline did not include him in their most recent update of Boston’s top 30 prospects.