MLB Player News

Considered one of the top high school pitchers available in the draft, Kiker was tagged with the dreaded “questionable makeup” label. He’s also just under six feet tall, which may have hurt his stock a bit.

Luciano claims the last spot on the Yankees’ 40-man for now, but the team will need to add Cody Bellinger in the coming days and Luciano might go right back on waivers at that point. If so, it’d be his fourth time there this offseason. A former middle infielder, Luciano only played left field in the Giants system last season and is out of options, so he wouldn’t seem to make much sense for the Yankees roster unless the team wants to send down Jasson Domínguez to play regularly.

After several strong seasons with the Giants, the 32-year-old saw his offensive production fall off of a cliff in 2025 — slashing a meager .167/.271/.254 with two homers, 18 RBI and a 58/27 K/BB ratio over 242 plate appearances between the Giants and Angels. It’s a nice low-risk signing for the White Sox, as he can be an on-base machine if he’s able to regain his prior form.

The Nationals are set to receive a package of five prospects in return: infielders Gavin Fien and Devin Fitz-Gerald, outfielder Yeremy Cabrera, first baseman Abimelec Ortiz and right-hander Alejandro Rosario. It’s a tremendous get for the Rangers as Gore will bolster the top of their rotation with a strong left-handed arm that they were solely lacking. The 26-year-old southpaw registered a 4.17 ERA and an 185/64 K/BB ratio across 159 2/3 innings with the Nationals in 2025. He’s under team control through the 2027 season.

The Orioles just claimed the 28-year-old southpaw off of waivers from the Braves last week, but the allure of claiming Weston Wilson off of waivers was too much to pass up, so Suarez lost his spot on the 40-man roster once again. Given the overall lack of quality bullpen depth around the league, he could once again attract interest on waivers.

The Phillies’ removed Wilson from their 40-man roster earlier in the week to make their deal with J.T. Realmuto official. The versatile 31-year-old slashed an underwhelming .198/.282/.369 in 125 plate appearances with the Phillies during the 2025 campaign. He’ll add depth for the O’s and can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

The Diamondbacks tried to slide Varland through waivers last week, but with the Nationals’ desperate for quality bullpen depth they were ready and eager to pull the trigger. The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.42 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 27/8 K/BB ratio over 26 1/3 innings between the Dodgers and White Sox in 2025.

The Tigers seem intent on adding at least one more starting pitcher to their rotation mix before the 2026 season begins, but they appear to be shopping in the bargain bin. Petzold also notes that the Tigers have been linked to Chris Bassitt and Jose Quintana as well. The market has been remarkably slow to develop for Martinez and other mid-tier starting pitchers so far this winter.

The 28-year-old infielder spent the first seven years of his minor league career in the Nationals’ organization. In 2025, he slashed .252/.329/.390 with seven long balls, 22 RBI, 15 swipes and a 54/22 K/BB ratio over 235 plate appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. He’ll add infield depth in the upper minors for the M’s.

The 29-year-old hurler was drafted by the Cubs in the seventh round of the 2019 draft and spent his first seven years in the minor leagues in their organization. In 2025, he compiled a 2.76 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 42/11 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings in 41 appearances at Double-A Knoxville while notching five saves. It’s likely that he’ll begin his Giants’ tenure at Triple-A Sacramento.

Barrera, 31, hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since he had two plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2023. He spent the 2025 campaign in the Rays’ organization where he slashed .209/.299/.332 with eight homers and 33 RBI over 269 plate appearances between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. He’ll add catching depth for the Nationals.