MLB Player News

“I’m not happy with our performance here, not happy with the performances down in Charlotte, the individual performances, nor the team performances,” Williams said Wednesday. “A lot of times in the minors people forget, they think it’s just based on how they do as individuals. Well, we look at things a little differently. We look at the team aspect as well, and I’m a little disappointed in a lot of the individual and team efforts down there.” The team brought up Heath Phillips and Lance Broadway because they needed help to protect the pitching staff, and Donny Lucy was needed as a third catcher.

Ryan will make $6.1 million this year and then get a $100,000 buyout of a $13 million mutual option for what will be his final year of arbitration in 2027. It’s a nice little win for Ryan, who had filed at $6.35 million. The Twins submitted a $5.85 million figure.

It’s a surprise that Sandlin couldn’t find an MLB deal. The 29-year-old had a 2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays last year and has a career 3.19 ERA in 211 2/3 innings out of the bullpen since debuting in 2021. He’s a good bet to make the Angels’ bullpen.

Williams was just acquired from the Mets as part of the Freddy Peralta trade last week. The 22-year-old also has experience at second base and center field and is “pretty comfortable at all three positions now,” but he’ll begin his Brewers career playing shortstop. That means that current starting shortstop Joey Ortiz, who was also acquired for a pending free agent starting pitcher, is on notice. Williams hit .262/.363/.465 with 17 homers and 34 steals between Double- and Triple-A last year and could push for MLB at-bats if he gets off to a strong start in Triple-A.

Atlanta and Baltimore are rearranging deck chairs with their end-of-bullpen moves. The Orioles designated George Soriano for assignment back in January and then claimed Jose Suarez off waivers from the Braves. Now, the Orioles have designated Suarez for assignment, so the Braves claimed him back and designated Soriano for assignment. The 26-year-old has a 7.64 ERA in 66 innings over his last two seasons, so we’ll see where he lands next.

Atlanta tried to sneak Suarez through waivers earlier in January after avoiding arbitration, but the Orioles snapped him up. The Orioles then waived him last week, and Suarez is right back in Atlanta. The left-hander had a 1.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 16/10 K/BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings last season.

The deal is pending a physical, but the two sides have been circling each other for months now. Bader is coming off one of his best seasons, hitting .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers in 501 plate appearances for the Twins and Phillies. That came with career-bests in barrel rate and hard-hit rate. Bader also remains a strong defender, so he should man center field for the Giants, which would push Jung Hoo Lee to right field, where he would likely be on the strong side of a platoon with Jerar Encarnacion.

Mancini was in the Diamondbacks organization last season and hit .308/.373/.522 with 16 homers in 335 plate appearances over 75 games. When the Diamondbacks didn’t give him any MLB at-bats, he opted out of his contract on July 1st. Production like that could net him some opportunities with the Angels, but the 33-year-old has not had an MLB at-bat since hitting .234/.299/.336 with four home runs in 79 games for the Cubs in 2023.

The 32-year-old southpaw made 12 starts for the Rockies in 2025, compiling a cringe-inducing 7.49 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and a 34/17 K/BB ratio across 57 2/3 innings. He’ll add organizational pitching depth for the Rangers and should continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Steele has been throwing since October, but this was the first time that he was able to get up on the mound and do so. Barring any setbacks, he remains on track to return at some point during the first half of the 2026 season.

The 26-year-old hurler spent the first seven years of his minor league career in the Royals’ organization. He missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is now back to full health and has looked very sharp in bullpen sessions. He makes for a nice depth addition for the White Sox.