MLB Player News

Rivera has been a reliable workhorse for the Nats for three years running, but he was off to a rough start this season. Oddly, the team still turned to him in the ninth inning today with a 4-3 lead against the Marlins. He blew the save, was left in to give up four runs and now gets completely hung out to dry as a reward for his service to the team. It’s an awful way to treat a guy who has pitched almost 250 innings in three years, all while making practically the minimum salary. Rivera, though, will be brought back. Others involved in today’s purge probably won’t be. With four open roster spots, the Nats will call up Kip Wells, Garrett Mock, Jason Bergmann and Jordan Zimmermann, Monday’s scheduled starter.

Once thought to be the White Sox’s third baseman of the future, Ramos has seen his stock drop the last two years, particularly after he hit .216/.309/.396 in Triple-A last season. He’s just turning 24 and the change of scenery might do him some good, but he’s out of options and it’s hard to see him landing a spot in Baltimore’s infield. Odds are that he’ll wind up being DFA’d again.

Wilson gets bumped three days after being claimed off waivers from the Phillies. He’s a fair 26th man playable against lefties, but at age 31, he’s already reached his ceiling.

This seems like the right call. Although he’s a natural left-hander, Cijntje, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2024, throws quite a bit harder right-handed and looks like a potential middle-of-the-rotation starter from that side. As a left-hander, he doesn’t offer the same kind of promise. However, he is expected to continue throwing bullpen sessions as a lefty, and it will be interesting to see if he can occasionally make left-handed relief appearances in between starts once he reaches the majors. He’s likely to spend all of 2026 in the minors after posting a 4.58 ERA in 74 2/3 innings in High-A and a 2.67 ERA in 33 2/3 innings in Double-A last year.

Gambadoro is quick to note that there’s no deal close between the two sides and that the Diamondbacks are interested in other first baseman as well. It seems like they’re not content to enter the season with Pavin Smith as the unquestioned starter at the position. Santana, who will turn 40-years-old in April, slashed a meager .219/.308/.325 with 11 homers, 54 RBI and seven stolen bases in 474 plate appearances between the Guardians and Cubs in 2025.

The deal also includes a $16 million mutual option for the 2027 season. The 34-year-old slugger previously played for the Reds from 2015-2021. He clobbered 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs in 657 plate appearances between the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2025 despite slashing an underwhelming .228/.298/.526. His arrival could push Sal Stewart out of an everyday role to start the season.

After a pair of productive seasons with the Rays, Siri had a rough 2025 campaign with the Mets, slashing .063/.167/.125 with zero homers, one RBI and a 17/4 K/BB ratio in 36 plate appearances and missing several months with a fractured tibia. If he finds his way into regular playing time with the Angels, his intriguing blend of power and speed makes him an interesting late-round option from a fantasy perspective.

The 32-year-old southpaw spent the 2025 season pitching for the Doosan Bears of the Korea Baseball Organization. There, he compiled a 4.48 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and a 128/79 K/BB ratio over 144 2/3 innings in his 28 starts. He’ll add pitching depth for the World Champions.

Iriarte, 24, spent the majority of the 2025 season at Triple-A Charlotte where he posted a 7.24 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and a 48/37 K/BB ratio over 46 innings of work. There’s a decent chance that he’ll pass through waivers unclaimed and continue to function as extra bullpen depth for the White Sox.

The White Sox needed to clear a couple of spots on their 40-man roster after acquiring Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin from the Red Sox on Sunday and unfortunately for Romo he was left on the outside of that roster bubble. The 24-year-old backstop has already been claimed three times off of waivers this winter — by the Orioles, Mets and White Sox — so there’s a good chance that he’ll be on the move again in the next few days.

If it seems like a lopsided deal on the surface, it’s because it’s basically a salary dump for the Red Sox who are getting out from $16 million or so of the $25 million that’s remaining on Hicks’ contract over the next two seasons. We’ll wait and see how the players to be named later shake out. Ziehl, 22, was acquired by the White Sox in last season’s deadline deal that sent Austin Slater to the Yankees. He registered a 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 90/19 K/BB ratio over 107 innings across three minor league levels in 2025. The Red Sox had conversations about acquiring Jordan Leasure instead but ultimately thought that Ziehl was too good to pass up.