MLB Player News

It’s not clear when, or if, he’ll return this season. Nelson is batting .250/.280/.383 in 180 at-bats this season.

With Carlos Correa now back in town and Yordan Alvarez likely spending all of next season at DH, the Astros have a surplus of infielders and likely need to trade one of Walker or Isaac Paredes. The Astros would like to keep Paredes and play him at first base, but they would need to find a way to trade Walker. The 34-year-old did hit 27 home runs last season, but he has two years, $40 million left on his contract and has been declining offensively over the last couple of years. The Astros would likely get back far more in a trade for Paredes, so the question will be whether Houston prefers to make essentially a salary dump trade or tries to bring back players of value.

There was some thought that the Cubs would try to trade Nico Hoerner and move Shaw to second base, but Law suggests that Shaw may be wearing out his welcome in Chicago. After a poor rookie season, Law reported that Shaw has shown “resistance to help from the Cubs’ staff.” His approach at the plate in 2025 was “undisciplined and often defensive,” according to Law, and he wasn’t eager to make adjustments with the hitting coaches. If that’s the case, it’s easy to see why the Cubs would want to trade Shaw, but may limit his market if teams are worried about him taking the same approach in a new place.

Enright spent the last two seasons as pitching coach for the Angels. Over that stretch, the Angels posted a 4.73 ERA and a poor 20.4 percent strikeout rate. Enright will now be working primarily with minor league pitchers as Mike Maddux serves as the MLB pitching coach, so perhaps he’ll have more success in that role.

Sammons is a 30-year-old starter who made his MLB debut with the Tigers back in 2024, posting a 3.62 ERA and 18/9 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 innings. He pitched in Japan in 2025, posting a 3.78 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 73/40 K/BB ratio. He figures to just remain organizational depth for the Tigers.

Chicago continues fortifying its relief mix with Martin representing their latest middle relief lottery ticket this offseason. The 30-year-old former top pitching prospect was the centerpiece of the Zack Greinke trade between the Astros and Diamondbacks in 2019 before injuries derailed his promising trajectory. He compiled an underwhelming 6.00 ERA — 5.30 FIP — and 23/9 K/BB ratio across 18 innings over 17 appearances for the Orioles this past season in his first big-league action since the 2022 campaign.

Stoudt hasn’t resurfaced at the major-league level since making four appearances for the Reds back in 2023. The 28-year-old former pitching prospect has bounced around between a couple different organizations, including the Orioles and Mariners, over the past two seasons while pitching in relief in Triple-A. He’s merely organizational depth at this stage of his career.

Waldichuk represents an intriguing addition for Tampa Bay’s pitching development apparatus to sink their teeth into this spring. The 28-year-old former top prospect’s stuff hasn’t rebounded to pre-Tommy John surgery levels but he still offers some appeal as a potential swingman, capable of stepping into the starting rotation or gobbling up multiple innings out of the bullpen. He spent a couple weeks with the Braves after being jettisoned by the Athletics last month and hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign.

Wisely heads to Tampa Bay as a versatile utility infield option after getting into 26 games between the Braves and Giants last season, hitting .185/.279/.315 with one homer and one steal in 63 plate appearances. He offers some appeal as an experienced veteran stopgap at the highest level, but he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Bido’s stint with the Rays wound up lasting only a couple weeks after being picked up off waivers from the Braves. The 30-year-old figures to generate some interest as a versatile swingman despite recording a bloated 6.07 FIP and 68/35 K/BB ratio across 79 2/3 innings over 26 appearances for the Athletics this past season.

Cheng has been removed from Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster to make room for veteran utility infielder Brett Wisely. The 24-year-old shortstop was claimed off waivers from the Pirates last week after hitting .209/.307/.271 with one homer and 18 steals in 107 games for Triple-A Indianapolis. He got into three contests for Pittsburgh last season, going 0-for-7 at the dish.