MLB Player News

Bourgeois took batting practice Saturday for the first time since the Astros’ homestand began on Thursday. He came on as a pinch-runner Saturday and stayed in to take a few at-bats, so the wrist clearly isn’t a major issue.

With the transaction official, Weaver goes into the 40-man spot opened up by the Jeff McNeil trade. The 32-year-old figures to pitch in front of Devin Williams with the Mets, just as he did with the Yankees at the beginning of last season. Primarily a starter previously, he had a 3.21 ERA, 12 saves, 43 holds and a 175/46 K/BB over 148 2/3 innings in his two years in the Bronx.

The Athletics needed a spot on the 40-man roster after acquiring Jeff McNeil, so Waldichuk was let go. The 27-year-old missed all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so it’s unlikely anybody will claim him on waivers. He will then decide if he wants to stay in the Athletics’ organization or try his luck elsewhere.

Rodriguez is just 17 years old and has pitched 15 1/3 innings in the Dominican Summer League, so this is the epitome of a flyer for the Mets. Considering the Mets also sent money to the Athletics, this move was all about moving on from McNeil and clearing space on the roster. It will take another 2-3 years before we have any idea what type of pitcher Rodriguez will become.

This deal was reported earlier in the day and is now official. It seems likely that McNeil will shift back to the infield for the Athletics and take over the starting second base job. While contact skills remain, McNeil’s production has fallen off from his strong 2022 season. Playing in a minor league ballpark might help him a bit, but the smaller field will actually mean less room in the gap which could hurt his batting average upside more than you’d think.

The details are not yet known, but we do know that the deal is a major league one. Pop only pitched 6 2/3 innings in the big leagues last year, but he allowed 11 earned runs on 15 hits. In his career, he has a 4.88 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 126/55 K/BB ratio in 162 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

The move was announced last week and is now official. Griffin had a 1.62 ERA and a 77/18 K/BB in 78 innings as a starter in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants last season, thanks in large part to revamping his secondary pitches. Over his three seasons in Japan, he went 18–10 with a 2.57 ERA in 54 starts. That success and his contract should give him a chance to win a spot in the Nationals’ rotation to open the season.

Refsnyder has spent the last four seasons with the Red Sox, all of which he served in a part-time role, playing primarily against lefties. That is where the 34-year-old shines, slashing .302/.399/.560 against lefties last year with seven home runs and a .259 ISO. However, for his career, Refsnyder hits just .229/.301/.332 against righties with a 25 percent strikeout rate. The Mariners will use him on the short side of a platoon with Dominic Canzone, who could open as the starting designated hitter.

Dickerson last played for the Nationals in 2023, where he hit .252/.285/.357 with two homers and 17 RBI in 151 plate appearances. He finishes his playing career with a .280/.323/.476 slash line in 1,084 games with 136 home runs, 469 RBI, and 30 steals.

This would make sense considering the Mets actually gave the Athletics cash to encourage them to take McNeil in a trade. It seems that the Mets were eager to move on from McNeil, which might mean that they have an intended replacement for him. However, that would also mean the Mets are looking to put Marte back in center field, where he last played in 2023. Nothing is imminent, but this remains a situation to monitor and there are a lot of moving pieces here.

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.