MLB Player News

Erbe was once a pretty highly thought of prospect, but that was many years and shoulder problems ago. He’ll turn just 25 next month, so at least he still has youth on his side.

The deal is now official. Jansen takes over as the Rangers primary backstop after the club decided to move on from Jonah Heim earlier this offseason. The 30-year-old backstop hit just .215/.321/.399 with 14 round-trippers across 337 plate appearances between the Brewers and Rays this past season. He’s no longer a relevant fantasy option at this stage of his career but it’s a decent landing spot if he’s going to put together a bounce-back campaign.

The deal is now official. Alexander provides the Rangers with a versatile swingman capable of soaking up innings as a traditional starter or versatile reliever. The 31-year-old posted an inflated 4.98 ERA — 3.64 FIP — 1.40 WHIP and 82/30 K/BB ratio across 97 2/3 innings over 52 appearances between the White Sox and Brewers.

It’s an extremely rare prospect challenge trade as the Nationals ship out a talented prospect on the verge of the big leagues in exchange for Perales, who boasts triple-digit velocity and sky-high upside, if he stays healthy. The flame-throwing 22-year-old righty looked sharp in the Arizona Fall League after being limited to just three appearances this season in the upper minors while recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He could be a big-time impact arm for the rebuilding Nationals if it all comes together at the highest level.

Bennett qualifies as an interesting pickup for the Red Sox after posting a strong 2.27 ERA — 2.96 FIP — and 21.5 percent strikeout rate across 75 1/3 innings across three levels in Washington’s system this past season in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old southpaw figures to arrive at Fenway Park at some point next season. He put together an extremely impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League, piling up 25 punchouts over 20 innings of work.

Rogers provides Toronto with an elite setup specialist to help bridge the gap to closer Jeff Hoffman. The 34-year-old submariner is coming off the strongest campaign of his career where he recorded a microscopic 1.98 ERA — 2.88 FIP — and 16.1 percent strikeout rate across 77 1/3 innings over a league-high 81 appearances between the Giants and Mets. He’s been one of the most durable workhorse relievers in baseball, making a staggering 374 appearances over the past half-decade. The deal includes a $12 million vesting option for 2029 that converts after 110 appearances from 2027-2028 or 60 appearances in 2028.

Bruihl has been jettisoned from Toronto’s relief mix to make room for side-winder Tyler Rogers. The 28-year-old lefty posted a pedestrian 5.27 ERA — 4.16 FIP — and 27.7 percent strikeout rate across 13 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays this past season.

Herrera fortifies Texas’ organizational catching depth after hitting .187/.285/.259 with two homers and 17 RBI in 204 plate appearances over 57 games this past season with the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old backstop spent the first 11 seasons of his career with Arizona. He’ll serve as an emergency option for the Rangers next season behind Danny Jansen and Kyle Higashioka.

Veneziano, 28, has a 3.98 ERA and a 40/16 K/BB in 40 2/3 innings with the Royals, Marlins and Cardinals over the last three seasons. He’ll compete for a spot in a Texas bullpen that has plenty of openings at the moment.

Darvish had internal brace and flexor tendon surgery last month and will miss all of 2026. It sure sounded at the time that he intended to come back from it, but it won’t be an easy road at age 39. Darvish is owed $43 million over the next three seasons, though he might walk away if he doesn’t think he can perform.

The Phillies were never willing to give Crawford a try last season, even as he was on his way to hitting .334/.411/.452 in Triple-A. Crawford, who turns 22 next month, is a rather controversial prospect, in part because he’s an extreme groundball hitter and because his defense in center isn’t as good as his speed would suggest. Still, he hits the ball pretty hard, he’s improved his K/BB as he’s climbed the ladder and he’s an excellent basestealer. He’d have some mixed-league potential if he proves to be an everyday guy.