MLB Player News

Valdez was designated for assignment by Detroit on June 1 to clear a 40-man roster spot for Bobby Parnell. The right-hander had an ugly 4.50 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 16/12 K/BB ratio in 20 innings of relief this season between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.

Davidson last appeared in the majors in 2024 before pitching in Korea last season. In the KBO, he posted a 3.65 ERA in 123 1/3 innings across 22 starts. He has a 5.76 ERA career across 129 2/3 innings in the big leagues.

Sikkema pitched for the Reds in 2025, posting a 4.57 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 72/31 K/BB ratio in 86 2/3 innings across Double-A and Triple-A. Interestingly, Sikkema was traded from the Yankees to the Royals in 2022 for Andrew Benintendi, who was once one of Boston’s best players. Sikkema has not panned out as the Yankees, Royals, or Reds had hoped, but he’ll get another chance in Boston.

The Cardinals claimed Kent off waivers from the Guardians on December 5th, but will now have to waive him to make room for another former Guardians reliever, Justin Bruihl, who they traded for on Tuesday. Kent had a 2.84 ERA in Triple-A in 2025 and should find a home somewhere.

The Guardians acquired Bruihl from the Blue Jays on December 17th and then designated him for assignment three days later. The left-hander has a 4.72 ERA in 89 2/3 major league innings.

With Kazuma Okamoto now in Toronto, the only spot for Bichette is at second base, and the Blue Jays have Ernie Clement currently slotted in to play there. Rosenthal believes that the Blue Jays would be more inclined to let Bichette walk and try to spend money to bring Kyle Tucker on board. If the Blue Jays are out on Bichette, that would leave the Yankees, Cubs, Phillies, and Red Sox, who reportedly prefer to add Alex Bregman.

Torres last pitched in 2024 for the Los Angeles Angels, throwing 42 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 63/30 K/BB ratio in 33 appearances.

With Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai no longer on the market, Valdez and Suarez are likely the two biggest starting pitcher names being discussed. Neither one of them may be viewed as a traditional ace, but the Mets need proven, frontline starting pitching, and both of these veterans would fit the bill. For what it’s worth, Olney believes Suarez is the better fit for the Mets given his calm presence on the mound and his experience pitching in a big market in Philadelphia for his entire career.

Olney speculates that the deal could be something in the range of the six-year, $171.5 million offer that the Tigers made to Bregman last season. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers also said that many believe Bregman and Boston “need each other, given the leadership and production he supplied for the Red Sox last season.” There are certainly other teams in the mix, like the Diamondbacks, but the Red Sox remain firmly in the hunt to retain their third baseman.

This is the same salary that Crawford made in 2025 despite missing the entire season with knee and wrist injuries. The 29-year-old was valuable for the Red Sox in the first half of the 2024 season before fatigue and injuries led to a performance dip. He has experience as both a starting pitcher and a multi-inning reliever, so there’s a good chance he returns to being a key contributor for the Red Sox in 2026.

Malloy was designated for assignment by the Tigers late in December, but the two teams were able to facilitate a trade before he went through waivers. The 25-year-old hit .221/.346/.308 in 127 plate appearances for the Tigers last season, but he also hit .322/.453/.502 with nine home runs and six steals in 72 games at Triple-A. He has tremendous plate discipline and has never been able to pull the ball in the Majors at the same rate that he did in Triple-A, so you can see why Tampa Bay felt like taking a shot on him. He has two more option years, so he does not have to make the big league club out of spring training.