MLB Player News

The deal was first reported by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Cozart signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Angels back in December 2017, but he fought a number of injuries during his time in Anaheim and posted a wretched .190/.261/.296 batting line in 360 plate appearances when healthy. For the Giants, this swap is mostly about getting Wilson, the 15th overall selection in the 2019 MLB Draft. For the Angels, it’s about freeing up payroll space for a run at Gerrit Cole or Anthony Rendon.

Gambadoro notes that all is quiet on the free agent market for Gallen at the moment, which is a bit surprising considering how quickly the rest of the remaining starting pitchers have signed deals with spring camps opening around the league. The Cubs were linked to him in mid-January, but those talks seem to have fizzled. The 30-year-old hurler is the top remaining pitcher out there on the open market, so any team still looking to make a splash addition to their rotation should be interested.

The Phillies had been trying to trade the 33-year-old outfielder in order to get some cost savings on the $20 million that he’s owed for 2026, but finding no takers it sounds like they’ll just part ways instead. Castellanos hit .250/.294/.400 with 17 homers, 72 RBI and four stolen bases in 589 plate appearances during the 2025 season. It shouldn’t take him long to find work elsewhere, especially with the Phillies picking up the tab on his salary.

The 31-year-old right-hander continues to progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he’s expected to be out until at least July, which means that this move was inevitable. He should be able to provide an already stacked Dodgers’ bullpen with a boost for the second half of the 2026 season.

It seemed like an inevitability that Hernández would once again wind up back with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old utilityman is set to serve in his customary bench role and will be deployed primarily against left-handed pitchers. He can be ignored for fantasy purposes.

Schlittler also noted that he has “felt a tweak here and there”, though it’s not believed to be anything too serious. It puts the 25-year-old hurler a bit behind the other pitchers in camp as he’ll avoid throwing off of a mound for the time being, though he will continue to throw. At this point, his status for the start of the regular season is not in jeopardy.

Still just 29-years-old, Hiura has bounced around between four different organizations over the past three seasons. He spent most of the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Albuquerque for the Rockies where he slashed a solid .272/.369/.507 with 21 homers and 67 RBI in 445 plate appearances. He’ll add quality depth for the Dodgers.

The 27-year-old right-hander underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder back in October. He’s expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season while recovering from the procedure. Moving him to the 60-day injured list frees up a spot on the club’s 40-man roster for the addition of Mitch Spence on Thursday.

Causey, 23, was a fifth-round selection by the Royals from the 2024 draft class. He posted a stellar 1.72 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 75/18 K/BB ratio over 73 1/3 innings in 48 appearances between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2025. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him debut out of the A’s bullpen at some point during the 2026 season.

Spence had been designated for assignment by the Athletics earlier in the week. The 27-year-old right-hander struggled to a 5.10 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 66/22 K/BB ratio over 84 2/3 innings in 32 appearances (eight starts) with the A’s in 2025. He adds quality depth for the Royals.

The 29-year-old hurler was just claimed off of waivers from the Mariners last week, but the Twins needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to add Anthony Banda on Thursday and Kowar was the odd man out. It’s possible that he could generate interest on waivers once more.