MLB Player News

It’s a short-term guarantee for the players, but it’s another team that has agreed to continue to pay minor leaguers at least through the end of June. So far, the only team that has announced that they will stop paying prospects after May 31 is the Athletics.

That’s expected to come soon. Diaz’s DWL season ended on Dec. 17 after he was hurt sliding into second base. Manager Joe Espada said the injury factored into Diaz being left off the Dominican Republic’s WBC roster. He likely would have been the choice to split time with Austin Wells behind the plate, but Agustín Ramírez ended up getting the nod.

No word yet on the terms, but it’d be stunning if it wasn’t a one-year contract. Mikolas finished 2025 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 31 starts. The 37-year-old hasn’t carried an ERA below 4.78 since 2022. He figures to just be a depth addition or an inning eater as the Nationals continue their long rebuild.

Lauer threw 104 2/3 innings in 2025, managing a 3.18 ERA in 28 appearances while going 9-2. He was often used with an opener in 2025 and struggled to hit five innings, making him an unlikely source of wins in 2026. Still, Lauer is talented enough to remain on the mixed-league streamer radar.

A revelation in the 2025 season before going down with a rotator cuff strain, Bubic will enter his final season before free agency with a rotation spot all but assured as long as he’s healthy. He’s probably somewhere near the top-60 starters and should be drafted in most standard formats.

King had a down 2025, allowing a 4.66 ERA and eight homers in just 51 games pitched. He’ll look to rebound with the Marlins and should have a decent shot of making the Opening Day roster based on this contract.

Schumaker allowed the thought that Alexis Diaz could eventually factor into the equation too if he pitches well in Spring Training. Garcia finished 2025 with a 2.95 ERA in 71 games, but had only nine saves and took eight losses out of the bullpen. Martin finished the year with two saves and has the more established track record, but is also entering his age-40 season. This looks like a situation that has yet to fully unfold in camp, but we’d bet on Garcia to be the best bet to close as of now.

The order, assuming Francisco Lindor is healthy enough to play on Opening Day, would be Lindor, Juan Soto batting second, and then Bichette hitting third. Presumably, Jorge Polanco would follow Bichette in the cleanup spot. It seems likely that Bichette will get plenty of RBI opportunities batting behind Soto, should this order come to fruition.

Sánchez hit .231/.297/.418 for the Orioles last year, in 101 plate appearances, missing a lot of the season with a knee sprain, and played for the Brewers in 2024. The 33-year-old would seem likely to be their backup catcher behind William Contreras should this agreement be finalized.

It was mentioned as a possibility yesterday, it graduated to “happening” today. Lindor is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season based on the timeline shared yesterday, but as we mentioned then, hamate bone injuries can negatively affect power output for months to come. His fantasy stock has definitely taken a bit of a downturn based on this news despite the fact that he might not miss any action.

It was a fun five days on the active roster. We’ll see if any other team wants to take a gander on Rortvedt’s one-year, $1.25 million contract on waivers. If not, he’ll likely remain with the Dodgers.