MLB Player News

It’s not out of the question that Tong could ascend to the majors before the end of the year, but the Mets have an extremely crowded rotation mix and little incentive to push him too aggressively. The 22-year-old righty notched his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the season on Saturday and is up to 107 punchouts over 67 innings of work at the Double-A level. He’s one of the most intriguing pitching prospects in the fantasy landscape based on his ability to miss bats. He’s a name to watch in the second half of the year, even in standard re-draft formats.

That’s a big arbitration salary, but Singer is a former Super Two player, which bumped him up some, with a whole lot of quantity under his belt; he’s made 156 starts and pitched 855 innings since debuting during the shortened 2020. He’ll be eligible for free agency for the first time at age 30 next winter.

Lodolo had a 3.33 ERA and a 156/31 K/BB over 156 2/3 innings last season in his first year of arbitration. He’s currently slated to hit free agency after the 2027 season, though the Reds should make some attempt to lock him up before then.

Santillan was finally able to put in a full season for the Reds in 2025 and had a 2.44 ERA in 73 2/3 innings out of the pen. His total of 40 saves (seven) plus holds (33) was tied with Robert Suarez (40 saves) for third in the majors behind Abner Uribe (seven saves, 37 holds) and Carlos Estévez (42 saves). He’ll again be penciled into a setup role in front of Emilio Pagán this year.

Herget, a 32-year-old journeyman, had a 2.48 ERA in 83 1/3 innings out of the pen last season, which probably made him the Rockies’ second-best player behind Hunter Goodman. He spoke last month about potentially joining the rotation in 2026, but it’s unclear if there’s much chance of that happening. He’s slated to have one more year of arbitration in 2027.

Freeman had a solid .281/.354/.361 line over 110 games in his first season in Colorado, but his outfield defense was enough of a problem to turn him into more of a DH as the season went along. We’re not hearing that it’s the plan, but it’d make sense for the Rockies to give him a look back at second base this season. He’s probably the team’s best option in the leadoff spot, and he could offer some mixed-league value if he’s an everyday guy, though that’s in considerable doubt at the moment.

Bernardino qualified as a Super Two player after posting a 3.14 ERA in 51 2/3 innings for the Red Sox last season, so he’ll earn about $150,000 more than he would have made with three fewer weeks of service time. He’s likely to contend for a setup role after being picked up by the Rockies in a November trade.

That takes care of the Dodgers’ arbitration eligibles for 2026. Banda gets a $625,000 raise for his 3.18 ERA in 65 innings last season. Although he debuted back in 2017 with the Diamondbacks, he’s only at four-plus years of service time, meaning he’ll again be arbitration eligible in 2027.

Jeffers, 28, went from 21 homers in 2024 to nine last season, but it kind of seems like a fluke; his exit velocity numbers were mostly better in 2025. It’s his walk year, so he could be a trade candidate in July if the Twins aren’t contending.

A fine starter in 2023 and ’24, Ober lost velocity and wound up with a 5.10 ERA and just a 19% strikeout rate last season, clouding his future. If he gets the velocity back, he could be a bargain in spring drafts, but nothing from his 2025 was encouraging at all.

Larnach managed a middling .250/.323/.404 line in 567 plate appearances last season, making him a non-tender candidate in November. The Twins, though, thought it was worth giving him one more try, even though they have an abundance of young outfielders looking for opportunities in the near future. He’ll open the season as either the left fielder or DH against righties.