MLB Player News

Will Vest appeared to be unavailable tonight after throwing 32 pitches the previous two days. Pitching in a 1-0 game, Kahnle walked a batter with two outs, but he retired the other three guys he faced. He’ll likely get to rest Sunday after working back-to-back days, but West should be back if there’s a save chance.

There is no timeline beyond that, so the shortstop’s return will depend on how his off-season recovery goes. The Yankees went from insisting Volpe wasn’t playing through an injury to likely being without their starting shortstop for at least the first month of the season. Jose Caballero figures to begin the year at short for the Yankees, unless they make a move in the off-season.

The last we heard, the team expected Cole to be facing hitters in spring training but be delayed to start the year. Now it seems like the veteran right-hander will miss the first two months of the year. Given what we have seen from pitchers coming back off of a full year lost to Tommy John surgery, Cole shouldn’t be drafted in redraft leagues before a later-round flyer.

We already knew that the left-hander was unlikely to be ready for the start of the season, but now we have a more firm timeline. Given Rodón‘s lengthy injury history, we would assume he doesn’t debut until May. He would present a major risk/reward for fantasy managers who are willing to roll the dice after he had bone spurs removed from his elbow this off-season

Soroka had moments of success in 2025 but also struggled with multiple injuries. He was particularly strong in the second half of the season, posting a 2.01 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 21/10 K/BB ratio in 22.1 innings. He was also particularly effective out of the bullpen in 2024, so it remains to be seen how the Diamondbacks plan to use him, but we would assume he will at least begin the season in the Diamondbacks’ rotation.

Campbell struggled in his first taste of MLB action, but the former top-20 overall prospect has revamped his swing, simplifying his load and the jerky action of his arms. That and his adding muscle have the Red Sox betting on a bounce-back season. Campbell is now allegedly a full-time outfielder, and the Red Sox could trade Jarren Duran this offseason, which would open up a spot on the roster for Campbell in 2026.

Lin is quick to point out that a deal isn’t likely, but the Padres are desperate to fill out their thin starting rotation and add an impact bat, so they might need to trade a controllable asset like Pivetta to fill multiple roster spots. There is also the risk of losing Pivetta for nothing. The 32-year-old has two years and $32 million remaining on his contract, but he can opt out of the deal after this year, which he might do if he has another strong season. “Trading Pivetta could give the Padres payroll flexibility and resources to pursue multiple controllable starters,” so this remains a situation to monitor.

Bader is primarily known for his defense, which makes sense for the Giants since Jung Hoo Lee has graded out poorly in center field since coming to the States. However, Bader is also coming off one of his best offensive seasons, hitting .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers in 501 plate appearances for the Twins and Phillies. He has shown flashes of solid production when healthy in the past and could be a decent signing for the Giants.

Valdez is also known to have had conversations with the Orioles and Mets. No word yet on if he’s at the winter meetings, but since he’s the top arm left with Dylan Cease having signed, there are certainly a bunch of other starting pitchers that would like to see him sign quickly and open up the market.

Tucker lives near Tampa and recently visited the Jays’ facility in Dunedin, so one would think the Yankees might want to arrange something similar. Still, Bellinger might be more of a priority at this point. Cashman is hoping to re-sign Bellinger to play left field, even though he admits his offense is a little too left-handed at the moment.

The report says it’s probably worth more than $100 million. Of course, it’s going to be tough for the Pirates to land a free agent like Schwarber, not only because they’re the Pirates but also because their ballpark isn’t very hitter friendly and especially not home run friendly (although at least it’s better for lefties than righties in that regard). As they’ve already done once this winter, their best hope is probably to trade pitching for hitting and then perhaps they could spend to fortify their rotation afterwards.