MLB Player News

As the Rays have ordained, Boyle came on in relief to pitch in bulk following starter Drew Rasmussen. This plan has been in an effort to limit Rasmussen’s workload after his third major arm surgery, but labored through his two innings of work and still through 53 pitches. Regardless, this outing was the first time Boyle has faced any resistance in the big leagues this season. The Red Sox put traffic on the bases every inning and Boyle was fortunate to only allow the __ runs, thanks in part to some timely double plays and fantastic defense overall. His ___ swings-and-misses were out of the norm as well considering how impressive he’s been so far this season. Fenway Park is a difficult place to pitch though and this Red Sox lineup has been scalding hot, so this iffy outing shouldn’t alter our view of Boyle much.

Takahashi is holding out for something better prior to his Sunday deadline for finalizing a deal with an MLB club, but teams probably aren’t seeing much of a ceiling here. The 28-year-old right-hander went 8-9 with a 3.04 ERA and an 88/41 K/BB in 148 innings for Seibu last season. The 14.3% strikeout rate was the lowest mark of his career, and he’s never topped 20% in seven seasons in Japan.

That’s a huge get for Mexico. They did get a quality performance from Austin Barnes behind the plate last time around, but Barnes is pretty much out of the league at this point. Mexico has also confirmed that Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran will participate once again. Duran backed up Alek Thomas in 2023, but he’ll surely be a lineup fixture this time around. One big remaining question is whether Isaac Paredes will be allowed to participate while coming off his hamstring injury.

It’s a three-year, $54 million deal with easily reached bonuses that will net Imai an extra $3 million per season if he stays relatively healthy (he needs only to reach 100 innings each year). It includes opt outs after each season, so Imai will probably head right back to free agency if he performs as a rookie. The Astros needed to replace Framber Valdez, and Imai is plenty intriguing while coming off a season in which he posted a 1.92 ERA and a 178/45 K/BB in 163 2/3 innings for the Seibu Lions. The 27-year-old throws in the mid-90s and mixes in sliders and splitters from a low arm angle. With his command having taken a big step forward, he projects as a fine middle-of-the-rotation starter in MLB, though he’ll probably be a better bet in year two than in 2026.

It’ll be a two-year, minor league deal. The surgery was previously unreported, but it’s not a big surprise after the right-hander missed much of 2025 with elbow inflammation. The 27-year-old Winckowski had a 4.20 ERA in 21 starts and 100 relief appearances over four seasons with the Red Sox before being non-tendered last month.

Enright had Tommy John surgery in October, so he’s out for 2026. He also had to overcome Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier in his career, but he pitched quite well in his major league debut last season, posting a 2.03 ERA and a 30/12 K/BB in 31 innings. He’ll be 30 when he returns in 2027, but he might yet turn out to be a quality reliever for a few years.

If all goes well, Eflin could be part of the season-opening rotation, but it’s also possible he’ll start off on the injured list. Eflin re-signed with the Orioles on Sunday after becoming a free agent at season’s end. He’s guaranteed $10 million next season, with a chance to earn up to an additional $5 million if he proves healthy.

MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says it’s a done deal, and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman says Mahle will be guaranteed $10 million. Probably not what Giants fans were hoping for in the rotation after a similar addition in Adrian Houser, but maybe there’s still more to come. Mahle did put up a 2.18 ERA in his 16 starts for the Rangers last season, but his peripherals were unimpressive, and he again dealt with shoulder problems. Having undergone Tommy John in 2023, he’s made a total of 24 starts the last three years, and his velocity last season was down two mph from his one completely healthy and productive season with the Reds in 2021.

He can make an extra $1.5 million in bonuses, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. When he wasn’t on the IL with shoulder and groin injuries, Harvey threw 10 2/3 scoreless innings for the Royals last season, though his velocity was down about two mph. He has a career 3.11 ERA in 185 innings since debuting with the Orioles in 2019. He’ll probably be helpful in a setup role when healthy.

The sixth overall pick in the 2018 draft, Kelenic was a consensus top-10 prospect five years ago, but he’s hit just .211/.282/.376 in 1,488 major league plate appearances with the Mariners and Braves. He spent most of last year in Triple-A and further drove down his stock by batting .213/.286/.309 with four homers in 95 games for Gwinnett. He’s still only 26, and there’s always the chance he could take a step forward. However, it’s hard to find much reason for optimism at this point.

The 31-year-old Hernandez, a slider specialist with an 89-92 mph fastball, has a 7.06 ERA in 21 2/3 major league innings with the Padres and Astros. He’ll compete for a spot in the A’s bullpen during spring training.