MLB Player News

It’s the worst-possible outcome for Gurriel, who will obviously miss the rest of the current season and figures to be sidelined into 2026 as well. The 31-year-old outfielder suffered the injury on a non-contact play during Monday’s game against the Rangers whole trying to avoid a collision in left-center field with teammate Blaze Alexander, who was making his first-ever start in the outfield. There should be a definitive return timetable once he undergoes season-ending surgery.

One would think the younger Contreras would be Venezuela’s catcher of choice, though that is the team’s deepest position; Salvaldor Perez has been the mainstay for the club, and the country has also produced Gabriel Moreno, Francisco Alvarez, Carlos Narváez and Freddy Fermin. Neither Contreras brother played for the team last time around in 2023. Willson could be the team’s best choice at first if he wants to play this time.

It’ll be interesting to hear what this is about. Freeman played for Canada in the 2017 and ’23 WBCs, going a combined 4-for-21 in six games.

Díaz reportedly got $69 million over three years from the Dodgers. His exit means that Devin Williams, who signed a three-year, $51 million deal with deferrals that brought its value down to about $45 million, probably will be the Mets’ closer. Perhaps there’s still some chance the team could sign Robert Suarez to pitch the ninth.

That seems like a big loss for the Pirates, as pitching development is the one thing they’ve done fairly well of late. Bleich immediately joined the Pirates after retiring in 2019. The 38-year-old was the 44th overall pick in the 2008 draft, taken by the Yankees out of Stanford. He very briefly made the majors in 2018, only to give up two runs in one-third of an inning in his lone appearance for the A’s.

This finalizes a deal agreed to a week ago. Weiss topped out in Triple-A with the Diamondbacks and Royals before pitching in Taiwan in 2023 and Korea the last two season. 2025 was his breakthrough campaign, as he went 16-5 with a 2.87 ERA and a 207/56 K/BB in 178 2/3 innings for Hanwha. The Astros will have the 28-year-old contend for a rotation spot in spring training.

The Yankees, too, of course. The Kyle Schwarber re-signing might take the Phillies out of the mix, but Bellinger has a wide range of suitors, regardless, and figures to command at least a five-year deal at age 30.

Sammon makes it clear that the Mets aren’t actively shopping Peterson, but they would move the 2025 All-Star if it helps them fill needs elsewhere, like to acquire an outfielder to replace Brandon Nimmo. Since coming back from hip surgery after the 2023 season, Peterson has a 3.67 ERA in just under 300 innings and is likely to earn $7.6 million in arbitration in 2026, so he would be extremely affordable for whatever team wanted to acquire him. That also means the Mets would “hold a high asking price” in any deal.

Quite the morning for the Phillies, who have also reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with slugger Kyle Schwarber. Thomson has thrived since taking over for Joe Girardi during the 2022 season, posting a 346-251 (.580) record. The Phillies have won back-to-back NL East championships, but that regular season excellence hasn’t gotten them back to the World Series. With this new contract, Thomson will try to finish the job.

The big moves keep on coming. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Díaz will get a three-year deal worth $69 million, which sets a new AAV (average annual value) record for a reliever at $23 million. Díaz also held the previous record AAV at $20.4 million. Apparently the Mets just weren’t willing to go that high. Regardless, it always made sense that the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers would make a play, as their bullpen was the glaring weakness for the club in 2025. It’s safe to say they satisfied that need. After an up-and-down first season back from knee surgery in 2024, the 31-year-old Díaz posted a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves and 98/21 K/BB ratio over 66 1/3 innings this past season. He’s quite simply one of the best in the game.

Schwarber received plenty of interest on the open market, but he ultimately will return to Philadelphia, where he was the NL MVP runner-up in 2025 after hitting .240/.365/.563 with 56 home runs and an NL-leading 132 RBIs. There was some thought that his being 33 years old and only a designated hitter would hurt his value on the market, but that was clearly not the case, as he’ll get $30 million a season until he’s 38 years old. This is great news for the Phillies, and fantasy managers know what to expect from Schwarber in a Phillies uniform. Passan indicates that his signing could also “accelerate” the free agent market.