MLB Player News

Kelly gave up five hits, walked one and struck out seven. The 36-year-old right-hander has allowed more than two runs only three times in 12 starts since the beginning of July. Kelly has a 3.16 ERA and 156/47 K/BB ratio in 171 innings this year. He’s lined up to face the Brewers at home next week.

Lavender was the Rays’ Rule 5 draft pick and missed 2025 while recovering from an internal brace procedure. He’ll provide some depth — assuming good health — for the Mets’ minor-league staff to open 2026.

As expected, it was a landslide, with the right-hander taking all 30 first-place votes. Cristopher Sánchez received all 30 second-place votes, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto finished third. Skenes finished with a win-loss record of just 10-10, but voters saw through it with a 1.97 ERA, 216/42 K/BB over his 187 2/3 innings with the Pirates. It’s the second time a player has won the award a year after winning the Cy Young, joining Doc Gooden. He’ll deservedly be one of the first pitchers off the board come 2026.

Skubal beat out finalists Garret Crochet and Hunter Brown to win his second consecutive Cy Young. Skubal received 26 of the 30 first-place votes, with Crochet getting the other four. He’s the first to do it in the American League since Pedro Martinez back in 1999-2000, which is pretty good company. Skubal finished 2025 with a 241/33 K/BB ratio and 2.59 ERA, and while there’s some question as to where he’ll be playing in 2026, he’ll be well worth taking early in every league he’s eligible to play in.

Taylor forged a 4.91 ERA and 54/15 K/BB over his 36 2/3 innings with the White Sox in 2025. The right-hander has the stuff to be a starter, but it sounds like Chicago is more comfortable using him out of the bullpen at this stage of his career. Unless it’s pitching at the end of games, there’s very little fantasy appeal; even with the ability to miss bats.

Hader, 31, missed the final six-plus weeks with a strain in his left shoulder. Brown told reporters that the stopper was “progressing well” in his recovery. There’s a good chance Hander will be ready to roll for the start of the 2026 season, assuming no setbacks.

Elias also noted there’s a chance Bautista could miss the entirety of 2026 after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. Elias noted that the Orioles are expected to target high-leverage options in the bullpen because of how much time Bautista will miss. When healthy he’s among the best relievers in the sport, but there’s no real reason to count on Bautista in 2026 from a fantasy perspective.

Alvarez is expected to be ready to go for the start of spring training after suffering an ankle injury in the middle of September that cost him the rest of the season. The 28-year-old also missed significant time with a broken hand, but when healthy, there aren’t many better offensive players in the sport.

The Rays announced that it was a release to allow Seymour to pursue an opportunity to play in Asia. He put up monster numbers in the minors, but was awful in his limited chances with the Rays as seen in a .535 OPS in his 83 plate appearances once he joined Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old should be able to put up some monster power numbers in Japan or Korea.

Jankowski bounced around organizations in 2025, and apparently has hung up the cleats. The 34-year-old will be part of Skip Schumaker’s staff for the 2026 campaign.

Gonsolin was designated for assignment by the Dodgers at the start of November. The 31-year-old is going to miss a large portion of 2026 after undergoing an internal brace procedure on his right elbow, so he’s likely looking at an incentive-laden deal that pays him more in 2027 than next season.