MLB Player News

Ramos, who is batting .257/.332/.390, hits the ball hard and has improved his strikeout rate this year, but because he’s a weak defender who doesn’t do the little things very well, he’s going to end this year with right around 1.0 WAR in 700 plate appearances. The Giants can’t and won’t bail on him, but much as with Patrick Bailey, he doesn’t seem like the building block that he appeared to be a year ago.

Cotillo writes that the Red Sox are trying to add a left-hander to their bullpen, and notes that Justin Wilson is also a target of the team, among others. Coulombe struggled and dealt with an injury after being dealt to Texas at the deadline, but he’s been one of the better southpaw relievers over the past few seasons prior to those scuffles.

Ken Rosenthal notes that the expectation is that he will play first base in 2026. Morel was non-tendered by the Rays after slashing just .208/.277/.355 over 154 games in Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old will have a chance to earn consistent playing time with Miami and offers some power upside, but there’s more risk than reward in his profile.

Passan notes that the extension will also have a club option for a sixth season. Garcia was excellent in 2025 with a .286/.351/449 slash along with 16 homers and 23 stolen bases over his 160 games. He also was a deserved Gold Glove winner at third base, and he and Bobby Witt Jr. will make up one of the better left sides of an infield for the foreseeable future.

Newman will get a chance to win a job with the Royals in spring training. The former first-round pick was atrocious in his limited action with the Angels last year as seen in a slash of .202/.209/.272.

Vogt and the Guardians never made the news public, but the winner of back-to-back AL Manager of the Year awards will not have 2026 be the final year of his contract. The 41-year-old will be tasked with trying to get Cleveland into the postseason for a third-consecutive season this summer.

Robert has been the subject of trade speculation over the last few years, but it appears this winter we might see the White Sox actually pull the trigger. The Mets would make sense, but Heyman notes that in order for New York to give up their top prospects, the White Sox would need to send some cash back. That’s not a very Jerry Reinsdorf thing to do. The Padres have also been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Robert, among others.

Waites represents a low-risk dart throw for Detroit’s relief mix after spending most of the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign. The hard-throwing 27-year-old made a handful of rehab appearances last season in San Francisco’s system and should be ready to compete for a spot in the Tigers’ bullpen in spring training.

Feinsand adds that the deal includes $1 million in performance-based incentives. Thomas heads to Kansas City following an injury plagued final season in Cleveland where he battled plantar fasciitis, which limited him to just 39 games, before undergoing foot surgery in late September. The 30-year-old outfielder should be a full-go in time for spring training and figures to take over as the club’s starting center fielder. He offers realistic 20-homer, 30-steal upside in an everyday role and projects as a strong bounce-back candidate for fantasy purposes, if he’s put the lingering foot issues to bed.

The deal is now official. Holderman is coming off a disappointing final season with the Pirates where he posted a bloated 7.01 ERA (5.86 FIP) and 14.4 percent strikeout rate over 25 2/3 innings before being non-tendered last month. The 30-year-old represents a worthwhile reclamation project for Cleveland’s pitching apparatus since he holds a solid 4.13 ERA (4.01 FIP) over 161 1/3 innings in the majors since 2022. He’ll operate in middle relief for the Guardians helping bridge the gap to closer Cade Smith.

Velazquez bolsters Texas’s middle infield depth behind Corey Seager entering spring training. The light-hitting 31-year-old represents a decent emergency stopgap solution having appeared in 275 games in the big leagues since 2018. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since getting into 54 contests for the Angels back in 2023. He hit .242/.304/.345 with five homers and 25 steals in 368 plate appearances over 106 games at the Triple-A level this past season.