MLB Player News

Yastrzemski wound up hitting .232/.355/.477 with eight homers in 50 games for the Royals, giving his stock a little boost as he heads off into free agency for the first time. One imagines the Royals will show some interest in bringing him back as a platoon outfielder. He lacks upside, but he’s been one of the game’s most consistent hitters since debuting as a 28-year-old rookie in 2019. With the win, the Royals finished 82-80, giving them consecutive winning seasons after seven in a row with losing records.

Hanner, who turns 27 in February, joins the Yankees after finishing last season with a 4.74 ERA and a 62/25 K/BB in 49 1/3 innings out of the pen for the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate. His low arm angle and big sweeper make him pretty tough against righties. Lefties, though, had six homers and a 1.078 OPS against him last season.

ESPN’s Jesse Rogers says it’s a one-year contract worth about $3 million. Leiter was non-tendered by the Yankees after putting up a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 innings last season. He also had a 4.50 ERA in 2024, but between the two seasons, he’s struck out 140 batters in 106 1/3 innings. He’d become the immediate favorite to close in a pretty barren A’s pen, but we imagine they’ll add a better candidate prior to spring training.

He added that the Tigers were intrigued by the possibility of a deal with the Dodgers, though he still doesn’t think Skubal will be traded this winter. It’s going to be very difficult to come up with a deal that makes sense for both the Tigers, who very much want to contend in 2026, and a suitor that knows it would only be getting baseball’s best pitcher for one year prior to free agency.

In another timeline, Dahl is probably signing a $100 million contract this winter. In this one, though, he was never able to stay healthy enough to play in more than 100 major league games in a year. Colorado’s first pick in the 2012 draft, he hit .297/.346/.521 through his first three big-league seasons and made an All-Star appearance in 2019, but the Rockies gave up on him after a rough 2020 season, and he went on to play in just 86 more major league games for the Rangers, Padres and Phillies.

It seems highly unlikely that the Cubs will trade Hoerner, unless it comes after a move to sign Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette. Matt Shaw would seem to be the odd man out in such a scenario, but the Cubs might then be open to trading Hoerner, who is one year away from free agency, and keeping Shaw in the lineup. Hoerner, 28, had a career-high 114 OPS+ last season and won his second Gold Glove at second base. He could also slot in at shortstop on another team.

Snider busted out in 2024, posting a 1.94 ERA and a 47/13 K/BB in 41 2/3 innings for the Mariners, but he showed up with diminished velocity last spring and struggled for two months before going on the IL with a flexor strain. He resumed pitching in mid-July, but the Mariners never activated him, and he cleared waivers before finishing the season in Triple-A. If his stuff comes back, he could be of a lot of help in the Cubs pen.

The deal, agreed to nine days ago, is now official. It sounds like Ponce is pretty much guaranteed a rotation spot, which could get awkward unless José Berríos is traded. The former Brewers prospect is coming off one of the best seasons in KBO history, having gone 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and a 252/41 K/BB in 180 2/3 innings for Hanwha. In a nice situation in Toronto, he’ll be worth trying late in mixed-league drafts.

It clears space on the 40-man roster for Mike Yastrzemski. Siani was claimed off waivers in November from the Cardinals, and because he’s such a strong defensive player, there’s a good chance he’s claimed again before the end of December.

The club option is for $7 million and contains a $4 million buyout. The veteran outfielder should be in the lineup on a consistent basis against right-handers, but doesn’t offer a ton of fantasy upside as a player who will turn 36 in August with so-so results over his last few campaigns.

The deal also contains a club option for 2028, according to Passan. Yastrzemski spent 2025 with the Royals and Giants and hit 17 homers while stealing seven bases in 146 games with the two clubs. The 35-year-old will likely be in the lineup against right-handed pitching, and doesn’t project to be much more than a bench piece in fantasy lineups outside of NL-only formats.