MLB Player News

McKenzie headlines a group of 19 players who elected minor league free agency earlier this week, including catcher Matt Thaiss; infielders Scott Kingery, Keston Hiura, Sergio Alcántara, Terrin Vavra and Vimael Machín; outfielders Jose Siri, Connor Joe and Jordyn Adams; and relievers Noah Davis, Scott Blewett, Brooks Kriske, Kevin Herget, Cionel Pérez, Darren McCaughan, Richard Lovelady, José Ruiz and Jordan Weems.

Uceta, who had a 3.79 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 76 innings out of the Rays pen in 2025, was supposed to be a closer candidate last season. Instead, he missed the entire year after coming down with a sore shoulder in spring training, and now it sounds like he’s out until at least June next year.

The 6-foot-8 Petit, who had a 2.44 ERA in 66 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A in 2025, was the first pick in last year’s Rule 5 draft, but he tore his UCL in March and required Tommy John surgery. The Rockies have decided against putting him back on their 40-man and he cleared waivers, so now he’s back with the Tigers. Assuming they decline to add him to their 40-man later this month, he’ll again be Rule 5 eligible.

Rivera was designated for assignment on Monday so the Red Sox could get down to their 40-man roster limit. It makes some sense that the Cardinals would want him, since Chaim Bloom used to be the chief baseball officer in Boston and still has connections to personnel there. Rivera is a 23-year-old with a big fastball, but he will now be on his third organization and has yet to establish consistent production. It’s not a bad gamble for the Cardinals to take. Garcia is an 18-year-old right-hander who pitched to a 4.40 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 39/10 K/BB ratio in 43 innings in the Dominican Summer League this year.

Kanzler has spent the past three seasons as the Cubs’ director of player development. The 36-year-old was a 20th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2013 MLB Draft and played three seasons in the minors, primarily as a center fielder. Kanzler is the 22nd manager in Mariners’ franchise history and will be the second-youngest manager in the Majors behind 34-year-old Nationals manager Blake Butera, who was 33 at the time he was hired.

Roby missed the second half of 2025 and all of 2026 after having Tommy John surgery, so the Cardinals made a plan for him to make three starts in the Arizona Fall League. In those starts, he allowed no runs on six hits (all singles) in 9 2/3 innings while striking out 13 and walking one. “I was very pleased with the results, and also my own evaluations...That’s what this was about, pitching against hitters with a pitch clock rolling and guys on base. I was really happy I got to pitch with some traffic,” Roby said. He’s unlikely to begin 2027 in the Cardinals’ rotation given how much time he missed, but he could be an option soon after if he begins the season well at Triple-A.

This is the upper range of the deal and would also include the $19.125 million that the MLB team that signs Sato needs to send to the Hansin Tigers. McDaniel acknowledges that Schwarber is a proven player, while Sato is now, but Schwarber also signed that contract at 33 years old, while Sato is 28 years old and also won an NPB Gold Glove in 2025, so there is some defensive potential with his elite raw power. He figures to attract a lot of attention from MLB teams, but he has significant swing-and-miss potential too.

Crow-Armstrong took the senior circuit by storm this past season and is the overwhelming favorite to claim MVP honors after authoring a phenomenal 45-homer, 41-steal campaign. The 24-year-old finished as the most impactful hitter in the fantasy landscape while continuing to establish himself as one of the premier defensive center fielders in the game. He’s also just beginning to enter his physical prime, making this season feel more the start of his ascent rather than a metaphorical peak. Ohtani appeared poised to claim MVP honors for the fifth time in his remarkable career, thanks in large part to his extraordinary early-season work on the mound, before knee and biceps issues kept him from pitching in the second half.

The Alvarez versus Caminero debate was a scorching and divisive one for most of the summer, but Houston’s middle-of-the-order force seemingly did enough to hold off Tampa Bay’s rising superstar. Alvarez led the majors in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing .316/.432/.601 with 105 runs scored, a career-high 42 home runs and 106 RBI across 158 games. Caminero topped the 40 home run mark for the second consecutive season, leading the Rays to a remarkable 98-win season and another AL East division title.

Misiorowski is the overwhelming favorite to take home the hardware after establishing himself as the most dominant starter in baseball, forging a microscopic 1.80 ERA (2.12 xERA), 0.80 WHIP and 252/44 K/BB ratio across 174 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old flamethrower recorded 10 double-digit strikeout performances and allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but two of his 30 starts. Sale continued his remarkable late-career renaissance in Atlanta, delivering another stellar campaign with a 2.16 ERA (2.97 xERA), 0.98 WHIP and 200/31 K/BB ratio across 162 2/3 innings over 27 starts. He would have been the choice in just about any other season, but Misiorowski made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to an outright force of nature.

This one won’t be particularly close. Schlittler seems like a near-lock to take home his first Cy Young Award after posting a pristine 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 239/49 K/BB ratio across 193 2/3 innings over 33 starts. The 25-year-old rising star will be at the front of New York’s rotation for years to come. Messick put together one of the more impressive rookie campaigns in recent years, but he’s going to finish a distant third in balloting. Cease was the only real challenger to Schlittler in this race, posting an impressive 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 239/78 K/BB ratio across 169 innings over 29 starts in his Blue Jays debut.