MLB Player News

The new deal ostensibly replaces Pérez’s $13.5 million club option for next season and keeps him in Kansas City through at least 2027, increasing the likelihood that he finishes his career with the Royals. The 35-year-old ironman eclipsed the 30-homer mark for the second time in his 14-year career last season and remains one of the game’s most durable backstops. He’ll head into next year as a surefire top-10 fantasy catcher.

McTaggart adds that the procedure to remove fluid from a wound between his toes was relatively minor in nature and Altuve is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. The veteran franchise cornerstone, who dealt with lingering right foot pain during the final two weeks of last season, split time between second base and left field during his age-35 campaign, hitting .265/.329/.442 with 26 homers and 10 steals over 155 games. He’s averaged 24 homers and 13 steals per-season for the last half-decade and has shown zero signs of slowing down as he approaches his late-30’s. He’ll be an early-round selection in all fantasy drafts next spring as a top-five option at the keystone.

Montes De Oca passed through waivers unclaimed after losing his spot on Arizona’s 40-man roster. The 26-year-old righty made exactly one relief appearance last season for the Diamondbacks prior to undergoing back surgery.

The deal is now official. Naylor returns to Seattle after a phenomenal postseason in which he hit .340 (16-for-47) with three homers and two steals across 12 games. The 28-year-old slugging first baseman is coming off the best all-around season of his career, slashing .295/.353/.462 with 20 homers, 92 RBI and a surprising 30 steals over 147 games between the Mariners and Diamondbacks. He’s an extremely challenging hitter to project given his volatile year-to-year power output and an out-of-nowhere spike in stolen bases after recording just 22 swipes combined over the previous three seasons. It’s worth noting that T-Mobile Park remains one of the toughest environments in baseball for left-handed power — though hitters like Naylor tend to treat park factors as optional suggestions rather than actual limitations. Even so, Naylor has firmly established himself as a top-10 fantasy first baseman heading into next season.

Arrighetti shouldn’t have any limitations at the outset of camp after managing to avoid surgery after additional imaging didn’t reveal any UCL damage. The 25-year-old former top prospect was limited to just seven starts this past season due to elbow inflammation and a fractured thumb. He’ll be an interesting late-round lottery ticket in fantasy drafts next spring since he’s a virtual lock to have a spot in Houston’s rotation.

A former Yankees prospect, Severino, 31, hasn’t pitched in the U.S. since 2022, when he made his major league debut with the White Sox despite pitching to an 11.40 ERA in Triple-A (he allowed five runs in 7 1/3 innings in his six MLB appearances). However, he’s coming off a fine season in Mexico in which he posted a 2.32 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of relief, and he’s currently up to 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the Dominican Winter League. That’ll get him a look in camp.

$200,000 is in the form of a buyout of a $2.5 million club option for 2027, so he’ll make barely more than the MLB minimum in 2026. However, the option can increase to $4.5 million and the buyout to $500,000 based on appearances next season. Some of those escalators are based on games started, so it sounds like Hart will get a chance to compete for a rotation spot in spring training. That said, it’s probably best if he returns to the pen.

Houck is expected to miss most or all of next season following elbow surgery and has only two years to go before free agency, so it’s not an easy call, especially given that he really struggled before going down last season he’s due around $4 million in arbitration. Perhaps the two sides can work out a two-year deal with about a $4 million salary.

Strahm, 34, was again plenty effective in posting a 2.74 ERA in 62 1/3 innings for the Phillies last season, but his velocity and his strikeout rate were both down from 2024 and he’s become one of the league’s most extreme flyball pitchers. He’ll make $7.5 million next season in the final year of his deal.

The Jays dropped Sandlin after a season in which he was limited to 16 1/3 innings by lat and elbow injuries. The former Guardians reliever has an excellent 3.18 ERA in 211 2/3 innings since debuting in 2021, but still no one thought it was worth claiming him off waivers and paying him about $2 million in arbitration.

Hart had a $5 million option for 2026 declined by the Padres last month, so the new deal is presumably worth less than that. The left-hander struggled early on in his first year back from pitching in the KBO and was optioned to Triple-A in May. However, the Padres moved him to the bullpen in the middle of the season and changed his pitch mix and he proved much better in that role. He is off the fantasy radar, but could be a solid real-life reliever for the Padres.