MLB Player News

Kriske struggled to a lackluster 7.50 ERA — 4.36 FIP — 1.94 WHIP and 18/15 K/BB ratio across 18 innings between the Cubs and Twins this past season. The 31-year-old journeyman reliever has shown an ability to consistently miss bats but subpar control continues to hamper his ability to stick at the highest level. He’s a low-risk lottery ticket for the Athletics as a depth addition entering spring training.

The Phillies have been hoping to get a little something back for Castellanos if they pay down enough of his $20 million salary, but they might just wind up releasing him. The 33-year-old is entering the final season of a five-year, $100 million deal.

That doesn’t seem like a great plan. Story made a nice comeback last season, but it resulted in only a .308 OBP. He’s at .302 in the four years since he signed with the Red Sox. Still, one assumes he’ll hit second initially now, with Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran flanking him ahead of Willson Contreras in the cleanup spot. It’d make more sense to bat him sixth, assuming that the Red Sox think Caleb Durbin will perform like he did last year (and they presumably wouldn’t have traded for him if they didn’t).

Greene would be an interesting choice; he was invited to play for Puerto Rico in the tournament but decided to turn down the opportunity. Given that Team USA has Aaron Judge in right and Byron Buxton and Pete Crow-Armstong in center, replacing Carroll with a natural left fielder makes sense. Anthony might be the most fun option, but Kwan would make a lot of sense with his contact ability and plus defense.

There was a report last month that Skenes was working on something called a “sleeper,” that was supposed to be a slower version of his sweeper, but he debunked that today. He also said he’s no longer experimenting with the cutter he tried last spring. He needs to give MLB hitters some sort of chance, after all.

That’s expected to come soon. Diaz’s DWL season ended on Dec. 17 after he was hurt sliding into second base. Manager Joe Espada said the injury factored into Diaz being left off the Dominican Republic’s WBC roster. He likely would have been the choice to split time with Austin Wells behind the plate, but Agustín Ramírez ended up getting the nod.

No word yet on the terms, but it’d be stunning if it wasn’t a one-year contract. Mikolas finished 2025 8-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 31 starts. The 37-year-old hasn’t carried an ERA below 4.78 since 2022. He figures to just be a depth addition or an inning eater as the Nationals continue their long rebuild.

Lauer threw 104 2/3 innings in 2025, managing a 3.18 ERA in 28 appearances while going 9-2. He was often used with an opener in 2025 and struggled to hit five innings, making him an unlikely source of wins in 2026. Still, Lauer is talented enough to remain on the mixed-league streamer radar.

A revelation in the 2025 season before going down with a rotator cuff strain, Bubic will enter his final season before free agency with a rotation spot all but assured as long as he’s healthy. He’s probably somewhere near the top-60 starters and should be drafted in most standard formats.

King had a down 2025, allowing a 4.66 ERA and eight homers in just 51 games pitched. He’ll look to rebound with the Marlins and should have a decent shot of making the Opening Day roster based on this contract.

Schumaker allowed the thought that Alexis Diaz could eventually factor into the equation too if he pitches well in Spring Training. Garcia finished 2025 with a 2.95 ERA in 71 games, but had only nine saves and took eight losses out of the bullpen. Martin finished the year with two saves and has the more established track record, but is also entering his age-40 season. This looks like a situation that has yet to fully unfold in camp, but we’d bet on Garcia to be the best bet to close as of now.