12/05/2025:

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports the Yankees are making a big effort to re-sign Cody Bellinger.

Heyman adds that Bellinger remains New York’s top offseason priority, though the two sides aren’t close to a deal at this stage. He also lists the Mets, Phillies, Dodgers and Angels as other potential landing spots. The 30-year-old delivered an excellent first season in the Bronx, slashing .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers — his highest total since 2019 — to go along with 98 RBI and 13 steals across 152 games. His return would significantly improve the Yankees’ outfield defense and give them a proven left-handed, middle-of-the-order anchor to pair with Aaron Judge.

12/04/2025:

MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports that the Cody Bellinger free agent market “is very hot indeed.”

Morosi indicated that all of the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers are “actively courting” Bellinger. The 30-year-old is coming off a strong 2025 season that saw him his .272 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, 89 runs, and an .813 OPS. He also plays above-average defense at both center field and first base, which makes him even more attractive as a target.

12/04/2025:

The Guardians are signing right-hander Connor Brogdon on a one-year deal, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.

It’s worth $900,000, according to Zack Meisel. With his velocity having bounced back to where it was a few years ago, Brogdon had a solid 49/18 K/BB in 47 innings for the Angels last season. Since he gave up 11 homers, it only amounted to a 5.55 ERA, but the Guardians will almost surely be able to get more out of him in middle relief. He’s out of options, so he should have a roster spot coming out of spring training, and if he has a strong season, the Guardians will also be able to keep him through arbitration in 2027.

12/04/2025:

Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBI for the Toros of the Dominican Winter League on Wednesday.

Even after the nice game, Candelario is still hitting just .164/.227/.262 through 66 plate appearances. His miserable 2025 season saw him hit .113/.198/.213 in 22 games before the Reds released him and .203/.289/.357 in 61 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal. That he’s being paid by the Reds in 2026 means that any team could sign him for the major league minimum. However, that’s still not very appealing right now.

12/04/2025:

Jaison Chourio doubled twice Wednesday for Zulia of the Venezuelan Winter League.

The 20-year-old Chourio is more than holding his own in a league filled with far more experienced players, having hit .299/.386/.402 in 114 plate appearances. He was a little disappointing in the minors last season, missing time with a shoulder strain and hitting .237/.379/.286 in 87 games while mostly playing in High-A. Still, while he’s not the phenom his older brother Jackson is, he has a chance to become a capable major league leadoff man down the line.

12/04/2025:

Griffin Conine will get reps at first base during spring training, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney.

There’s an opportunity for Conine to emerge as Miami’s starting first baseman next season, if he adapts to the position quickly since there’s virtually zero in-house competition. The 28-year-old corner outfielder missed most of this past season while recovering from surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, but was able to make it back for a handful of late-September contests. He’s unlikely to be a fantasy-relevant option at the cold corner, but the situation is worth monitoring in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

12/04/2025:

Multiple outlets report that the Diamondbacks are showing interest in reliever Pete Fairbanks.

Fairbanks is one of the better relievers still available on the market, and the right-hander would fill the closing gig for Arizona. The 31-year-old saved 27 games in 2025 with a 2.83 ERA, and would be marked improvement — at least on paper — to what the D-backs got from their closers in 2025.

12/05/2025:

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the Red Sox are trading Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pirates for Johan Oviedo as part of a five-player deal.

The Red Sox are getting lefty Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman, with righty Jesus Travieso going to Pittsburgh — leaving Oviedo as the only established major leaguer involved in the trade. Garcia’s path to an everyday role was blocked in Boston’s overcrowded outfield entering next season, but that obstacle disappears in Pittsburgh, where he should have a clear opportunity to play right away. “The Password” appeared in five games for the Red Sox this past season after batting .267/.340/.470 with 21 homers and seven steals across 114 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. The deal makes a ton of sense for both sides as the Red Sox were able to bolster their starting rotation depth without sacrificing any of their major-league outfield depth while the Pirates swap some pitching depth for a high-upside, power-hitting corner outfield prospect.

12/04/2025:

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the Red Sox are trading Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pirates for Johan Oviedo as part of a five-player trade.

The Red Sox are getting lefty Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman, with righty Jesus Travieso going to Pittsburgh — leaving Oviedo as the only established major leaguer involved in the trade. Garcia’s path to an everyday role was blocked in Boston’s overcrowded outfield entering next season, but that obstacle disappears in Pittsburgh, where he should have a clear opportunity to play right away. “The Password” appeared in five games for the Red Sox this past season after batting .267/.340/.470 with 21 homers and seven steals across 114 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. The deal makes a ton of sense for both sides as the Red Sox were able to bolster their starting rotation depth without sacrificing any of their major-league outfield depth while the Pirates swap some pitching depth for a high-upside, power-hitting corner outfield prospect.

12/04/2025:

Ryan Helsley said the Tigers were among the teams interested in him as a starter before he opted to become the Orioles’ closer.

Helsley, whose only season of 100 innings pitched was in the minors in 2017 and who missed most of the second half of 2023 with a forearm strain, decided it wasn’t worth the risk to try starting at age 31. Perhaps he could consider it again if he has a successful 2026 and opts out of his two-year, $28 million deal next winter.

12/04/2025:

Diamondbacks re-signed LHP Tommy Henry to a minor league contract,

After being non-tendered last month, Henry is back with the only organization he’s ever known. The 28-year-old, who is 10-11 with a 5.07 ERA in 32 starts and five relief appearances as a major leaguer, is slated to miss most of all of 2026 following Tommy John surgery in July.

12/04/2025:

Giants signed LHP Sam Hentges to a one-year contract.

The deal, agreed to last week, was reported as being worth $1.4 million. A healthy Hentges is easily worth that, but he’s coming off shoulder surgery, which is why the Guardians non-tendered him despite his 2.93 ERA in 138 innings since the beginning of 2022. The Giants believe he’ll be ready to go at the start of spring training.

12/04/2025:

Sources told The Athletic that Teoscar Hernández’s name is coming up in trade conversations.

Hernández wouldn’t seem to be in great demand after performing as just a league-average hitter in the first year of a three-year, $66 million deal, but since that contract included a $23 million signing bonus, it’s pretty friendly going forward; he’s owed $33 million for two years or $41.5 million for three, with $16 million of that being deferred for six years. He wouldn’t be a bad pickup at that price, especially for a team that could give him some DH time. Still, it seems likely that the Dodgers will keep him unless they add a big name to their outfield.

12/04/2025:

Angels signed RHP Alek Manoah to a one-year, $1.95 million contract.

The deal is now official. The Angels are rolling the metaphorical dice on the former Cy Young Award contender after he was non-tendered last month by the Braves. The 27-year-old’s fastball velocity and control never rebounded in 10 minor-league starts during his return from Tommy John surgery this past season and the Blue Jays ultimately cut ties with him on the eve of the postseason. It’s difficult to envision a realistic path back to fantasy relevance in Los Angeles, but he’ll likely open the year in their rotation and qualifies as a low-risk lottery ticket. Maybe the velocity never comes back. Maybe the command never stabilizes. Maybe the Angels are just the latest team hoping the laws of baseball physics bend for one more improbable resurrection.

12/04/2025:

The Angels and Alek Manoah are in agreement on a one-year, $1.95 million contract, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Los Angeles will roll the metaphorical dice on Manoah after the former Cy Young Award contender was non-tendered last month by the Braves. The 27-year-old righty sat in the low-90’s with his fastball and struggled in the minor leagues this past season in his return from Tommy John surgery. It’s challenging to forecast Manoah returning to fantasy-relevance with the Angels, but he’ll have an opportunity to make their Opening Day rotation with a strong performance in spring training.

12/05/2025:

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY reports that the Reds are re-signing closer Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $20 million contract.

C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic notes that the deal does contain an opt-out after the 2026 season. Pagán received considerable interest from other clubs, but the 34-year-old will remain with Cincinnati for at least one more year. The 34-year-old forged a 2.88 ERA and saved 32 games in 2025, and barring another move, he should remain the stopper for the Reds in 2026.

12/04/2025:

Reds re-signed RHP Emilio Pagán to a one-year, $10 million contract with a $10 million player option for 2027.

The deal is now official. Pagán returns to shore up the back-end of Cincinnati’s bullpen after converting 32 of 38 save opportunities to accompany a strong 2.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 81/22 K/BB ratio across 68 2/3 innings over 70 appearances this past season. The 34-year-old veteran projects as a top-20 range closer for fantasy purposes heading into drafts next spring.

12/04/2025:

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Reds have re-signed Emilio Pagána to a two-year, $20 million contract.

C. Trent Rosecrans notes that the deal does contain an opt-out after the 2026 season. Pagán received considerable interest from other clubs, but the 34-year-old will remain with Cincinnati for at least one more year. The 34-year-old forged a 2.88 ERA and saved 32 games in 2025, and barring another move, he should remain the stopper for the Reds in 2026.

12/04/2025:

Astros signed C Carlos Pérez to a minor league contract.

This is the catching Carlos Pérez who spent most of 2015 and ’16 in the majors with the Angels and also got in 66 games with the A’s in 2023, as opposed to the younger Carlos Pérez who spent some time as a backup with the White Sox in 2022 and ’23. The 35-year-old has been a surprisingly strong Triple-A hitter for several years now, but he hit a modest .226/.293/.357 in 189 plate appearances when the A’s gave him a chance. He came in at .286/.372/.572 with 27 homers in 111 games for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate last season. As things stand now, he’d be in line to compete with César Salazar for Houston’s backup catching gig. However, there’s a good chance the Astros will add a more established player.

12/04/2025:

Yohendrick Pinango doubled in two runs and walked Wednesday in the Venezuelan Winter League.

The chances of Pinango getting picked in the Rule 5 draft are growing by the day. He’s gone 8-for-27 with three homers and three doubles in eight games since debuting for Lara. A 23-year-old corner outfielder, he’s coming off a season in which he hit .258/.361/.430 with a fine 107/70 K/BB in 533 plate appearances between Double- and Triple-A. There should be more power on the way, too; he topped out at 115.8 mph off the bat in Triple-A.

12/04/2025:

The Blue Jays are signing Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million contract, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Toronto continues to fortify its rotation shortly after inking Dylan Cease to a massive seven-year $210 million contract. The 31-year-old right-hander was one of the true X-factors on the open market this offseason after a remarkable run in Korea with the Hanwha Eagles, where he overhauled his arsenal, added velocity, and dominated to the tune of a microscopic 1.89 ERA and stellar 252/41 K/BB ratio across 180 2/3 innings over 29 starts last season. He’ll slot in as a back-end stabilizer for the Blue Jays behind Kevin Gausman, Cease, Shane Bieber and rookie sensation Trey Yesavage. From a fantasy standpoint, it’s a compelling landing spot — he has a relatively clear path to a rotation spot on a title contender and enough swing-and-miss ability to matter in deeper mixed leagues, even in the AL East’s unforgiving environments. He’s a late-round dart throw worth monitoring closely next spring.

12/04/2025:

Braves signed RHP Austin Pope to a minor league contract.

Six years after the team made him a 15th-round pick, Pope, 27, made his major league debut with the Diamondbacks last season, pitching two scoreless innings in September. Alas, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from getting outrighted after the season. Pope also ended up with a 4.60 ERA and a 34/10 K/BB in 29 1/3 innings for Triple-A Reno. He’ll be a long shot to win a spot in the Braves bullpen next spring.

12/04/2025:

MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola reports that “As of now, the Marlins don’t plan to give catcher Agustín Ramírez” reps at first base.

This would seem to be a bit short-sighted since Ramírez has a quality bat and was one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball during his rookie season. He posted a -12 Fielding Runs Value on Statcast and was 63rd out of 63 catchers in Statcast’s Caught Stealing Above Average after throwing out only eight of 76 possible baserunners. De Nicola reports that the Marlins are now considering Eric Wagaman, Heriberto Hernandez, or Connor Norby as internal options at first base.

12/04/2025:

Leonardo Reginatto says he is retiring as a player and taking a job as a hitting coach with the Rays.

Presumably, he’ll start out as a hitting coach somewhere in the minors. The 35-year-old Reginatto, a native of Brazil, began his professional career with the Rays in 2009 and spent a few seasons in Triple-A in the Tampa Bay and Minnesota farm systems. Since 2019, he’d played in indy leagues and Mexico, where he hit .287/.354/.509 in 81 games last season. He actually had more homers (16) in 81 games last season than he did in 800 career minor league games (15).

12/04/2025:

Miguel Sanó hit his eighth and ninth homers of the Dominican Winter League season on Wednesday.

Sanó is batting .356/.435/.847 in 17 games, which is a big improvement over his .265/.342/.515 line for Estrellas last year. He’s currently leading the DWL in homers by four, even though some players have played in twice as many games as he has. Sanó, who had 30-homer seasons with the Twins in 2019 and ’21, played in 28 games for the Angels in 2024, but he didn’t return to the U.S. last season. His big showing here should make it easy for him to get a minor league deal, if he’s interested.

12/04/2025:

Padres signed OF Nick Schnell to a minor league contract.

Schnell was selected by the Rays with the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, but he never earned himself much 40-man-roster consideration before leaving as a free agent prior to last season. Signed by the Nationals, he wound up with a .257/.321/.478 line and 23 homers between Double- and Triple-A, but he struck out 31% of the time in the process. Most likely, he’s going to top out as a Triple-A guy.

12/04/2025:

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Cincinnati Reds “are serious about signing free-agent designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.”

Schwarber will be one of the most sought-after hitters in free agency and will certainly be offered more money by other franchises. However, as Rosenthal notes, Schwarber is from Middletown, Ohio, about 35 miles north of Cincinnati, and “he is interested in a possible homecoming, according to people briefed on his thinking.” FanGraphs estimates that the Reds have about $20 million to spend, which makes it seem unlikely they will land Schwarber.

12/04/2025:

In their pursuit of a reliever, the Dodgers are showing greater interest in Robert Suarez than either Edwin Díaz or Pete Fairbanks, says The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya.

Fairbanks just doesn’t seem to be on the team’s list at all, and Díaz is looking for more years than Suarez and also has the qualifying offer hanging over his head. Suarez is pretty clearly the No. 2 reliever on a market that has lost previous Dodgers targets Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Helsley. Of course, old friend Kenley Jansen is still out there, too.

12/04/2025:

Mets signed RHP Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million contract.

Williams will pitch at the back-end of the bullpen for the Mets in 2026, but whether he will be their closer or set-up man depends whether New York re-signs Edwin Díaz. At this point that seems unlikely, and assuming Williams is the closer, the 31-year-old should be one of the better relief options in fantasy; even after his less-than-spectacular season with the Yankees in 2025.

12/04/2025:

Astros signed RHP Amos Willingham to a minor league contract.

Willingham, the first Amos to play in the majors since Otis retired in 1984, put up nice minor league numbers as a Nationals relief prospect, but he had a 7.11 ERA and just 16 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings during his major league stints in 2023 and ’24. He pitched last season in the Braves farm system, finishing with a 5.17 ERA and a 64/18 K/BB in 55 2/3 innings. He’ll likely spend most of next year in Triple-A.