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Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/21/25

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The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is this afternoon at 4pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day as deals are announced and/or reported. Salary figures are from The Associated Press unless otherwise noted.

Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images

Braves, Connor Thomas Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves recently signed left-hander Connor Thomas to a minor league contract, (h/t to Matt Eddy of Baseball America). It’s possible that’s a two-year deal, as the 27-year-old underwent UCL surgery in July and will miss most or all of the ’26 season.

It’s a homecoming for the Tifton, Georgia, native. Thomas played his college ball at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Cardinals in the fifth round in 2019. He spent the 2023-24 campaigns at Triple-A Memphis, posting impressive numbers following a move to the bullpen in the latter year. Thomas tossed 90 1/3 innings across 56 appearances, pitching to a 3.39 earned run average. He didn’t miss many bats but attacked the strike zone and got a lot of ground-balls and weak contact.

The Brewers grabbed Thomas in last winter’s Rule 5 draft. He pitched well enough in Spring Training to break camp and make his MLB debut. It didn’t go as planned, as he was bombed for eight runs on a trio of homers in two mop-up innings in a blowout loss to the Yankees. Thomas pitched against the Reds six days later, surrendering four more runs on six hits across 3 1/3 frames. He went on the injured list after the second appearance and went under the knife a few months later.

Milwaukee dropped Thomas from the roster at the beginning of the offseason. He’ll rehab with his hometown club and try to factor into a long relief role once he’s healthy down the line. Thomas sits in the 89-90 MPH range with his fastball and uses four pitches (sinker, cutter, changeup, sweeper) at similar rates.

Braves Notes: Dubon, Seager, Holmes

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Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos met with reporters on Wednesday after the team acquired Mauricio Dubón from the Astros for Nick Allen. Anthopoulos confirmed the Braves view him as a potential starting shortstop while leaving the door open to pushing him back into a utility role if they land an upgrade.

“Our underlying data on him at shortstop is good and strong,” Anthopoulos said (link via Mark Bowman of MLB.com). “But I think he’s good at second, good at third, and good at the corners. He can play center field. We like the contact and the speed, as well.” Anthopoulos said Dubón’s job “will be determined by what else we do this winter and even in Spring Training.”

There’s no indication the Braves will be a factor for Bo Bichette. The only other clear free agent upgrade is Ha-Seong Kim, who declined his $16MM player option. Anthopoulos made clear at the beginning of the offseason that the Braves wanted Kim back, but it remains to be seen if they’ll meet his asking price on what will presumably be a multi-year deal.

There aren’t any teams that are known to be shopping an everyday shortstop. Washington could move CJ Abrams, but the asking price would be huge and they may be reluctant to trade him within the division. The rebuilding White Sox and Rockies have young shortstops they hope are foundational pieces (Colson Montgomery and Ezequiel Tovar, respectively).

There’s been some speculation about the Rangers entertaining offers on a highly-paid superstar as they face payroll constraints. It’d still be a huge surprise if Texas trades Corey Seager, who arguably remains the team’s best hitter and is signed for $31MM per season for another six years. It’s not clear if the Braves would have any interest in assuming a significant portion of the remaining $186MM on that deal. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that Atlanta is one of the clubs on Seager’s eight-team no-trade list. Even if the teams could line up a stunning blockbuster, they’d need to get the player to sign off.

The 31-year-old Dubón has started 81 MLB games at shortstop. He played a career-high 206 1/3 innings there this past season. Dubón has 721 career frames at the position. Defensive Runs Saved has him right around average, while Statcast grades him an excellent nine runs above par. Dubón, a two-time Gold Glove winner in a utility capacity, is established as a plus defender at second base and throughout the outfield. He’s an above-average runner with good hands and a plus arm. Dubón is unlikely to be as good a defensive shortstop as Allen was, but he’s not a complete zero at the bottom of the lineup, so he’s a better overall player.

The Braves need to weigh the value of the upgrade from Dubón to Kim against the cost it’d take to bring the latter back — which could pull resources from their need for a mid-rotation starter. There’s too much injury downside to rely on a rotation of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep.

The Braves don’t have much in the way of upper level depth behind that quintet. That makes Grant Holmes’ health a big x-factor, even assuming they add at least one starter. Holmes turned in a 3.99 ERA while striking out a quarter of batters faced in 22 appearances this year. His season ended in July when he was diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL in his elbow.

Ligament damage always raises a risk of surgery. Holmes is trying to rehab without going under the knife. Anthopoulos said the Braves are “really encouraged” by how things have progressed in the past four months (relayed by David O’Brien of The Athletic). They still won’t know whether Holmes can avoid surgery until he builds up the intensity during Spring Training, yet that’s a positive development at this stage.

Braves, Astros Swap Mauricio Dubón For Nick Allen

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The Astros and Braves announced a one-for-one swap of middle infielders. Utility player Mauricio Dubón is headed to Atlanta with defensive specialist Nick Allen on his way to Houston.

Atlanta takes on a few million dollars to upgrade their infield. Dubón, 31, spent nearly four seasons in Houston. The Astros acquired him from the Giants in a minor trade early in 2022. It was a nice pickup, as he developed into a versatile and generally reliable piece off the bench. Dubón won two utility Gold Glove awards while playing all three infield positions to the left of first base and a decent amount of center and left field.

The righty-swinging Dubón was a league average hitter a couple seasons ago, batting .278/.309/.411 with 10 homers in nearly 500 trips to the dish. His offense has declined in each of the past two years. He’s coming off a .241/.289/.355 showing with seven longballs through 398 plate appearances and carries a .256/.293/.358 line over the past two seasons. He’s very difficult to strike out but rarely walks and has well below-average power.

Still, that light bat is a significant upgrade over what Allen brings to the table offensively. The 27-year-old Allen didn’t hit a single home run in 416 trips to the dish this year. He turned in a .211/.284/.251 line that made him easily the worst hitter to take 400+ plate appearances. Allen ranked in the bottom 20 hitters in on-base percentage, while his slugging mark was more than .040 points lower than the second-lowest in MLB (.296 by Victor Scott II). He owns a .213/.265/.272 slash in nearly 1200 plate appearances over parts of four seasons.

Allen has continued to get playing time because of his superlative glove. He has been touted as an excellent infielder dating back to his high school days. Allen has posted fantastic defensive marks in every season of his career. Defensive Runs Saved graded him as the third-best shortstop in MLB this year behind Mookie Betts and Zach Neto. Statcast’s Outs Above Average also had him third, albeit behind Bobby Witt Jr. and Masyn Winn.

Dubón is unlikely to be that caliber of defender if he were pressed into everyday shortstop work. Statcast has graded him as a plus defender in his 721 career innings at the position though. Defensive Runs Saved has him right around league average. Dubón should be capable of playing there every day, and he’s not a complete zero offensively. That’s particularly true in favorable platoon matchups, as he’s a .288/.329/.417 hitter versus left-handed pitching over the past three years.

The Braves couldn’t afford to enter next season with Allen atop the shortstop depth chart. Dubón would be a low-end regular but provides a higher floor. This shouldn’t detract from Atlanta’s interest in re-signing Ha-Seong Kim. Dubón has the versatility to provide cover behind Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley at second and third base while complementing lefty-hitting Michael Harris II in center field. Still, he’s at least a reasonable one-year fallback if Kim signs elsewhere in a market devoid of shortstop alternatives in free agency or trade.

Dubón is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. He’s projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $5.8MM salary. Allen is eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player and under control for four years. He’s projected at $1.5MM. Houston cuts a little more than $4MM from the books while downgrading in the utility role.

Allen isn’t going to play shortstop barring an injury to Jeremy Peña, but he can offer a glove-only option at second base. Jose Altuve is the primary starter there for now, but the Astros hope to continue splitting his playing time between the keystone, left field, and designated hitter. They’ve been tied to Brendan Donovan in trade conversations and could consider other possibilities (e.g. a Brandon Lowe trade, Jorge Polanco in free agency) if the Cardinals deal Donovan elsewhere. They’ll ideally add a left-handed bat to balance a righty-heavy lineup. Allen is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to be on the active roster or designated for assignment.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that Dubón had been traded to the Braves just before the announcements. Respective images courtesy of Jerome Miron and Brett Davis, Imagn Images.

Braves Re-Sign Raisel Iglesias

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The Braves announced they’ve re-signed free agent closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16MM deal. The PRIME client returns for what’ll be a fifth season in Atlanta on the same salary he made in 2025.

As is often the case with Braves moves, the signing comes out of the blue. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos suggested at the GM Meetings the team was more focused on addressing shortstop and upgrading the starting rotation while keeping the bullpen on the back burner. That apparently changed with the opportunity to keep Iglesias, who remains a high-end reliever as he enters his age-36 season.

The 11-year veteran carries a 2.35 earned run average in 218 2/3 innings since the Braves acquired him from the Angels at the 2022 trade deadline. He’s fourth in MLB with 113 saves since the start of that season. Iglesias posted a sub-3.00 ERA each season between 2020-24 as one of the steadier closers in the league.

Things seemed as if they might come off the rails early in 2025. Iglesias gave up an early-season home run barrage, including five longballs in April alone. He surrendered seven round-trippers before the end of May and carried an ugly 5.91 ERA through the first two months. The switch flipped over the summer, as Iglesias was one of the league’s best late-game arms from the beginning of June onward. He reeled off 46 frames of 1.96 ERA ball while striking out 29.3% of opponents over the season’s final four months. Iglesias only gave up one home run in that time despite a massive 54.5% fly-ball rate.

The truth certainly lies somewhere between those two extremes. Iglesias wasn’t going to continue giving up homers on a quarter of fly-balls, as he did early in the year, nor will he maintain the sub-2% homer/fly rate he posted later in the season. That’ll be the main concern moving forward, but his strikeout and walk profile remains strong. Iglesias punched out 27.4% of opponents against a tidy 6% walk rate. He turned in a 3.21 ERA overall while going 29-34 in save chances — coming up just shy of the sixth 30-save showing of his career.

MLBTR ranked Iglesias as our #32 free agent and the #5 reliever in the class in predicting a two-year, $26MM contract. He did not command the second year for what would have been his age-37 campaign. The Braves were apparently one of at least two teams that offered a sizable one-year deal. Francys Romero reports that the Dodgers also made an offer around $16MM but Iglesias declined to remain in Atlanta. L.A. and the Blue Jays were the only other teams publicly linked to Iglesias in what turned out to be a brief stay on the open market.

Toronto and Los Angeles are two of a number of teams that remain in the market for a late-inning reliever. Edwin Díaz is almost certainly going to command the largest contract in the class despite rejecting a qualifying offer from the Mets. Devin Williams has gotten a lot of attention in the first few weeks of the offseason. Robert Suarez should command a multi-year deal at a hefty salary. Ryan Helsley, Kyle Finnegan, Emilio Pagán and Kenley Jansen are among the many other unsigned closers.

Iglesias returns at the back of an Atlanta bullpen that still needs a lot of work. They’re getting Joe Jiménez back after he missed the entire ’25 season recovering from knee surgery. Dylan Lee is a high-end option from the left side. Atlanta dropped right-handed setup arms Pierce Johnson and Tyler Kinley at the beginning of the winter, so another righty alongside Jiménez in the late innings is a must. They’ll balance that against the yet to be addressed starting pitching and shortstop holes.

The Braves now have 13 players on guaranteed contracts that’ll combine for $192.5MM next season. They’re operating with a very light arbitration class that features a number of non-tender candidates. That group is unlikely to add more than $4-8MM to the books. The Braves opened last season with a player payroll around $208MM. They’d likely need to go beyond that mark to address the rotation and shortstop, especially if they fill the latter position by re-signing Ha-Seong Kim. RosterResource projects them for roughly $208MM in luxury tax commitments, putting them well shy of the $244MM base threshold. The Braves are believed to have stayed below the CBT line this year but had paid the tax in 2023 and ’24.

Image courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images.

Joe Jiménez Recently Underwent “Cleanup” Knee Procedure

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Braves reliever Joe Jiménez underwent a “cleanup” surgery on his left knee, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic). The right-hander missed the entire ’25 season after undergoing surgery to repair cartilage damage in that same knee last November.

While the framing of the surgery as a “cleanup” doesn’t sound especially alarming, the timeline isn’t clear. Anthopoulos said the team won’t know how long he’ll miss until late December at the earliest. That raises some question about his availability for the start of the season, which would be a tough blow for a bullpen that is already lacking right-handed setup options.

Atlanta acquired Jiménez from the Tigers going into the 2023 season. He turned in a 3.04 ERA and re-signed on a three-year, $26MM free agent deal. The first season was a success, as the 6’3″ hurler fired 68 2/3 frames of 2.62 ERA ball. Jiménez wasn’t able to build off that two-year run last season and evidently didn’t recover as smoothly as hoped from last fall’s procedure.

The Braves re-signed Raisel Iglesias to a $16MM deal this evening. He’ll be back in the ninth inning. Jiménez projects as their top right-handed setup man if healthy. Atlanta declined options on Tyler Kinley and Pierce Johnson to keep as much financial breathing room as possible with needs in the rotation and at shortstop. They brought in a potential stopgap at the latter position with tonight’s acquisition of Mauricio Dubón from Houston. They remain in the market for a better shortstop and still need at least one starter. Uncertainty with Jiménez only magnifies their need for a righty leverage piece in front of Daysbel Hernández.

Braves Acquire Ryan Rolison

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The Braves have acquired left-hander Ryan Rolison from the Rockies, according to announcements from both clubs. The Rockies, who designated Rolison for assignment yesterday, receive cash considerations in return. Atlanta’s 40-man roster count climbs to 38.

It’s a buy-low move for Atlanta. Rolison was a first-round pick back in 2018, getting selected 22nd overall by the Rockies. He signed with a bonus just north of $2.9MM. He was one of the club’s top prospects in the years after that draft selection but hasn’t yet delivered on his potential.

His trajectory to the majors was thrown off in a few ways. The minor leagues were canceled in 2020 on account of the pandemic. The next few years were curtailed by various injuries, most notably shoulder problems. He was capped at 71 2/3 minor league innings in 2021, missed the entire 2022 season, threw 11 frames in 2023 and then 46 1/3 innings in 2024. He had initially been a starter but has been mostly working out of the bullpen more recently.

In 2025, he finally made it to the show but the results weren’t impressive. He tossed 42 1/3 innings for Colorado this year, allowing 33 earned runs for a 7.02 ERA. His 13% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate were both subpar figures.

If one wanted to look for signs of optimism, his minor league numbers are worth a glance. He tossed 29 2/3 Triple-A innings this year, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In that environment, he had a 3.34 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.

Rolison got nudged off the roster in Colorado but Atlanta had some space and will give him a shot. He still has an option year remaining, so his new club can keep him in the minors as left-handed depth, if they so choose. His service time count is at two years and 114 days, meaning he still hasn’t qualified for arbitration and can be controlled for four seasons. That could extend to five if he ends up spending a large amount of time on optional assignment.

Atlanta seems to have a fondness for getting relievers out of Colorado. In recent years, they have grabbed guys like Pierce Johnson, Brad Hand and Tyler Kinley to bolster their bullpen group. Now they’ll take a shot on Rolison. His overall track record isn’t great but he’s a former first-rounder who is optionable and controllable, while the cash they gave up is presumably minimal. They also won’t be relying on him as he’s probably seventh or eighth on the lefty relief depth chart behind Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, José Suarez, Joey Wentz, Hayden Harris and/or Josh Walker.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Braves, Chadwick Tromp Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Braves and catcher Chadwick Tromp agreed to a minor league contract earlier this week, according to the MiLB.com transaction tracker. The BSE Agency client will probably get a non-roster invite to Spring Training and open the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.

Tromp qualified for minor league free agency last week after finishing the year in the Red Sox’s farm system. The Aruban-born catcher had hit just .135/.183/.167 in 28 games for Boston’s top affiliate. That predictably did not get him an MLB look. Tromp had made eight big league appearances earlier in the season, splitting that time between Atlanta and Baltimore. He’d begun the season as Atlanta’s backup catcher behind eventual Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin, as Sean Murphy was sidelined by a broken rib for the first couple weeks.

Once Murphy returned, the Braves pushed the out-of-options Tromp off the roster. He elected free agency and signed with Baltimore on a minor league deal. Tromp didn’t hit well at any level last season, and he’s a career .245/.318/.398 batter over parts of eight Triple-A seasons. He owns a .221/.230/.390 line in 178 major league plate appearances spread across six years.

The Braves aren’t going to expect Tromp to provide much at the plate. They clearly like him as a defender and clubhouse presence, so he’s a fine depth add. Baldwin and Murphy are the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. The latter is coming off season-ending hip surgery. He’s expected to be fully ready for Spring Training. Tromp wouldn’t have a great path to the active roster if Baldwin and Murphy are healthy, though the team could opt to carry three catchers if they plan to DH one of Murphy or Baldwin on an everyday basis. Tromp is the only other catcher in the organization with MLB experience.

Jacob deGrom, Ronald Acuna Jr. Named Comeback Players Of The Year

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The main event of Thursday’s award revelations came with the BBWAA’s announcement that Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge repeated as MVP winners. Major League Baseball also conducted its award ceremony tonight, revealing a handful of honors that are not decided by the writers.

Most notably, the league named Jacob deGrom and Ronald Acuña Jr. the respective Comeback Players of the Year. deGrom’s comeback from Tommy John surgery technically occurred at the end of the 2024 season. The two-time Cy Young winner made three late-season appearances last year. He took the ball 30 times this past season and worked to a 2.97 earned run average with 185 strikeouts across 172 2/3 innings. He earned his fifth All-Star nod and finished eighth in AL Cy Young balloting in his age-37 season.

Acuña bounced back from the second ACL tear of his career. The 2023 NL MVP had suffered the season-ending left knee injury on May 26, 2024. He made it back almost one year to the day later. The Braves activated Acuña from the injured list on May 23. He’d return to superstar form, hitting .290/.417/.518 with 21 homers in 95 games. Acuña went back on the injured list around the trade deadline with right Achilles tightness. He only missed a couple weeks and came back to hit .268/.402/.437 down the stretch despite an injury-riddled Atlanta team being well out of contention. It’s the second straight season in which a Brave was named NL Comeback Player of the Year. Chris Sale received that honor last season.

MLB announced a few other honors. Ohtani and Judge repeated as the respective Hank Aaron Award winners as the league’s best hitters. Ohtani yet again won the Edgar Martinez Award as MLB’s best designated hitter. Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Díaz won the respective Reliever of the Year honors. Díaz is free agency’s top reliever coming off a 1.63 ERA across 62 appearances. Chapman turned in a 1.17 ERA over 61 1/3 frames in what is arguably the best season of his fantastic career. He re-signed with the Red Sox on a $13MM deal in August. The BBWAA will reintroduce its own Reliever of the Year Award in 2026.

Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold was named Executive of the Year for the second consecutive season. Milwaukee won an MLB-best 97 games and advanced to the NL Championship Series despite having an Opening Day payroll around $115MM. That was the eighth-lowest mark in the majors.

MLB also announced its 1st and 2nd teams. These are not league specific and are designed to honor the best players at each position. Those are as follows:

1st Team

2nd Team

Braves Claim Carson Ragsdale, Josh Walker

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The Braves have claimed left-hander Josh Walker and right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Orioles, according to announcements from both clubs. Both pitchers were designated for assignment by Baltimore a week ago. Atlanta’s 40-man roster count goes from 35 to 37.

This is the second time Atlanta has grabbed Ragsdale from the waiver wire. The first came in the middle of September, but the O’s claimed him back about a week later. Ragsdale, 28 in May, just made his major league debut in 2025. He made two appearances for the O’s, allowing eight earned runs in five innings. That is obviously a small and unimpressive sample, so Atlanta is presumably putting more stock in his minor league track record.

Prior to 2025, Ragsdale had been in the Giants’ system. He generally flashed a high-strikeout and high-walk profile. From 2021 to 2024, he logged 267 2/3 minor league innings with a 4.07 earned run average. He struck out 32.1% of batters faced while giving out walks 9.8% of the time.

The Giants put him on their 40-man roster in November of 2024 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. His results backed up this year, so they designated him for assignment at the end of July. That led him to Baltimore, Atlanta and then Baltimore again via the waiver wire. He finished 2025 having thrown 89 2/3 Triple-A innings with a 5.22 ERA, 19.5% strikeout rate and 12.2% walk rate.

It obviously wasn’t a good year but Ragsdale is not too far removed from being a notable prospect for the Giants. Going into 2025, Baseball America ranked him #17 in the system while FanGraphs had him at #11. He still has a couple of options, so Atlanta can keep him in Triple-A, either continuing his development as a starter or perhaps moving him to the bullpen.

Walker, 31 in December, is a straightforward lefty reliever. His major league track record isn’t especially long, with 26 appearances scattered over the past three seasons, pitching for the Mets and Blue Jays. He has a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 innings. His minor league work is intriguing, however. From 2022 to 2025, he tossed 131 2/3 innings on the farm with a 3.90 ERA. His 11.6% walk rate was certainly high but he also punched out 30.5% of batters faced in that time with a steady diet of grounders as well.

The southpaw bounced around the league in 2025, going from the Jays to the Phillies via a small trade and then to the Orioles via waivers. He exhausted his final option season along the way and is now out of options.

He still has less than a year of service time but the O’s signed him to a major league deal earlier this month. The salary figures weren’t reported but Walker is presumably going to be paid at a rate nominally above league minimum. The idea of the O’s agreeing to such a deal is that it would theoretically make it more likely that he passes through waivers unclaimed and sticks around as non-roster depth.

Atlanta prevented that from happening in this case. They had multiple open roster spots and used one of them to grab Walker. For now, he gives them another lefty relief option, alongside Aaron Bummer, Dylan Lee and others. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta tries to pass Walker through waivers later, so that they are the ones who get to keep him as a depth option without him taking up a roster spot.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

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