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Rockies, Patrick Weigel Agree To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | January 27, 2026 at 5:27pm CDT

The Rockies and right-hander Patrick Weigel have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Sammon doesn’t specify if the GSI client will be receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Weigel, 31, made four big league appearances a few years ago. One of those came with Atlanta in 2020 and three with Milwaukee in 2021. Put together, he allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings via six hits, seven walks and one hit-by-pitch while striking out nine opponents. The Brewers outrighted him off the roster in 2021. Since then, he has been bouncing around professional baseball by playing in the minor leagues, indy ball and the Mexican League.

He spent 2025 with the Nationals on a minor league deal, tossing 33 2/3 innings out of their Triple-A bullpen. He threw his slider 62.2% of the time, followed by his sinker at 27% and a changeup at just a 0.5% clip.

There’s no doubting that his 8.29 earned run average was poor but there were some more encouraging things under the hood. He struck out a strong 29.3% of batters faced. His 10.3% walk rate was a bit high but not by too much. His .346 batting average on balls in play allowed and 51.2% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His ten home runs allowed also played a role in putting more runs on the board, though that was an unusually high number for him, as was his 27% home run to flyball ratio.

The Rockies are one of the clubs most in need of arms. As a team, they had a 5.99 ERA last year, easily the worst in the majors. They have made a few additions this winter. They signed Michael Lorenzen in free agency. They acquired Brennan Bernardino in a trade with the Red Sox. They claimed Keegan Thompson off waivers from the Reds. They took RJ Petit from the Tigers in the Rule 5 draft.

They have also bolstered the non-roster depth by signing John Brebbia, Parker Mushinski, Ryan Miller and now Weigel to minor league deals. Those arms will be looking to earn jobs on the roster throughout the season. If Weigel makes it, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of John David Mercer, Imagn Images

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Colorado Rockies Transactions Patrick Weigel

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Rays, Cam Booser Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | January 27, 2026 at 3:45pm CDT

The Rays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Cam Booser, per the team transaction log at MLB.com. He’s a client of Northwest Sports Management. The log doesn’t specify as much, but MLBTR has confirmed that Booser will be in major league camp with the Rays as a non-roster invitee.

Booser, 33, spent the 2025 campaign with the White Sox organization, tossing 31 innings in the majors and another 14 2/3 frames in Triple-A. That was his second season with big league work, adding onto the 42 2/3 frames he logged with Boston in 2024. In 73 2/3 innings between the BoSox and ChiSox, Booser carries a 4.28 earned run average, a 23.9% strikeout rate and a 10.7% walk rate. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, inducing grounders at just a 31% clip.

Booser sits 95.5 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a cutter averaging 88 mph and a slider that sits 81.7 mph. His solid strikeout rate is supported by a 13% swinging-strike rate in the majors, and his 89.5 mph average exit velocity, 10.4% barrel rate and 38.9% hard-hit rate are all at or close to the league average among relievers. Booser has never struggled to miss bats much in the minors, but command troubles have been present throughout his professional career.

After trading Mason Montgomery in the three-team swap that sent Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh and brought Jacob Melton from Houston to Tampa Bay, the Rays’ only lefty in the bullpen is Garrett Cleavinger. They don’t have any left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster in the minors, though any of Joe Rock, Ian Seymour or DFA pickup Ken Waldichuk could conceivably work out in relief if the team prefers to explore a role change. All three are on the 40-man roster.

The Rays haven’t been especially active in bringing players aboard on non-roster deals with invitations to spring training, so at the moment Booser is one of the more experienced NRIs who’ll be in camp with Tampa Bay. That can always change in the weeks ahead, of course, but barring the addition of another lefty or two, the hard-throwing Booser probably has a chance to force his way into the Opening Day picture with a big spring showing.

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Nationals Outright Andry Lara

By Darragh McDonald | January 27, 2026 at 2:53pm CDT

The Nationals announced that right-hander Andry Lara has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Rochester. He had been designated for assignment a week ago when the club claimed utility player Mickey Gasper.

Lara, 23, was an international signing out of Venezuela in 2019. He had a bit of a breakout in 2024, tossing 134 2/3 innings over 25 starts between High-A and Double-A. He allowed 3.34 earned runs per nine with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. The Nats gave him a 40-man spot in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

His 2025 wasn’t as pleasant. He did get to make his major league debut but posted an 8.79 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. Down on the farm, he had a 7.55 ERA in 56 innings split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A.

That performance bumped him off Washington’s roster and none of the other 29 clubs were willing to give him a spot either. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he does not have the right to elect free agency. He will stick with the Nats and try to pitch his way back onto the roster.

The club is rebuilding and had a collective 5.35 ERA in 2025. This winter, they have thinned out the staff by trading away MacKenzie Gore and Jose A. Ferrer. They have also made a few additions by signing Foster Griffin, claiming Gus Varland and selecting Griff McGarry in the Rule 5 draft. On the whole, the staff is lacking in experience and very few guys have spots locked down, so there are paths for Lara or other pitchers to take advantage of the situation.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

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Transactions Washington Nationals Andry Lara

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Yankees Claim Dom Hamel; Designate Marco Luciano, Jayvien Sandridge For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | January 27, 2026 at 2:00pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they have claimed right-hander Dom Hamel off waivers from the Rangers. They also designated left-hander Jayvien Sandridge and outfielder Marco Luciano for assignment. The two DFAs open roster spots for Hamel and for Cody Bellinger, whose five-year deal was made official yesterday. Texas designated Hamel for assignment a week ago when they signed Jakob Junis.

Hamel, 27 in March, just made his major league debut not too long ago. He tossed a scoreless inning for the Mets on September 17th, which is still his only big league appearance. Shortly thereafter, the Mets put him on waivers, with the Orioles and Rangers claiming him in quick succession. Texas held him for a few months but put him back on the wire this week.

The righty came up through the Mets’ system as a starting pitcher but a lack of control pushed him to the bullpen in 2025. He logged 67 2/3 innings over 31 Triple-A appearances last year. 11 of those were officially starts but they were mostly in opener style. His 5.32 earned run average wasn’t great but he did strike out 25.2% of batters faced and showed improved control with a 7.4% walk rate. His four-seamer and sinker both averaged in the low 90s while he also mixed in a cutter, slider and changeup.

Hamel still has a couple of options, so the Yankees could keep him as depth in the minors. They could also try putting him back on waivers in the future. He doesn’t have a previous career outright and has less than three years of service time, which means he would not have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Speaking of players getting put back on waivers, that’s been the story of Luciano’s offseason. Once a top prospect, his stock has dropped as he has exhausted his option years. That has pushed him to a fringe roster position and it seems that there are several clubs hoping to be the one to pass him through waivers, at which point he could be kept in the minors as non-roster depth. He finished the 2025 season with the Giants but has subsequently gone to the Pirates, Orioles and Yankees via the waiver wire.

He has a rough career batting line of .217/.286/.304 in his big league career while striking out in 35.7% of his plate appearances. His Triple-A line of .227/.351/.401 is better but came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and still saw him strike out 29.6% of the time. He was moved from the middle infield to left field last year, which only put more pressure on him to produce offensively.

The numbers have not been great but Luciano is only 24 years old and was a top 100 prospect not too long ago. His service time is still under a year, meaning he can theoretically be retained for six full seasons by some club. It’s understandable that teams would hope to have that player on hand in case he does finally break out. Now that he’s in DFA limbo once more, he will be on the move again or outrighted in the next week.

Sandridge, 27 next month, got a major league roster spot for the first time with the Yankees last year. He made just one appearance, which came against the Mets on July 5th. He was given a rude awakening, as he walked Juan Soto and then allowed a home run to Pete Alonso. He settled down somewhat by striking out Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos, but then walked Luis Torrens and hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch before being removed.

That one appearance has some commonalities with his minor league track record, which has featured lots of strikeouts but a lack of control. He tossed 36 2/3 innings on the farm for the Yankees last year with a 4.66 ERA. He struck out 32.7% of batters faced but issued 19 walks, an 11.4% pace. He also hit three more batters and tossed six wild pitches. He averaged around 95 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a splitter and slider.

He will now be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Yankees could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on the wire sooner. Since he has a couple of options, he could have appeal if there’s a club that is both intrigued by the arsenal and looking for some extra relief depth.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

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New York Yankees Texas Rangers Transactions Dom Hamel Jayvien Sandridge Marco Luciano

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Angels Claim Osvaldo Bido

By Darragh McDonald | January 27, 2026 at 1:25pm CDT

The Angels announced that they have claimed right-hander Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Marlins. Miami had designated Bido for assignment last week when they acquired Bradley Blalock from the Rockies. The Halos have an open 40-man roster spot for this claim but their agreement with infielder Yoán Moncada is not yet official. By filling up their last 40-man spot today, they will now have to make a corresponding move whenever Moncada’s deal does become official.

Bido, 30, seems to fall into an unfortunate fringe roster position where several teams like him but not enough to hold a roster position for very long. He has worked as an up-and-down swingman in recent years with some encouraging results at times. However, he is now out of options. He ended 2025 with the Athletics but has since gone to Atlanta, Tampa, Miami and now Anaheim via waiver claims.

It seems likely that several different teams would like to pass him through waivers unclaimed, which would allow them to have him in the minors as non-roster depth. He has never been outrighted in his career and has less than three years of service time, so he wouldn’t have the right to elect free agency if he were eventually outrighted.

Bido’s best showing in the major leagues thus far came in 2024. He gave the A’s 63 1/3 innings over nine starts and seven relief appearances, allowing 3.41 earned runs per nine. He struck out 24.3% of batters faced and gave out walks at a 10% clip. His fly ball rate was on the high side but that worked well while the A’s were still playing in Oakland and the pitcher-friendly confines of the Coliseum.

The club moved to a minor league park in 2025, which seemed to significantly hurt Bido’s results. He had only allowed three home runs in 2024 but then allowed 19 in 2025, in a slightly larger sample size of 79 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate also dropped a bit to 18.7%. The result was a 5.87 ERA, which presumably helped launch him into the DFA carousel this winter.

Perhaps he will find himself on waivers yet again but he has a spot with the Angels for now. The Halos have a decent amount of question marks in their rotation. Yusei Kikuchi and José Soriano should be in two spots but there’s not much certainty beyond those two. Reid Detmers is going to get another chance but was in relief last year. Grayson Rodriguez and Alek Manoah will be looking to bounce back from injury absences. Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, Jack Kochanowicz and various others are on the roster but could be kept in the minors as depth.

The bullpen is also fairly open. Four spots are likely taken by Robert Stephenson, Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano and Kirby Yates. That still leaves four spots for other arms. Chase Silseth is out of options and could have one. Guys like Ryan Zeferjahn, José Fermín, Sam Bachman and Cody Laweryson will be in the mix but have options.

If Bido hangs onto his roster spot with the Angels, there should be opportunities, especially since he has experience both starting and relieving. If he still has a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained for future seasons via arbitration.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins Transactions Osvaldo Bido

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Cubs, Dylan Carlson Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | January 27, 2026 at 12:20pm CDT

January 27th: Carlson will make $2MM if he cracks the majors, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, with another $1MM available via incentives.

January 26th: The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Dylan Carlson, as first reported by Greg Zumach. The ALIGND Sports client receives a non-roster invitation to major league spring training, where he’ll compete for a bench job.

Carlson is the second veteran outfielder to sign a minor league deal with the Cubs in the past week. Former Astros outfielder Chas McCormick also received an NRI from Chicago and will be in the mix for a bench spot.

The 27-year-old Carlson was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Cubs’ archrivals in St. Louis. He ranked as one of the ten best prospects in the sport prior to his big league debut and had a nice showing in his first full season back in 2021 (.266/.343/.437, 18 homers) but has seen his bat stall out since. Carlson was a league-average hitter in 2022, but in three subsequent big league seasons has mustered only a .210/.294/.314 batting line in 761 trips to the plate between the Cardinals, Rays and Orioles. He’s dealt with shoulder, ankle, hamstring, thumb and wrist injuries along the way. The ankle injury, suffered in 2023, required season-ending surgery.

Carlson, a switch-hitter, had an uncharacteristically poor showing against left-handed pitching last year, but that came in a small sample with Baltimore. He’s been good against lefties throughout his career, hitting them at a .274/.347/.410 clip in 566 plate appearances. His left-handed swing and approach haven’t been nearly as refined; in 1421 turns at the plate versus right-handed pitching, he’s a .217/.298/.356 hitter.

The versatile Carlson can handle any of the three outfield spots, though his defensive grades in center field have slipped in small samples over the past couple seasons. Statcast graded his sprint speed comfortably above average earlier in his career, but Carlson was closer to the mean in 2025, sitting in the 56th percentile of big leaguers in that regard. He typically shows plus arm strength, based on the velocity of his throws from the outfield, but was closer to average in that regard this past season as well.

Carlson may not have developed into the star the Cardinals hoped, or even a quality regular, but if he can get back on track against left-handed pitching and play solid defense across the three outfield spots, he’s a fine fourth outfielder. Chicago’s outfield is set with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki lining up from left to right, but Crow-Armstrong hit only .188/.217/.376 against lefties this past season.

If the Cubs want to give Crow-Armstrong some breaks against tough southpaws or even move to more of a platoon system, Carlson’s skill set could lend itself well to a complementary role, though the same could be said for fellow NRI McCormick. Waiver claim Justin Dean and prospect Kevin Alcantara are both on the 40-man roster as well. Both hit from the right side of the plate and can handle all three outfield spots.

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Chicago Cubs Transactions Dylan Carlson

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Royals, Aaron Sanchez Agree To Minor League Deal

By Steve Adams | January 27, 2026 at 10:47am CDT

The Royals and right-hander Aaron Sanchez are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. The former Blue Jays All-Star will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Sanchez would earn $1.5MM on the big league roster and has another $1.35MM available to him via incentives, a source tells MLBTR. The contract contains opt-out/release dates on April 15 and May 15, per Murray’s report. Sanchez is represented by Smooth Baseball.

Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 and was out of baseball entirely in 2025. The 33-year-old set his sights on a comeback effort this winter though and more than earned a look with a big league club while pitching in the Dominican Winter League. He started eight games, pitched 46 1/3 innings and recorded a pristine 1.55 earned run average. Sanchez’s 19.1% strikeout rate isn’t much to look at, but he also walked only 5% of his opponents and has always been more of a ground-ball pitcher than a premium strikeout arm anyhow (career 52.7% grounder rate).

A former top prospect and No. 34 overall draft pick with the Blue Jays, Sanchez looked like a budding star in 2016. He paced the American League with a flat 3.00 ERA in 192 innings, finished seventh in Cy Young voting and made his lone All-Star team that year. Injuries have derailed him since. In addition to recurring blister troubles on his pitching hand, Sanchez has been plagued by a lat strain, a biceps strain and a torn capsule in his right shoulder.

Since that brilliant 2016 showing, Sanchez has managed only 367 2/3 innings in the majors. He’s pitched to a 5.29 ERA with a 17.5% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 49% ground-ball rate in that time, bouncing between five major league clubs along the way.

The Royals have a strong rotation, but clubs are always on the hunt for low-cost depth starting pitching depth. Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron give the club five quality arms to carry into the season. Right-handers Alec Marsh, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek and Mason Black are on the 40-man roster and all have starting experience in the majors, as does out-of-options left-hander Bailey Falter, who seems ticketed for a swingman role.

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Kansas City Royals Transactions Aaron Sanchez

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Giants To Sign Harrison Bader

By Steve Adams | January 26, 2026 at 11:46pm CDT

The Giants have a notable upgrade to their outfield defense in place, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $20.5MM contract with free agent outfielder Harrison Bader. The Vayner Sports client can earn an additional $500K via incentives, bringing the deal’s maximum value to $21MM.

Bader, 31, has been a free agent for three consecutive offseasons but now lands the multi-year deal that’s previously eluded him. He signed one-year deals with the Mets and Twins, respectively, over the past two winters. Bader turned in a career-best performance in Minnesota and was red hot for the Phillies down the stretch after joining them in a deadline swap, and the market has rewarded that strong 2025 performance.

In 501 plate appearances between Minnesota and Philadelphia last year, Bader slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers, 24 doubles, a triple and 11 steals (albeit in 18 attempts). His 7.8% walk rate was the second-best he’s posted in a 162-game season, though 2025’s bloated 27.1% strikeout rate was also his worst full-season mark since 2019. Much of Bader’s success can be attributed to an increase in playing time and a hefty .359 average on balls in play, but it bears mentioning that his 10.2% barrel rate and 40.3% hard-hit rate were personal bests in a full big league season.

Strong as last year’s performance was — 22% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+ — offense has never been Bader’s calling card. He’s been clearly above average in four of his nine MLB campaigns, but on the whole, Bader is a .247/.313/.401 hitter in a bit more than 3000 career plate appearances, which just barely shy of average. His glovework, however, is among the best in all of baseball, regardless of position.

Bader has played 5925 innings of center field defense in his career and been credited with a gaudy 51 Defensive Runs Saved and 67 Outs Above Average. He played more left field than center field in Minnesota, largely in deference to Byron Buxton, and notched positive marks in both DRS (7) and OAA (3) through 496 frames.

Overall, Bader has played 6799 innings of outfield defense in the majors, dating back to his 2017 MLB debut. In that time, only four outfielders — Mookie Betts, Kevin Kiermaier, Daulton Varsho, Michael A. Taylor — have bested his 67 DRS. No outfielder in that time has topped Bader’s 77 OAA. Francisco Lindor, Nick Ahmed, Nolan Arenado and Ke’Bryan Hayes are the only four majors leaguers at any position with a better OAA total in that time.

With Bader turning 32 in June, it’s fair to at least wonder whether he’ll begin to slow down over the next two seasons. However, there’s no reason to think that’ll be the case — at least based on recent history. This past season’s average sprint speed of 28.8 feet per second was actually an improvement over Bader’s 2024 mark of 28.2 ft/sec and right in line with his 2023 mark. He’s no longer covering the flat-out elite 30 ft/sec he did earlier in his career, but Bader’s 2025 sprint speed still landed in the 85th percentile of all big league position players. He’s a clear plus runner.

It’s a near certainty that Bader will take that plus speed and range to Oracle Park as the Giants’ new center fielder. Jung Hoo Lee handled the bulk of center field work in San Francisco this past offseason but ranked as one of the worst defenders in the game along the way (-18 DRS, -5 OAA). Lee’s arm strength sat in the 91st percentile of big league outfielders, per Statcast, but his range was near the bottom of the scale. Lee should have the arm to move to right field, where his lack of range would be better suited. Even if Bader’s bat regresses and checks in a bit shy of average, the defensive upgrade alone will be enormous for the Giants.

Assuming even distribution of that $20.5MM, Bader’s contract bumps San Francisco’s actual cash payroll to a projected $195MM, per RosterResource. Their luxury tax payroll is quite a bit higher, clocking in at about $221.5MM, but that still leaves more than $20MM between their current standing and the $244MM threshold at which luxury penalties begin. San Francisco has paid the tax in the past, but only rarely. They were over the line in 2024, which stands as their only time exceeding the threshold in recent memory.

For the time being, it doesn’t seem likely that the Giants will climb back to that level of spending. San Francisco is in the market for a second baseman but has been looking at the trade market — specifically, affordable targets like CJ Abrams and Brendan Donovan (“affordable” in terms of salary — not necessarily prospect capital). They’ve added Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle to the rotation and could continue to poke around the rotation and bullpen markets, but ownership has publicly expressed an aversion to signing any free agent pitcher to a long-term deal, making a run at a top free agent like Framber Valdez feel unlikely.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the two-year agreement. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the financial terms.

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Cardinals Sign Nelson Velázquez To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | January 26, 2026 at 9:19pm CDT

The Cardinals announced their group of non-roster invitees to Spring Training this evening. Corner outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Velázquez is among the group, indicating they’ve signed him to a minor league contract. Velázquez is represented by MDR Sports Management.

Velázquez, 27, is looking to get back to the majors for the first time in two seasons. He bounced around last year after being outrighted off the Royals’ 40-man roster during Spring Training. Kansas City released him in May after he hit .202 across his first 33 Triple-A contests. Velázquez needed to settle for a job in the Mexican League but raked over 49 games there to play his way back to affiliated ball. He latched on with the Pirates on a minor league deal and played the final month with their top affiliate in Indianapolis.

The righty-hitting Velázquez carried over his strong form from Mexico in his second look at Triple-A pitching. He closed the season with a .284/.329/.554 line with five homers in 79 plate appearances. It wasn’t enough to get an MLB call from the Pirates, but he secured a non-roster invite from St. Louis.

Velázquez has split his major league work between the Cubs and Royals. He went on a power barrage in the second half of the ’23 season, slugging 14 homers over 40 games after the Royals acquired him from Chicago. That’s his only real run of big league success, as he struggled on either side of that scorching stretch. Velázquez has a .212/.286/.433 batting line in 615 plate appearances, essentially the equivalent of one full season. He has 31 homers in that time but the batting average and on-base marks haven’t been sufficient.

The Cardinals are amidst a rebuild that should open some playing time in the outfield. They already did so indirectly with the Willson Contreras trade, which is expected to bring Alec Burleson in from the outfield as the primary first baseman. St. Louis could move left fielder Lars Nootbaar, although they may prefer to wait until midseason to show his health after postseason heel surgeries. Jordan Walker is lined up for another look in right field in what looks like a make-or-break year for the former top prospect. There’s less opportunity available at designated hitter, where Iván Herrera will get the majority of the playing time when he’s not catching.

Velázquez has some similarities to Walker and current prospect Joshua Baez as right-handed power bats. The Cardinals certainly aren’t going to force him into the lineup over younger players who could be core pieces. He’s their only non-roster outfielder with MLB experience and seems likely to open the season at Triple-A Memphis.

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St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Nelson Velazquez

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Royals, Hector Neris Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | January 26, 2026 at 6:27pm CDT

The Royals are in agreement with veteran righty Héctor Neris on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The Octagon client gets a non-roster invite to MLB camp.

Neris, 36, is a well-traveled reliever who surpassed the 10-year service milestone last season. He split the year between the Braves, Angels and Astros and tossed 26 2/3 innings over 35 combined appearances. Neris managed an impressive 28.2% strikeout rate but had untenable walk and home run marks, leading to a 6.75 earned run average.

It has been a couple seasons since Neris was a productive late-game arm. He was a leverage reliever for most of his time with the Phillies and Astros earlier in his career. Neris had arguably his best season in 2023, turning in a career-low 1.71 ERA across 71 appearances with Houston. He was knocked around in the postseason that year but had pitched well during the World Series run one year earlier, when he fired six innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts.

Neris’ splitter has continued to miss bats over the past couple seasons, but his command and velocity have gone in the wrong direction. His fastball was in the 95 MPH range at its peak but dropped to a 92.4 average last year. Neris has always been a fly-ball pitcher, and the waning stuff means hitters have found it much easier to do damage when he’s forced to challenge them. Opponents hit .366 with four homers and doubles apiece off the fastball last year.

The Royals will give him a look in Spring Training to see if he can turn things around. They have a fairly deep pitching staff that doesn’t offer many opportunities to break camp barring injuries. Alex Lange and Daniel Lynch IV each have a minor league option remaining, which could leave one bullpen spot up for grabs right now. It’s unlikely everyone will get through Spring Training fully healthy. The Royals haven’t made many non-roster additions. Neris joins old friend Jose Cuas as their only minor league bullpen pickups with MLB experience, and the latter did not receive an invite to big league camp.

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