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Reds Sign Pierce Johnson

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Jan. 15: The Reds have formally announced the signing. There’s a mutual option for the 2027 season on the contract as well, though since mutual options are never exercised by both parties, that amounts to little more than an accounting measure to push some of the $6.5MM salary to the ’27 books (by way of an option buyout).

Jan. 12: Johnson is guaranteed $6.5MM, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Jan. 11: Right-hander Pierce Johnson is headed to the Reds, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The details of the contract are not yet known. Johnson is represented by John Boggs & Associates.

Johnson, 34, was a first-round pick all the way back in 2012. He made his big league debut in 2017 but didn’t stick in the majors right away and eventually headed to Japan in 2019 to pitch for the Hanshin Tigers. The result was a dominant 1.38 ERA over 58 2/3 innings of work in NPB, and Johnson then returned to the majors in 2020 and posted strong numbers overall across three seasons with the Padres.

Missing most of the 2022 campaign due to injury, however, put Johnson in an awkward position entering free agency following the year. He caught on with the Rockies and struggled badly, posting a 6.00 ERA during his time in Colorado, but was still an attractive enough target to be dealt to the Braves at the trade deadline. Upon arriving in Atlanta, he looked like a different pitcher, turning in a a 0.76 ERA, 36% strikeout rate, and 5.4% walk rate across 24 appearances down the stretch for the Braves.

It was a performance so impressive that Atlanta chose to extend Johnson on a fresh two-year deal that guaranteed him $14.25MM, including a $250K buyout on a $7MM club option for the 2026 season. Johnson posted a 3.36 ERA and 3.77 FIP overall across 115 1/3 innings in the next two seasons, but he was unable to carry over the pinpoint command he had flashed down the stretch in 2023. His peripherals declined, culminating in the righty striking out a diminished (but still strong) 24.8% of his opponents this past year, and the Braves ultimately chose to buy out his 2026 option.

Now headed into his age-35 season, Johnson will join a Reds team that managed to squeak into the playoffs last year and has its sights set on returning in 2026. After re-signing Emilio Pagan to serve as the club’s closer, Cincinnati has continued to retool its bullpen by adding Caleb Ferguson and now Johnson. That trio should be joined by Tony Santillan to make a formidable late inning relief corps for the Reds, while former starters like Graham Ashcraft and Connor Phillips provide some upside but likely slide into lower-leverage roles. With a stacked rotation led by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, Terry Francona’s pitching staff looks solid headed into the season.

The question for the Reds headed into 2026 is mostly focused around the club’s lineup. While Elly De La Cruz is a budding superstar and players like TJ Friedl and Spencer Steer have proven themselves to be quality role players, it’s hard to know if the Reds’ lineup will produce enough on offense to carry them back to October. Players like Noelvi Marte and Matt McLain have shown great promise in the past but have also struggled badly at times. The same can be said for reclamation projects JJ Bleday and Ke’Bryan Hayes. If the Reds have more planned this offseason after adding Johnson, adding more to the lineup would be the best way to improve the roster, whether that’s through free agency or perhaps a trade of someone like right-hander Brady Singer, who’ll be a free agent next winter.

Orioles, Sam Huff Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Sam Huff, reports MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. The ALIGND Sports client will presumably be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee this spring.

A seventh-rounder by the Rangers back in 2016, the as-of-yesterday 28-year-old Huff has played in parts of five major league seasons. He once rated as one of the top catching prospects in the sport and carries a decent .247/.301/.430 batting line in the majors. That production comes in a sample of only 272 plate appearances and spite of a 36% strikeout rate, however. Huff’s rate stats have been buoyed by a .350 average on balls in play.

Huff has solid framing grades in his limited major league work but has struggled with blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the run game. He has just an 18.5% caught-stealing rate in his career and has been charged with eight passed balls in 507 innings behind the dish.

The minor league numbers for Huff aren’t bad. He’s tallied exactly 1200 plate appearances in Triple-A and carries a lifetime .258/.338/.476 slash at that level, including 56 homers, 60 doubles, a pair of triples and a 10.2% walk rate. Contact has been an issue for him even at the top minor league level, though; he’s fanned in an untenable 29.9% of his trips to the plate in Triple-A.

With the Orioles, Huff figures to be a pure depth option. Top prospect Samuel Basallo and mainstay Adley Rutschman will handle the catching duties in the majors. Twenty-seven-year-old Maverick Handley got some looks as a glove-first option behind the dish when the O’s were dealing with injuries in 2025 as well, though he’s since been removed from the 40-man roster. Huff can join Handley in Triple-A Norfolk and give the organization an option as a righty bat at first base, too (not that they’re lacking in that regard). He’s logged 73 career games (566 innings) at first base between the minors and the big leagues.

Rockies Designate Bradley Blalock For Assignment

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The Rockies announced Thursday that right-hander Bradley Blalock has been designated for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to newly signed righty Michael Lorenzen, whose previously reported one-year contract (with a 2027 club option) is now official.

Blalock has seen major league time in each of the past two seasons, totaling a combined 89 1/3 innings between the Rockies and the Brewers. The 25-year-old has been hit hard, yielding a grisly 8.16 ERA with nearly as many walks (10.2%) as strikeouts (11.1%) during that time. He’s worked primarily as a starter but hasn’t missed nearly enough bats and has been far too prone to the long ball (2.12 HR/9).

Those struggles for Blalock extend to the upper minors. He also has a career ERA north of 8.00 in Triple-A, though the vast majority of his time there came with the Rockies’ top affiliate in an exorbitantly hitter-friendly Albuquerque/Pacific Coast League setting this season. Blalock posted a decent 4.36 ERA in two partial seasons of Double-A work and had sub-4.00 ERAs with above-average strikeout rates at both High-A and Low-A earlier in his professional career.

Blalock saw his average fastball jump from 93.5 mph in 2024 to 94.6 mph in 2025. He pairs that pitch with a slider, splitter, curveball and cutter (in order of usage rate), but his splitter was the only one of those offerings to grade out as an above-average pitch this season.

The Rockies will have five days to either trade Blalock or place him on outright waivers. The waiver process takes 48 hours. Within the next week, he’ll know whether he’s been picked up by another team or cleared waivers and been assigned outright to the Rockies’ Triple-A squad. Blalock does have a minor league option remaining and a decent track record prior to his time in the Rockies organization. It’s possible that a team with 40-man space to spare could take a chance on him as a possible swingman, but Blalock’s recent struggles should give the Rockies a good chance to pass him through waivers and retain him as non-roster depth.

Rockies Sign Michael Lorenzen

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Jan. 15: The Rockies have formally announced the signing.

Jan. 7: The Rockies are in agreement with Michael Lorenzen on a one-year, $8MM contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The deal includes a $9MM club option for the 2027 season. Colorado has an available 40-man roster spot and will finalize the deal once Lorenzen passes a physical. He’s represented by CAA Sports.

It’s the first MLB signing of the winter for Colorado, meaning it is also Paul DePodesta’s first notable pickup as their head of baseball operations. (The Red Sox are now the only team that hasn’t signed a big league free agent this offseason.) It’s likely to be the first of a few pitching adds for the rebuilding club. General manager Josh Byrnes said this week that they were hoping to bring in two experienced starters.

The Rockies very rarely add to their rotation via free agency. This is the first time they’ve added a free agent starter on a $5MM+ guarantee since the Kyle Kendrick signing in 2015. Coors Field obviously isn’t a preferred destination for most pitchers. A seven-year streak of finishing fourth or fifth in the NL West doesn’t help matters.

One thing they can certainly offer is opportunity. Lorenzen would be a sixth starter or swing arm for a lot of teams. He’ll get a guaranteed rotation spot in Colorado, where he lands behind Kyle Freeland as their most established arms. The 34-year-old righty has spent the past season and a half with the Royals. He worked at the back of Kansas City’s rotation for most of that time, including 26 starts last year. Lorenzen pitched to a 4.64 earned run average over 141 2/3 innings.

A multi-inning reliever early in his career with the Reds, Lorenzen prioritized a rotation opportunity upon getting to free agency after the 2021 season. He has bounced around on a handful of one-year deals that have generally given him a back-end starting job. This is the fifth consecutive offseason in which he commanded exactly one year on an MLB contract. The deals have all guaranteed between $4.5MM and $8.5MM and have come with five different teams: the Angels, Tigers, Rangers, and Royals. He has also been traded twice and is now on his seventh team overall.

Lorenzen has surpassed 130 innings in each of the past three seasons. He has required an injured list stint in four consecutive years, but a 2022 shoulder strain led to his only lengthy absence. His recent IL stints have been for minor issues: groin, hamstring, neck and oblique strains — none of which cost him more than a month.

The 6’3″ righty works with one of the deepest arsenals of any pitcher in MLB. Statcast’s tracking metrics identity seven distinct pitches, none of which he uses more than a quarter of the time. His four-seam fastball checks in around 94 MPH. He also throws a sinker, changeup, and four breaking pitches (slider, curveball, cutter, sweeper). Nothing stands out as plus in isolation, but he carves out decent results by mixing and matching. Lorenzen has a 4.10 ERA with a modest 19.3% strikeout rate against an average 8.7% walk percentage over the past four seasons.

Anything close to that production would make him one of Colorado’s best pitchers. Freeland was their only pitcher who made more than six starts and allowed fewer than 6.33 earned runs per nine innings. The rotation’s 6.65 ERA was historically terrible. Germán Márquez isn’t expected back in free agency. Antonio Senzatela was demoted to the bullpen late in the season and is expected to remain in long relief.

Freeland and Lorenzen are locked into the top two rotation spots. Ryan Feltner, Chase Dollander, Gabriel Hughes, Bradley Blalock, Tanner Gordon, McCade Brown and waiver claim Keegan Thompson are the other options on the 40-man roster. Feltner is the only one of the bunch who has had any kind of MLB success, and he’s coming off an injury-plagued season. Dollander is a former top 10 pick who held his own on the road but was terrible at Coors Field as a rookie. They’re penciled into the rotation for now, while the fifth starter job would be wide open if they don’t succeed in bringing in anyone else this offseason.

Lorenzen will eat some innings and raise the floor when he takes the ball. He’s not the caliber of pitcher who’s going to net a huge trade return, but the Rox will hope for a solid first half that allows them to flip him for a lottery ticket prospect at the deadline.

Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images.

Blue Jays Sign Rafael Lantigua To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays brought infielder Rafael Lantigua back to the organization on a minor league contract, the team announced. Toronto also added infielder Carlos Mendoza and confirmed previously reported agreements with Jorge Alcala, Eloy Jiménez and Michael Plassmeyer. All five players receive non-roster invitations to big league camp.

Lantigua, 27, initially signed with the Jays out of the Dominican Republic during the 2016 amateur signing period. The righty-hitting utilityman played his way to Triple-A by the end of the 2022 season. He spent the next two full seasons with their top affiliate in Buffalo before qualifying for minor league free agency. Lantigua signed with the Phillies last winter and again played the majority of the year in the International League.

The 5’7″ infielder batted .230/.356/.330 across 495 plate appearances for Philly’s farm team. Lantigua walked at a 15.6% clip while only striking out 14.7% of the time. While that propped up his on-base percentage, he did very little damage on contact. He hit seven homers and had a .260 average on balls in play. There was probably some poor luck in the latter number, as his BABIP in the previous two seasons was much higher, but he did himself no favors by only making hard contact on a quarter of batted balls.

Lantigua received his first major league call in September thanks to an injury to Edmundo Sosa. The Phils optioned him three days later without getting him into a game. They outrighted him from the roster at the beginning of the offseason. Lantigua has reached the majors but hasn’t gotten an opportunity to debut, which he’ll hope will arise with his original organization at some point in 2026.

Mendoza is also a smaller infielder whose game is built around getting on base. He’s a lefty bat who hit .287/.394/.409 with more walks than strikeouts in the Detroit system last year. The Miami native spent the majority of the season in Double-A. He can play second or third base but has no shortstop experience. Mendoza didn’t crack Detroit’s 40-man roster before qualifying for free agency at the end of his seventh season in the minors.

Padres Sign Nick Solak, Omar Cruz To Minor League Deals

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The Padres have signed infielder/outfielder Nick Solak and left-hander Omar Cruz to minor league deals, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Presumably, both players will be invited to big league camp in spring training.

Solak, 31, was once a prospect of note with the Rangers but he has struggled to hang around as a useful major leaguer. He stepped to the plate 974 times as a Ranger from 2019 to 2022 but produced a tepid .252/.327/.372 batting line. That translated to a 93 wRC+, indicating he was seven percent worse than league average at the plate.

That subpar offense made for a rough combination with his lack of defensive value. He has played the three non-shortstop infield spots and spent some time in the outfield but has largely received poor grades anywhere he has landed on the diamond.

He has continued to rake in the minors, however. Just last year, in the Pirates’ system, he stepped to the plate 482 times at the Triple-A level. He had a 10% walk rate, 13% strikeout rate, .332/.411/.492 line and 143 wRC+. That was aided by a .364 batting average on balls in play but it likely still would have been decent production even with a bit of regression there. He briefly got called up by Pittsburgh but only got into four games. Since he’s out of options, he was bumped off the 40-man roster entirely.

A right-handed hitter, Solak has notable platoon splits, with a .279/.358/.420 line and 115 wRC+ against lefties in his career. Perhaps that could help him carve out a bench/utility role, helping the Friars keep southpaws away from lefty hitters like Gavin Sheets, Sung Mun Song and Jake Cronenworth in the first base/second base/designated hitter rotation. For now, Solak gives them a bit of position player depth without taking up a roster spot.

Cruz, 27 later this month, just made his major league debut with San Diego last year. He tossed 3 2/3 innings for the Padres, allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five.

There’s only one day in the year where a player can be cut from a roster and sent to free agency without being exposed to waivers. That day is the non-tender deadline. The Friars non-tendered Cruz, sent him to free agency, and have now brought him back in a non-roster capacity.

Cruz was a starter for much of his minor league career. He was mostly used as a reliever in 2024 and appeared to have a bit of a breakout year. He had a 3.96 ERA in the minors, striking out 32.3% of batters faced and posting a 9.9% walk rate. Last year, the Padres tried stretching him out again but eventually gave up and moved him back to the bullpen. The result was 83 1/3 Triple-A innings for the year with a 4.75 ERA, 23.2% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate.

Whether the Padres still have dreams of stretching him out or will keep him in relief remains to be seen. Either way, he gives them some left-handed non-roster depth for now. If he eventually gets a roster spot again, he still has a couple of option seasons remaining.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Orioles Outright Jhonkensy Noel

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The Orioles announced that outfielder Jhonkensy Noel has cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He will stay in Baltimore’s system but without taking up a spot on the roster.

The O’s are one of the most aggressive clubs when it comes to claiming players from the waiver wire and then putting them back out there shortly thereafter. The desired result is that the player clears, allowing the club to keep the player in a non-roster capacity, which has happened in this case.

From there, the best-case scenario is that the player follows in the footsteps of Ryan O’Hearn. The O’s acquired O’Hearn from the Royals in January of 2023 and then passed him through waivers. He hit his way back onto the roster a few months later. He spent more than two years as a productive member of the club before being traded to the Padres alongside Ramón Laureano for a package of prospects at the 2025 deadline.

Noel, 24, has flashed big power in his career but has been a poor hitter apart from that. In 351 plate appearances with the Guardians over the past two seasons, he launched 19 home runs but his 4.8% walk rate and 32.8% strikeout rate were both significantly worse than league average. He had a .193/.242/.401 batting line and 79 wRC+ in that time. Since he’s not an especially strong defender or baserunner, that offense was untenable.

He exhausted his final option season in 2025, which pushed him off the edges of Cleveland’s roster and onto the waiver wire. The O’s were able to grab him and then pass him through unclaimed today. He’ll return to the Triple-A level, where his offense has been more encouraging. He stepped to the plate 536 times at that level over the past two years with a 7.5% walk rate and 23.7% strikeout rate, still not great numbers but better than his big league work. His combined .285/.349/.538 Triple-A slash line in that time led to a 130 wRC+.

Even if Noel succeeds in Norfolk, he doesn’t have an amazing path back to the majors. Baltimore’s outfield mix currently includes Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Dylan Beavers, Tyler O’Neill, Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras, Reed Trimble, Heston Kjerstad and Marco Luciano.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Twins Claim Vidal Brujan, Designate Mickey Gasper

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed infielder/outfielder Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Braves, who’d designated him for assignment last week. In a corresponding move, Minnesota designated catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper for assignment. The Twins’ 40-man roster remains at capacity.

Originally signed by the Rays as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic, Brujan spent four years (2019-22) holding a spot on Baseball America’s top-100 prospect list. He’s now 28 years old, out of minor league options, and has yet to hit at the major league level, however.

Brujan split the 2025 campaign between the Cubs, Orioles (one plate appearance) and Braves. The switch-hitter came to the plate 95 times overall and slashed .253/.305/.310 in that time. He’s now logged MLB action in each of the past five seasons — suiting up for the Rays and Marlins in addition to that 2025 trio of clubs — but mustered only a tepid .199/.267/.276 batting line in 645 turns at the plate.

Brujan’s once-plus speed has fallen off considerably. Statcast pegged him in the 37th percentile of big leaguers last season in terms of average sprint speed. He has decent contact skills (21.6% strikeout rate since ’22), draws walks at a nearly average clip (7.8% in that same span) and has experience at every position on the diamond other than catcher (including 3 2/3 innings of mop-up relief).

Though he hasn’t hit in the majors, Brujan has a solid track record in Triple-A, where he’s slashed .273/.356/.450 with a 10.6% walk rate and just a 16.5% strikeout rate in a little over 1000 plate appearances. Since he’s out of minor league options, the Twins won’t be able to send him to Triple-A unless he first clears waivers.

That presents something of a “logjam” of fringe-y, out-of-options players in the Twins’ bench mix. Backup catcher Alex Jackson was acquired in a trade and signed to a $1.35MM contract for the upcoming season. His spot is presumably safe. Brujan will compete with outfielder James Outman (acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Brock Stewart this past July), former top prospect Edouard Julien and utilityman Kody Clemens — all out of options themselves — for a spot on Minnesota’s bench. It’s also plausible that the Twins simply hope to stash him as depth in Triple-A and will try to run Brujan through waivers themselves in the weeks ahead.

The 30-year-old Gasper, acquired from the Red Sox in a Dec. 2024 trade that sent left-hander Jovani Moran to Boston, loses his 40-man spot in the wake of today’s claim. He appeared in 45 games for the Twins and took 110 plate appearances, batting .158/.257/.232 with a pair of homers. Like Brujan, he’s a switch-hitter with a strong Triple-A track record but no MLB success of which to speak. Gasper raked at a .285/.385/.531 clip with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul this past season and carries a lifetime .303/.406/.512 batting line at the top minor league level.

Gasper’s minor league track record, unique defensive versatility and pair of remaining minor league options could net him a look from another club, whether via waiver claim or perhaps a small trade. He’s not considered a good defensive catcher, but he’s an interesting third option at the position and is a switch-hitter to boot. Gasper has spent more time at first base than behind the plate in his pro career, and he’s also logged nearly 400 innings at second base in addition to cameos at the hot corner and in left field.

Cubs Sign Alex Bregman

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The Cubs have made their third-largest signing in franchise history official, announcing Wednesday that they’ve signed third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year contract that’ll reportedly guarantee him $175MM. Bregman, a client of the Boras Corporation, receives a full no-trade clause. Unlike his prior contract with the Red Sox, there are no opt-out opportunities. The deal reportedly includes $70MM of deferred money, dropping the net present value from a $35MM average annual value to something in the $30-31MM range. A full breakdown of the deferrals can be found at the bottom of this post. He’ll be introduced in a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:30am CT.

When last offseason’s proposals fell short of Bregman’s expectations, he pivoted to a heavily-deferred three-year, $120MM deal with the Red Sox. The quality of his 2025 season, plus his ineligibility for a qualifying offer this time around, led to this long-term deal.

MLBTR projected a six-year, $160MM contract for Bregman back in November. He ultimately landed a bit shy of that on a five-year term, when accounting for deferrals. It’s still the largest average annual value in Cubs franchise history, and the total guarantee trails only Jason Heyward ($184MM) and Dansby Swanson ($177MM). The inclusion of deferrals is a notable departure for the Ricketts family ownership group; just last offseason, they appeared staunchly against utilizing deferred money in free agent negotiations.

For the Cubs, the addition of Bregman is the biggest splash in an active offseason. The club acquired young starter Edward Cabrera from the Marlins three days ago, adding upside to the rotation at the expense of a top-50 prospect in Owen Caissie. The Cubs have largely rebuilt their bullpen with a quintet of free agent signings: Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb.  They also retained swingman Colin Rea and starter Shota Imanaga.

Bregman gives the Cubs a major offensive upgrade without the loss of a draft pick, as he rejected a qualifying offer from the Astros in 2024. His salary brings the team’s projected 2026 payroll to $231MM, a full $25MM over last year’s $206MM figure, according to RosterResource. Meanwhile, their CBT payroll stands around $243MM for 2026, putting the Cubs just shy of the first luxury tax threshold.  The Cubs did not exceed the CBT in 2025, so they’ll reside in the lightest tax bracket if they go over in ’26.

Bregman, 31, played in 114 games with Boston this year, making 495 plate appearances. Although he missed a month and a half with a right quad strain, he continued to excel on offense, batting .273/.360/.462 and grading out 25% better than average by wRC+. After posting a career-low 6.9% walk rate in his final year with the Astros, Bregman bumped that up to 10.3% in 2025. He maintained his reputation as a high-contact hitter, with his 14.1% strikeout rate grading out in the 88th percentile. His 90.1 mph average exit velocity and 44.4% hard-hit rate were both career bests. He also continued to perform well defensively, earning 3 Outs Above Average for his work at third base. Overall, Bregman’s 2025 contributions were good for 3.5 fWAR and his third career All-Star nomination.

A lot of that came from his red-hot first two months. At the time of his injury, Bregman had a 156 wRC+ through 226 PA. His production following his return was more uneven. He posted a 128 wRC+ in July, followed by a 108 wRC+ in August and just a 76 wRC+ in September. In the first half, Bregman was 52% better than average by wRC+. In the second half, he was right around average.

Though he wasn’t his usual self in the last two months of the year, Bregman’s lengthy track record still made him one of the top free agents in this year’s class. Since debuting with the Astros in 2016, he has batted .272/.365/.481 with 209 home runs and a 133 wRC+. His first two All-Star appearances came in 2018-19. Bregman averaged 8.1 fWAR and finished in the Top 5 in AL MVP voting in both years, finishing as the runner-up in 2019.

While he hasn’t reached those heights in the years since, Bregman has still been a well-above-average hitter. He has posted a wRC+ between 117 and 137 in every year from 2020-25. Bregman’s defense has also held firm. Since the start of 2020, he has been worth 10 DRS and 17 OAA. He ranks eighth among qualified third basemen in that span by OAA.

That track record, Bregman’s excellent clubhouse reputation, and his still-excellent 2025 drew ample interest in free agency. The Red Sox were clearly keen on a reunion, with recent reports indicating they had made him an “aggressive” offer. Outside of them and the Cubs, his known suitors included the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays (before they signed Kazuma Okamoto). The Tigers and Cubs were interested in Bregman last offseason as well. Detroit reportedly offered him six years and $171.5MM, albeit with significant deferrals. Chicago’s offer was in the four-year, $115MM range. One year later, the Cubs put forth more than $40MM more to lock him up, even when considering the surprising deferred money.

Bregman likely sought a $200MM guarantee during the 2024-25 offseason. He got to $215MM on paper in total, though deferred money on both contracts probably puts him a little short of a true $200MM.  Regardless, returning to the market after opting out of a short-term deal is a strategy we’ve seen Boras execute successfully with Bregman, Carlos Rodon, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, and Pete Alonso in recent years, with Cody Bellinger serving as the next test case.

With Bregman slotting in at third base, the most impacted player on the Cubs’ roster is incumbent third baseman Matt Shaw. As a rookie, Shaw posted a .226/.295/.394 line in 437 plate appearances, good for a 93 wRC+. Factoring in his serviceable defense (-1 DRS), Shaw was worth 1.5 fWAR in 2025. That was acceptable production for the rookie and former top prospect, though there are clear areas for improvement heading into his sophomore season. Shaw’s average exit velocity and hard-hit rate ranked in the third and seventh percentiles, respectively. He also struggled against fastballs, with a -6 run value against sinkers and a -1 value against four-seamers.

Shaw came up through the system as a middle infielder before shifting to third base in earnest in 2024. At present, Swanson and Nico Hoerner occupy the shortstop and second base spots on the big-league roster. Swanson is under contract through 2029 and won’t be moving off short any time soon. Hoerner has been an above-average hitter and excellent defender in the past four seasons, tallying 17.5 fWAR. Hoerner moved to second base in 2023 in deference to Swanson.

With the 28-year-old Hoerner eligible for free agency after 2026 – with earning power likely to get a boost from his ability to play shortstop – his name has surfaced in trade rumors this winter. The best 2026 Cubs team has Hoerner at second base and Shaw in a utility infield role, but it’s at least conceivable that either player could be dealt this offseason.

For Red Sox fans, the past seven months have provided a painful sequence of events at third base.  Rafael Devers was dealt to the Giants in a surprise June blockbuster, and now Bregman has departed as well. According to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox “did not come close financially and were not willing to give Bregman a full no-trade clause.”

The Red Sox, the only team yet to have signed a Major League free agent this winter, could turn to Bo Bichette to play second base.  Bichette will likely require a long-term deal of his own, however, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has yet to sign a free agent for more than Bregman’s three years (which only lasted one).

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first broke news of the signing, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan adding terms and Bob Nightengale of USA Today providing further details. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the deal includes deferred money.

The full details of the deferrals were reported by Jay Cohen of The Associated Press. $15MM is deferred in 2026 and 2029, $10MM in 2027 and 2028, then $20MM in 2030. He will be paid the deferred money via eight annual instalment each July 31st from 2034 to 2041.

José Ureña Signs With NPB’s Rakuten Eagles

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The Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball announced this week that they’ve signed veteran right-hander José Ureña to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. It’ll be the first stint overseas for the Premier Talent Sports client, who’s previously pitched for 11 major league clubs — including a whopping five teams in 2025 alone.

Ureña, 34, split the ’25 campaign between the Mets, Twins, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Angels. He logged a combined 55 innings between that quintet of clubs and worked to a 4.58 ERA. Ureña fanned just 13.9% of his opponents and turned in a 9.4% walk rate. The 96.2 mph average on his four-seamer was the second-best mark he’s posted in any of his 11 major league seasons.

For at least a couple seasons early in his career, Ureña looked the part of a nice back-of-the-rotation arm for the Marlins — his original organization. From 2017-18, he pitched 343 2/3 innings with a 3.90 earned run average, a below-average 17% strikeout rate, a solid 8% walk rate and an above-average 46.3% ground-ball rate. He obviously didn’t miss many bats, but Ureña was a hard-throwing sinker specialist who kept the ball on the ground and generally did a decent job avoiding home runs.

Things unraveled for Ureña beginning in 2019, however, and he didn’t get back on track at all until the 2024 season. While he’s posted decent bottom-line results over the past two seasons (4.06 ERA, 164 innings), the right-hander’s rate stats have continued to slip in recent years. Fielding-independent metrics like SIERA (4.89) and FIP (4.81) feel even that modest earned run average would be tough to sustain with his current rate output. And overall, dating back to 2019, Ureña has a 5.04 ERA in 514 1/3 major league frames.

Between those declining rate stats and the dizzying toll of pitching between five different teams in a single season, Ureña presumably welcomes the opportunity to have a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season. With a nice year overseas, he could position himself for another one-year pact in NPB, and if he makes some meaningful changes to his repertoire, it’s possible he’ll end up back in the major league mix next year, either on a non-roster deal or a small one-year guarantee.

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