Lucas Giolito Throwing Roughly 75 Pitches In Side Sessions
Lucas Giolito is the most notable unsigned player in MLB. The veteran right-hander went unsigned throughout the offseason. There hasn’t been much in the way of public rumors, as reported ties to the Braves and Padres were rather quickly downplayed.
Giolito finished last season with the Red Sox on the injured list due to flexor irritation. That has led some fans to speculate about health as a potential explanation for his remaining unsigned. The free agent starter has maintained he’s fully healthy going back to November, however. He reiterated as much in an appearance on The Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast with WEEI’s Rob Bradford this week, saying he simply hasn’t found what he considers a worthwhile contract offer.
“I just want to play for close to what my value is,” Giolito told Bradford. “Everything is based on these models now. Everyone uses projection and models. My agency (CAA) does the same thing. When you look at models and projections (for value), it’s like ‘alright cool, give me something that’s relatively close to that.’ Let’s go and get it. I’m ready to go.”
The righty said he never felt particularly close to signing over the winter. “The last few months have been very strange. Talks seem like they’re heating up, then it’s like ‘ok never mind,'” he added. The full conversation is worth a listen, as Giolito discusses his free agent process and current training regimen.
He’s working at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, as he has throughout the winter. He’s throwing around 75 pitches in each of his bullpen sessions. He implied he’s essentially in game shape and wouldn’t need much more of a buildup once he signs. “When I get the opportunity, do you want me to throw a game in Triple-A to get ready or put me right in (the majors) for five innings,” he asked rhetorically. “I’ll do whatever. I’m happy to do whatever once I get the opportunity to help a team.”
That has some parallels to the Blue Jays’ recent signing of Patrick Corbin. The southpaw was reportedly working around 80 pitches in his individual side sessions before Toronto picked him up last Friday. Corbin consented to an optional assignment and made one tuneup start in Low-A. The Jays recalled him today for his team debut. He started and went four innings and 85 pitches in his first MLB appearance.
Giolito could seemingly follow a similar path. It appears to be a financial hangup. Corbin signed a $1MM guarantee, barely north of the league minimum. If Giolito were willing to do that, he’d have been signed months ago. He’s surely not interested in signing for that little after posting a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings for Boston last season.
The former All-Star said he believes that early-season injuries and struggles around the league could increase interest, though he predictably declined to go into detail about which teams might be involved. The Astros, A’s, Angels, Padres and Tigers are among the teams that have had wobbly performances and/or health concerns in the early going.
Speculatively, Houston probably makes the most sense on paper. They’ve started 6-7 despite scoring the most runs in MLB. They’re down their top two starters, Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier, for multiple weeks due to shoulder strains. Tatsuya Imai hasn’t thrown strikes in his first three MLB starts. They’re moving to a six-man rotation despite having Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. as their two most reliable healthy starters. The Astros are around $12MM below the competitive balance tax threshold.
José Leclerc Targeting July Return
Free agent right-hander José Leclerc threw a bullpen today and is targeting a July return, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The righty underwent shoulder surgery last summer. It was known that the procedure would end his 2025 campaign but his expected timeline for 2026 wasn’t clear until now.
Leclerc, 32, has always had a big strikeout stuff but also a lack of control. From 2018 to 2024, he gave the Rangers 299 2/3 innings, allowing 3.24 earned runs per nine. His 11.8% walk rate was a few ticks worse than average but his 31.8% strikeout rate was quite strong.
He had occasionally served as the club’s closer and earned 41 saves over multiple seasons, but had mostly been a setup guy, having earned 58 holds. For most of that time, he offered a six-pitch mix including a mid-90s four-seamer and sinker, a high-80s cutter and changeup, as well as low-80s slider and high-70s curveball.
The Athletics signed him to a one-year, $10MM deal going into 2025 but that didn’t pan out for the club. He made ten appearances before landing on the injured list in April with a lat strain. He eventually underwent surgery in July. As mentioned, he wasn’t expected back in 2025 but it wasn’t clear if he would be recovered in time for Opening Day 2026.
Now it seems he will be a midseason wild card for 2026. With a potential return in July, he could be back just in time to join a pennant race. Almost all contending clubs are looking for extra arms ahead of the trade deadline, which will be on August 3rd this year. Leclerc would only cost money, as opposed to prospects, which could appeal to some clubs if they have payroll space and prefer not to dip into their farm system. A club could theoretically sign Leclerc at any time but they may prefer to wait to make sure he avoids any setbacks between now and July.
Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images
Wilmer Flores Holding Out For Major League Deal
Veteran infielder Wilmer Flores remains unsigned with about three weeks to go until Opening Day. He tells Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle that he has had some minor league offers but he is hoping to land a major league deal. He plans to play this year and is working out in Florida to keep himself ready. “I’m not done playing,” Flores said. “I’m just waiting.”
Flores, 34, spent the past six years with the Giants. He served as a valuable multi-positional player for most of that time but has been more limited recently. From 2020 to 2023, he made 1,705 plate appearances and slashed .257/.331/.454 for a 116 wRC+, indicating he was 16% better than league average. He logged over 700 innings at each of the non-shortstop infield spots.
In 2024, he was hampered by knee problems. He only got into 71 games and produced a limp .206/.277/.318 line in those. His 2025 was a bit more encouraging but still came with limitations. He was at third base for just nine innings and didn’t appear at second base. He saw more time at first but only made 23 starts there, mostly serving as a designated hitter. His .241/.307/.379 line was better than in 2024 but still came in below average, with a 95 wRC+.
A return to the Giants in 2026 was never especially likely. He’s mostly down to a first base only guy at this point. He hasn’t played second base since 2023 and only logged ten innings that year. He logged 14 innings at third base in 2024 and nine last year. The Giants don’t have a lot of first base playing time to offer, with Rafael Devers the regular at that spot going forward. If Bryce Eldridge cements himself as a viable big leaguer, he and Devers will have first base and the designated hitter spot occupied for years to come.
Flores tells Slusser that he had some talks with the Giants this winter but the club informed him they would be prioritizing second base. Flores says he knew he wouldn’t be a Giant again when they signed Luis Arráez, which bumped Casey Schmitt down to being the righty-hitting multi-positional infielder, the job Flores used to have.
Other clubs seemingly have some interest in Flores, though not enough for him to have a roster spot at the moment. He’s not the ideal fit for a platoon bat, as he hasn’t had wide splits in his career. He has been better against lefties but not drastically so, with a .266/.319/.468 line and 113 wRC+ against southpaws compared to a .255/.314/.409 line and 100 wRC+ otherwise. He was slightly better against righties in 2025.
Though he hasn’t been offered a roster spot yet, it’s always possible that new developments change the situation. The Cubs had planned on Tyler Austin serving as a righty complement to first baseman Michael Busch but Austin recently required knee surgery and is going to be out months. Atlanta was going to have Jurickson Profar as their designated hitter but he just got hit with a yearlong PED suspension. That frees up some at-bats and some money for the club, as Profar won’t be paid while serving. Other injuries are sure to pop up over time as well.
Flores will have competition for those opportunities. Guys like Justin Turner and Rowdy Tellez are also free agents, while guys like Ryan Mountcastle, Isaac Paredes, Triston Casas and Mark Vientos could be available on the trade block.
Photo courtesy of Eakin Howard, Imagn Images
2025-26 MLB Free Agents
The following players are currently free agents. The player’s 2026 age is in parentheses. The cutoff for this list is typically 50 plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in the Majors this year.
Updated 4-9-26
Catchers
Tom Murphy (35)
First Basemen
Wilmer Flores (34)
Donovan Solano (38)
Justin Turner (41)
Second Basemen
Jose Iglesias (36)
DJ LeMahieu (37)
Shortstops
Tim Anderson (33)
Third Basemen
Jon Berti (36)
Emmanuel Rivera (30)
Left Fielders
Sean Bouchard (30)
Sam Hilliard (32)
Max Kepler (33)
Nick Martini (36)
Jesse Winker (32)
Center Fielders
None
Right Fielders
Max Kepler (33)
Joshua Palacios (30)
Hunter Renfroe (34)
Designated Hitters
Justin Turner (41)
Jesse Winker (32)
Starting Pitchers
Tyler Anderson (36)
Alex Cobb (38)
Nestor Cortes (31)
Anthony DeSclafani (36)
Lucas Giolito (30)
Tony Gonsolin (32)
Jon Gray (34)
Andre Jackson (30)
Wade Miley (39)
Frankie Montas (33)
Marcus Stroman (35)
Right-Handed Relievers
Kendall Graveman (35)
Chad Green (35)
Michael Kopech (30)
Max Kranick (28)
Adam Ottavino (40)
Erasmo Ramirez (36)
Chris Stratton (35)
Left-Handed Relievers
Justin Wilson (38)
Sean Newcomb Receiving Interest As Starting Pitcher
Free agent left-hander Sean Newcomb has gotten attention from teams both as a starter and reliever, write Will Sammon, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The 32-year-old began the season in the Red Sox’s rotation but moved to relief after five starts.
Newcomb is coming off his best season in at least six years. A former first-round pick who held a rotation spot with the Braves between 2017-18, Newcomb moved primarily to the bullpen in 2019. He pitched well that year but struggled with both injuries and a lack of command over the next few seasons. He combined for 98 2/3 MLB innings between 2020-24 and took a minor league contract with Boston last winter.
The Massachusetts native surprisingly nabbed the fifth starter spot out of camp. He only once completed five innings and allowed four-plus runs in three out of five outings. The Sox moved him to a long relief role when Lucas Giolito returned from a hamstring injury in late April. Newcomb was solid out of the bullpen but was nevertheless pushed off the roster. The Sox traded him to the Athletics, for whom he’d logged some time as a depth reliever in 2023-24.
Newcomb turned into an unexpectedly important bullpen piece for Mark Kotsay. He fired 51 1/3 frames of 1.75 ERA ball while working 1-2 innings at a time. Newcomb punched out a quarter of opponents against a career-best 7% walk rate. He worked in the 93-94 MPH range with both his four-seam fastball and sinker while using a low-80s curveball as his best secondary pitch. Newcomb dabbled with a cutter and changeup against right-handed batters, but the fastball/curve combination was where he found most of his success.
The 6’5″ southpaw pitched particularly well down the stretch, turning in a 0.96 ERA over 28 innings after the All-Star Break. His season ended a couple weeks early because of elbow inflammation, but there’s no indication that’ll be an issue going into next season. Durability has generally been a concern, albeit mostly with lower half injuries. Newcomb missed time with a sprained ankle in 2022 and battled knee problems over the following two seasons.
Newcomb’s strong year was enough to land a big league contract this time around. A one-year deal seems likely, though it’s not out of the question he commands a modest two-year guarantee. Sixth starters and swing types like Griffin Canning, Joe Ross, Jakob Junis, Colin Rea and Michael Lorenzen landed contracts between $4-7MM last winter. Newcomb’s former teammate Michael Soroka pulled a $9MM deal from the Nationals at the higher end of that range, though he’s five years younger and had shown more strikeout potential in the bullpen.
Five Non-Tendered Hitters To Keep An Eye On This Winter
Every year, MLB’s non-tender deadline sees clubs allow some of their players who remain under team control to test the open market early, whether it be due to an increasing price tag in arbitration or a need for additional space on the club’s 40-man roster. Previous seasons have seen a number of high-profile players wind up non-tendered, with Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, and Brandon Woodruff all having been non-tendered at one point or another in their careers only to this year appear on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list.
While players of that caliber who reach free agency by way of a non-tender are extremely rare, plenty of others find themselves cut loose early by their clubs only to make an impact elsewhere down the line. That could be as a regular in the lineup or rotation or simply as a solid contributor off the bench or out of the bullpen. Let’s take a look at five hitters who hit free agency following last week’s non-tender deadline and could be worth keeping an eye on throughout the coming offseason. Players are listed in alphabetical order, with their age for the 2026 season in parentheses.
JJ Bleday (28)
Bleday has quite the pedigree behind him, as he was drafted fourth overall by the Marlins back in 2019. A consensus top-50 prospect in the game prior to his MLB debut in 2022, Bleday struggled for the Marlins and A’s across his first two seasons in the majors before enjoying what looked to be a breakout 2024 campaign. That year, he slashed .243/.327/.437 (120 wRC+), cut his strikeout rate to just 19.5% while maintaining a solid 10.4% walk rate, and showed enough pop in his bat to hit 20 homers and a whopping 43 doubles. He was a below average but not disastrous defender in center field, and that in combination with his strong offensive production allowed him to put together a 3.2 fWAR season.
Unfortunately, Bleday’s star fell back to Earth this year with a tough season where his strikeout rate ticked back up to 26.5% while his power dissipated, leaving him with a .212/.294/.404 slash line and a wRC+ of just 90. Things got bleak enough that the A’s actually optioned Bleday to the minors multiple times this season. Perhaps a change of scenery can help Bleday recapture the form he flashed in 2024, and it’s not hard to imagine an outfield-needy team like the Royals or Guardians scooping him up. One sign of optimism regarding Bleday is his performance over the season’s final two months, as he slashed .252/.306/.495 (115 wRC+) with six homers and seven doubles in 111 plate appearances after being recalled to the majors on August 2nd.
Nathaniel Lowe (30)
By far the most established hitter on this list, Lowe has a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger award, and a World Series ring on his mantle for his work with the Rangers from 2021-24. Over that four-year stretch, he slashed a strong .274/.359/.432 with 78 home runs and a 124 wRC+. That’s the performance of a quality regular and left him good for around three WAR per season at first base. Lowe was shipped from Texas to D.C. last offseason, however, and his time with the Nationals left much to be desired.
He hit just .216/.292/.373 across 119 games before he was cut loose from the organization, and while his time with the Red Sox saw him rebound to a .280/.370/.420 slash line closer to what he’s posted in the past, that 34-game stint in Boston only brought his season-long wRC+ back up to 91. While Lowe is hardly likely to get the sort of attention pieces like Pete Alonso or even Luis Arraez will garner this winter, he’d still be an upgrade to a club in need of help at first base like the Padres, Diamondbacks, or Twins.
Christopher Morel (27)
The youngest player on this list by more than a year, Morel arguably has the highest upside of any player on this list but significant flaws that could hold him back from getting a starting job somewhere. The youngster’s big league career started with a bang in 2022, and over his first two seasons with the Cubs Morel slashed .241/.311/.471 with 42 homers in 220 games and a wRC+ of 115. While he struck out at a massive 31.6% clip and was a below-average fielder everywhere he played on the diamond, his impressive power and ability to take walks were enough to make him a well above average hitter.
The past two years have been brutal for the slugger, however, as his production has largely dissipated. Morel’s first half with the Cubs in 2024 was unusual, as his numbers dipped (91 wRC+) despite most of his peripherals trending in the right direction, including a strikeout rate that dropped to 24.5% while his walk rate climbed to 11.1% with 18 home runs. While the usual above-average production wasn’t quite there, the Rays were interested enough to make him a centerpiece of the return for Isaac Paredes at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Morel’s production completely collapsed during his time with the Rays as he hit just .208/.277/.355 (79 wRC+) in 495 plate appearances over the past two years. While it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a team try to unlock the upside Morel flashed with the Cubs early in his career given his youth and three years of remaining team control, his lack of defensive ability could make him a tough fit for many teams.
Mike Tauchman (35)
Tauchman is the oldest player on the list, and returns after also being listed in last year’s edition of this post. Non-tendered by the Cubs last winter, Tauchman stayed in Chicago by way of a deal with the White Sox and generally made good on his contract with the South Siders, hitting .263/.356/.400 (115 wRC+) across 385 plate appearances. Tauchman may not still be the capable center field defender he was earlier in his career, but teams would be hard pressed to find a player who can more reliably provide on-base ability.
That’s especially true at his expected price tag, which could draw in suitors with tight budgets this winter. Among the 229 players to record at least 1000 plate appearances since the start of the 2023 season, Tauchman’s .359 OBP ranks 21st, sandwiched between Rafael Devers and Kyle Schwarber. His production naturally falls well short of those star players thanks to a lack of power, as he’s not hit even ten homers in a season since 2019. Even so, he’d be a valuable addition to a team like the Royals, Astros, or Rays in either a bench or platoon role.
Ramon Urias (32)
Urias stands out among this group as being the most valuable defender of the bunch. Bleday and Tauchman are both restricted to the outfield and profile poorly in center, while Lowe is a first base-only defender. Morel has experience at valuable positions like center field and third base, but has graded out terribly at them by defensive metrics and profiles best as a DH. Urias, by contrast, is a Gold Glove winner at third base who has substantial experience at both second base and shortstop as well. His +5 Outs Above Average around the infield this year ranked in the 88th percentile among all fielders.
Typically, Urias pairs that strong glove with a decent bat that makes him a solid second-division regular or high-quality part-time player. In parts of six seasons in the majors, Urias is a career .257/.321/.403 (104 wRC+) hitter who had consistently been at or above league average until this season. This year, however, Urias hit just .241/.292/.384 (87 wRC+). That performance is in part dragged down by a rough stint in Houston after being dealt to the Astros at the trade deadline, but even his mark with Baltimore was below league-average. Questionable as Urias’s numbers were this year, his overall track record and ability to provide solid infield defense should make him an attractive addition for a team, particularly given a thin infield market with few everyday options. The Yankees, Brewers, Mariners, and Tigers are among the many teams Urias could make at least some sense for.
CPBL’s Wei Chuan Dragons To Post Jo Hsi Hsu
The Wei Chuan Dragons of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League are posting right-hander Jo Hsi Hsu for MLB clubs, as noted by CPBL Stats. Hsu is considering a jump to either MLB or Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan this offseason. Hsu himself told reporters that he’s already visited Japan and had dinner with NPB legend Sadaharu Oh, who now serves as the chief baseball officer for the SoftBank Hawks. According to Taiwanese outlet TSNA, Hsu has also garnered stateside interest from the Dodgers.
CPBL players can be posted for international free agency with the permission of their club after they’ve reached three years of service time. Hsu, 25, is in the midst of that process now and will market himself coming off a 2025 season where he pitched to a sterling 2.05 ERA with a 28.0% strikeout rate across 19 starts and 114 innings of work. That workload is fairly standard for the 119-game CPBL season, but it leaves questions about how well he’d be able to handle the rigors of a 162-game schedule as a starter in the big leagues.
Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of Fangraphs took a look at Hsu’s profile last month and suggested that it’s “probable” most MLB clubs will view him as a reliever as he was unable to maintain his top velocity throughout even that 19-start campaign in the CPBL this year. Longehagen and Fegan both suggest that Hsu has the talent to be a late-inning set-up man in the majors, and a player headed into his age-25 season who could immediately slot into the back of any bullpen would surely be an attractive piece for teams to consider. With that being said, Longenhagen and Fegan both suggest that Hsu might prefer to first go to Japan to attempt to hone his skills as a starter before making the jump to MLB.
That’s a path that could be attractive for financial reasons. Hsu is young enough that even if he spent two or three years in Japan, he’d be able to come to MLB much younger than the average free agent pitcher. That could set him up for a more lucrative payday, particularly because then all posting fees owed to his the Dragons would be attached to his NPB contract. That would leave MLB teams able to offer Hsu the full amount they believe him to be worth rather than sending a portion of that money overseas to the Dragons. The CPBL posting fee is 20% of the first $25MM a player earns in their MLB contract, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of any dollars above $50MM. For minor league contracts, the posting fee is equivalent to 25% of the player’s signing bonus.
Beneficial as a stop in NPB might be financially, Hsu certainly wouldn’t be the first player to eschew a larger immediate payday for the opportunity to pitch in the majors sooner. Roki Sasaki opted to be posted last winter, when he wasn’t yet old enough to sign more than a minor league contract, and Shohei Ohtani famously did the same when he first came over to the United States. If Hsu does come stateside, it seems as though the Dodgers have at least some interest in his services. L.A. is hardly a club that’s been shy about making a splash in international markets, and while those efforts have been primarily focused on NPB (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Sasaki) and KBO (Hyeseong Kim) players in recent offseasons, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them expand their horizons to Taiwan.
It seems silly to call anything about a back-to-back World Series champion disappointing, but the Dodgers made a big investment in the back of their bullpen by picking up Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates last winter that ultimately did not pan out. Adding an arm like Hsu to the fold alongside Scott could give L.A. some additional firepower in the bullpen to help make up for the loss of Evan Phillips, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June and was non-tendered this past week.
Of course, the Dodgers are hardly the only team who could have interest in Hsu’s services. International relief signings have typically come in at a fairly affordable price tag that could make him an interesting target for virtually any club searching for bullpen help this winter. Woo-Suk Go (two years, $4.5MM), Yuki Matsui (five years, $28MM), and Shintaro Fujinami (one year, $3.5MM) are all players who signed from the international market as relievers in recent years, and none came with the typical price tag associated with late-inning relievers already established in MLB.
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Kona Takahashi To Be Posted This Offseason
Nippon Professional Baseball’s Seibu Lions announced overnight that they will post Kona Takahashi for MLB clubs this offseason. The news isn’t necessarily shocking, as it was reported back in August that the Lions were likely to post Takahashi this winter.
Takahashi, 29 in February, pitched to a solid 3.04 ERA in 24 starts for the Lions this past season. He struck out only 14.3% of his opponents in 148 innings of work, however, and his 2024 season was limited to just 15 starts at the highest level of NPB play when he posted a 3.87 ERA in 81 1/3 innings of work last year and saw his velocity dip below his previous career norms. Takahashi’s numbers in his platform season aren’t too dissimilar from those of southpaw Shinnosuke Ogasawara last season, who posted a 3.12 ERA in 24 starts with a 13.6% strikeout rate in his final NPB season before he landed a two-year, $3.5MM guarantee with the Nationals this past offseason.
Ogasawara spent much of his season at the Triple-A level and struggled when he did pitch in the majors, with a 6.98 ERA in 38 2/3 innings of work. While Ogasawara hasn’t worked out in the majors at this point, that doesn’t necessarily mean Takahashi will follow in his footsteps. After all, Takahashi did enjoy back-to-back dominant seasons with the Lions in 2022 and ’23. Those years, he posted a combined ERA of 2.20 while striking batters out at a higher clip, though even those elevated numbers capped out at 19.2% in 2023.
It’s not unheard of for NPB players to see their strikeout rate tick upward when they reach the majors, which is less contact-oriented than NPB. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, struck out 26.6% of his opponents in his final NPB season and has a career 29.1% strikeout rate in the majors to this point. With that being said, there were just 11 qualified starters in the majors this year who punched out less than 20% of their opponents. Among them, only Michael Wacha and Zack Littell mustered an ERA below 4.00.
That reality casts Takahashi as more of a back-end starter or swing man at the big league level, and while it’s possible there’s an organization that thinks they can help him take a step forward it seems likely he’ll be relegated to a relatively small multi-year deal or perhaps even a non-guaranteed deal. Even with that likely deflated price tag, the process by which he’ll come to the majors is the same as it is for any other NPB pitcher who hasn’t yet reached free agency. Once he’s been officially posted for MLB clubs, which likely won’t happen until later this month or early December, he’ll have 45 days to reach a deal in the majors.
If a deal isn’t reached, he’ll remain in Japan and won’t be eligible to be posted again until next offseason. If Takahashi does work out a deal, the acquiring club will have to pay a posting fee to the Lions depending on the size of Takahashi’s contract. For contracts worth $25MM or less, that translates to a fee worth 20% of the total guarantee. A minor league contract, meanwhile, would see the Lions recoup 25% of the value of Takahashi’s signing bonus and an additional fee if Takahashi were to be added to his new club’s MLB roster.
Previewing The 2025-26 Free Agent Class: Left-Handed Relief
All but two teams have already turned their attention toward the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who’ll be available at each position.
The 2025-26 class of left-handed relievers is thin on high-leverage arms but has plenty of solid, serviceable veterans — plus a few wild cards who could pursue a big league return after pitching overseas. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.
Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, center field, corner outfield, designated hitter, starting pitching, right-handed relief
Veteran Setup Arms
Jalen Beeks (32)
Beeks took a minor league deal with the Astros last offseason but opted out late in spring and signed a major league contract with the D-backs. It panned out well. He pitched 57 1/3 innings, logged 14 holds and a save, and fanned 20.3% of his opponents against an 8.7% walk rate — all en route to a 3.77 ERA. Beeks sits 94.4 mph with his four-seamer, posted an above-average swinging-strike rate in 2025, and has pitched primarily in medium to high-leverage spots over the past four years. He won’t break the bank but should get a modest one-year deal.
Danny Coulombe (36)
Coulombe, who just turned 36 yesterday, was terrific in 31 innings with the Twins (1.16 ERA, 25.4 K%, 7.4 BB%) but struggled in 12 innings after being traded to the Rangers (5.25 ERA, 22.2 K%, 16.7 BB%). An IL trip due to shoulder fatigue didn’t help his time with the Rangers, and Coulombe also had a three-week IL stint due to a forearm strain with Minnesota in May. Coulombe’s average four-seamer and sinker barely crack 90 mph, but he has a 2.60 ERA with strong strikeout and walk rates in 173 1/3 innings dating back to 2020. He made $3MM this year, and another affordable one-year deal seems likely.
Caleb Ferguson (29)
Ferguson’s one-year, $3MM deal proved to be a sound investment for the frugal Pirates, who flipped him to the Mariners at the deadline after a solid four-month run. Ferguson was effective with both clubs, pitching to a combined 3.58 ERA. His 18.9% strikeout rate was below average, but Ferguson’s 8.1% walk rate was solid and no reliever in baseball limits hard contact as well as he does. His 27.7% opponents’ hard-hit rate was the best in baseball, and he sat in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and barrel rate. Ferguson doesn’t have plus command or generate whiffs at a plus rate, but he’s young, durable and relatively consistent. He could be a candidate for a multi-year deal with a low average annual value.
Hoby Milner (35)
Milner topped 64 innings for a fourth straight season, tossing 70 1/3 innings with a 3.84 ERA for the Rangers. He’s a soft-tossing lefty with a below-average strikeout rate, good command and a plus ground-ball rate. He’s worked a lot of middle relief in the past, but the Rangers used him as one of their go-to setup options for much of the ’25 season and he logged a career-high 18 holds (topping his previous best of 17 with the ’23 Brewers). Milner signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Texas last winter and should land in that general vicinity again.
Drew Pomeranz (37)
Welcome back, Drew Pomeranz. The 36-year-old lefty signed a minor league deal with the Mariners and was flipped to the Cubs for cash in April. With Chicago, he made his first big league appearance since 2021 — but it was far more than a quick cameo. The former No. 5 overall draft pick dominated with a 2.17 ERA, 28.1% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate in 49 2/3 frames. Pomeranz was one of Craig Counsell‘s most trusted relief arms in the playoffs. He’ll be 37 in November, so he’s not likely to snag a multi-year deal, but a big league contract should be waiting for Pomeranz this winter.
Taylor Rogers (35)
Though his All-Star days are behind him, Rogers has been a solid middle reliever for three years running. His teams haven’t used him regularly in high-leverage spots, but he has a 3.16 ERA, 26.4% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate since 2023. Rogers’ 92.7 mph average sinker is down a full three miles from its 2021 peak, but his results and track record should get him a big league contract.
Gregory Soto (31)
Soto might have the most earning power among this winter’s crop of lefties due to both his age and his power repertoire. He’s one of the game’s hardest-throwing lefties but doesn’t generate the whiffs one would expect despite that fact. Soto is serviceable every year but has never broken through despite plus velo and a plus swinging-strike rate. Soto has had command troubles in the past but has posted nice walk rates in two of the past three seasons. A two-year deal at market value setup money seems possible.
Caleb Thielbar (39)
Thielbar’s first season with any team other than his hometown Twins was a success. He pitched 58 innings of 2.64 ERA ball for the Cubs and tied Brad Keller for the team lead with 25 holds. Thielbar’s 2024 season was ugly, but he’s posted an ERA of 3.49 or better every other year since 2020. He has average velocity, good command and an above-average strikeout rate, but he’ll be 39 in January, so a one-year deal is the strong likelihood.
Justin Wilson (38)
Wilson missed nearly all of 2022-23 due to Tommy John surgery, struggled with the Reds in 2024, and bounced all the way back in Boston this year. The Red Sox got him on a one-year, $2.25MM deal last winter, and Wilson responded with 48 1/3 innings, a 3.35 earned run average, a 27.5% strikeout rate, a 9.7% walk rate and 18 holds. He should get another one-year deal this winter, probably with nice little bump in salary.
Swingmen/Multi-Inning Arms
Sean Newcomb (33)
“Sean Newcomb, multi-year deal candidate” probably wasn’t on too many bingo cards back in March, but the 2025 season was excellent for the former top prospect and starter-turned-reliever. Newcomb tossed 92 1/3 innings with a 2.73 ERA for the Red Sox and A’s. He started five games and frequently worked multiple innings — sometimes as a bulk reliever after an opener. The 2014 first-rounder punched out 23.3% of his opponents versus a 7.9% walk rate — both slightly better than average. Newcomb has easily earned himself a major league deal, and a modest two-year deal seems plausible.
Ryan Yarbrough (34)
Yarbrough’s 2025 season was par for the course by his standards: eight starts, 11 relief outings, a mid-4.00s ERA, below-average strikeout rate and solid command. That’s what Yarbrough brings to the table most years, and while it’s not a skill set that’s going to get him paid all that highly, it keeps him on big league rosters as a sixth starter/long man in the bullpen on a yearly basis. Yarbrough averages 87-88 mph but induces heaps of weak contact.
Possible NPB Returnees
Foster Griffin (30)
Griffin is a former first-round pick of the Royals who made seven MLB appearances between 2020-22. He has spent the past three seasons in Japan, combining for a 2.57 ERA across 315 2/3 innings. Griffin missed time this past season with what MLBTR has learned was a bone bruise in his lower half. He’s expected to have a normal offseason and intends to pursue an MLB return. Griffin didn’t have overpowering stuff during his initial run in affiliated ball, but he’s coming off a 1.62 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents. He could command a big league deal to compete for a back-of-the-rotation spot.
Anthony Kay (31)
A former first-round pick, Kay has spent the past two seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s worked out of their rotation, logging a 3.42 ERA in ’24 and a 1.74 mark in ’25. Kay isn’t missing bats at a particularly high level (20.8 K%), but he had good command and a nice ground-ball rate overseas. Big league scouts have been watching him, and while he might get the chance to start somewhere, other clubs will probably be interested in bringing him aboard in a swingman capacity. Either way, he’s at least a candidate for a major league deal.
Options/Opt-Outs
- Jose Alvarado (31) – $9MM club option with a $500K buyout
An 80-game PED suspension cast a cloud over Alvarado’s 2025 season, but the hard-throwing southpaw has been one of the Phillies’ best relievers for several years. Dating back to 2022, Alvarado touts a 3.25 ERA and has fanned 31.7% of his opponents while averaging 98.7 mph on his sinker and 93.1 mph on his cutter. He’d easily top that net $8.5MM in free agency, so the Phils should pick this up.
- Tim Hill (36) – $3MM club option with a $350K buyout
Hill, 36 in February, is a ground-ball specialist who misses almost no bats but rarely walks opponents. He’s logged a 2.68 ERA and kept about two-thirds of the batted balls against him on the ground in 111 innings since joining the Yankees in 2024. This feels like a nice value for the Yankees, even with their luxury tax status.
- A.J. Minter (32) – $11MM player option
Minter underwent lat surgery back in May after pitching only 11 innings. The recovery timetable for him is still a bit murky, but he seems likely to pick up that $11MM option, return to the Mets and aim for better health next year.
- Wandy Peralta (34) – $4.45MM player option (contract also contains $4.45MM player option for 2027)
Peralta posted a 3.14 ERA in a career-high 71 2/3 innings with a career-best 59.7% ground-ball rate in 2025. His 20.1% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate were worse than average. Peralta still averages better than 95 mph on his sinker, but he’ll be 35 in July and was used largely in low-leverage spots. It’s likelier than not that he picks up his player option.
- Brooks Raley (38) – $4.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
Raley returned from Tommy John surgery to toss 25 2/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA, a 25.3% strikeout rate and a 6.1% walk rate. His sinker’s average velocity had dipped to 88-89 mph in 2023-24, but he was back up to 90.7 mph this year, right in line with his 2021-22 levels in Houston and Tampa Bay. This option is likely to be picked up.
- Brent Suter (36) – $3MM club option with a $250K buyout
Suter posted a career-high 4.52 ERA in 67 2/3 innings this season, snapping a streak of six straight years with a sub-4.00 earned run average. He’s a soft tosser who specializes in weak contact over missing bats. This will probably get bought out, but Suter is a Cincinnati native who’s clearly enjoyed pitching for his hometown club, so perhaps he’d be amenable to returning on a smaller pact.
Depth Arms
- Scott Alexander (36)
- Tyler Alexander (31)
- Ryan Borucki (32)
- Genesis Cabrera (29)
- Andrew Chafin (36)
- Tim Mayza (34)
- T.J. McFarland (37)
- Cionel Perez (30)
- Colin Poche (32)