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Dodgers Select Ronan Kopp

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The Dodgers selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Ronan Kopp. That’s their only move for Tuesday’s Rule 5 protection deadline. L.A. had two openings on the 40-man roster and didn’t need to make a corresponding move.

Kopp, 23, is a reliever who divided the 2025 season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He turned in a combined 3.43 earned run average across 57 2/3 innings. Kopp fanned a massive 36% of opposing hitters but walked almost 17% of the opponents he faced. He has a mid-90s fastball and a cutter-slider that he used almost equally in Triple-A.

It’s plus stuff with obvious command woes from the left side. Neither left nor right-handed hitters could do much damage against Kopp, but they each reached base around a .350 clip by waiting out the free passes. While he’ll need to dial in the command, the Dodgers obviously feel he’s talented enough to factor in as bullpen depth in 2026. He joins Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott, Justin Wrobleski, Jack Dreyer and Anthony Banda as lefty relievers on the 40-man roster.

Twins Add Six Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Twins have selected the contracts of left-handers Kendry Rojas and Connor Prielipp, righties Andrew Morris and John Klein, and outfielders Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez, the team announced. They’re all protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Rojas, who came to the Twins alongside outfielder Alan Roden in the trade sending reliever Louis Varland to Toronto, is a 22-year-old southpaw (23 next week) who climbed three minor league levels in 2025, topping out with his first taste of Triple-A work. The Cuban-born lefty breezed through High-A and Double-A before running into some trouble in his first 32 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. He yielded 26 runs in that time (7.34 ERA) and walked 14.7% of his opponents.

Those struggles came in a small sample of nine Triple-A appearances at a time when most of the opponents he was facing were much older and further along in their development. Walks haven’t been a major issue for Rojas to this point in his pro career, however, and most scouting reports project that he’ll eventually have average command with the potential for three average or better pitches. Rojas could be in line to make his MLB debut next summer, so there was no chance the Twins were going to leave him unprotected.

Prielipp, 24, was a second-round pick in 2022 and might’ve been a first-rounder had he not been coming off Tommy John surgery at the time of the draft. Elbow troubles have further plagued the Alabama product since being drafted. He underwent an internal brace procedure in 2023 and, entering the 2025 season, had all of 30 professional innings under his belt.

Prielipp looked plenty healthy this past season, however, appearing in 24 games (23 of them starts) and missing plenty of bats with an above-average ground-ball rate. He posted a 3.65 ERA, 27% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 61 2/3 Double-A frames before showing some fatigue late in the season with a 5.14 ERA in five Triple-A games (four starts). He’s already drawn top-100 fanfare at FanGraphs and ESPN, and he’ll likely draw further consideration for such lists in the offseason. As with Rojas, there was never a doubt he’d be added to the 40-man today.

Morris, 24, doesn’t have the same ceiling as Rojas and Prielipp but is arguably the most MLB-ready of the bunch. He started 19 games (plus two long relief outings) in Triple-A this season and worked to a 4.09 ERA with a 22.4% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. The 2022 fourth-rounder averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seamer in Triple-A this past season — up 1.6 mph from the prior year — and draws praise for plus command and a five-pitch arsenal that includes at least average grades on his heater, slider and cutter.

A Twin Cities native, Klein was an undrafted free agent who signed with his hometown club in 2022. He pitched 106 1/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, logging a combined 3.98 ERA. Klein, who’ll turn 24 in April, fanned 27.6% of his opponents against an 8% walk rate. He sits 94-96 mph with his sinker and four-seamer, complementing those fastballs with a cutter, curveball and changeup.

Gonzalez came to the Twins from the Mariners as part of the 2023 Jorge Polanco trade. He was a top-100 prospect at the time who struggled in his first season with the organization but bounced back to the tune of a .329/.395/.513 batting line as a 21-year-old between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He could get an MLB look in 2026.

Mendez was one of the team’s many deadline pickups, coming over in the trade that sent Harrison Bader to Philadelphia. He hit a combined .299/.399/.439 with more walks than strikeouts (13.6% to 13.2%) in 491 turns at the plate between High-A and Double-A. He’s a bat-first, hit-over-power outfield prospect who is generally considered to rank within the top 20 of a deep Minnesota farm system.

Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com first reported that Rojas had been selected.

Red Sox Select David Sandlin, Shane Drohan, Tyler Uberstine

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The Red Sox announced that they have selected left-hander Shane Drohan as well right-handers David Sandlin and Tyler Uberstine to the roster. They opened 40-man spots by designating right-hander Josh Winckowski for assignment, trading left-hander Brennan Bernardino to the Rockies and trading left-hander Chris Murphy to the White Sox, moves which were previously reported. The three selections were reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive prior to the official club announcement.

More to come.

Twins Acquire Eric Orze From Rays

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The Twins announced they’ve acquired reliever Eric Orze from the Rays for minor league pitcher Jacob Kisting. Minnesota takes a flier on the 28-year-old righty as they overhaul a bullpen that they decimated at the trade deadline.

Tampa Bay acquired Orze from the Mets last winter in the trade that sent center fielder Jose Siri to New York. They used him as an up-and-down middle innings arm. The former fifth-round pick tossed 41 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball across 33 appearances. His 22.5% strikeout percentage and 10.7% walk rate weren’t as impressive, but he missed bats on a strong 13.2% of his offerings overall.

Orze has a three-pitch mix led by a mid-80s splitter. He sits in the 93-94 MPH range on his fastball and mixes in a slider as his breaking pitch. The University of New Orleans product has an ERA just under 4.00 in parts of five Triple-A seasons and still has an option year remaining. He won’t reach arbitration for three seasons in all likelihood and should have plenty of opportunity to stake a claim to a significant role in Derek Shelton’s bullpen.

Kisting, a 6’5″ right-hander, was a 14th-round pick out of Bradley University in 2024. He has worked mostly as a reliever in the low minors. The 22-year-old struck out more than a quarter of opposing hitters against a solid 7.7% walk rate, albeit as a college arm against generally younger competition. He won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft for two seasons.

A’s Designate JJ Bleday For Assignment

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The Athletics are designating outfielder JJ Bleday for assignment, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The A’s are adding prospects Braden Nett, Junior Perez and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang to their 40-man roster to keep them out of the Rule 5 draft.

The A’s are moving on from their Opening Day center fielder of the past two seasons. They acquired Bleday from the Marlins over the 2022-23 offseason in a one-for-one swap sending A.J. Puk to Miami. It was a change-of-scenery deal of former top 10 picks. Both players had brief amounts of success in their new home, but neither quite clicked in the way their acquiring club had hoped. Puk was beset by injuries, while Bleday struggled defensively and was up-and-down at the plate.

Bleday struggled in 2023, batting .195 with 10 home runs over 82 games. He followed up with the best season of his career, popping 20 longballs with a .243/.324/.437 slash while appearing in 159 games. It raised some hope of a late-career breakout, but Bleday’s bat regressed despite the move from Oakland to the much more hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.

The Vanderbilt product batted .212/.294/.404 in 344 trips to the plate this year. He connected on 14 homers and still walked at a strong 10.5% clip, but his strikeout rate jumped by seven percentage points relative to the prior season. The A’s optioned him twice, but he spent the final two months of the season on the big league roster. He popped six homers and slugged .495 in that stretch, yet he also struck out in more than 30% of his trips to the dish.

Bleday’s overall production has been right around replacement level in two of the past three seasons. The A’s haven’t done him any favors in that regard by pressing him into center field — for which he’s clearly not equipped. He’s a fringe runner who has rated as arguably the game’s worst defensive center fielder over the past couple seasons. Bleday is serviceable but still subpar in the corners despite possessing above-average arm strength.

The 28-year-old surpassed three years of service this season. He’s eligible for arbitration for the first time and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2.2MM salary. The A’s decided they’d rather move on, potentially turning center field to defensive stalwart Denzel Clarke. They have three days to see if they can drum up any trade interest to flip Bleday for a lottery ticket prospect. He’ll otherwise be non-tendered on Friday and become a free agent.

Nett is the highest profile of the three prospects. The 23-year-old righty came over from the Padres as part of the Mason Miller return. He spent the entire season at Double-A between the two affiliates. Nett started 24 games and combined for 105 2/3 innings of 3.75 ERA ball while striking out nearly a quarter of opponents. He walked 10.3% of batters faced and has struggled to throw strikes consistently throughout his career. Nett has a four-pitch mix that gives him a chance to start, though the command development will determine whether he sticks in the rotation or moves to relief down the line.

Perez, 24, also began his career in the San Diego system. He was traded to the A’s while he was in rookie ball for Jorge Mateo in 2020. A native of the Dominican Republic, he’s a right-handed hitting outfielder who connected on 26 homers between the top two minor league levels. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, but he has power and takes a lot of walks.

Zhuang is a 25-year-old righty from Taiwan. He signed with the A’s in 2021 and has worked as a minor league starter. He tossed 145 2/3 innings at Double-A Midland, pitching to a 4.08 ERA with solid underlying numbers. Zhuang fanned 24% of opponents while showing excellent control with a sub-6% walk percentage. Baseball America ranked him 25th in the A’s system coming into the year, crediting him with plus command and an above-average changeup but fringy breaking stuff.

Rockies Designate Michael Toglia, Ryan Rolison For Assignment

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The Rockies announced that they have acquired left-hander Brennan Bernardino from the Red Sox, a move that was previously reported. They also selected the contracts of left-hander Welinton Herrera, right-hander Gabriel Hughes and outfielder Sterlin Thompson. They began the day with a 40-man count of 38, meaning they needed two spots for those four additions. They made space by designating first baseman Michael Toglia and right-hander Ryan Rolison for assignment.

More to come.

Rays, White Sox Agree To Four-Player Trade

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The Rays and White Sox are reportedly in agreement on a four-player trade that’ll send middle reliever Steven Wilson and swingman Yoendrys Gómez to Tampa Bay for outfielder Everson Pereira and minor league infielder Tanner Murray.

Wilson is the most established of the group. The 31-year-old righty landed in Chicago as part of the Dylan Cease trade during the 2023-24 offseason. Wilson had posted a 3.48 ERA over his first two MLB seasons with the Padres. His numbers tanked during his first year with the Sox, leading them to run him through waivers last winter. Wilson pitched his way back to the big leagues by the middle of April and turned in a quietly solid year.

Over a career-high 55 1/3 innings, Wilson pitched to a 3.42 earned run average. He punched out 21.1% of opposing hitters against a personal-low 9.1% walk rate. Wilson leans heavily on his slider and sits in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball. He came up just shy of four years of service and is under arbitration control for the next three seasons. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him for a $1.5MM salary. Wilson has a full slate of options, so the Rays could send him between Tampa Bay and Triple-A Durham for the foreseeable future.

Gómez, 26, got a late-season look in the Sox’s rotation. He started nine of 12 appearances overall and turned in a 4.84 ERA through 48 1/3 innings. A former Yankees prospect, Gómez has bounced around the league on waivers. He’s out of options, which spurred the roster shuffling. Gómez sits in the 93-94 MPH range and has a deep arsenal but has never had pristine control. He’ll compete for a rotation or long relief role and will either need to break camp or again be designated for assignment.

The Sox swap Gómez for one of his former teammates coming through the Yankees’ system. Pereira, a righty-hitting outfielder, was once a notable international signee and solid prospect. The 24-year-old native of Venezuela has a career .271/.362/.519 batting line over three Triple-A seasons. Pereira’s solid power-speed combination has been undercut by strikeout concerns, though. He punched out at a 29% clip in the minors this year and struck out 28 more times in 73 big league plate appearances after the Rays acquired him from the Yankees at the deadline for José Caballero.

Pereira is also out of options. He’ll need to crack Chicago’s Opening Day roster or be designated for assignment. The Sox parting with a useful middle reliever for him suggests they’re likely to carry him in the big leagues. Pereira would slot behind Luis Robert Jr., Mike Tauchman and Andrew Benintendi as a fourth outfielder if the Sox keep all three of those players over the winter.

Murray, a 26-year-old non-roster utility player, rounds out the return. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Murray has gone unselected in the Rule 5 draft a few times. He’ll be eligible again this offseason unless the White Sox put him on the 40-man roster. He hit 18 homers but struck out at a 24.1% clip this past season with Tampa Bay’s Triple-A affiliate. He hit a below-average .241/.299/.400 across 572 plate appearances overall. The Sox figure to have him open the year with their top farm team in Charlotte.

Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase first reported that Gómez was being traded to Tampa Bay in a deal sending Pereira to Chicago. James Fegan of Sox Machine had the two-for-two swap. Respective images courtesy of Gary Vasquez and Kim Klement, Imagn Images.

Tampa Bay To Designate Christopher Morel, Jake Fraley For Assignment

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The Rays are expected to designate outfielders Christopher Morel and Jake Fraley for assignment, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Topkin also reported that catcher Dominic Keegan, right-hander Alex Cook, and second baseman Jadher Areinamo are expected to be added to the 40-man roster. The trio will grab the vacated roster spots to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. The team has not announced the moves.

Tampa Bay acquired Morel as the headliner of the trade that sent Isaac Paredes to the Cubs ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. He was hitting .199 at the time, but had popped 18 home runs and lowered his strikeout rate to a career-best 24.5%. Morel stumbled to a 59 wRC+ to close the year with the Rays. He hit three homers and saw his strikeout rate jump back up to 29.5%.

Morel played a part-time role for Tampa Bay this past season, logging 305 plate appearances. He flashed the power/speed combo that had made him an intriguing asset, with 11 home runs and seven steals, but continued to strike out at an untenable rate. Morel whiffed a career-high 35.7% of the time in 2025. After spending time at second base, third base, and shortstop in his first three seasons, Morel played almost exclusively outfield and DH last year. He made one appearance at second base, but that was the extent of his time on the dirt.

With a pair of 20-homer seasons under his belt and a bit of defensive versatility in his game, Morel will likely get another look at the big-league level. He’s had stretches of getting the strikeouts in check, and he’s always had a solid walk rate.

Tampa Bay claimed Fraley off waivers from Atlanta in early November. The Braves had scooped him up off waivers from the Reds back in August. He appeared in nine games with the team before going down with an oblique strain that cut his season short.

Fraley debuted with the Mariners in 2019. After a few seasons in a limited role, he was shipped to Cincinnati in the Eugenio Suarez trade. Fraley slashed a solid .259/.344/.468 in his first year with the Reds, though knee issues capped his workload. Injuries would limit his playing time for the duration of his Cincinnati tenure. Wrist and toe injuries cost him time in 2023, and the knee held him back again in 2024. Prior to the season-ending oblique injury this year, Fraley had hit the IL twice with calf and shoulder issues.

Keegan was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He tore through Tampa Bay’s minor league system before hitting a bit of a roadblock at Triple-A in 2025. MLB.com ranked him 15th among the Rays’ prospects.

Cook was also drafted in 2022, with Tampa Bay landing him in the 12th round. He’s pitched almost exclusively as a reliever since joining the organization. Cook has spent most of his time in the low minors, but did get up to Double-A last year. He tossed 15 2/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA for the Montgomery Biscuits to close the season.

Areinamo came over from the Brewers in the Danny Jansen trade. Baseball America had him 10th in Milwaukee’s system midway through the season. After slashing a strong .297/.355/.463 at High-A prior to the trade, he joined the Biscuits and put up a solid 111 wRC+.

Photo courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images

Rangers Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster

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The Rangers announced that they have selected the contracts of right-handers David Davalillo and Leandro Lopez, as well as first baseman/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz. That protects those three from being selected in the Rule 5 draft next month. The club’s 40-man roster count climbs to 38.

Davalillo is the most highly-regarded prospect of the trio. FanGraphs had him at 11th in their midseason update. MLB.com had him at seventh by the end of the year. The Rangers signed Davalillo as an international free agent in 2022. He opened 2025 in High-A, but made the jump to Double-A by the end of the year. Davalillo tossed 56 innings with a 2.73 ERA after joining Frisco. His strikeout rate wasn’t as lofty as it has been at lower levels, but he kept the walks in check and limited hitters to a .195 batting average.

The 23-year-old Davalillo boasts a four-pitch mix, per FanGraphs. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s, to go with two breaking balls and a splitter. Texas has a handful of other similarly-ranked pitching prospects around Davalillo’s age, so there will be some competition for a callup, but he could be in line to make his major-league debut as soon as 2026.

Lopez joined the organization as an international free agent in 2021. He’s posted lofty strikeout numbers in each season of his pro career, working as both a starter and a reliever. Walks have been an issue, though. Lopez opened this past season at High-A. He recorded a 2.19 ERA over 14 starts, with a solid 28.2% strikeout rate but also a 10% walk rate. Lopez continued to pitch well after being promoted to Double-A, delivering a sub-3.00 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning over nine appearances (eight starts). Lopez had a 10.6% walk rate with the RoughRiders, and he’s now posted a double-digit walk rate in every season since his pro debut in 2021. Lopez snuck onto MLB.com’s top 30 list, landing at 29.

Ortiz was also added via international free agency in 2021. He’s shown prodigious power at each minor league level. Ortiz launched 33 home runs between Single-A and High-A in 2023, then followed it up with 18 dingers at Double-A in 2024. Ortiz was back with Frisco to open this past season, but a 120 wRC+ helped him earn a promotion to Triple-A. He knocked nine home runs in 41 games with Round Rock, pushing his season-long total to 25. While Ortiz might have the pop to earn an MLB roster spot, FanGraphs cited his defensive limitations and excessive chase rate as red flags.

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