The Dodgers announced their full slate of 32 non-roster invitees to Spring Training this evening. The majority of the group are from the farm system or playing on minor league contracts that had already been reported, but the team revealed a couple unknown names who evidently signed minor league contracts. Catcher Seby Zavala and reliever Jordan Weems are among those in camp, according to the team.
More to come.
The Pirates added a big bat to the lineup this morning, signing Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. The agreement is yet another addition for a Pittsburgh front office that has had an uncharacteristically active offseason. The club might not be done making moves, either. Pittsburgh remains in the market for an upgrade at third base, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The team is also looking for a left-handed starter.
Getting better production at the hot corner won’t be difficult, considering the Pirates finished dead last by a decent margin in OPS at the position in 2025. Pittsburgh’s third basemen compiled a .573 mark, nearly 50 points worse than the next-closest team (the Cubs at .621). Ke’Bryan Hayes took the majority of the reps at third base before getting dealt to the Reds. Jared Triolo, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Cam Devanney also mixed in. Triolo is penciled in at the position as the roster currently stands.
The free agent market has largely been wiped out. Veterans Luis Rengifo, Ramon Urias, and Santiago Espinal headline the unsigned players. Kiké Hernández is also still available, though a reunion in L.A. seems like the most likely scenario for him.
Isaac Paredes has been the hottest name on the trade market, and Pittsburgh was said to be interested, though that might change after the $12MM investment in Ozuna. Mackey noted the Ozuna signing probably removes Pittsburgh as a Paredes suitor. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shared a similar sentiment in an appearance on Foul Territory. “They’re probably at their payroll limit, or at least close to it,” Rosenthal said.
FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool estimates Pittsburgh’s financial commitments at $105MM for 2026. As Steve Adams noted in the Ozuna post, the club is trending toward a new franchise record for Opening Day payroll. Paredes is set to make $9.35MM in 2026. Unless the team sent back a notable salary in return, a Paredes trade would push the Pirates’ payroll beyond last year’s mark by more than $25MM.
Locating a left-handed starter should be a bit easier. Pittsburgh has been known to scoop up a reliable veteran or two to fill out the rotation. Andrew Heaney and Bailey Falter served in that capacity in 2025. Jose Quintana, Martín Pérez, and Tyler Anderson have done it in recent years. Quintana and Anderson are still in the market. Patrick Corbin has yet to find a home after a bounce-back season.
[Related: The Pirates’ Rotation Options]
The Ozuna deal could also close the door on another move. As Mackey notes, adding a full-time DH has ramifications for a reunion with longtime star Andrew McCutchen. Ozuna hasn’t played the field since 2023. His time on the grass that season amounted to just a pair of starts. The 35-year-old probably won’t need his glove at any point moving forward. McCutchen has only made 20 appearances in the outfield from 2023 to 2025 in Pittsburgh. He had 445 at-bats at DH last year.
The club was still in talks with the 39-year-old last month, though he expressed frustration about the handling of the situation. McCutchen spent the first nine seasons of his career as a Pirate. He won the 2013 NL MVP award with the club. After bouncing around to the Giants, Yankees, Phillies, and Brewers, McCutchen has returned to the Pirates on identical one-year, $5MM deals the past three seasons.
Photo courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images
The Tigers are adding left-hander Konnor Pilkington on a minor league agreement, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The 28-year-old made 32 appearances out of the Nationals’ bullpen last season. He was designated for assignment and elected free agency last week. Pilkington’s deal includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. It’s worth $1.2MM if he’s in the big leagues, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.
The former Guardian delivered 28 1/3 innings of a 4.45 ERA in his lone season in Washington. He pushed his strikeout rate to a career-best 27.6%, but his walk rate also climbed to 13.8%. Pilkington has walked batters at a 12.4% clip or higher in all three of his MLB seasons.
Pilkington came up as a starter with Cleveland in 2022. He kept his ERA under 4.00 across 15 appearances (11 starts), but his xFIP and SIERA were more than a run higher. Pilkington appeared in just one game with the Guardians the following season. He was dealt to Arizona for cash early in the year. He did not reach the big leagues with the Diamondbacks.
The Nats added Pilkington on a minor league deal ahead of the 2025 campaign. He was called up in July to serve as a full-time reliever. The permanent transition to the bullpen saw Pilkington’s arsenal take a step forward. Starters moving to the bullpen typically see an increase in velocity, and the veteran lefty saw a bump of more than 2 mph on his fastball as a reliever. Pilkington also raised his slider usage, and the pitch notched an elite 46.3% whiff rate. He’ll now get a chance to compete for a spot in Detroit’s bullpen.
Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images
The Brewers are expected to add reliever Peter Strzelecki on a minor league deal, per multiple reports (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). The righty debuted with the club in 2022. Strzelecki last appeared in the big leagues with the Guardians in 2024. He’s a client of O’Connell Sports Management.
The 31-year-old Strzelecki spent last season at Triple-A with the Rays and Pirates. He scuffled to a 9.41 ERA across 22 innings. Strzelecki has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons with a trio of clubs. He posted a 2.31 ERA in 10 appearances with Cleveland in his most recent big-league stint.
Strzelecki emerged as a strong contributor in the Brewers ’pen when he first arrived in the big leagues. He notched a 2.83 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning across 35 frames. The lone mark against Strzelecki was a double-digit walk rate, but keeping the ball in the yard helped him limit the impact of the traffic on the base paths.
The 2023 season did not go as well. Strzelecki stumbled to a mid-4.00s ERA and found himself bumped back to Triple-A by the end of June. He was dealt to the Diamondbacks for fellow reliever Andrew Chafin at the trade deadline. Strzelecki appeared in just one game with Arizona. He latched on with Cleveland the following season, providing solid results in his brief time in the majors.
Strzelecki was a four-seam/changeup/sweeper guy when he first came up with the Brewers. He added a sinker in 2023, which he used nearly 20% of the time. Strzelecki introduced a cutter to lefties during his stretch with the Guardians. The changeup missed bats at a 35.7% clip in his rookie year, but it’s ticked down since then. The rest of his arsenal has also trended in the wrong direction. Strzelecki posted a meager 5.7% swinging-strike rate with Cleveland. For a pitcher who gets ground balls at a below-average rate, failing to miss bats tends to be an issue.
Photo courtesy of Michael McLoone, Imagn Images
The Angels have signed reliever Hunter Strickland to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Strickland has spent parts of the past two seasons with the club. The right-hander is a client of All Bases Covered Sports Management.
The 37-year-old Strickland has pitched for seven different MLB squads since 2019, but the Angels have been his most consistent home. He first came to the organization in a 2021 trade from the Rays. That stint only lasted a few weeks, but Strickland returned to the club on a more permanent basis in 2024. He logged a career-high 73 1/3 innings with the Angels that season.
The veteran righty opened the 2025 campaign in the Rangers organization, but ultimately found his way back to the Angels on a minor league deal. Strickland was promoted in May and appeared in 19 games at the big-league level. He posted a 3.27 ERA over 22 innings, but went down with a shoulder injury in July and missed the rest of the year.
Strickland debuted with the Giants in 2014. He became a fixture in the San Francisco bullpen the following season. Strickland notched a sub-3.00 across 226 innings in his five years in the organization. He capped off his time in San Francisco with a career-best 14 saves in 2018, though that season included a lengthy IL stint due to a broken hand. Strickland suffered the injury after punching a door following a blown save.
The Angels have stacked older relievers with closing experience this offseason. The club has added Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, and Drew Pomeranz over the winter. Brent Suter was also recently brought in to add a left-handed look in middle relief. Strickland doesn’t have a clear path to the big-league roster, but he’s had a knack for finding his way into an Angels uniform.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
Steve Adams
Duffy
Steve Adams
I'm sure they've looked into that sort of possibility, but it's not something that's going to appeal to many other clubs.
Grump
Steve Adams
Still an A
The Yankees announced Monday that infielder Braden Shewmake and right-hander Dom Hamel, both of whom were designated for assignment last week, went unclaimed on waivers and were assigned outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both will be in big league camp as non-roster invitees.
Shewmake’s outright comes nearly a year to the date after the Yankees claimed him off waivers from the White Sox. He spent the 2025 season in Scranton, where he hit .244/.318/.362 with four homers and 15 stolen bases in 315 plate appearances. The former first-round pick (Braves, 2019) has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons, hitting .241/.304/.386 in 1181 plate appearances.
Offense has never been Shewmake’s calling card. He’s a glove-first infielder whose best attribute has long been his ability to play good defense at multiple positions. He’s spent the bulk of his 2025 season at shortstop, which has been his primary position in pro ball, but also logged a handful of appearances at both second base and third base. Shewmake has over 2800 innings at short since being drafted, in addition to 765 at second base and 118 at the hot corner. He’ll stick with the Yankees as a depth option who could be called upon if they need a defensive-minded option to take a spot on the bench as injuries arise.
Originally a third-round pick by the Mets in 2021, Hamel made his major league debut this past September. He faced six batters and tossed one scoreless inning. Hamel has been hit hard in a pair of seasons at the Triple-A level, with a 6.27 ERA in 192 1/3 frames. He’s fanned 22.6% of his opponents in Triple-A but has also been plagued by an 11.2% walk rate, although those rate stats improved in 2025 (25.2%, 7.4%) relative to their 2024 levels (21.3%, 13.2%).
Hamel sits 92-93 mph with his four-seamer, pairing the pitch with an upper-80s cutter and low-80s slider. He posted a strong 13.2% swinging-strike rate in Triple-A this year and generally fared better on the mound after moving from the rotation into what was primarily a relief role. As with Shewmake, he’ll stick around as a depth option and could get a look at some point this season if the Yankees incur some injuries in the bullpen.
The Athletics have traded infielder Max Schuemann to the Yankees in exchange for minor league right-hander Luis Burgos, according to announcements from both teams. Schuemann, who was designated for assignment last week, will take the roster spot of outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez, whose previously reported DFA was announced as the corresponding move for this trade.
Schuemann was bumped off the roster after the A’s claimed Andy Ibáñez. The 28-year-old infielder delivered subpar offensive numbers over parts of the past two seasons with the club. Schuemann has a career 78 wRC+ across 672 big-league plate appearances. He did contribute on the base paths with 21 steals in 23 attempts. Schuemann was a consistent base stealer in the minors, including a 52-theft season across three levels in 2021.
Schuemann’s main intrigue during his time with the A’s was defensive versatility. While the majority of his starts came at shortstop, Schuemann saw time at second base, third base, and all three outfield spots. He ranked in the 95th percentile in Outs Above Average last season.
The swap will give New York a glove-first option to serve as infield depth. Second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has dealt with his fair share of injuries. Shortstop Anthony Volpe is currently recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and isn’t expected to be ready by Opening Day.
The Athletics net a 20-year-old right-hander with minimal professional experience. The Yankees signed Burgos as an international free agent in 2024. The entirety of his brief pro career has been spent at the Dominican Summer League. Burgos has a 3.39 ERA across 79 2/3 innings with the DSL Bombers. The solid run prevention results have come with subpar strikeout numbers (8.0 K/9) and control concerns. Burgos has walked 4.7 batters per nine innings. The 20-year-old is likely headed to the lowest levels of the A’s minor league system for more seasoning.
Diamondbacks left-hander Andrew Saalfrank underwent shoulder surgery this morning and will miss the entire 2026 season, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The team has not yet announced the injury or provided further details but should do so in the near future. Presumably, Saalfrank sustained an injury late in his offseason program. Whatever the case, his subtraction from the bullpen is a tough break for a D-backs club that was already facing plenty of questions about its relief corps and has been working to bring some arms into the fold.
Saalfrank, 28, pitched 29 big league innings this past season and notched a pristine 1.24 earned run average in that time. That mark seems ripe for regression, as it was propped up by a .217 average on balls in play and 87% strand rate — neither of which seemed sustainable. Saalfrank fanned only 16.8% of his opponents, although his 12.2% swinging-strike rate suggests there could be more punchouts in the tank.
The left-handed Saalfrank issued walks at a respectable 8.8% clip and induced grounders at a solid 44.7% rate. Even if another sub-2.00 ERA wasn’t going to be in the cards, he still looked the part of a viable middle reliever at least — though Arizona used him in plenty of high-leverage spots last year after losing Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk to season-ending elbow surgeries.
Saalfrank has pitched 40 1/3 innings in the majors across the past three seasons, working to a 1.79 ERA in that time despite worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates of 15.4% and 11.1%, respectively. He works primarily off a sinker that sits just over 89 mph and a curveball that sits just shy of 80 mph.
Saalfrank would likely have more big league innings under his belt were it not for a yearlong ban he received from June 2024 to June 2025, after the league found that he bet on major league games during his time as a prospect in the D-backs’ system from 2020-21. Saalfrank bet a total of $445 and did not place any bets on D-backs games specifically, but his actions still violated the league’s stated policies and resulted in a lengthy punishment.
With Saalfrank out for the season, the D-backs’ options late in games thin even further. They’ll hope for summer returns from Martinez and Puk, but they’re obvious 60-day IL candidates when camp formally opens. Arizona’s top options in the ’pen right now include Ryan Thompson, Kevin Ginkel and trade acquisition Kade Strowd. They’ll be banking on some in-house arms stepping up and claiming key roles, but losing another arm that looked locked into a spot in manager Torey Lovullo’s bullpen could spur the front office to act with greater urgency to bring in another reliever of some note, whether via free agency or trade.
The Angels announced Monday that right-handed reliever Kaleb Ort passed through waivers unclaimed following his recent DFA. He’s been assigned outright to Triple-A Salt Lake. He’s never been outrighted before and has fewer than three years of major league service time (2.108), so he’ll remain with the Angels as a depth option in Salt Lake.
The 34-year-old Ort made his big league debut with the Red Sox back in 2021 and has logged time in each of the five seasons since. He’s spent the past two as a member of the division-rival Astros. Ort pitched well for the ’Stros in 2024 and was shakier in 2025, but his overall numbers with Houston are respectable: combined 4.08 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, 10.8% walk rate and 38.2% ground-ball rate in 70 2/3 frames.
The hard-throwing Ort has averaged 96.8 mph on his four-seamer in that time and notched a strong 12.6% swinging-strike rate, generating plenty of whiffs with his slider, in particular. In addition to a walk rate that’s a bit heavy, Ort has been far too homer-prone. Opponents have tagged him for 25 homers in just 122 1/3 career innings in the majors (1.84 HR.9), including 15 dingers across the past two seasons in Houston (1.91 HR/9).
Ort is out of minor league options, which likely contributed to him going unclaimed on waivers. If the Angels select him back to the 40-man roster at any point, he’ll need to stay in the majors or else be designated for assignment and placed on waivers once again. At that point, even if Ort were to clear, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment to a minor league affiliate in favor of free agency, thanks to being outrighted this morning.
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