The Angels announced that they have claimed right-hander Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Marlins. Miami had designated Bido for assignment last week when they acquired Bradley Blalock from the Rockies. The Halos have an open 40-man roster spot for this claim but their agreement with infielder Yoan Moncada is not yet official. By filling up their last 40-man spot today, they will now have to make a corresponding move whenever Moncada’s deal does become official.
More to come.
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Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey implied last week after reuniting with lefty Taylor Rogers that subsequent bullpen additions could be on the horizon. Executive chair Tom Pohlad was more direct over the weekend, telling fans at the team’s annual TwinsFest event (link via Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune):
“Yeah, we’re going to continue. The clock doesn’t stop until Opening Day, right? For better or worse, [Falvey] and [GM Jeremy Zoll] have a history of adding pieces late. I’m sure you are going to continue to see that. We know that we have to continue to improve the bullpen.”
Minnesota’s current payroll of about $108MM sits nearly $30MM shy of last year’s mark. The team has made no secret of its plans to scale back payroll after sitting between $130-160MM each season from 2022-25, but there’s room for another reliever or two while still keeping the 2026 tally well below the levels we’ve seen in the four preceding seasons. Even with some additions seemingly on the horizon, Falvey indicated last week that the Twins would be counting on some younger, less-experienced pitchers to step up and solidify themselves as viable bullpen options this coming season.
Entering the season, the Twins have Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober locked into rotation spots. Simeon Woods Richardson is out of minor league options and pitched well in 2025 after a brief demotion to the minors; he finished the year with a 4.04 ERA in 111 1/3 frames but was particularly sharp upon returning from Triple-A. In his final 14 starts of the season, Woods Richardson logged 69 innings with a 3.00 ERA (4.16 FIP, 4.37 SIERA), a 24.4% strikeout rate and a 10.4% walk rate. That finish and his lack of minor league options make him a clear favorite for the fourth spot on the staff.
The fifth spot will presumably be a battle of several promising young arms. Right-handers Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, David Festa and Zebby Matthews are all in the mix for that opening. All four ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects prior to their respective MLB debuts. All four have shown some flashes of success but also lacked consistency. Bradley has one minor league option remaining. The other three all have a pair of options left. Any of that quartet could emerge as a bullpen option, too, as could prospects like Connor Prielipp and Marco Raya.
At the moment, Rogers is the most experienced arm and the de facto favorite for saves, but subsequent additions could push him further down the pecking order. The 35-year-old southpaw was an All-Star closer for Minnesota back in 2021 but has been pitching more in middle relief across the past two seasons amid declines in his fastball and slider velocity.
A reunion with the Twins was something that Rogers himself pushed for, it seems. The left-hander told the Twins beat that he instructed his reps at Frontline Athlete Management to make clear to Minnesota’s front office at the Winter Meetings that he’d be open to a reunion (link via Matthew Leach of MLB.com). That didn’t result in an immediate deal, but the Twins touched base with Rogers’ camp again in January and a deal came together in a matter of days. Pitching for new manager Derek Shelton, who was predecessor Rocco Baldelli’s bench coach for a couple of years during Rogers’ initial Twins stint, was a big factor.
“I told Shelty on the phone, if he was managing a team in Fargo, North Dakota, I would want to want to go there,” said Rogers. “Same with an opportunity to work with [new bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins].”
On the position player side of the roster, the Twins could move standout second baseman Luke Keaschall around the diamond a bit more this season. The former second-round pick and top prospect had Tommy John surgery in 2024, and Minnesota kept him at second base and DH this past season. Dan Hayes of The Athletic writes that with Keaschall now more than 16 months removed from surgery on his throwing arm, he’s more confident in his throwing and his strength has improved. Keaschall has played some center field in the minors and left field in college and summer ball before being drafted.
The 23-year-old Keaschall was a bright spot in a bleak Twins season. He made his big league debut in mid-April and slashed .302/.385/.445 with four home runs, 14 doubles, 14 stolen bases (in 17 attempts), a 9.2% walk rate and just a 14% strikeout rate in 207 trips to the plate. Had he not suffered a broken forearm in late May and been on the shelf through early August, it’s not unreasonable to think that Keaschall might’ve been in the Rookie of the Year running in the American League.
Minnesota’s outfield currently has Byron Buxton locked into center. He’ll be flanked by a combination of Matt Wallner, Alan Roden, Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin. Roden, Wallner and particularly Larnach would benefit from right-handed platoon partners. Martin is one option to fill that role, and if Keaschall looks comfortable on the grass during spring training, he could factor into that group as well. Top prospects Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez could all debut at some point this season as well; the former two are lefty swingers, while the latter hits from the right side. Wherever Keaschall lines up defensively, his bat will be in the lineup regularly based on last year’s strong rookie showing and his minor league track record (.294/.411/.458 in parts of three seasons).
January 27th: Carlson will make $2MM if he cracks the majors, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, with another $1MM available via incentives.
January 26th: The Cubs have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Dylan Carlson, as first reported by Greg Zumach. The ALIGND Sports client receives a non-roster invitation to major league spring training, where he’ll compete for a bench job.
Carlson is the second veteran outfielder to sign a minor league deal with the Cubs in the past week. Former Astros outfielder Chas McCormick also received an NRI from Chicago and will be in the mix for a bench spot.
The 27-year-old Carlson was the No. 33 overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Cubs’ archrivals in St. Louis. He ranked as one of the ten best prospects in the sport prior to his big league debut and had a nice showing in his first full season back in 2021 (.266/.343/.437, 18 homers) but has seen his bat stall out since. Carlson was a league-average hitter in 2022, but in three subsequent big league seasons has mustered only a .210/.294/.314 batting line in 761 trips to the plate between the Cardinals, Rays and Orioles. He’s dealt with shoulder, ankle, hamstring, thumb and wrist injuries along the way. The ankle injury, suffered in 2023, required season-ending surgery.
Carlson, a switch-hitter, had an uncharacteristically poor showing against left-handed pitching last year, but that came in a small sample with Baltimore. He’s been good against lefties throughout his career, hitting them at a .274/.347/.410 clip in 566 plate appearances. His left-handed swing and approach haven’t been nearly as refined; in 1421 turns at the plate versus right-handed pitching, he’s a .217/.298/.356 hitter.
The versatile Carlson can handle any of the three outfield spots, though his defensive grades in center field have slipped in small samples over the past couple seasons. Statcast graded his sprint speed comfortably above average earlier in his career, but Carlson was closer to the mean in 2025, sitting in the 56th percentile of big leaguers in that regard. He typically shows plus arm strength, based on the velocity of his throws from the outfield, but was closer to average in that regard this past season as well.
Carlson may not have developed into the star the Cardinals hoped, or even a quality regular, but if he can get back on track against left-handed pitching and play solid defense across the three outfield spots, he’s a fine fourth outfielder. Chicago’s outfield is set with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki lining up from left to right, but Crow-Armstrong hit only .188/.217/.376 against lefties this past season.
If the Cubs want to give Crow-Armstrong some breaks against tough southpaws or even move to more of a platoon system, Carlson’s skill set could lend itself well to a complementary role, though the same could be said for fellow NRI McCormick. Waiver claim Justin Dean and prospect Kevin Alcantara are both on the 40-man roster as well. Both hit from the right side of the plate and can handle all three outfield spots.
The Royals and right-hander Aaron Sanchez are in agreement on a minor league contract, reports Robert Murray of Fansided. The former Blue Jays All-Star will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee. Sanchez would earn $1.5MM on the big league roster and has another $1.35MM available to him via incentives, a source tells MLBTR. The contract contains opt-out/release dates on April 15 and May 15, per Murray’s report. Sanchez is represented by Smooth Baseball.
Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 and was out of baseball entirely in 2025. The 33-year-old set his sights on a comeback effort this winter though and more than earned a look with a big league club while pitching in the Dominican Winter League. He started eight games, pitched 46 1/3 innings and recorded a pristine 1.55 earned run average. Sanchez’s 19.1% strikeout rate isn’t much to look at, but he also walked only 5% of his opponents and has always been more of a ground-ball pitcher than a premium strikeout arm anyhow (career 52.7% grounder rate).
A former top prospect and No. 34 overall draft pick with the Blue Jays, Sanchez looked like a budding star in 2016. He paced the American League with a flat 3.00 ERA in 192 innings, finished seventh in Cy Young voting and made his lone All-Star team that year. Injuries have derailed him since. In addition to recurring blister troubles on his pitching hand, Sanchez has been plagued by a lat strain, a biceps strain and a torn capsule in his right shoulder.
Since that brilliant 2016 showing, Sanchez has managed only 367 2/3 innings in the majors. He’s pitched to a 5.29 ERA with a 17.5% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 49% ground-ball rate in that time, bouncing between five major league clubs along the way.
The Royals have a strong rotation, but clubs are always on the hunt for low-cost depth starting pitching depth. Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Noah Cameron give the club five quality arms to carry into the season. Right-handers Alec Marsh, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek and Mason Black are on the 40-man roster and all have starting experience in the majors, as does out-of-options left-hander Bailey Falter, who seems ticketed for a swingman role.
The D-backs have bolstered their rotation mix this winter by agreeing to a two-year reunion with Merrill Kelly and bringing Michael Soroka in on a one-year deal, but the bullpen remains largely untouched. Taylor Clarke’s low-cost, one-year deal is the only addition of any real note. General manager Mike Hazen emphasized to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he still plans to add to his relief corps, but the focus for much of the winter was on the rotation.
“The bullpen market isn’t done,” Hazen told Piecoro over the weekend. “There’s trades out there. … There are still active conversations all over the place in this area.”
While that doesn’t necessarily mean that the D-backs are lock to trade for an established reliever rather than sign one of the remaining free agent arms, it at least lends some credence to the belief that the trade market is the preferred route. Diamondbacks brass has been candid about the fact that payroll will be reduced in 2026 even as the team keeps aiming to contend. Hazen implied to Piecoro that if he’d signed a more prominent, established reliever in free agency, that doing so would have come at the expense of being able to re-sign Kelly, who commanded a two-year, $40MM contract.
Pinning down viable trade candidates, particularly in the bullpen, is often a tricky endeavor — particularly at this point of the offseason when many names have already moved. Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero is an obvious trade candidate, but the D-backs and Cards already pulled off one notable deal (Nolan Arenado) and clearly didn’t line up on a way to include Romero in that deal. The Rockies have some young, controllable relievers who’ve garnered interest (e.g. Victor Vodnik, Seth Halvorsen, Juan Mejia), but trading with a division foe is always a bit more complicated. Milwaukee’s Trevor Megill was in trade rumblings earlier in the winter, but the Brewers might not feel as urgent to shed his salary after trading a more expensive Freddy Peralta to the Mets.
However it shakes out, Hazen’s comment aren’t the lone indicator that the Diamondbacks could prefer the trade market as an avenue to bolster manager Torey Lovullo’s relief options. John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports suggested last week (prior to Hazen’s comments) that adding more bullpen help, specifically via the trade market, and bringing in a righty-hitting first baseman were likely goals for the front office.
A righty-hitting first baseman is a natural target. Arizona hoped to be adding just that last summer when scooping up former top prospect Tyler Locklear from the Mariners as part of the Eugenio Suarez return, but Locklear suffered a torn ligament in his left elbow and injured the labrum in his left shoulder on a collision at first base in September. He underwent season-ending surgery shortly thereafter and isn’t a lock to be ready for the early portion of the season. The 25-year-old Locklear has yet to hit in 165 big league plate appearances, but he bashed Triple-A pitching at a .316/.401/.542 pace last year (136 wRC+) and logged strong offensive performances in 2024 (131 wRC+ between Double-A, Triple-A) and in 2023 (145 wRC+ between High-A and Double-A).
As it stands, Arizona has Pavin Smith penciled in for the majority of work at first base. He’s a career .253/.333/.439 hitter against righties (111 wRC+) but has been considerably better across the past two seasons, albeit while battling some notable injuries that have limited his time on the field. Still, the late-blooming Smith has posted a big .271/.359/.493 slash (134 wRC+) with 16 home runs, 26 doubles and a triple in 399 plate appearances against righties across the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he’s a career .222/.296/.301 hitter against fellow lefties, which only underscores the need for a platoon partner.
There’s been plenty of speculation among D-backs fans about a reunion with Paul Goldschmidt, who of course starred for Arizona for the first eight seasons of his career before being traded to St. Louis in the 2018-19 offseason. The 38-year-old’s .274/.328/.403 slash with the Yankees last year was about league average, but he did nearly all of his damage against lefties, hitting them at a .336/.411/.570 clip compared to just .247/.289/.329 against fellow righties. If Goldschmidt is amenable to a limited role coupled with a Phoenix homecoming, he’d indeed be a fine fit. Speculative alternatives on the free agent market include Rhys Hoskins, Ty France and Justin Turner.
Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for throughout the day today:
1. Yankees 40-man move incoming:
The Yankees officially announced their move to re-sign Cody Bellinger on a five-year pact yesterday, restoring their lineup to where it was last season in conjunction with the returns of Trent Grisham and Amed Rosario. The team did so without announcing a corresponding 40-man move, however. That means New York will have to clear a roster spot in the near future to accommodate the addition of Bellinger. That could come by way of a simple DFA to clear a roster spot, though it’s also possible that New York could try to clear a roster spot by working out a minor trade that sends a 40-man player out for non-roster talent or cash.
2. DFA resolutions expected:
A handful of players who have recently been designated for assignment are expected to have their situations resolved today. Nationals righty Andry Lara, Rangers righty Dom Hamel, and Marlins right-hander Osvaldo Bido were all pushed off their respective team’s 40-man roster last week. Bido was moved to make room for Miami’s acquisition of Bradley Blalock, while D.C. parted ways with Lara to make room for a waiver claim of Mickey Gasper. Hamel was squeezed out of the mix in Texas by the club’s signing of righty Jakob Junis. Hamel and Lara both made their big league debuts last year and have ten combined relief appearances in the majors, while Bido has a career 5.07 ERA in parts of three MLB seasons. All three players have now been in DFA limbo for one week, and either a waiver claim or outright assignment should be expected in short order.
3. MLBTR chat today:
Pitchers and catchers will begin reporting in just a couple of weeks, but some offseason questions still remain. Framber Valdez and Eugenio Suárez are among the top free agents still available, while the trade market still holds intriguing talents like Brendan Donovan, CJ Abrams and Mark Vientos who could still be moved. If you’re wondering what’s left for your favorite team to do before spring begins or simply looking for the latest hot stove buzz, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered with a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. Readers can use this link to ask a question in advance, follow along when the chat begins, and read the transcript after the chat concludes.
The Giants have a notable upgrade to their outfield defense in place, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $20.5MM contract with free agent outfielder Harrison Bader. The Vayner Sports client can earn an additional $500K via incentives, bringing the deal’s maximum value to $21MM.
Bader, 31, has been a free agent for three consecutive offseasons but now lands the multi-year deal that’s previously eluded him. He signed one-year deals with the Mets and Twins, respectively, over the past two winters. Bader turned in a career-best performance in Minnesota and was red hot for the Phillies down the stretch after joining them in a deadline swap, and the market has rewarded that strong 2025 performance.
In 501 plate appearances between Minnesota and Philadelphia last year, Bader slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 homers, 24 doubles, a triple and 11 steals (albeit in 18 attempts). His 7.8% walk rate was the second-best he’s posted in a 162-game season, though 2025’s bloated 27.1% strikeout rate was also his worst full-season mark since 2019. Much of Bader’s success can be attributed to an increase in playing time and a hefty .359 average on balls in play, but it bears mentioning that his 10.2% barrel rate and 40.3% hard-hit rate were personal bests in a full big league season.
Strong as last year’s performance was — 22% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+ — offense has never been Bader’s calling card. He’s been clearly above average in four of his nine MLB campaigns, but on the whole, Bader is a .247/.313/.401 hitter in a bit more than 3000 career plate appearances, which just barely shy of average. His glovework, however, is among the best in all of baseball, regardless of position.
Bader has played 5925 innings of center field defense in his career and been credited with a gaudy 51 Defensive Runs Saved and 67 Outs Above Average. He played more left field than center field in Minnesota, largely in deference to Byron Buxton, and notched positive marks in both DRS (7) and OAA (3) through 496 frames.
Overall, Bader has played 6799 innings of outfield defense in the majors, dating back to his 2017 MLB debut. In that time, only four outfielders — Mookie Betts, Kevin Kiermaier, Daulton Varsho, Michael A. Taylor — have bested his 67 DRS. No outfielder in that time has topped Bader’s 77 OAA. Francisco Lindor, Nick Ahmed, Nolan Arenado and Ke’Bryan Hayes are the only four majors leaguers at any position with a better OAA total in that time.
With Bader turning 32 in June, it’s fair to at least wonder whether he’ll begin to slow down over the next two seasons. However, there’s no reason to think that’ll be the case — at least based on recent history. This past season’s average sprint speed of 28.8 feet per second was actually an improvement over Bader’s 2024 mark of 28.2 ft/sec and right in line with his 2023 mark. He’s no longer covering the flat-out elite 30 ft/sec he did earlier in his career, but Bader’s 2025 sprint speed still landed in the 85th percentile of all big league position players. He’s a clear plus runner.
It’s a near certainty that Bader will take that plus speed and range to Oracle Park as the Giants’ new center fielder. Jung Hoo Lee handled the bulk of center field work in San Francisco this past offseason but ranked as one of the worst defenders in the game along the way (-18 DRS, -5 OAA). Lee’s arm strength sat in the 91st percentile of big league outfielders, per Statcast, but his range was near the bottom of the scale. Lee should have the arm to move to right field, where his lack of range would be better suited. Even if Bader’s bat regresses and checks in a bit shy of average, the defensive upgrade alone will be enormous for the Giants.
Assuming even distribution of that $20.5MM, Bader’s contract bumps San Francisco’s actual cash payroll to a projected $195MM, per RosterResource. Their luxury tax payroll is quite a bit higher, clocking in at about $221.5MM, but that still leaves more than $20MM between their current standing and the $244MM threshold at which luxury penalties begin. San Francisco has paid the tax in the past, but only rarely. They were over the line in 2024, which stands as their only time exceeding the threshold in recent memory.
For the time being, it doesn’t seem likely that the Giants will climb back to that level of spending. San Francisco is in the market for a second baseman but has been looking at the trade market — specifically, affordable targets like CJ Abrams and Brendan Donovan (“affordable” in terms of salary — not necessarily prospect capital). They’ve added Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle to the rotation and could continue to poke around the rotation and bullpen markets, but ownership has publicly expressed an aversion to signing any free agent pitcher to a long-term deal, making a run at a top free agent like Framber Valdez feel unlikely.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the two-year agreement. Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported the financial terms.
Framber Valdez stands atop the pitching class and is arguably the offseason’s last marquee free agent. He and Zac Gallen are the two remaining players who declined qualifying offers. Those two pitchers and Eugenio Suárez are the three unsigned players who ranked among MLBTR’s Top 20 free agents entering the winter.
Suárez was always going to be capped to two or three years by his age. Gallen is coming off a down season and is a candidate for a pillow contract with an opt-out. On the other hand, Valdez came into the winter as arguably the best available pitcher. His age and middling second half performance — plus the bizarre cross up incident with catcher César Salazar that could lead to some questions from teams — meant he hit the market on a bit of a down note himself. Valdez is nevertheless coming off a 3.66 ERA showing with an above-average 23.3% strikeout rate and massive 58.6% grounder percentage across 192 innings. It’s his fourth straight full season and sixth year in a row with a sub-4.00 earned run average.
Valdez’s age (32) made a six-year deal a stretch. A five-year contract seemed more plausible, with a strong four-year pact appearing to be the floor. There hasn’t been much about Valdez’s market or whether his camp would target a shorter deal with opt-outs as Spring Training approaches. Valdez clearly hasn’t found a deal to his liking, yet he’s probably the last top-of-the-rotation starter who’ll change teams this offseason.
A Tarik Skubal trade has always felt like a long shot. Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera and Shane Baz are off the trade market. Dylan Cease landed with the Blue Jays on a seven-year deal within the first couple weeks of the offseason. The market didn’t value NPB righty Tatsuya Imai as a top-of-the-rotation arm. Valdez has higher upside than any of the other remaining starters in free agency (e.g. Gallen, Lucas Giolito, Chris Bassitt, Justin Verlander).
Valdez has most frequently been linked to the Orioles. They entered the offseason needing a top-end starter, and president of baseball operations Mike Elias has ties to the southpaw from his days in the Houston front office. The O’s acquired Baz in a trade to address the rotation and signed Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155MM free agent deal. There’s reportedly still room in the budget, but another $30MM+ annual salary for Valdez would cap a much bigger offseason than usual for the Orioles.
The Mets, Blue Jays and Red Sox are all known to have met with Valdez around the Winter Meetings. They’ve each added a different marquee pitcher (Peralta, Cease and Ranger Suárez, respectively). The Astros have never seemed inclined to bring Valdez back. The Giants also met with the two-time All-Star, but they’ve consistently downplayed their desire to sign anyone long term.
Where does that leave Valdez? Will Baltimore or San Francisco get aggressive, or does the long wait open up the opportunity for a mystery team?
The Cardinals announced their group of non-roster invitees to Spring Training this evening. Corner outfielder/designated hitter Nelson Velázquez is among the group, indicating they’ve signed him to a minor league contract. Velázquez is represented by MDR Sports Management.
Velázquez, 27, is looking to get back to the majors for the first time in two seasons. He bounced around last year after being outrighted off the Royals’ 40-man roster during Spring Training. Kansas City released him in May after he hit .202 across his first 33 Triple-A contests. Velázquez needed to settle for a job in the Mexican League but raked over 49 games there to play his way back to affiliated ball. He latched on with the Pirates on a minor league deal and played the final month with their top affiliate in Indianapolis.
The righty-hitting Velázquez carried over his strong form from Mexico in his second look at Triple-A pitching. He closed the season with a .284/.329/.554 line with five homers in 79 plate appearances. It wasn’t enough to get an MLB call from the Pirates, but he secured a non-roster invite from St. Louis.
Velázquez has split his major league work between the Cubs and Royals. He went on a power barrage in the second half of the ’23 season, slugging 14 homers over 40 games after the Royals acquired him from Chicago. That’s his only real run of big league success, as he struggled on either side of that scorching stretch. Velázquez has a .212/.286/.433 batting line in 615 plate appearances, essentially the equivalent of one full season. He has 31 homers in that time but the batting average and on-base marks haven’t been sufficient.
The Cardinals are amidst a rebuild that should open some playing time in the outfield. They already did so indirectly with the Willson Contreras trade, which is expected to bring Alec Burleson in from the outfield as the primary first baseman. St. Louis could move left fielder Lars Nootbaar, although they may prefer to wait until midseason to show his health after postseason heel surgeries. Jordan Walker is lined up for another look in right field in what looks like a make-or-break year for the former top prospect. There’s less opportunity available at designated hitter, where Iván Herrera will get the majority of the playing time when he’s not catching.
Velázquez has some similarities to Walker and current prospect Joshua Baez as right-handed power bats. The Cardinals certainly aren’t going to force him into the lineup over younger players who could be core pieces. He’s their only non-roster outfielder with MLB experience and seems likely to open the season at Triple-A Memphis.
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