Anthony Santander To Undergo Shoulder Surgery, Out 5-6 Months
Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander is scheduled for left labral surgery on Wednesday, according to multiple reports. He’s set to miss the next five to six months of action. Santander had a setback in January as he prepared for the upcoming campaign. Toronto hopes to get him back before the end of the season.
Left shoulder inflammation cost Santander two months during his first year with the Blue Jays. A back injury bumped him off the ALCS roster and ended his season. After signing a five-year, $92.5MM deal, Santander suited up in just 59 games for Toronto, including the playoffs.
Santander struggled mightily at the plate when available. He slashed .175/.271/.294 with six home runs across 221 plate appearances. The switch-hitter was coming off a career campaign with the Orioles, slugging 44 home runs and taking home Silver Slugger honors. He remained on the free agent market deep into January before ultimately securing a five-year commitment from the Blue Jays.
The 31-year-old Santander split his time between outfield and DH last season. He made 22 appearances on the grass and 30 at designated hitter. Toronto also threw him out there for an inning at first base. Santander has graded out as an average to subpar defender in recent years. Outs Above Average had him at -2 in 2025, while Defensive Runs Saved gave him a neutral grade.
General manager Ross Atkins told reporters the club is “not significantly” involved in the market for an outfielder following the Santander injury. As the roster currently stands, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes are penciled in at the corner outfield spots against right-handed pitching. Davis Schneider will be a factor against lefties, with Myles Straw serving as a late-inning defensive replacement. George Springer is set to hold down DH duties.
Mitch Bannon of The Athletic was among those to report Santander’s injury and timeline. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported Atkins’ comments about an outfield addition.
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Juan Soto Moving To Left Field
Mets outfielder Juan Soto will have a new position this season. President of baseball operations David Stearns announced that Soto will move to left field, according to multiple reports. He was New York’s primary right fielder in 2025. The 27-year-old is entering the second year of the $765MM mega deal he signed with the club.
Stearns mentioned comfort as being a factor in the decision. Soto will also be playing left field for Team Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He’s logged more than 4,000 innings at the position as a big leaguer.
The switch means the Mets’ outfield will look completely different in 2026. Soto will slide over to the void left by longtime left fielder Brandon Nimmo, who was traded to the Rangers. Trade acquisition Luis Robert Jr. will take over in center field. Tyrone Taylor took the majority of reps there last year, followed by trade deadline addition Cedric Mullins. Taylor may be headed back to a fourth outfielder role. Mullins signed with the Rays. Part-time outfielder Jeff McNeil is now an Athletic, while Starling Marte is a free agent.
Soto is no stranger to left field. He debuted at the position with Washington in 2018 and held down the spot through the shortened 2020 season. Soto moved to right field in 2021 after the club signed Kyle Schwarber. He remained there in 2022, which was split between the Nationals and the Padres. San Diego slotted Soto in left field the following season. He’s been back in right field the past two years while playing for both New York teams.
The defensive grades for Soto have typically been underwhelming. He’s at -14 Defensive Runs Saved for his career in left field. In the opposite corner, he’s been at -5 DSR. Soto has two productive defensive seasons on the ledger, one apiece at each spot. He was credited with +3 DSR and +5 Outs Above Average in 2019 as a left fielder. In 2021, it was a +6 DSR and a +4 OAA in right field. Soto finished second in NL MVP voting that year.
Soto ranked in the first percentile in OAA (-15) and arm value (-5) last season. He spent 1,374 innings in right field. His -7 DSR was his worst performance since the 2020 campaign. Soto’s -13 Fielding Run Value was tied with Jo Adell for the second-lowest mark among qualified defenders, ahead of only Edgar Quero.
Shifting Soto to left field doesn’t seem to be a hint regarding the right field job. Taylor has been a plus defender at all three spots. Recent signee MJ Melendez has put in solid work at both corners. Top prospect Carson Benge has spent time at each outfield position during his time in the minors, but he’s primarily been a center fielder.
Jorge Castillo of ESPN was among the reporters to relay Stearns’ comments about the position switch. Joel Sherman of the New York Post mentioned the details about Soto playing left field in the WBC and being comfortable there.
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White Sox Trade Bryan Hudson To Mets
The White Sox are trading reliever Bryan Hudson to the Mets, first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. It’s a cash deal. Chicago designated the lefty for assignment last week to make room for outfielder Austin Hays. New York placed right-hander Reed Garrett on the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. The Mets have officially announced both transactions.
Hudson split last season between the Brewers and the White Sox. He broke camp with Milwaukee, but struggled with control over the first month of the season. After piling up nine walks in 8 2/3 innings, Hudson found himself back in Triple-A. He’d make it back up for one more appearance with the club in May. The Brewers designated the 28-year-old lefty for assignment in July. Chicago scooped him up, and he pitched in four games with the team.
Hudson was a key contributor in a Brewers bullpen that led the National League in ERA in 2024. He provided a pristine 1.73 ERA across 62 2/3 innings. Hudson finished second on the team with 14 holds and also found his way to six wins. A .148 BABIP was sure to regress, as was a 94.2% left on base rate, but Hudson seemed to establish himself as an important cog in Milwaukee.
Finding the zone was a major problem for Hudson last season. He posted a 57.9% strike rate across 16 big-league appearances. The lefty also saw his arsenal take a step back. Hudson’s four-seamer, which was already on the softer side, averaged just 90.5 mph in 2025. His sweeper and cutter also lost velocity. Hudson’s Stuff+ fell from 100 to 94 this past year.
As Sherman notes, there’s an opening in New York’s bullpen for a left-handed arm if A.J. Minter isn’t ready for Opening Day. Minter is recovering from surgery to repair a torn lat. His status is uncertain to begin the season. The Mets have Brooks Raley as a southpaw option in the later innings, but the rest of the current projected bullpen is right-handed.
Garrett underwent Tommy John surgery in October. He’s expected to miss the entire 2026 season, so his transition to the 60-day injured list doesn’t come as a surprise.
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Pirates Notes: Third Base, Paredes, McCutchen
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.
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Tigers To Sign Konnor Pilkington To Minor League Deal
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.
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Brewers To Sign Peter Strzelecki To A Minor League Deal
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.
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Angels To Sign Hunter Strickland To Minor League Deal
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.
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Injury Notes: McClanahan, Canning, Kemp
Rays fans have been waiting two years to see Shane McClanahan on a big-league mound. The electric lefty missed all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, then lost another season to a nerve issue in his triceps. McClanahan is on track to be ready for the 2026 campaign, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, though the southpaw will likely have his workload capped in some fashion.
McClanahan was solid in his 2021 debut, then morphed into an AL Cy Young candidate the following season. He put together 28 starts of a 2.54 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning in 2022. McClanahan capped off the year with a strong start against the Guardians in the Wild Card round. He tossed seven innings of two-run ball, but was outdueled by Shane Bieber.
Even if he faces some sort of innings limit, adding McClanahan back to the rotation will be a welcome sight for a depleted Rays staff. Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot sit atop the group, but the certainties end there. Shane Baz tied for the team lead with 31 starts last season, but he is now pitching in Baltimore. Veterans Zack Littell and Adrian Houser are no longer in the organization. Taj Bradley was sent to Minnesota at the trade deadline. Joe Boyle, free agent signee Steven Matz, and trade acquisition Yoendrys Gomez are candidates to fill out the rotation, and Littell could also potentially come back in free agency.
Griffin Canning is recovering from his own major injury. The free agent right-hander is working his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered with the Mets last season. Canning threw for interested teams on Friday and hit 93 mph on the radar gun, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The Cardinals, White Sox, and Mets have been mentioned as possible destinations for Canning. The veteran was putting together a strong campaign before going down in June. Canning had a career-best 3.77 ERA through 16 starts after signing a modest one-year, $4.25MM deal with New York. He ramped up his slider usage while tweaking the characteristics of the pitch with his new team, and Canning added more than three inches of vertical drop and 1.5 inches of horizontal movement to his primary breaking ball. He also made adjustments to his changeup. The tweaks helped Canning regain some of the strikeout ability he lost in his final season with the Angels.
On the position player side, utilityman Otto Kemp is expected to be a full go for the upcoming season. Kemp fractured his kneecap less than two weeks after getting called up last year. He played through the injury for the rest of the campaign. Kemp underwent offseason surgery to fix the issue and also had a cleanup procedure done on his shoulder. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an interview that he’s bouncing back well from the operations.
“Feeling back to 100%, which is awesome,” Kemp said. “It’s refreshing to feel that way after playing a lot of baseball banged up.”
The now 26-year-old provided some pop in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting eight home runs in 62 games. He finished with a .411 SLG, though it came with a strikeout rate above 30%. Kemp is among the internal options to compete for platoon work alongside Brandon Marsh in the outfield.
Examining Jordan Hicks’ Future With The White Sox
The White Sox acquired right-hander Jordan Hicks as little more than a financial chip, allowing the Red Sox to trim payroll for the price of an intriguing prospect. Boston escaped from $16MM of the $24MM they owed the veteran through 2027. To facilitate the maneuver, the Red Sox sent over right-hander David Sandlin, who immediately slotted in as a top 10 prospect in Chicago’s system, per FanGraphs.
It’s a solid piece of business for an organization with ample payroll flexibility. Even after adding Hicks, Austin Hays, and Seranthony Dominguez, the White Sox project to have the fourth-lowest payroll in the league. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has the club at $86MM, right in line with the $85MM it spent last season.
So where does that leave Hicks? He struggled with the Giants last season and was even worse when he came to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. The starter experience went well with San Francisco early in 2024, but has since looked like an ill-advised path. Hicks is now two years and three franchises removed from being a dominant reliever. He joins a Chicago roster with little in the way of talent and experience in the bullpen.
Hicks debuted with the Cardinals in 2018. He quickly gained notoriety for a 100-mph sinker that generated just as many cool GIFs as it did broken bats. Harnessing the pitch was an issue, as Hicks recorded a bloated 13.3% walk rate in his first MLB stint. He opened the 2019 campaign as the primary closer, but a UCL tear ended his season in June. The injury would kick off a lengthy stretch marred by health concerns. Hicks missed time over the next four years with elbow, forearm, neck, and arm fatigue issues.
St. Louis got a healthy first half out of Hicks in 2023 and used the opportunity to deal him to Toronto. He was solid with the Blue Jays, mostly setting up for incumbent closer Jordan Romano. Hicks landed a decent four-year, $44MM commitment from the Giants that offseason. He earned a spot in the rotation, and the transition initially went swimmingly. Hicks allowed two earned runs or fewer in his first seven starts with San Francisco. He expanded the usage of his secondaries while trimming his velocity to a more sustainable level.
Hicks trended down after the solid first month as a starter. His fastball steadily lost ticks as the innings piled up. After allowing 12 runs across 13 innings to open July, Hicks was booted from the rotation. He was given another shot as a starter this past season, but it went even worse. Hicks was strictly a reliever once he joined the Red Sox.
It seems pretty clear from the past two years of results that Hicks’ lone path to big-league viability is as a reliever. That’s where the Chicago front office landed after bringing him in.
“At its floor, we have a guy who can really help us in the bullpen, get him back on track, being that he’s been kind of back and forth on different roles, a couple of different stops along the way,” general manager Chris Getz told reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “I think the White Sox are at [their] best if he’s at his best in the bullpen.”
The run prevention results were bad (8.20 ERA), but Hicks posted a strong 111 Stuff+ in 18 2/3 innings out of the Boston bullpen. His sinker and slider were at 115 and 117, respectively. Hicks’ four-seamer and splitter graded out poorly, though he used them infrequently.
“Our stuff grades, both metrically and our scouting evaluations, are still really strong,” Getz said. “There’s likely some tweaking that can go with his arsenal … It sounds like it’s in a really good spot … We think he’s a guy that is not too far off from being the guy he once was.”
Chicago has gone three straight seasons without a reliever securing double-digit saves. Liam Hendriks was the last to do it, with 37 in 2022. Jordan Leasure paced the team with seven saves in 2025. Grant Taylor and Mike Vasil combined to close out 10 games. Leasure, Taylor, and Vasil should remain in the late-inning mix. Dominguez will likely be the closer to start the year, but he’s a candidate to get moved at the trade deadline if he performs well.
Hicks should get the chance to work his way into high-leverage spots. A Dominguez trade would open the door for a two-month trial as the closer. Hicks will be under contract for $12MM in 2027. He could serve as an affordable stopper next season. There are several “ifs” and “coulds” in that scenario, but for his part, Hicks sounds ready to return to a prominent role. He told reporters that he hit 99.5 mph in a recent bullpen session. The reliever added that he wasn’t sore the next day after sitting in the upper 90s during the outing.
“That’s telling me that my body’s in a good place,” Hicks said.
Searching For A Fifth Starter In Texas
The Rangers solidified the top of their rotation when they landed left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Nationals. Gore, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi will form what should be a dominant trio, as long as everyone stays healthy. Former top prospect Jack Leiter delivered a solid campaign in his first full-time look at the big league level, likely earning him the No. 4 spot. After that, it gets murky.
Texas’ starting pitchers led the league with a 3.41 ERA last season, but the club will have to replace a lot of reliable innings in 2026. Veteran Patrick Corbin matched deGrom for the most starts on the team at 30. He’s now a free agent. Tyler Mahle and trade deadline acquisition Merrill Kelly both departed in free agency.
Here’s a look at the remaining mix of options to round out the rotation.
By pedigree, Rocker would be the favorite for the fifth starter job. The 26-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2022 draft. Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs had Rocker behind only Sebastian Walcott among Rangers prospects midway through last season. That was even after the highly-touted righty was destroyed for 18 earned runs in 20 innings to open the year. He landed on the IL with a shoulder issue in late April.
Rocker made it back to the big leagues for nine starts across June and July. He posted a 4.67 ERA, though a 4.14 xFIP and a 4.34 SIERA suggest he was a bit better than that mark. Rocker found himself back in Triple-A by August. He’s yet to impress for an extended stretch at the highest level, but will likely get the chance to stick in the rotation this spring.
Texas used Latz in a Swiss Army Knife role last year, and he pitched well whenever called upon. The 29-year-old lefty made eight starts and 25 relief appearances this past season. Latz’s versatile gig included a quality start and a three-inning save in the span of a week. He compiled a 2.84 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. It came with an xERA and a SIERA above 4.00, so expectations should be tempered, but there might be enough here for Latz to be a full-fledged starter.
Latz relied on a three-pitch mix that featured a fastball, changeup, and slider. He also mixed in a curveball to right-handed hitters. Latz used each of his three main pitches more than 20% of the time, so the repertoire is deeper than that of a typical reliever. The fastball was dominant, holding hitters to a .193 batting average while recording a +11 Run Value. The changeup got whiffs at a more than 40% clip. Latz will have a role on this team one way or another.
Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, Nabil Crismatt
The Rangers brought in this group of veterans on minor league deals. They’ll serve as depth pieces if injuries pop up. One of them could find their way into the rotation if Rocker flops in the spring and the club prefers Latz out of the bullpen.
Quantrill spent 2025 with the Marlins and Braves, posting an ERA over 6.00 across 26 starts. He finished last season in the Rangers’ minor league system. Gomber was cut by the Rockies in August after scuffling through a dozen starts. He latched on with the Cubs on a minor league pact, but didn’t make it to the big-league club. Crismatt actually pitched decently last year, putting together a 2.70 ERA in his first six games with the Diamondbacks. He was crushed out of the bullpen in his final outing of the year, which sullies the final line.
Bring back Corbin
The veteran lefty revived his career in his lone season as a Ranger. After four brutal years to close his time in Washington, Corbin was one of the brightest surprises in the first half of 2025. He notched an ERA under 4.00 through July with the underlying metrics to back it up. Corbin’s performance fell off in the final two months of the season, but he still put up a respectable overall line. Whatever the Rangers did with him, it seemed to work, and he could likely be brought back for a minimal commitment.
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