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Red Sox Claim Mickey Gasper

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The Red Sox announced that they have claimed utility player Mickey Gasper off waivers from the Nationals. Washington designated him for assignment last week when they claimed Richard Lovelady. Boston had a couple of 40-man openings after trading Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin to the White Sox a few days ago. This claim moves their count from 38 to 39.

It’s a bit of a homecoming for Gasper. He was originally drafted by the Yankees but Boston plucked him away in the minor league portion of the 2023 Rule 5 draft. Gasper spent 2024 with the Sox and got to make a brief major league debut but then was traded to the Twins going into the 2025 season. He got some more major league action with Minnesota in 2025 but was mostly a depth piece. He’s been riding the DFA carousel this winter, going to the Nats and now the Red Sox via waivers.

Gasper, 30, still hasn’t done much at the major league level. In his 133 plate appearances, he has a .133/.250/.195 line. He has shown far more potential in the minors, however. He has taken 412 Triple-A appearances over the past two years with 18 home runs, a 13.3% walk rate, 14.1% strikeout rate, a .325/.427/.560 line and 158 wRC+.

If Gasper could bring even a portion of that minor league offense up to the big leagues, that would be great. Even if that doesn’t happen, he provides loads of defensive versatility. He has experience behind the plate, at the three non-shortstop infield positions and in left field. He hits from both sides of the plate as well, adding an extra layer of flexibility.

Gasper still has options and could be kept in the minors as depth. It’s also possible to see him providing value in a bench role in the big leagues. The Sox have been on the hunt for more catching depth behind Carlos Narváez. They have a few question marks on the infield. Their outfield is very lefty heavy and Rob Refsnyder is no longer around as a righty-swinging complement.

Boston will probably still make another move or two, which could change the picture, and injuries will inevitably arise to shake things up. Gasper’s role will depend on how everything plays out in the coming weeks and months, if he sticks on the roster.

Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images

Yankees To Claim Yanquiel Fernández

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The Yankees are going to claim outfielder Yanquiel Fernández off waivers from the Rockies, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Colorado designated him for assignment a week ago. The Yanks haven’t yet officially announced this claim. When they do, they will need to make a corresponding move to open a 40-man spot.

Fernández, 23, was one of the top prospects in the Rockies’ system as of a few years ago. An international signing out of Cuba, Fernández boosted his stock with a strong 2023 season. He hit 25 home runs across three different levels, topping out at Double-A. Going into 2024, the Rockies added him to their 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. Baseball America ranked him the #3 prospect in the organization and #92 in the whole league.

His stock has dipped since then. He has taken 147 big league plate appearances with a .225/.265/.348 line and 29.9% strikeout rate. In 409 Triple-A plate appearances, his .259/.320/.437 line looks decent at first glance but actually translates to a 77 wRC+ in the hitter-friendly environment of the Pacific Coast League. The declining offense is significant for Fernández. He doesn’t steal a ton of bases and is a corner outfielder. He has a strong arm but isn’t considered an especially strong defender. His best path to providing value is crushing the ball.

The Rockies just overhauled their front office, moving on from general manager Bill Schmidt in the fall. It seems the new regime, led by president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, wasn’t bullish on his chances of getting back on track. Fernández has a minor league option remaining and could have been kept in Triple-A as depth but the Rockies bumped him off the roster as they made buy-low pickups of slightly more experienced players like Jake McCarthy and Edouard Julien.

The Yankees have a fairly crowded outfield at the moment. They project to have Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger getting regular playing time on the grass with Giancarlo Stanton in the designated hitter spot. They also have Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones in the mix and have been sniffing around the market for righty platoon guys like Randal Grichuk and Austin Slater. Guys like Marco Luciano and Seth Brown are around as non-roster depth.

That picture could change over time. There are some injury concerns in there, particularly with Stanton. There has been some trade speculation surrounding Domínguez and Jones. For now, Fernández figures to be way down the depth chart. The Yankees might try to pass him through waivers at some point in the future. If he hangs onto his roster spot, he figures to get regular playing time in Triple-A.

Photo courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Twins Front Office Shake-Up, The Brendan Donovan Trade, Eugenio Suarez, And More!

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • Examining MLB’s Parity Situation – Also, Bellinger, Peralta, Robert, And Gore – listen here
  • What The Tucker And Bichette Contracts Mean For Baseball – Also, Nolan Arenado And Ranger Suarez – listen here
  • The Cubs Land Cabrera And Bregman, Remaining Free Agents, And Skubal’s Arbitration Filing – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Joe Puetz, Imagn Images

Rockies, Kyle McCann Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies and catcher Kyle McCann have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The Ballengee Group client also receives an invite to big league camp in spring training.

McCann, 28, got to make his major league debut with the Athletics in 2024. He got into 54 games and stepped to the plate 157 times. He hit five home runs and drew walks at a solid 10.2% clip but also struck out in 37.6% of those plate appearances. His .236/.318/.371 batting line was just above league average, translating to a 102 wRC+, but was buoyed by a .368 batting average on balls in play.

His minor league offense has had a similar shape, with some power and walks but lots of punchouts. Outlets like FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Statcast all ranked him as a subpar defender during his time in the big leagues, particularly when it comes to pitch framing.

The A’s designated him for assignment in January of 2025. He cleared waivers and stuck with the club as non-roster depth but was released at the end of camp. In May, he signed with los Piratas de Campeche in the Mexican League. He got into 32 games for that club and stepped to the plate 140 times. He hit eight home runs with an 18.8% walk rate and 30.7% strikeout rate. The Mexican League is very hitter-friendly, with the league-wide slash line being .295/.378/.465 in 2025, but McCann’s .319/.450/.611 line was still strong even in that inflated environment.

The Rockies don’t have a ton of depth behind the plate. Hunter Goodman and Braxton Fulford are currently the only backstops on the 40-man roster. Goodman just had a breakout season in 2025 but Fulford has just 120 big league plate appearances with a .213/.267/.324 line in those. Brett Sullivan has been brought aboard via a minor league deal but he has just a .204/.250/.291 line in his 112 big league plate appearances.

McCann gives the Rockies a second non-roster catcher with at least some big league experience. If an injury pops up and the Rockies need another catcher at some point, McCann could perhaps have a leg up over Sullivan, who is out of options. McCann has a full slate of options, so he could be shuttled between Albuquerque and Denver if he gets a 40-man spot.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images

Yankees Outright Marco Luciano

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The Yankees announced that infielder/outfielder Marco Luciano has been sent outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment a week ago. He’ll stick in the organization as non-roster depth. He will likely be invited to big league camp in spring training.

No player wants to lose his roster spot but there’s probably at least some relief for Luciano, who has been riding the DFA carousel all winter. A longtime Giants prospect, that club put him on waivers in early December. He went to the Pirates, Orioles and Yankees via the waiver wire over the past few months. Now that he has finally cleared, he has been dropped to non-roster status but at least he now knows where to report when spring training begins next week.

Now 24, Luciano raked through the minor leagues as a prospect. He came up as a shortstop and was once considered the heir apparent to Brandon Crawford as the mainstay at that position in San Francisco.

However, he didn’t find as much success in the upper levels of the minors. He also struggled defensively and the Giants moved him to left field last year, with Willy Adames signed to take over shortstop, only putting more pressure on his bat.

Over the past two years, Luciano has taken 939 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level, with 33 home runs in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He drew a walk in 16% of his trips to the plate, an excellent clip, but was also punched out 29.1% of the time. His combined .229/.354/.400 line in that two-year span translated to a 101 wRC+. Luciano also exhausted his three option years over the past three seasons. He got brief looks in the majors, getting sent to the plate 126 times, but struck out in 35.7% of those trips while producing a .217/.286/.304 line.

Given the former prospect pedigree and his relative youth, teams are clearly still interested, hence all the waiver claims. But the strikeouts, lacks of options and defensive questions all pushed him to a fringe roster position.

The Yankees will try to unlock something with Luciano in Triple-A. He only played the outfield in 2025 but the Yanks announced him as an infielder/outfielder, so perhaps they will try him on the dirt a bit. He does hit from the right side and the Yanks have a fairly lefty-heavy lineup. They have been connected to righty bats like Paul Goldschmidt, Randal Grichuk and Austin Slater in free agency but perhaps Luciano can offer some help in that department as the season goes along. If he gets added back to the roster at some point, he is out of options but has less than a year of service time and can therefore be controlled for six seasons before reaching free agency.

Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks To Sign Carlos Santana

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The Diamondbacks and free agent first baseman Carlos Santana are in agreement on a deal, according to various sources. It is reportedly a one-year, $2MM pact. The Snakes have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once Santana completes his physical and the deal becomes official.

Santana, 40 in April, made his major league debut back in 2010. While he’s never really been a star player, he has carved out a long career as a reliably strong contributor. He has always had strong strikeout and walk numbers while flashing a bit of pop with strong first base defense to boot. In over 9,000 career plate appearances, he has a 14.4% walk rate, 16.6% strikeout rate, .241/.352/.425 line and 114 wRC+. In almost 13,000 innings at first, he has racked up 48 Defensive Runs Saved and 45 Outs Above Average.

As one would expect, his production has declined as he has pushed closer to his 40th birthday. He still gets rave reviews for his glovework but his offense hasn’t been as robust in recent seasons. Dating back to the start of 2020, he has a combined line of .222/.321/.378 and a 96 wRC+. With the Guardians and Cubs in 2025, his 11% walk rate and 19.2% strikeout rate were still good numbers but down from his career levels. He slashed .219/.308/.325 on the year for a wRC+ of 82.

Despite the trend lines and the poor 2025 season, there are some reasons why Santana could be a good fit for the Arizona roster. A switch-hitter, he has always fared better against left-handed pitching. In 2025, he wasn’t great against pitchers of either handedness, with a .231/.318/.346 line and 89 wRC+ against southpaws. But as recently as 2024, he was able to put up a huge .286/.356/.578 line and 160 wRC+ in that split.

The Diamondbacks had Josh Naylor as their first baseman to begin 2025 but they traded him to the Mariners at the deadline. Coming into this offseason, they had Pavin Smith and Tyler Locklear atop the depth chart, but with question marks there.

Locklear, who came over from the Mariners in the Eugenio Suárez trade last summer, hasn’t yet found success against big league pitching. He also might not be ready for Opening Day this year. In a September game against the Red Sox, he was attempting to corral an errant throw from third baseman Jordan Lawlar when he made contact with batter-runner Connor Wong. He suffered a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder and required surgery in October.

As for Smith, he has shown flashes of potential at times but with a heavy platoon split. A left-handed batter, he slashed .270/.348/.547 for a 140 wRC+ in 2024 but with most of that damage coming against righties. Last year, he had big splits again and also faded as the season went along, dealing with injuries in the second half. For the whole year, he hit .265/.361/.456 against righties but just .167/.375/.167 against lefties. He had a combined .261/.371/.446 line in the first half and .227/.261/.318 line in the second half. He spent time on the injured list due to an oblique strain and a quad strain and only played 87 games on the year.

Locklear hits from the right side, so a platoon with Smith is potentially a good arrangement at first. But Locklear is fairly unproven and also has the uncertain health status. Smith appears to be a good bat against righties but without an especially long track record of success. His first base defense also hasn’t received strong marks.

The Diamondbacks didn’t have a strict designated hitter in 2025, with various players rotating through that spot. It’s possible they could rotate Locklear, Smith and Santana based on various situations throughout the season. Santana provides stronger glovework than Smith and with better numbers against lefty pitchers. Locklear still has an option and could be sent to Triple-A but he could earn more playing time, with the DH spot allowing the club to spread some more at-bats around.

There’s also the financial component. Owner Ken Kendrick said in September that the payroll would likely be dialed back relative to 2025. General manager Mike Hazen has tried to downplay the payroll concerns but also recently implied that making a flashy bullpen signing would have closed the door to reuniting with Merrill Kelly.

With an uncertain first base situation and little money to spend, the Snakes were connected to right-handed-hitting first basemen who weren’t likely command high salaries. That included Santana but also Ty France and old friend Paul Goldschmidt. While a reunion with Goldy would have been fun, the Santana deal seems to make it far less likely, if not completely impossible.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that the sides were close to a deal. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that an agreement was in place. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reported that it would be a one-year deal. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported the $2MM figure. Photos courtesy of David Richard, Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Twins Claim Jackson Kowar

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The Twins have claimed right-hander Jackson Kowar off waivers from the Mariners, according to announcements from both clubs. Seattle had designated him for assignment a week ago when they acquired catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Twins. Minnesota had an open 40-man roster spot for Kowar thanks to trading Edouard Julien to the Rockies last week.

There’s a little bit of musical chairs happening here. The Twins recently signed catcher Victor Caratini and lefty Taylor Rogers, meaning they needed to open two roster spots. They designated Pereda and righty Pierson Ohl for assignment. They traded Pereda to Seattle, which nudged Kowar into DFA limbo. The Twins then traded both Ohl and Julien to the Rockies, getting a minor leaguer and cash while dropping their 40-man count to 39. They have now used that open roster spot to claim Kowar.

The 29-year-old Kowar has big velocity, averaging in the upper 90s with his four-seamer and sinker, but hasn’t yet translated that into major league success. He has 91 big league innings under his belt, split between the Royals and Mariners, allowing 8.21 earned runs per nine. He has walked 13.1% of batters faced, somewhat normal for guys with big heat, but has only punched out 20.3% of opponents. He hasn’t had much success in Triple-A either, with a 4.92 ERA at that level.

Seattle burned Kowar’s final option in 2025, so he is now out of options. Since he hasn’t been able to put up good numbers in the majors or the minors, he got nudged off the roster. For the Twins, they had a roster spot open and they also have huge bullpen questions. As part of their deadline fire sale last year, they traded away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart.

They are planning to return to contention in 2026 but haven’t done much to reload the relief corps. Apart from signing the 35-year-old Rogers, their biggest move has been to acquire Eric Orze, who has just 35 big league appearances.

Kowar is a wild card but the big velo is a nice starting point, even if he hasn’t harnessed it yet. He has landed with a club that should have lots of opportunities available. But given his out-of-options status and poor numbers, it’s possible the Twins try to pass him through waivers in the future. He doesn’t have a previous career outright nor three years of big league service time, so he wouldn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Marlins Claim Garrett Acton, Designate Victor Mesa Jr. For Assignment

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The Marlins have claimed right-hander Garrett Acton off waivers from the Marlins, according to announcements from both clubs. Mami designated outfielder Víctor Mesa Jr. for assignment as a corresponding move. Colorado designated Acton for assignment back on January 22nd when they signed Willi Castro. DFA limbo is normally capped at one week. MLBTR has learned that Acton was placed on release waivers and claimed last week. A player claimed off release waivers has the right to reject the assignment while electing free agency and can take five days to make that decision.

Mesa, 24, and his older brother Víctor Víctor Mesa were once notable defectors from Cuba. Their father Víctor Mesa had played in the Cuban National Series for 19 years and coached the Cuban team in the World Baseball Classic. The two sons left the island in 2018 in the hopes of pursuing deals with MLB clubs. Both brothers signed with the Marlins in October of 2018.

At that time, the elder brother was considered the stronger prospect, but things didn’t pan out for him. He never really put up good numbers in the minors. He has been off the radar since June of 2023, when he walked away from the team and hasn’t played anywhere since.

The younger Mesa stuck with the Marlins. The club added him to the 40-man roster in November of 2023 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He got to make his major league debut in 2025, taking 38 plate appearances in 16 games. He put up a .188/.297/.344 line in that small sample.

His numbers in the minors have been a bit better than that but he’s been on the injured list a decent amount. Over the past two years combined, he has taken 579 plate appearances on the farm with 20 home runs, a .266/.330/.437 line and 106 wRC+. He stole nine bases and played all three outfield spots. Prospect evaluators generally see Mesa as a depth outfielder at this point. He still has an option remaining, so perhaps he would be of interest to some other clubs. The Marlins will likely place him on waivers in the coming days.

Acton, 28 in June, also has a very limited major league track record. Between the 2023 Athletics and the 2025 Rays, he has seven big league appearances, having allowed eight earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He missed the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Tampa put him on waivers at the beginning of November 2025, which is when Colorado claimed him.

He’s coming off an encouraging season in the minors. He logged 58 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, allowing 3.68 earned runs per nine. His 11.4% walk rate was high but he struck out 30.1% of batters faced. He averaged around 94 miles per hour with his four-seamer while also featuring a mid-80s slider and changeup.

Acton still has a couple of options, so it seems the Marlins would rather have him as optionable bullpen depth than have Mesa as optionable outfield depth. If Acton sticks on the roster, he can be shuttled between Jacksonville and Miami fairly freely.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Royals, Vinnie Pasquantino Avoid Arbitration

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February 3rd: Pasquantino will make $4.2MM in 2026 and $6.9MM in 2027 for a combined guarantee of $11.1MM, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He will also get an extra $200K in 2027 for getting to 450, 500 and 550 plate appearances. His base salary in 2027 can also jump based on awards voting in 2026. It would increase by $4MM with an MVP win, $3MM if he finishes second through fifth in the voting, $2MM for finishing sixth through tenth, $1.5MM for 11th to 15th, and $1.25MM for 16th to 20th. He would get an extra $1MM for being selected All-MLB first team and $750K for the second team, though the max he can jump is $4.6MM.

January 30th: The Royals and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino will avoid an arbitration hearing. Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports that he and the club have agreed to a two-year deal worth more than $11MM, with a chance for him to max out close to $16MM via incentives. Exact figures have not yet been publicly reported.

Pasquantino just qualified for arbitration for the first time going into 2026. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected him for a salary of $5.4MM. He was one of 18 players who did not have a deal in place through the arbitration filing deadline earlier this month. He and his camp filed at $4.5MM while the Royals filed at $4MM.

Most teams these days adopt a “file and trial” approach, which means they cut off negotiations of one-year deals after the filing deadline. This is to give them leverage in pre-deadline talks and also to prevent players from filing absurdly high numbers in an attempt to set out an aggressive bargaining stance. An arbiter can only pick the player’s or the team’s number, not a midpoint. Even if a team does have a “file and trial” policy, exceptions are made for deals that are longer than one year.

Arbitration hearings are generally viewed as a normal part of the business but occasional situations have occurred where the relationship between a player and a team have been damaged. Corbin Burnes said as much after his hearing with the Brewers three years ago. Pasquantino and the Royals have avoided that situation by agreeing to this multi-year pact, covering the first two of his three arbitration years. He will also be eligible for arbitration in 2028, before he’s slated to reach free agency.

There will now be no more than 14 hearings across the league this year. As mentioned, 18 players didn’t have a deal as of the deadline. Since then, Cade Cavalli, Bryce Miller, Joe Ryan and now Pasquantino have reached new deals to avoid hearings. The Royals still have one potential hearing on the docket, as they don’t yet have an agreement in place with left-hander Kris Bubic, who was projected for a $6MM salary. He filed at $6.15MM and the team at $5.15MM.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Reds Designate Ben Rortvedt For Assignment

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The Reds announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move to open a 40-man spot for infielder Eugenio Suárez, whose signing is now official.

Rortvedt, 28, has never appeared in a game for the Reds. Cincinnati just claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers in November. At the time of that waiver claim, it was reported that Rortvedt and the Dodgers had already signed a deal for 2026 to avoid arbitration. The backstop will make $1.25MM this year.

The Dodgers were likely hoping that figure was high enough that no other club would claim him off waivers. Rortvedt is out of options and therefore can’t be sent to the minors while staying on the 40-man roster. Since he has at least three years of big league service time, Rortvedt has the right to reject outright assignments. But since his service clock is less than five years, he would have to forfeit his salary commitments in electing free agency. Had he cleared waivers, he likely would have stayed with the Dodgers as non-roster catching depth.

Instead, the Reds claimed him and have held him for the past few months. They might now be hoping that they get to keep Rortvedt as non-roster depth instead of the Dodgers. With this DFA, Cincinnati now has Jose Trevino and Tyler Stephenson as the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. Will Banfield is their most experienced non-roster guy at the moment, even though he has just seven big league games on his track record.

Rortvedt’s career has been up and down but he would be a solid depth option. He showed his potential by having a decent showing with the Rays in 2024. He stepped to the plate 328 times and put up a .228/.317/.303 line. That line led to an 87 wRC+, indicating he was 13% below league average. But since catchers are usually about ten points below the rest of the league, that’s not bad for a part-time backstop. Rortvedt’s glovework also got decent reviews, enough for FanGraphs to credit him with 1.4 wins above replacement for the year, even with that so-so offense.

Things backed up with Tampa last year. He hit .095/.186/.111 in his 70 plate appearances before getting outrighted off the roster. He was flipped to the Dodgers at the deadline as part of the three-team trade which saw the Reds gets Zack Littell. The Dodgers called him up in September when Will Smith was injured and Rortvedt bounced back somewhat, with a .224/.309/.327 line in a small sample of 58 plate appearances for the eventual World Series champs.

The Dodgers liked him enough that they seemingly hoped to keep him around as relatively expensive depth behind Smith and Dalton Rushing. The Reds will now have a maximum of one week of DFA limbo to work with. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so they could field trade interest but will likely place Rortvedt on waivers at some point in the next five days. If another team claims him, the Reds would likely need to add some veteran depth via minor league deals.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

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