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Braves Claim Ken Waldichuk, Designate Vidal Brujan

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The Braves have claimed left-hander Ken Waldichuk off the Athletics’ waiver wire, as announced by both teams.  Infielder Vidal Brujan was designated for assignment to clear space on Atlanta’s 40-man roster.

The A’s designated Waldichuk for assignment on December 22 in a corresponding move for the Jeff McNeil trade, and Waldichuk then had an extended stay in DFA limbo through the unofficial holiday roster freeze.  The southpaw’s situation has now finally been resolved (by coincidence) on Waldichuk’s 28th birthday, and he’ll celebrate by heading to Atlanta looking for a fresh start to his career.

Once a top-100 ranked prospect, Waldichuk posted a 5.28 ERA over 175 2/3 innings for the then-Oakland team during the 2022-23 seasons.  While the results didn’t stand out, there was hope Waldichuk could continue to develop into a rotation piece for the Athletics, but a Tommy John surgery then interrupted the lefty’s career.  The May 2024 procedure kept Waldichuk from pitching at all in 2024, and he returned to toss 54 innings of minor league ball last season.  There was clearly still some rust, as Waldichuk had an 8.65 ERA and a 15.9% walk rate over 51 Triple-A frames.

Waldichuk is entering the first of four arbitration-eligible seasons as a Super Two player, and he had already agreed to a $825K salary for the 2026 season.  The Braves would therefore have plenty of control over Waldichuk if he can develop into a late bloomer as a starter or reliever on Atlanta’s pitching staff, and it makes for a low-cost risk on the team’s part.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is traditionally aggressive in taking fliers on former top prospects, and Waldichuk will take the roster space of another such player in Brujan.  The payroll impact is basically even, as Brujan had avoided arbitration (in the first of three arb years) by agreeing to a split contract worth $825K for time spent in the majors.

Brujan was a regular on top-100 lists during his time in the Rays’ farm system, but he simply hasn’t hit at the MLB level.  Over 645 plate appearances in the Show, Brujan has batted only .199/.267/.276 with five home runs, and his career has taken a journeyman’s path.  Since Tampa Bay dealt Brujan to Miami in November 2023, Brujan has suited up for four different teams — the Marlins in 2024, and then the Cubs, Orioles, and Braves all during the 2025 campaign.  Atlanta claimed him off Baltimore’s waiver wire in August, and Brujan’s .268/.362/.317 slash line over 47 PA for the Braves represents one of the better offensive stretches of his career.

Now entering his age-28 season, Brujan could still appeal to yet another team intrigued by his past blue-chip status, though is out of minor league options.  Initially a middle infielder, Brujan has experience at second base, shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions as he has tried to increase his marketability by becoming a utilityman.  With over three years of MLB service time, Brujan would have the ability to reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers, though he would have to surrender his 2026 salary in re-entering free agency.

Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Ryan Mountcastle

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The Orioles and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a contract that gives the O’s control over Mountcastle’s first free agent year, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.  Mountcastle will earn $6.787MM in 2026, and Baltimore holds a $7.5MM club option on the first baseman’s services for 2027.  Mountcastle is represented by Apex Baseball.

The $6.787MM salary is an exact match for Mountcastle’s 2025 earnings.  MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a $7.8MM salary for Mountcastle in 2026, yet the first baseman has eschewed on even a modest raise while also agreeing to give up a year of free agency, meaning that he won’t be able to fully financially capitalize on a bounce-back season.

The deal may simply reflect the lack of leverage Mountcastle has over his future in Baltimore, as it was viewed as something of a surprise that the Orioles tendered the first baseman a contract in the wake of his lackluster 2025 campaign.  A solid 111 wRC+ hitter over the 2020-24 seasons, Mountcastle plummeted to an 81 wRC+ in 2025 after hitting .250/.286/.367 with seven home runs over 357 plate appearances.  A severe hamstring strain limited Mountcastle to 89 games, which president of baseball operations Mike Elias said in November was a factor in the decision to tender Mountcastle a contract.

Elias’ view is that a healthy Mountcastle can rebound to his pre-2025 self, and thus the team didn’t want to let that player go for nothing.  Keeping a veteran on hand as a complement to Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo made some sense if the Orioles weren’t fully ready to give the youngsters a full run at regular first-base duties, yet the picture suddenly got a lot more crowded when Baltimore signed Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155MM contract.

It could be that this agreement is a step towards making Mountcastle more of an attractive trade candidate for any interested suitors.  Beyond his lack of a raise on his 2025 salary, the club option would give a new team some additional control at a potential bargain price if Mountcastle can indeed regain his old form.  The Orioles could also pivot by moving Mayo in a trade, and thus Mountcastle becomes first base/DH insurance for 2026 and potentially beyond, giving the team a bit more time to evaluate Basallo.

Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Taylor Ward

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The Orioles and outfielder Taylor Ward have agreed to a $12.175MM salary for the 2026 season, FanSided’s Robert Murray reports.  The two sides avoided arbitration with a figure that comes in lower than Ward’s $13.7MM projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, but it’s still a big raise over the $7.825MM Ward earned in 2025.  Ward is represented by Wasserman.

In what ended up as his final season with the Angels, Ward hit .228/.317/.475 over 663 plate appearances, with a career-high 36 home runs and 103 RBI.  Ward’s 117 wRC+ in 2025 wasn’t much higher than his 112 wRC+ in 2024, and his batting average and OBP actually declined from the previous year.  However, since arbitors tend to favor traditional counting stats over advanced metrics, Ward’s big increase in homers and RBI meant that he was in line for a hefty increase.

Since Ward is a Super Two player, he had four years of arbitration eligibility instead of the standard three.  With his 2026 figure now established, Ward will have made $27.5MM over his four arb years, which included winning an arbitration hearing with the Angels entering the 2024 season.  (The panel gave Ward his desired $4.8MM salary rather than the Angels’ price of $4.3MM.)

Ward will hit free agency next winter in advance of his age-33 season, and on the heels of what Ward hopes is a productive first season in Baltimore.  After years of trade rumors, the Angels finally dealt Ward in an intriguing one-for-one deal in November that sent Grayson Rodriguez to Anaheim.  The move to a more hitter-friendly ballpark may well boost Ward’s numbers in his platform year, and he’ll surely welcome the chance to play for a potential contender after never playing on a winning team over his eight years with the Angels.

Phillies Avoid Arbitration With Jesus Luzardo

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The Phillies and left-hander Jesus Luzardo have avoided arbitration by agreeing to an $11MM salary for the 2026 season, 7News’ Ari Alexander reports.  This is Luzardo’s final year of arb eligibility, as he is slated to become a free agent next winter.

The $11MM agreement beats the $10.4MM salary projection from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz, and it represents a sizeable raise over the $6.625MM that Luzardo earned in 2025 (via another arb-avoiding deal with the Phillies).  That agreement came just a couple of weeks after the Phils acquired Luzardo as part of a noteworthy four-player trade with the Marlins.

Philadelphia swung the deal in the hopes that Luzardo would rebound from an injury-marred 2024 season to deliver the type of frontline results he showed during Miami’s 2023 season.  It ended up being a canny move on the Phillies’ part, as Luzardo finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting.  The southpaw posted a 3.92 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over a career-best 183 2/3 innings, with above-average showings in virtually every Statcast category.

Another season like this will line Luzardo up for a hefty multi-year free agent deal next winter.  Age is also on his side — Luzardo just turned 28 last September, so he’ll be hitting the open market in advance of his age-29 season.  The Phillies still have time to pursue a contract extension to make Luzardo a long-term piece of the rotation, yet since Luzardo is represented by Scott Boras, chances are much higher that Luzardo will test free agency rather than ink an extension.

Red Sox Targeting Left-Handed Bullpen Help

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The Red Sox are scouring the bullpen market for free agent southpaws, and MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that Tim Mayza and Cionel Perez are two of the left-handers on the team’s radar.  Boston has also maintained interest in Justin Wilson and Danny Coulombe, as Cotillo initially reported last month.

Wilson is the most known quantity for the Sox, as he posted a 3.35 ERA, 27.5% strikeout rate, and 9.7% walk rate over 48 1/3 innings out of the Boston pen in 2025.  While the walk rate was on the high side and Wilson’s fastball velocity dropped from 95.5mph in 2024 to 94.5mph last year, it was still a very solid season for Wilson, and a sign that he is now fully recovered from the injuries that basically erased his entire 2022-23 seasons.

One complication for the Red Sox and any other suitor pursuing Wilson is that the veteran isn’t entirely committed to pitching in 2026.  According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, Wilson wants “a fair deal with a legitimate World Series contender” and is willing to hang up his cleats after 13 Major League seasons if his demands aren’t met.

As Cotillo notes, Wilson and his agents at ACES could be using the retirement threat as leverage in contract talks.  That said, it also isn’t out of the question that Wilson is nearing the end of the line, after turning 38 years old last August.  Another one-year guarantee seems likely given Wilson’s age, and he is undoubtedly looking for a raise on the $2.25MM guarantee he received from the Red Sox on his deal for the 2025 campaign.

The Sox have seen plenty of Mayza and Perez over the years in AL East battles.  Mayza spent his first seven MLB seasons with the Blue Jays and Yankees before pitching with the Pirates and Phillies in 2025, and Perez has worked out of the Orioles’ bullpen from 2022-25.  Either pitcher could be had on a one-year contract and perhaps not even a guaranteed big league deal, as Mayza and Perez are both looking to bounce back from rough 2024-25 seasons.

Mayza (who turns 34 next week) had a 3.78 ERA over only 16 2/3 innings in 2025, as a lat strain and a teres major strain kept him on the injured list for much of the year.  He likely would’ve been a deadline trade candidate if healthy, and the Pirates put him on the waiver wire at the end of August, with Philadelphia claiming the veteran to add bullpen depth for the stretch run.  Mayza had only a 4.91 ERA in his eight games and 7 1/3 IP with the Phils, and he wasn’t included on their playoff roster.

Perez seemingly broke out with a tremendous 1.40 ERA over 57 2/3 relief innings for Baltimore in 2022, but his results have steadily declined over the past three seasons.  The bottom completely fell out for Perez last year, as he had an 8.31 ERA and almost as many walks (18) as strikeouts (21) over 21 2/3 innings.  Perez hasn’t pitched in the majors since late May, when the Orioles designated the lefty for assignment and then outrighted him off the 40-man roster.

Since the start of the 2022 season, Coulombe has a 2.38 ERA — the ninth-lowest ERA of any pitcher who has tossed at least 130 Major League innings (Coulombe has 136 1/3 IP).  A 26% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate support this excellent bottom-line number, though Coulombe struggled after being dealt from the Twins to the Rangers at last year’s trade deadline.

Coulombe turned 36 in October so he’ll likely be limited to one-year offers as well this winter, but he is still drawing a good deal of interest.  Rosenthal and Sammon write that five teams are in on Coulombe, which may or may not include the Red Sox.

Aroldis Chapman is the top southpaw in Boston’s bullpen, but with Chapman set to operate as the closer, the Sox are in need of at least one experienced left-hander to work in a more situational capacity.  Jovani Moran projects as the top non-Chapman option amongst Boston’s current bullpen mix, but Moran has a 5.44 ERA over 46 1/3 innings since the start of the 2023 season, and he missed most of the last two years recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Cubs Sign Jeff Brigham To Minors Contract

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The Cubs signed right-hander Jeff Brigham to a minor league contract, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports.  Brigham’s deal includes an invitation to Chicago’s big league Spring Training camp.

Brigham (who turns 34 in February) is a veteran of six Major League seasons, with 120 2/3 innings pitched over 94 total games with the Marlins, Mets, and Diamondbacks.  Three of Brigham’s six seasons included four or fewer appearances, including his work with Arizona in 2025 — the righty posted an 8.10 ERA over four games and 3 1/3 innings.

The D’Backs signed Brigham to a minors deal last winter, and he hasn’t pitched since being released by the team last August while on the minor league injured list.  Injuries plagued Brigham for a good deal of the 2025 season, as he only pitched in 18 games (21 2/3 IP) in Arizona’s farm system in addition to his brief time in the majors.  This Cubs contract presumably indicates that Brigham is healthy and ready to vie for a bullpen job in Spring Training.

The bullpen has been a heavy focus for the Cubs this winter, with Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb all signed to free agent deals.  Between this group and swingmen/backup starting options like Colin Rea and Javier Assad also in the mix, Brigham or any other non-roster invites face a tough competition to break camp with the team.  Brigham is also out of minor league options, which adds another layer of difficulty in his quest to both make the cut and remain on the 26-man roster.

Brigham has a career 4.85 ERA, with a 10.7% walk rate and an inflated home run rate contributing to his uninspiring ERA.  The right-hander has had trouble keeping the ball on the ground in the big leagues, though his 23.8% strikeout rate is respectable.  Over 191 2/3 career innings at Triple-A, Brigham has a 4.09 ERA, 30.27% strikeout rate, and 10.7% walk rate, with much better grounder rates but still some issues at limiting the long ball.

Tigers Sign Scott Effross To Minor League Contract

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January 5th: Effross will indeed get an invite to big league camp and will also make a salary of $950K in the majors, reports Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

January 4th: The Tigers signed right-hander Scott Effross to a minor league contract in December, as per Effross’ MLB.com profile page.  Effross has been assigned to Triple-A Toledo, and will presumably be a non-roster invite to the Tigers’ big league spring camp.

The 32-year-old sidearmer is looking to rebound from three straight injury-marred seasons.  A Tommy John surgery entirely wiped out Effross’ 2023 campaign, and a back surgery during that TJ rehab period kept Effross out of any game action until June 2024, and he ended up tossing 35 1/3 minor league innings that season as well as 3 1/3 MLB frames with the Yankees.  During Spring Training 2025, Effross then suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain that led to three more months on the shelf, and he amassed only 10 2/3 innings for New York while being frequently shuffled up and down from the minors.

While Effross was projected for just an $800K salary in his first year of arbitration eligibility, the Yankees chose to non-tender the righty in November.  It wasn’t an unexpected decision given Effross’ injury woes, and he’ll now look to try and re-establish himself and win a job in Detroit’s bullpen.  He has a minor league option remaining, as well as two more arb-eligible years if he can make the roster and recapture some of his early-career form.

Before the Tommy John surgery, Effross looked to be establishing himself as a bullpen weapon in his first two Major League seasons.  He debuted in 2021 as a member of the Cubs, and posted a 2.78 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, 5.6% walk rate, and 45.1% grounder rate over 71 1/3 combined innings with the Cubs and Yankees during the 2021-22 seasons.  New York was intrigued enough to acquire Effross in a one-for-one swap for Hayden Wesneski at the 2022 deadline, in what ended up being a nice trade for Chicago.

Effross’ few cups of coffee in the majors over the last two seasons have yielded only a 7.71 ERA and a 12.3% strikeout rate across 14 innings.  His K% was also diminished (through not to that extent) during his minor league work in 2024-25, and Effross struggled to a 6.37 ERA in 29 2/3 frames with at the Triple-A level last year.

Giants Sign Buddy Kennedy, Caleb Kilian To Minors Contracts

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The Giants signed infielder Buddy Kennedy and right-hander Caleb Kilian to minor league contracts last month, as per San Francisco’s official transactions page.  The two players each elected minor league free agency following the season.

Kennedy appeared in 13 big league games in 2025, split between the Phillies (four games), Blue Jays (two games), and Dodgers (seven games).  Because Kennedy is out of minor league options, he had to be designated for assignment rather than being simply sent down to Triple-A, resulting in a string of DFAs, outrights, a waiver claim, and two separate stints in Toronto’s organization.  Despite his brief time with both the Dodgers and Blue Jays, Kennedy was assured of a World Series ring no matter who won the Fall Classic, bringing a nice bonus to the end of his fourth MLB season.

Beginning his pro career in the Diamondbacks organization, Kennedy has hit .178/.271/.274 over 181 big league plate appearances over 67 games with five different teams.  His minor league numbers are markedly better (.281/.388/.429 with 33 homers over 1704 career Triple-A PA) but Kennedy’s calling card is his defensive versatility.  Kennedy has a lot of experience at first, second, and third base, plus some work as a shortstop and left fielder.

Playing time figures to be scarce on a Giants’ infield that has a set starter at every position except second base, and even the keystone could be filled with a prominent name given the rumors linking San Francisco to Ketel Marte and Brendan Donovan.  Casey Schmitt would move into a backup infield role in that scenario, and Christian Koss, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Osleivis Basabe are all ahead of Kennedy on the depth chart.  Kennedy’s out-of-option status won’t help his chances of breaking camp, but he could stick at the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate as a depth option.

Kilian began his pro career as an eighth-round pick for the Giants in the 2019 draft, and the righty was one of the two prospects San Francisco dealt to the Cubs for Kris Bryant at the 2021 trade deadline.  Kilian started five of eight games for Chicago scattered across the 2022-24 seasons, and he has a 9.22 ERA and almost as many walks (six) as strikeouts (seven) over his 27 1/3 career Major League innings.

A teres major strain also kept Kilian on the injured list for over half of the 2024 season, and an undisclosed injury while in Triple-A limited the righty to 15 2/3 minor league innings in 2025 and no time on Chicago’s active roster.  Pitching mostly out of the bullpen for the first time in his career, Kilian struggled to a 7.47 ERA in 2025, though his health issues likely impacted that shaky performance.

Though there has been plenty of turnover within San Francisco’s organization since the last time Kilian was there, the 28-year-old could benefit from a familiar environment and some fresh voices to help him get his career on track.  Staying on the field after two injury-marred seasons is the first priority, and the Giants’ pitching development team can then determine if Kilian still has a future as a starter or if a relief role is a better fit.

Yankees Sign Adam Kloffenstein, Payton Henry To Minors Contracts

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The Yankees signed right-hander Adam Kloffenstein and catcher Payton Henry to minor league contracts in December, according to the club’s official transactions page.  7 News Boston’s Ari Alexander writes that Kloffenstein’s deal includes an invitation to New York’s big league spring camp.

Kloffenstein’s MLB resume consists of one perfect inning of relief work for the Cardinals in their 6-5 win over the Giants on June 20, 2024.  He was sent back to Triple-A the next day, and some shoulder problems likely prevented another call-up to the active roster.  St. Louis non-tendered Kloffenstein after the season and he inked a minors deal with the Blue Jays — the team that began the righty’s pro career as a third-round pick in the 2018 draft.

This return to the Jays organization didn’t go well, as Kloffenstein was tagged for 20 homers over 82 innings with Triple-A Buffalo while posting a 6.26 ERA and 11.7% walk rate.  He also spent the first two months of the season on the injured list, Kloffenstein elected minor league free agency at season’s end, and he’ll now head to the Yankees to try and get his career on track.

Kloffenstein has a 5.01 ERA, 21.57% strikeout rate, and 11.55% walk rate over 210 1/3 Triple-A innings, starting 41 of his 45 Triple-A games.  He also had a 4.63 ERA over 175 Double-A frames, further impeding his status as a starting pitching prospect on the Jays’ and Cardinals’ minor league ladders.  Still only 25 years old, there’s plenty of time for Kloffenstein to figure things out, and the Yankees pitching development department has had quite a bit of success helping unheralded or struggling pitchers unlock something on the mound.

Henry also has a limited amount of big league experience, as he hasn’t been back to the Show since appearing in 20 games with the Marlins in 2021-22.  Traded to Milwaukee during the 2022-23 offseason, Henry has spent the last three years in the minors with the Brewers, Blue Jays, and Phillies without getting into another MLB game.  In 2024, Henry was limited to 27 games with Triple-A Buffalo after he was struck in the head by an opposing hitter’s backswing, and spent a three-month stint on the IL.

Henry has a .261/.329/.414 slash line over 862 Triple-A plate appearances, plus a .523 OPS over 51 PA in the majors.  Regarded as a solid defensive catcher, Henry will join Ali Sanchez as minor league signings providing some competition in camp and potentially acting as Triple-A depth during the season.  New York is pretty set behind the plate with Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, and Ben Rice all on the MLB roster, and though Rice will primarily be used as a first baseman, Henry and Sanchez face a narrow path for much playing time in the Bronx.

Pirates Interested In Eugenio Suarez

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The Pirates have already added several new bats to their lineup, but the team isn’t done in its search for more offense.  Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are interested in Eugenio Suarez, though Mackey has doubts that the club will be able to win the bidding for the veteran slugger.

The fit is obvious, as Pittsburgh finished 30th of 30 teams in home runs (117), slugging percentage (.350), and isolated power (.119).  Suarez finished fifth in the majors in both homers (49) and isolated power (.248), and his .526 SLG ranked 10th among all qualified batters.  In terms of pure offensive production, Suarez was dragged down by a .228 batting average and .298 on-base percentage, and he continued to post one of the higher strikeout rates of any batter in the game.

Suarez’s 2025 production fell off drastically after the deadline trade that sent him from the Diamondbacks to the Mariners.  Though he posted bigger numbers in a prior stint in Seattle and Suarez’s strikeouts have made him prone to streaky play, seeing Suarez decline so sharply after moving to a pitcher-friendly ballpark must be a concern for the Pirates about how Suarez might fare at PNC Park.  Suarez is also 34 years old, so a steadier decline phase is a risk for signing a player of his age to a multi-year contract.

MLB Trade Rumors placed Suarez 20th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected him to sign a three-year, $63MM free agent deal.  While Suarez’s age, one-dimensional offense, and increasingly shaky third base defense were considered in the projection, the fact is that Suarez’s pure power is hard to find.  Suarez’s well-regarded reputation as a clubhouse leader is another plus for a young Pirates team that can use some experience on and off the field.

As often mentioned when discussing the Pirates and any target on the open market, Francisco Liriano’s three-year, $39MM from December 2014 remains the largest contract the Bucs have ever given to a free agent.  Ryan O’Hearn’s two-year, $29MM deal from a couple of weeks ago at least approached that dubious record, and the Pirates’ nine-figure bid on Kyle Schwarber from earlier this winter indicates that Pittsburgh is willing to stretch its limited budget to try and solve its offensive woes.

Between the O’Hearn signing and the trades that brought Brandon Lowe, Jhostynxon García, and Jake Mangum into the black-and-gold, the Bucs have already done quite a bit to bolster their league-worst offense.  Installing Suarez at third base would be the biggest move yet, and the fact that Suarez’s market has seemed a little limited to date might work in the Pirates’ favor.

The Mariners, Red Sox, and Cubs are the only teams known to be interested in Suarez, though any number of other clubs might be on the periphery.  Seattle has enough other third base candidates that it seemed their interest in hot corner help is limited to Suarez specifically, while the Sox and Cubs are two of Alex Bregman’s suitors.  Kazuma Okamoto was known to be one of Pittsburgh’s prime targets, but the third baseman instead signed with the Blue Jays, leaving the Pirates perhaps more likely to make a run at Suarez.

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