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Rangers Sign Nabil Crismatt To Minors Contract

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The Rangers have signed right-hander Nabil Crismatt to a minor league deal, El Extrabase’s Daniel Alvarez-Montes reports.  Crismatt’s contract includes an invitation to the Rangers’ big league Spring Training camp.

It’s a late birthday gift for Crismatt, who turned 31 on Christmas Day.  This is Crismatt’s second stint in the Texas organization, as he spent a month of the 2024 season pitching with Triple-A Round Rock before being released from that minor league deal without any time in the bigs.  The brief run in Round Rock was one of many stops Crismatt has made on a variety of minors contracts over the last three seasons, as he is out of minor league options.

After amassing 20 MLB innings with the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers over the 2023-24 seasons, the righty got a bit more of a run in the Show by tossing 34 innings for the D’Backs in 2025.  Brought up to the active roster in mid-August, Crismatt posted a 3.71 ERA, 5.9% walk rate, and 16.3% strikeout rate during this return to the D’Backs.

While not standout numbers, Crismatt’s performance bore some resemblance to his prime years as a member of the Padres relief corps.  Crismatt delivered a 3.39 ERA, 21.6% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate over 148 2/3 innings out of San Diego’s pen in 2021-22, but a decline in his performance in 2023 led the Padres to part ways, and began Crismatt’s nomadic trip around the league.

The bullpen was an underrated strong point for Texas in 2025, yet several of the relievers (i.e. Shawn Armstrong, Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, Phil Maton) who performed so well last year have already left the team in free agency.  This has left the Rangers working to restock the relief cupboard with a new set of pitchers on short-term contracts.  Chris Martin, Alexis Diaz, and Tyler Alexander have all signed guaranteed deals, and Crismatt now joins the list of pitchers in camp as non-roster invites.  Crismatt figures to have a good opportunity at breaking camp with the team, but his out-of-options status could leave him prone to again being the odd man out of a roster crunch.

Orioles Designate Will Robertson For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that outfielder Will Robertson has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for Zach Eflin, whose one-year, $10MM deal to return to the O’s is now official.

Robertson has been on Baltimore’s roster for less than a month, after the club claimed him off the Pirates’ waiver wire a few weeks back.  This transaction came after Robertson went from the White Sox to Pittsburgh on another waiver claim in October, and after the Sox acquired Robertson from the Blue Jays in a July deal for cash considerations.  Prior to this flurry of moves, Robertson had spent his entire career in Toronto’s organization, since his selection in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.

This stint with the Jays culminated in Robertson making his MLB debut in a Toronto uniform, as Robertson got into three games with the Blue Jays in June.  The trade to the rebuilding White Sox naturally created a bit more opportunity for playing time, and Robertson appeared in 24 more games during his time in Chicago.  Unfortunately for Robertson, his first 75 trips to the plate against big league pitching resulted in only a .129/.173/.143 slash line, and one extra-base hit.

Robertson (who just turned 28 two days ago) had some decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors in 2023 and 2024, but he put himself on the radar for a big league promotion with a big Triple-A performance this year.  Over 354 combined plate appearances with the top affiliates of the Blue Jays and White Sox, Robertson hit .289/.387/.571 with 20 homers and 21 doubles.  He also produced a career-best 13.6% walk rate and cut back on the strikeouts, as contact issues have been an issue for Robertson earlier in his career.

While he is best suited for corner-outfield work, Robertson does have some experience in center field, adding to his value as a depth piece.  He has two minor league options remaining, adding to his appeal for any teams interested in making another waiver claim.  Robertson has never been outrighted off a 40-man roster, so he’d have to accept an outright assignment to Baltimore’s Triple-A team if he clears waivers.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Mark P

  • The Weekend Chat is back in its regularly-scheduled timeslot of (/Daniel Craig voice) the weekend.  Let’s let a few questions pile up in the queue, and then get cooking….

L’Chaim

  • Has there ever been an offseason where two teams linked up on three separate trades?

Mark P

  • While I don’t have an obvious answer off the top of my head, this isn’t too uncommon.  Just last winter, for instance, the Guardians and Blue Jays lined up on two trades.  The Rays, Mariners, and Padres used to have a pretty steady pipeline of trades going between each other.

Guest

  • If the Cubs sign Bregman do they move Shaw? Will the Cubs sign Bregman?

Mark P

  • The Cubs’ focus seems to be on starting pitching, so if they have a particularly big move in them this winter, it’ll probably be in the rotation.

    Their interest in Bregman might be limited to seeing if he’s willing to take a shorter-term deal, or if a longer-term deal isn’t out there

Matt

  • Is everyone waiting on Okomoto and Imai?

Mark P

  • Things are usually fairly slow during the holiday season anyway, but yeah, these notable names having set deadlines might well have caused some delay in the broader market.  Probably Imai moreso than Okamoto.

Fake and Real

  • Will there ever be another Ohtani? He seems to be the best overall player that there ever was.

Mark P

  • Ohtani is definitely a one-in-one for now, but the fascinating next step of his legacy will be his influence on the next generation of players (in both Japan and all over the world).  Maybe a few more players will take the leap of trying to be real two-way players, and we’ll see a “new Ohtani” emerge….though then that player will have to be not just a two-way guy, but elite in both areas

JJ Piccolo

  • Any chance KC is in the Ketel Marte market?

Mark P

  • This isn’t a bad fit, except for the Royals’ decision to tender Jonathan India a contract.  KC could try to move India elsewhere or flip him back to the D’Backs as part of the trade package and as salary offset, but a limited-payroll team like the Royals can’t so easily just eat $8MM (India’s salary for 2026).

    The Royals do have some interesting young arms that would seemingly be of interest to Arizona.

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Andrew Heaney Announces Retirement

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Andrew Heaney is retiring after 12 Major League seasons, as the 34-year-old southpaw announced via his social media feeds.  Heaney finishes his career with a 4.57 ERA over 1136 2/3 innings as a starter and occasional reliever with six different MLB teams, including seven seasons with the Angels.

“I will miss the game greatly, but all of my experiences and the lasting relationships have made me a better person,” Heaney wrote.  “The routine of showing up to the yard every day and working to improve each time out has been a driving force for me…I am now ready to return my focus and energy to being a husband, father, family man, and active member of my community.  I’m retiring from baseball, but I hope to give back more than I received.  Thank you to all of you for the love and support you have given me.  Y’all know who you are.”

Heaney spent his final season with the Pirates and Dodgers, posting a 5.52 ERA over 122 1/3 innings.  After inking a one-year, $5.25MM deal with Pittsburgh last February, Heaney’s struggles kept him from being dealt at the trade deadline, and the Bucs ended up demoting him to the bullpen and then releasing him entirely at the end of August.  The Dodgers brought Heaney back on a minor league deal for what was technically his third stint in the organization, and he appeared in a single big league game in late September but wasn’t included on any of Los Angeles’ postseason rosters.

Selected ninth overall by the Marlins in the 2012 draft, Heaney debuted in the Show in 2014 but was dealt after the season to the Dodgers as part of a major seven-player trade that brought Dee Strange-Gordon to Miami (and Enrique Hernandez and Austin Barnes to Chavez Ravine).  The Dodgers then flipped Heaney to the Angels that same day in another trade for Howie Kendrick, which has some historical import as the last time the two Los Angeles clubs engaged in a player-for-player swap.

A Tommy John surgery and some other injuries limited Heaney during his time in Anaheim, but he delivered a 4.51 ERA over 569 1/3 innings his long stretch in an Angels uniform.  The tenure ended when Heaney was dealt to the Yankees at the 2021 trade deadline, and that winter he returned to L.A. for a more proper stint with the Dodgers when he signed a one-year, $8.5MM free agent deal.  Injuries were again a factor for Heaney during this year, but he had a 3.10 ERA and a whopping 35.5% strikeout rate over his 72 2/3 frames.

The Oklahoma City native’s next contract brought him a bit closer to home, as Heaney inked a two-year, $25MM deal with the Rangers in the 2022-23 offseason.  The deal was a hit for both the pitcher and the team, as Heaney had a 4.22 ERA with Texas while staying generally healthy — his 160 innings in 2024 and 147 1/3 innings in 2023 were the second- and third-highest single-season innings totals of his career.  During the 2023 postseason, Heaney had a 4.09 ERA in 11 innings over five games as a starter and reliever, helping the Rangers win the World Series.

Home runs were a constant issue for Heaney throughout his career, and his 199 career homers allowed inflated his ERA and perhaps kept him from breaking through as a front-of-the-rotation arm.  Still, Heaney carved out a long and successful career for himself as a starter on the strength of his strikeout ability (23.8% career strikeout rate) and quality control (7% walk rate).  Despite his struggles in 2025, it seemed like Heaney still had more in the tank if he’d chosen to continue pitching, and perhaps could’ve reinvented himself as a full-time relief pitcher.

Instead, Heaney has decided to hang up his glove and will now move onto his post-playing endeavors.  We at MLB Trade Rumors wish Heaney all the best, and congratulate him on a fine career.

Latest On Tigers, Alex Bregman

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The Tigers made a strong push to sign Alex Bregman last offseason, offering the third baseman a six-year, $171.5MM deal (with some deferred money) that included an opt-out clause for Bregman following the 2026 season.  With Bregman back on the market this winter, the Tigers are again in the mix, but in more of a “lukewarm” fashion, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

This more or less echoes Petzold’s last report on Bregman from earlier this month, and “the Tigers haven’t shown any new movement” in subsequent weeks, a source tells Petzold in his latest piece.  Since Detroit was apparently the only team to offer Bregman a contract longer than four years last year, Petzold suggests the Tigers may be trying to leverage this interest into seeing if they could possibly wait out the rest of Bregman’s market.

The Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox are Bregman’s other known public suitors, and Petzold adds the detail that Chicago and Boston “haven’t shown a willingness to offer a long-term contract.”  This was the case last winter as well, as the Cubs reportedly offered Bregman a four-year deal (with multiple opt-outs) in the $115MM-$120MM range, and the third baseman ended up signing a three-year, $120MM deal with the Sox that allowed him to opt out after each of the first two seasons.

Bregman is entering his age-32 campaign, and he hit .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs over 495 plate appearances for Boston in 2025.  His season was marred by a quad strain that sidelined him for just under seven weeks, as well as a deep slump over the last five weeks of the season.  These flaws notwithstanding, Bregman’s hot start earned him his third career All-Star nod, and his veteran influence within the young Red Sox clubhouse was heavily praised.

It was an altogether solid year for Bregman, and an across-the-board improvement over his 2024 slash line.  However, it may not have been the type of standout campaign that inspires a team to make the type of five- or six-year offer it wasn’t willing to make last offseason, though Bregman isn’t tied to a qualifying offer this time around.

A few other factors complicate Bregman’s market.  Bo Bichette and Kazuma Okamoto are still free agents, and Okamoto’s posting window is up on January 4.  It could be that the teams in on Okamoto (including both the Red Sox and Blue Jays, as per reports) could be first waiting to see where he lands before moving on other infield targets.  Boston and Toronto have also each shown interest in free agent Bo Bichette and trade candidate Ketel Marte, and moving Marte’s contract might be Arizona’s first step towards freeing up enough payroll space to go after Bregman.

While Bichette is thought to be the Blue Jays’ priority and Bregman perhaps Boston’s preferred target, the two teams have been connected to so many infielders that the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Cubs could stand out since it seems like Bregman is the only big-name infielder on their radar.  Chicago’s offseason has been dominated by multiple bullpen additions and reports linking the Cubs to multiple free agent starters, but there hasn’t been a ton of buzz about any major position-player adds to replace Kyle Tucker.  That said, the Cubs also met with Pete Alonso during the Winter Meetings, so it isn’t as if the team is closing itself off from a pursuit of a premium bat.

As Petzold notes, there is certainly a scenario where Bregman’s other suitors all either stand pat or make other acquisitions, leaving the Tigers as perhaps the only club still open to giving Bregman a longer-term deal.  Depending on how things play out, Bregman and agent Scott Boras could conceivably pivot to another shorter-term, higher average annual value type of contract with an opt-out or two.  Bregman didn’t sign with the Red Sox last winter until mid-February, which could be a sign that Bregman is happy waiting until he gets an acceptable offer, or he might prefer more stability this time rather than another protracted stay in free agency.

Since the Tigers have yet to sign a free agent to a deal longer than two years in the Scott Harris era, Motown fans would prefer that the club is a little more proactive or aggressive in finally landing a big target.  Being patient with Bregman naturally creates the risk that he’ll just sign elsewhere, leaving Detroit now having to play catchup if the team wants to make a significant lineup upgrade.  The Tigers are one of the teams to explore the idea of trading for Marte, so that might present some type of alternative if Marte is also still in Arizona when Bregman comes off the board.

How AL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2025

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We covered the National League League earlier today, so now let’s see what the American League’s 15 teams have done (so far) to address their least-productive positions from the 2024 campaign.  Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR breakdown is our guide, so let’s dive in…

Angels (Catcher, -0.5 bWAR): Most of the Angels’ offseason moves to date have understandably focused on pitching.  However, Los Angeles had plenty of pressing needs around the diamond that haven’t really been touched, including a -0.2 bWAR in right field and even 0.0 numbers at both second and third base in 2025.  Vaughn Grissom was picked up in a trade with the Red Sox, but the former top prospect is more of a reclamation project than a real answer for the Halos at second base.  Cody Bellinger is the biggest outfield name linked to the Angels on the rumor mill, but the trade of Taylor Ward to the Orioles might open up the right field spot for Jo Adell, which would allow the Angels to improve at that corner spot while creating a new vacancy in center field.  Beyond all of these other positions, catcher was actually the Halos’ biggest problem area of 2025, and the team got less from the catcher spot than any other team in baseball.  Despite the struggles of both Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud, it doesn’t appear as if L.A. is planning to focus too heavily behind the plate, perhaps because the club simply has so many other concerns up and down the roster.

Astros (First base/left field, 0.3 bWAR): Christian Walker disappointed in the first season of his three-year, $60MM free agent deal, leaving Houston still looking for stability at the position even in the post-Jose Abreu era.  Sliding Isaac Paredes over to first base would be an answer, except Walker isn’t receiving much interest on the trade market, leaving the Astros with an overcrowded infield.  If Paredes is used at DH, it forces Yordan Alvarez or perhaps Jose Altuve again in to left field duty, neither of which is an ideal situation.  It makes for an imperfect surplus for the Astros, and the team will need a bounce-back year from Walker to at least elevate things to “good problem to have” status.  If the infield situation is solved, the Astros could be looking for a more traditional left fielder, and preferably a player that swings from the left side to balance out the righty-heavy lineup.

Athletics (Third base, -0.3 bWAR): New acquisition Jeff McNeil is expected to primarily play second base, but he has experience at the hot corner and could end getting at least some action at third depending on how the A’s deploy their infielders.  McNeil will play pretty much every day in some capacity, but guys like Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz, Max Schuemann, Brett Harris and Zack Gelof will all be utilized at second or third base.

Blue Jays (Second base/left field, 2.2 bWAR): Toronto wins the prize for the best “worst” positions of any team in baseball, as plenty of clubs would be more than satisfied with a 2.2 bWAR.  Bo Bichette’s free agency has left the second base spot in flux, as it is assumed that Andres Gimenez will move over to shortstop if Bichette departs….or perhaps even if he re-signs.  Gimenez is a much better defender than Bichette, and having Gimenez at shortstop and Bichette permanently moving to second base would greatly help the Blue Jays from a defensive standpoint.  If Bichette leaves entirely, Ernie Clement and/or Davis Schneider would likely take over the keystone.  As for left field, the current plan is to have George Springer and a healthy Anthony Santander split time between the DH spot and a corner outfield position, with left as the likeliest defensive placement.  This plan would remain in place even if the Jays signed Kyle Tucker, another rumored Toronto target.

Guardians (Right field, -1.8 bWAR): Steven Kwan continues to be a one-man band in Cleveland’s outfield, as Kwan’s 3.7 bWAR single-handedly kept the Guards’ outfield out of sub-replacement range.  Instead, the Guardians had “only” the third-worst cumulative outfield bWAR (0.8) of any team in baseball, as the lack of production in right field was followed by a -0.9 bWAR from the Guards’ center fielders.  Star prospect Chase DeLauter is the top candidate for an Opening Day role in either center or right field, and fellow rookies George Valera and Petey Halpin might battle for the other position if Cleveland wanted a primary outfield mix of Kwan and the youngsters.  While the Guardians are forever hesitant about spending money or blocking any homegrown prospects, adding a veteran outfield bat to help out at least a platoon capacity in center or right would help solidify the outfield picture.

Mariners (Right field, 0.5 bWAR): While Luke Raley and Victor Robles struggled in 2025, Dominic Canzone hit well and rather unexpectedly emerged as a regular against right-handed pitching down the stretch.  Rob Refsnyder was recently signed as a lefty-mashing element to Seattle’s position-player mix, and it is easy to see Refsnyder starting in right field whenever a southpaw is on the mound.  The Mariners’ DH spot is also still open, leaving plenty of room for the team to find at-bats for any of Refsnyder, Canzone, Robles, Raley in right field, and for any other regulars that could use a partial off-day in the DH capacity.

Orioles (Center field, 0.1 bWAR): Leody Taveras was signed to a one-year, $2MM deal to provide some depth up the middle, but a healthy season from Colton Cowser is what the O’s are counting on in terms of a center field upgrade.  After finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, the sophomore slump came hard for Cowser in terms of both injuries and a downturn at the plate.  Cowser was limited to 92 games due to a left thumb fracture and a concussion, plus he rather unwisely tried to play through the last three months of the season while dealing with two broken ribs.  There has been some speculation that Taveras was added as depth in advance of a possible trade of Cowser or Dylan Beavers, if Baltimore opted to move one of its talented young outfielders in change for a front-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Rangers (Bullpen -0.6 bWAR): Despite posting the fifth-best bullpen ERA in baseball, Texas had the second-lowest bWAR of any relief corps, ahead of only the Nationals in 2025.  It’s an unusual discrepancy that perhaps speaks to the vagaries of the WAR formula, yet Rangers relievers were only 17th in SIERA (3.86), 20th in strikeout rate (22.3%), and the fifth-best BABIP (.277) in the league.  Ironically, the bullpen is now a need more because many of the relievers who delivered such good numbers for the Rangers have now signed elsewhere — Shawn Armstrong headed to the Guardians, while Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Phil Maton all joined the Cubs.  Chris Martin decided to forego retirement for another year with his hometown team, and the Rangers have also brought in Tyler Alexander, Alexis Diaz, and Carter Baumler to help fill some of the holes left open by the departed relievers.

Rays (Left field, 0.9 bWAR): The center field and right field slots only generated 1.0 bWAR apiece, so overall, the Rays didn’t get a ton from their outfield in 2025.  Cedric Mullins was signed to a one-year, $7MM deal to become the new primary center fielder, and Jacob Melton, Jake Fraley and Ryan Vilade were also brought in to further bolster the outfield mix.  Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios should both contribute more after being injured for almost all of last season, though Palacios could see now work at second base now that Brandon Lowe has been traded.  In classic Tampa roster churn fashion, several players (i.e. Christopher Morel, Jake Mangum, Everson Pereira, Kameron Misner) who got a good deal of playing time last year have already been traded away.  It’s fair to guess that more turnover is coming between now and Opening Day, as the Rays are forever looking to build for both the future and present.

Red Sox (First base, 0.3 bWAR): The trade for Willson Contreras instantly turns a weak spot into a potential strength.  Contreras’ right-handed bat should play nicely in Fenway Park, and it adds balance to the lefty-heavy top of Boston’s lineup.  Paredes, Kazuma Okamoto, and Pete Alonso were among the many other first base names linked to the Red Sox in reports, and Paredes or Okamoto might still emerge as possibilities at third base, rather than across the diamond.  Triston Casas’ knee surgery contributed to Boston’s lack of production from the first base spot in 2025, and a healthy Casas can both complement Contreras or provide help at DH next year, but there continues to be plenty of speculation that Casas will be traded.

Royals (Right field, -1.9 bWAR): The Royals fielded one of baseball’s worst outfields in 2024, and they were almost literally the worst in 2025 — only the Rockies had a lower outfield bWAR than Kansas City’s cumulative -0.7 mark.  The left field spot generated -0.7 bWAR, while Kyle Isbel’s excellent defense at least brought the center field position up to semi-respectability.  K.C. has already been more active in addressing their outfield, landing Isaac Collins in a trade with the Brewers and signing Lane Thomas as a bounce-back candidate for further depth.  The club is still on the hunt for more outfield help, and acquiring a better option for right field in particular would be ideal, given Thomas’ struggles in 2025 and Jac Caglianone’s unproductive rookie season.

Tigers (Shortstop, 0.7 bWAR): Javier Baez’s comeback season fell apart over the final three months of the season, and Trey Sweeney contributed next to nothing at the plate.  Utilityman Zach McKinstry is a decent part-time option, but the Tigers would likely prefer to keep McKinstry bouncing around the diamond.  With two years remaining on Baez’s contract and star prospect Kevin McGonigle perhaps on the verge of his MLB debut in 2026, Detroit will probably look for stopgap options at shortstop, if anything.  The Tigers had some interest in Ha-Seong Kim before Kim returned to the Braves on a one-year deal.

Twins (Right field, -0.3 bWAR): While right field was Minnesota’s worst position, shortstop wasn’t far ahead at -0.2 bWAR, as the Twins got less from the shortstop position than any other team in baseball.  Third base was also a problem area with 0.0 bWAR, but the hope is that Royce Lewis can finally stay healthy enough to deliver something close to a full season in 2026.  After trading away large chunks of their roster at the trade deadline, the Twins have stopped short of a full rebuild, so they could be looking to add to some degree for next season even if their adds will surely be of the lower-cost variety.  Minnesota might add a veteran utility infield type for depth purposes, but the team surely wants to view Lewis, Luke Keaschall at second base, and Brooks Lee at shortstop plenty of runway to (hopefully) establish themselves as true building blocks.  For right field, top prospect Walker Jenkins figures to make his MLB debut in 2026, so the Twins might again stick with Matt Wallner and/or Trevor Larnach until Jenkins arrives.

White Sox (First base, -0.8 bWAR): After Chicago’s 121-loss team in 2024 yielded six different positions that had sub-replacement bWAR totals, the Sox improved to just two subpar positions in 2025, between first base and left field (-0.3).  While this perhaps counts as damning with faint praise, the Sox took a much more prominent step forward by signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34MM deal.  Projected by MLBTR and several other pundits for a much more lucrative contract, the Japanese slugger’s market never really developed, and Murakami opted for a shorter-term deal with Chicago that allows him quick re-entry into free agency following the 2027 season.  If Murakami is able to prove critics wrong about his low contact rate and display some of the power he brought to the Yakult Swallows’ lineup, the White Sox will suddenly have plenty of pop from their first base position.

Yankees (Catcher, 0.6 bWAR): Austin Wells delivered a 107 wRC+ over 414 PA during his rookie season, but that production dropped back to a 94 wRC+ in 448 PA in 2025.  Defensively, Wells is a fantastic pitch-framer, and about average when it comes to throwing out baserunners or blocking.  There isn’t all that much for New York to be concerned by with the former top prospect, and when it comes to the catching position as a whole, the Yankees also have J.C. Escarra as a traditional backup and Ben Rice chipping in behind the plate when he isn’t at first base or DH.  It’s possible Rice might get more time behind the plate if the Yankees were to sign Cody Bellinger, but even if Bellinger got some time at first base, he’d primarily stick to left field while New York kept Rice as the first-choice first baseman and Wells as the starting catcher.

Reds Designate Keegan Thompson For Assignment

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The Reds announced that right-hander Keegan Thompson has been designated for assignment.  The move creates a 40-man roster spot for outfielder JJ Bleday, whose signing is now official.

Thompson just signed a split contract with the Reds in early November, but since he is out of minor league options, Cincinnati has to first expose the righty to the waiver wire before he can be removed from the 40-man and sent to Triple-A.  Because Thompson has been outrighted off a 40-man roster in the past, he can opt for free agency if he clears waivers and the Reds outright him now, though Thompson would have to walk away from the money owed to him for the 2026 season.  The split contract will pay Thompson $1.3MM for his time spent on Cincinnati’s big league roster.

As he enters his age-31 season, Thompson is looking to return to the majors for the first time since the 2024 campaign.  His 3.64 ERA over 227 1/3 MLB innings is quite respectable, and working exclusively in a relief capacity with the Cubs in 2024 boosted Thompson’s strikeout rate to a personal best of 28.3%.  These numbers and Thompson’s ability to cover multiple innings seemingly made him a pretty interesting bullpen weapon for the Cubs, yet the team may have been disenchanted by Thompson’s lack of control.  The righty’s walk rate ballooned to 14.7% over 59 big league innings during the 2023-24 seasons.

Chicago designated Thompson for assignment last March and subsequently outrighted him off the 40-man, resulting in Thompson spending his 2025 season entirely with Triple-A Iowa.  Thompson had a 4.50 ERA over 64 innings in Iowa, but also a 29.5% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate that failed to capture the Cubs’ attention for another look in the Show.

Teams in need of bullpen help could potentially claim Thompson off waivers, though a claiming team would also be absorbing the split contract’s potential $1.3MM price tag.  It might not be a huge price to pay if a rival club sees a benefit in Thompson’s ability to chew up bullpen innings, or if its coaching staff views Thompson’s control as a correctable issue.  In lieu of a claim, Thompson might pass on another trip to the open market and opt to remain in Cincinnati’s organization, as he likely anticipated a potential DFA at some point during the winter.

How NL Teams Have Addressed Their Weakest Positions Of 2025

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Opening Day is a little under three months away, so there’s still lots of time for clubs to fill roster holes.  As the new year approaches, however, let’s look at what each team has thus far done about fixing its biggest problem area from last season.  Using Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR ranking as a guide, let’s begin with the 15 National League clubs…

Braves (Shortstop/left field, 0.8 bWAR): Claiming Ha-Seong Kim off the Rays’ waiver wire gave Atlanta a boost at the shortstop position late in the season, and perhaps laid the groundwork for Kim’s decision to return to the Braves on a one-year, $20MM contract.  A shoulder surgery in late 2024 delayed Kim’s 2025 debut until July, but a full and healthy season from the infielder should result in a nice upgrade for the Braves’ infield.  Even before Kim re-signed, Atlanta made another shortstop-related move by trading incumbent shortstop Nick Allen to the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon, giving the Braves a solid backup option all over the diamond.  As for left field, Mike Yastrzemski was signed to deepen the outfield mix altogether, but having a full season of Jurickson Profar should alone help the position.  Profar missed 80 games due to a PED suspension, but posted a 122 wRC+ over 371 plate appearances in 2025.

Brewers (Shortstop, 0.7 bWAR): Joey Ortiz’s defensive work earned a standout +12 Outs Above Average, though the Defensive Runs Saved metric was less flattering, giving Ortiz a -2 for his 1217 2/3 innings at shortstop in 2025.  There was no debate about Ortiz’s hitting, as his .230/.276/.317 slash line over 506 PA resulted in the third-lowest (67) wRC+ of any player in baseball who took at least 500 trips to the plate.  There has been speculation that Brice Turang could be moved to shortstop if the Brewers feel more offense is needed from the position, though that would then require a replacement for Turang at second base (or for Chad Durbin at third base, if Durbin shifted over to the keystone).  Milwaukee’s had a pretty quiet offseason so far, and might be waiting to see where the bigger names in the infield market might land, in order to then explore options in the second or third tier of available free agents or trade targets.

Cardinals (Right field, -0.8 bWAR): Since the Cardinals are in rebuild mode, the club is prioritizing playing time for its youngsters, rather than necessarily looking for veteran upgrades.  This means Jordan Walker will get another chance as the primary right fielder, but it is worth wondering if this might be Walker’s last chance in the wake of unproductive 2024-25 seasons.  Between Walker’s struggles and Lars Nootbaar’s recovery from heel surgery, St. Louis could look to bring in a veteran outfielder on a one-year deal just to give the team some cover on the grass.  The Cardinals’ rebuild efforts could also bring another younger outfielder into the mix, perhaps in exchange for any of Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, or Nolan Arenado.

Cubs (Bullpen, 0.4 bWAR): Between re-signing Caleb Thielbar and bringing new additions Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner into the fold, Chicago has invested $24.25MM into its bullpen revamp this winter.  This counts as a spending spree by Jed Hoyer’s standards, as the president of baseball operations has traditionally eschewed devoting much payroll space to the pen.  Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Orioles in what was essentially a cost-cutting move to avoid Kittredge’s $9MM club option for 2026, but the Cubs also had bigger relief names (i.e. Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, and Ryan Helsley) reportedly on their radar before these pitchers signed elsewhere.  It leaves open the possibility that the Cubs might look to swing a trade for another reliever with closing experience, if the team would prefer to move Daniel Palencia into more of a high-leverage role rather than a strict closer deployment.

Diamondbacks (First base, -0.2 bWAR): Pavin Smith missed roughly half of the season due to injury, and even when healthy, Smith was shielded from left-handed pitching.  A right-handed hitting platoon partner seems like a must for the D’Backs, and while Luken Baker was just inked to a minor league deal, there has been rumors that Paul Goldschmidt could potentially be returning to the desert.  Beyond the first base position, Arizona also didn’t get much from left field (0 bWAR) or center field (0.1 bWAR) due to rough seasons from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas.  Some kind of outfield help will be needed since Gurriel will be out until mid-2026 due to recovery from a torn ACL, and top prospect Jordan Lawlar has gotten some center field work in winter ball, just in case the D’Backs wanted to move him out of the infield picture.

Dodgers (Bullpen, -0.4 bWAR): Los Angeles won the 2024 World Series when the bullpen carried a shaky rotation, and the team’s latest championship came after the rotation stepped up big to bail out a shaky bullpen.  Tanner Scott was a bust in the first season of his four-year, $72MM contract, but since the Dodgers have the financial might to double down on addressing problems, the club made an even bigger splash by inking Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69MM pact earlier this month.  Signing one of the sport’s top closers is a clear and obvious way to correct a major flaw, and solidifying the ninth inning should theoretically have the ripple effect of strengthening the rest of the bullpen.  Beyond the relief corps, L.A. left fielders also combined for a -0.3 bWAR, due in large part to Michael Conforto’s struggles.  Since Conforto won’t be brought back in free agency, Los Angeles could use Andy Pages more regularly in left field if Tommy Edman is now healthy enough for regular center field duty.  As always with the Dodgers, of course, another major acquisition is always a possibility, and the team has been linked to such headline names as Kyle Tucker and old friend Cody Bellinger.

Giants (First base, 0.1 bWAR): Rafael Devers played only 28 games at first base in 2025, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge had just four games at the position during his debut season in the Show.  This duo looks to have the first base/DH situation covered in San Francisco for years to come, so the cold corner doesn’t appear to be any kind of priority for the Giants this winter….unless Eldridge is perhaps traded.  Besides first base, left field was also a weak link with just a 1.0 bWAR, but the Giants seem likely to give Heliot Ramos a chance to bounce back from his underwhelming 2025 campaign.

Marlins (First base, -0.5 bWAR): Christopher Morel enjoyed a 26-homer season with the Cubs in 2023, but his production drastically fell off over the last two seasons.  It was enough for the Rays to non-tender Morel in November, but Miami stepped in to give Morel a one-year, $2MM contract and a shot at the first base position.  Morel has never played first base during his pro career, yet it seems like a logical spot for a player who has struggled defensively at multiple other positions.  Given how little the Marlins got from the first base spot in 2025, in a sense there’s nowhere to go but up in giving Morel a chance.  While the Marlins aren’t likely to be big spenders in general this winter, Morel’s deal is inexpensive enough that it wouldn’t necessarily prevent the team from pursuing a more proven first base option if one emerged on the free agent or trade markets.  The Fish also got only 0.2 bWAR from the designated hitter spot, so there’s some room there for Morel or another hitter, depending on how much time Miami wants to give Agustin Ramirez as either a DH or a catcher.

Mets (Designated hitter, 1.3 bWAR): The DH spot edged out the Mets’ collective 1.4 bWAR in center field as the least-productive position the board, but the rotation’s 6.6 fWAR was also among the lowest for any starter group in the game.  In what has been a fascinating offseason thus far in Queens, the Mets have said goodbye to Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil, while Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco were acquired to fill the gaps in the infield.  The DH spot might well more of a revolving door than a position that has a regular player taking the at-bats, but such center field candidates as Luis Robert Jr., Brenton Doyle, and even Bellinger have been mentioned.  Any number of high-profile moves could be plausible for a New York team that seems to be overhauling itself on the fly, while still planning to contend in 2026.

Nationals (Bullpen, -3.9 bWAR): It may surprise you to learn that the Rockies didn’t have baseball’s least-productive group of pitchers in 2025, as even Colorado (at 0.9 bWAR) finished ahead of the collective -0.6 bWAR posted by Washington’s pitchers.  The Nats were dragged down by their bullpen’s terrible performance, and not only have the Nationals not done anything to upgrade their relief corps, but they sent one of their more productive relievers in Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners in exchange for catching prospect Harry Ford.  Newly-hired president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has been busy revamping the team’s front office and dugout staff, without much attention paid to date to Washington’s on-field product.  This includes the bullpen, as well as first base (-0.4 bWAR) and third base (-0.3 bWAR) as other particular weak links on an overall underachieving Nationals team.  While there’s plenty of offseason left, it certainly doesn’t seem like the Nats will be spending big to make a push to contend, so expect any or all of these holes to be filled by lower-cost additions.  If anything, D.C. might continue tearing things down if a rival team makes a good enough offer for MacKenzie Gore or CJ Abrams.

Padres (Left field, -0.1 bWAR): This is another case of a position that has already been addressed, as Ramon Laureano did a great job of stabilizing the left field position after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline.  The Padres made the easy call of exercising their $6.5MM club option on Laureano for 2026, though interestingly, the outfielder’s name has also come up in trade talks with the Mets.  It remains to be seen if those talks were anything beyond names being floated, or if San Diego could be clearing room for some kind of longer-term left field answer.  Assuming Laureano stays in left field, his presence probably keeps Gavin Sheets as San Diego’s primary DH, which should help boost the 0.3 bWAR the Padres got from the DH spot in 2025.  The catcher position also generated only 0.3 bWAR, but the Padres are hoping their deadline trade for Freddy Fermin helps solve matters behind the plate.

Phillies (Right field, -0.9 bWAR): Adolis Garcia’s diminished numbers over the last two seasons led the Rangers to non-tender the former ALCS MVP, but the Phillies stepped in to sign Garcia to a one-year, $10MM deal.  Despite Garcia’s struggles over the last two years, he was still more productive (3.0 bWAR to 0.0 bWAR) in that span in Nick Castellanos, and at the very least Garcia will be a huge defensive upgrade.  It is an open secret that the Phillies want to move on from Castellanos, and the team may end up just eating the $20MM owed to Castellanos in the final year of his contract if a trade partner can’t be found to cover at least a slim portion of that money.

Pirates (Second base, 0.0 bWAR): Beyond the goose egg from keystone, the Buccos also got 0.1 bWAR from center field, 0.4 bWAR from the DH position, and 0.6 bWAR from left field.  The team responded to this lackluster offensive showing with one of the busiest Pirates offseasons in years, as Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Mangum have all been acquired in a spate of trades and signings.  With O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz likely handing the bulk of first base/DH duties, Lowe will probably be spending most of his time at second base, giving Pittsburgh an established veteran bat in what should be a big step forward at the position.

Reds (Third base, -0.4 bWAR): Ke’Bryan Hayes was acquired at the last trade deadline, and while his outstanding glovework improved the hot corner from a defensive standpoint, it wasn’t enough to drag the position’s overall production into the bWAR plus column.  Third base was just one of three infield positions that posted subpar bWAR numbers, as the Reds also got -0.3 from their second basemen and -0.1 from their first basemen.  All in all, Cincinnati’s collective 8.1 bWAR from non-pitchers was the lowest of any team in baseball in 2025 apart from the Rockies, making it a real testament to the Reds’ pitching staff that Cincinnati still reached the postseason.  The Reds haven’t done much of anything yet with their infield or with their offense as a whole, apart from a one-year deal with JJ Bleday signed just today.

Rockies (Rotation, -3.2 bWAR): The Nationals had a collective 11.9 bWAR in 2025, ranking 29th of the 30 teams.  Coming up 30th with an unspeakable -3.8 bWAR were the Rockies, as Colorado suffered through a nightmare of a 119-loss season.  The grim set of numbers include negative bWAR totals at first base, second base, DH, right field, and the outfield as a whole.  At the bottom of the barrel, however, was the rotation, as the Rockies’ starter ERA of 6.65 was the worst in modern baseball history.  New president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta hasn’t done much to address the rotation or much of anything roster-wise yet, perhaps due to the fact that DePodesta himself wasn’t hired until early November, after the offseason had officially gotten underway.  Whatever starting pitching adds the Rockies make figure to be of the low-cost variety on either the free agent or trade front, as Colorado is only in the early stages of what promises to be an extensive rebuild.

Reds Sign JJ Bleday

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10:31AM: The contract will pay Bleday $1.4MM in guaranteed money, plus more is available via incentives, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes.

9:30AM: The Reds have signed outfielder JJ Bleday, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray.  MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon adds that the contract is a one-year Major League contract, and that the signing will become official once Cincinnati makes another move to clear a spot on its full 40-man roster.  Bleday is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Selected fourth overall by the Marlins in the 2019 draft, it looked like Bleday had broken out in 2024, when he hit .243/.324/.437 with 20 homers over 642 plate appearances during the Athletics’ final season in Oakland.  This 120 wRC+ at the plate was enough to power Bleday to 3.2 fWAR during the season, despite some very rough (-19 Defensive Runs Saved, -3 Outs Above Average) reviews of his defensive performance in center field.

One would’ve expected that, if anything, Bleday’s bat would’ve become even more potent as the A’s moved to Sutter Health Park, yet he instead struggled through a brutal 2025 campaign.  Bleday delivered only a 90 wRC+ from a .212/.294/.404 slash line and 14 homers over 344 PA, and he played in just 98 big league games as he was twice demoted to Triple-A.  Bleday’s barrel numbers and strikeout rate both dropped off considerably from 2024, falling to below-average marks.  The A’s moved Bleday out of center field, but his glovework was still passable at best as a corner outfielder.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected Bleday to earn $2.2MM in his first of three trips through the arbitration process.  The Athletics chose to move on entirely by designating Bleday for assignment in November, and he was then cut loose at the non-tender deadline.  The Reds now control Bleday through the 2028 season, and since he has a minor league option remaining, Cincinnati can send him back to down to Triple-A if necessary.

Bleday is a left-handed hitter, which makes him something of an imperfect fit in a Reds outfield that already includes such lefty-swingers as TJ Friedl, Gavin Lux, and Will Benson.  Noelvi Marte is a right-handed hitter, but he is also likely the only outfielder slated for everyday duty in the wake of his successful transition to the right field position in 2025.  Today’s move could indicate that the Reds are thinking about parting ways with Lux or Benson, or since this entire group is pretty inexpensive, Cincinnati could wait until Spring Training to figure out exactly how the outfield playing time will be split.

A bounce-back candidate like Bleday is far from any kind of clear-cut upgrade to the Reds lineup.  Cincinnati squeaked into the postseason despite middling numbers at best in most offensive categories, and the multi-positional flexibility of most of the Reds’ current players gave the team plenty of room to maneuver in considering offseason moves.  Such names as Brandon Lowe (since dealt to the Pirates), Jake Meyers, and Luis Robert Jr. have reportedly been on the Reds’ trade radar, and the club even considered an uncharacteristic free agent splash with a five-year offer in the $125MM range for Kyle Schwarber.  However, that specific pursuit seemed linked to Schwarber’s local ties to the Cincinnati area, and the Reds are very likely not spending anything close to that number for any other free agent bat.

In that sense, Bleday is a better fit within the Reds’ limited budget, and perhaps a sign that the Reds will be focusing more on trades than free agents.  If the move to Sutter Health Park didn’t agree with Bleday, perhaps playing in another hitter-friendly venue (and a proper big league stadium) like The Great American Ballpark will do the trick.  Bleday isn’t likely to be the last of the Reds’ offensive additions, as a better lineup would help the club take a step forward as true contenders.

Brayan Bello Receiving Trade Interest From Rival Teams

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The Red Sox have gotten a lot of calls about right-hander Brayan Bello, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon.  The source who shared this information with Rosenthal/Sammon pushed back, however, on the idea that the Sox had “quietly shopped” Bello themselves, as one rival executive framed the situation.

On paper, it would seem odd that the Red Sox are trying to move Bello when they’ve spent most of the offseason trying to reinforce their rotation.  Bello is coming off a season that saw him post a 3.35 ERA over a career-best 166 2/3 innings, and the righty has tossed 486 games over 87 games (86 of them starts) for the Sox over the last three years.

Back in March 2024, the Red Sox showed their commitment to Bello by locking him up to a six-year, $55MM extension covering the 2024-29 seasons, and Boston holds a $21MM club option Bello for the 2030 season that includes a $1MM buyout.  Bello doesn’t even return 27 until May, so between his age and the long-term contract, it would seem like the Red Sox have a homegrown arm locked into the rotation for at least the remainder of the decade.

As Rosenthal and Sammon point out, however, it makes some sense that the Red Sox might at least be testing the waters about what they could get for Bello, given the value of controllable starting pitching.  Even if “control” in this sense reflects Bello’s extension rather than a player’s arbitration or pre-arb years, Bello’s remaining price tag of $50.5MM over the next four seasons seems like a fair price, and potentially even still a bargain.

While Bello has been solid over his four MLB seasons, it can be argued that the Red Sox were hoping for a bit more from a pitcher who posted much bigger strikeout numbers in the minors.  In the Show, Bello has only a 19.8% strikeout rate over 543 1/3 career innings, and his 17.7K% this season was the lowest of his career.  He has an unspectacular 8.3% career walk rate to go along with that lack of missed bats.

Bello has gotten good bottom-line results by limiting hard contact, and inducing a lot of grounders, with a 52.7% groundball rate for his career.  His 95.2 mph fastball has solid velocity but Bello’s sinker is his primary pitch, even if the sinker’s effectiveness hasn’t tended to vary in consistency.  Over his career, Bello’s 4.09 ERA isn’t much below his 4.26 SIERA, but that gap stretched much wider (3.35 to 4.55) in 2025.

The Red Sox entered the offseason with plenty of big league-ready or experienced arms in their organization, but there was a clear goal of raising the rotation’s ceiling with more established hurlers.  To date, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo have been brought in via trades with the Cardinals and Pirates, respectively, and now project to be part of Boston’s 2026 rotation.  Richard Fitts and left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Clarke were dealt to St. Louis for Gray, lower-level righty Jesus Travieso was moved to Pittsburgh as part of the Oviedo trade, plus Boston sent right-hander Hunter Dobbins and two more lower-level arms to the Cardinals in a separate trade for first baseman Willson Contreras.

Whether the Red Sox are actually trying to actively trade Bello or are just listening to offers out of due diligence remains unclear, as the Rosenthal/Sammon item implies.  The truth may lie somewhere in between all of the common offseason hot stove terminology.  Still, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said his team is open to moving controllable pitching “in order to address other areas of the roster.”

Trading Bello would be a much different animal than moving a pitcher like Fitts or Dobbins or someone else not even guaranteed of a big league job in 2026, yet in a sense, a Bello deal would be an elevated version of the raise-the-ceiling strategy.  If the front office has some misgivings over Bello’s ability to sustain his production, or he is no longer viewed as a pitcher who can reliably be counted on for a playoff rotation, the Red Sox could potentially look to deal Bello.  Speculatively, he could be dealt for a more clear-cut frontline pitcher with fewer years of control, or perhaps moved to address a need in the lineup.

Within that same notes post, Rosenthal and Sammon also write that the Red Sox remain engaged with the Cardinals about Brendan Donovan.  Boston is one of many teams linked to Donovan’s market, however, and the most recent reports suggested that the Mariners and Giants were the favorites to pry Donovan away from St. Louis.  That said, Cards president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom has shown plenty of willingness to swing trades with his former Boston team, and Bloom’s time running the Sox front office overlapped with a big chunk of Bello’s career.  Speculatively, the length of Bello’s extension could make him a factor in a Cardinals rotation even after the team is through its rebuild period, even if the Cardinals are more likely to explore higher-end prospects in any Donovan trade package.

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