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Poll: Do The Cardinals Have Another Trade In Them This Offseason?

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The Cardinals have been one of the winter’s busiest teams. Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado were all shipped elsewhere to clear salary and add some young talent. The crown jewel on the team’s offseason was the three-team trade that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in exchange for two Competitive Balance draft picks and a package of prospects headlined by top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje.

It wouldn’t be a shock if all that activity was the end of their involvement in the trade market. At this point, the majority of their roster is controlled for multiple seasons, and the team has generally cleared the deck to give its up-and-coming youngsters more playing time.

Even so, additional trades can’t be ruled out. There is still one more rental player on the team’s roster who has garnered interest from teams: southpaw JoJo Romero. Romero has been connected to several teams this winter, including the Mariners, Orioles, and Yankees. Given how quickly the bullpen market moved in free agency this offseason, Romero could have particular value to a team like the Yankees or Twins that was known to be in the market for relief help but didn’t end up landing a coveted high leverage arm. The lefty is coming off a nice 2025 campaign where he posted a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings. He’d surely net some prospect value if dealt.

The Cardinals could prefer to put Romero in the ninth inning throughout the first half, let him accumulate experience in the closer role, and market him as such at the trade deadline, when virtually every contender will be on the prowl for bullpen help. There’s certainly some merit to that option, but it’s possible a bullpen-needy team would pay more for a full year of Romero now than over the summer. That figures to be especially true if his run prevention regresses towards his solid but unspectacular peripherals from 2025. Romero pitched to a 4.10 SIERA with a hefty 11.4% walk rate against a 21.6% strikeout rate last year.

Romero is the most likely player left on the Cardinals roster to move before Opening Day, but there are other options. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman were among the players who had their names floated as possible trade chips this winter. Nootbaar, in particular, would make sense given that he has just two years of team control remaining, but any attempts at trade talks have surely been complicated by him undergoing surgery that could land him on the injured list when the 2026 campaign begins.

Gorman, 25, is coming off back-to-back down seasons that saw him strike out more than 35% of the time, but in 2023 he flashed an impressive 118 wRC+ with 27 homers in just 119 games. That kind of power is enticing, and with a dearth of infield talent currently available, teams still looking for help on the dirt might be willing to offer a decent return despite the warts. While Gorman would surely have a lot more value if he turns in a big season in 2026, another lackluster campaign would likely leave him with little to no trade value. His departure would also create a path for the Cardinals to get both Thomas Saggese and top prospect JJ Wetherholt regular at-bats. Wetherholt figures to have an everyday job once he’s ready to debut regardless of Gorman’s presence, but Saggese might be relegated to a platoon or bench role without a trade.

How do MLBTR readers view the Cardinals’ situation? With a handful of theoretical trade candidates still on the roster, will they get another deal done before the regular season begins? Or will the players currently on the roster stick around until trade talks pick back up closer to the trade deadline? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: Arbitration, Angels, Twins

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:

1. Arbitration hearings continue:

The biggest news in baseball yesterday was southpaw Tarik Skubal’s record-shattering victory over the Tigers in his arbitration hearing, where a panel of judges awarded him $32MM rather than the $19MM figure Detroit had submitted. It’s the third consecutive victory (joining Kyle Bradish and Yainer Diaz) for the players in arbitration hearings this year, while teams have yet to win a single case. Tampa Bay right-hander Edwin Uceta and Atlanta southpaw Dylan Lee have both already gone to hearings against their clubs, though decisions aren’t expected until next week on those cases. (Results on cases that could be direct comps for other arb hearings in the same year are often withheld until those other hearings have taken place.) Reid Detmers, Graham Ashcraft, Tyler Stephenson, and Kris Bubic are among the players who exchanged figures with their teams but have yet to go to a hearing. Will those players be able to keep the win streak going?

2. Suter nearing deal with Anaheim:

Reporting yesterday indicated that southpaw Brent Suter and the Angels were nearing an agreement on a major league deal. Any final details and a physical could be hammered out this weekend. Anaheim has already made several veteran additions to the bullpen this winter, as Suter will join Drew Pomeranz, Jordan Romano, and Kirby Yates as a potential setup option for Robert Stephenson in rookie manager Kurt Suzuki’s bullpen. The Halos’ 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need a corresponding move to formally add Suter unless they hold off on announcing the deal until camp opens and they can then shift a player (Anthony Rendon or Ben Joyce) to the 60-day IL.

3. Do the Twins have a notable move in store?

Although the Twins have had a quiet offseason in terms of player transactions, things have been anything but quiet off the field. They added three new minority owners, Tom Pohlad took over as the team’s new control person, and those changes seemingly led to president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey departing the club in a shocking move late last month. Amid those ownership and front office shuffles, the Twins have made some surprising gestures toward upgrading the roster. Minnesota was involved in the market for Freddy Peralta before he was traded to the Mets and reportedly jumped into the mix on Framber Valdez before he signed with the division-rival Tigers. There aren’t many impact players left on the market, but righty Zac Gallen remains unsigned and there are various trade options the club could pursue. Bullpen help is the Twins’ most glaring need, but even cursory interest in Peralta and Valdez signals a willingness to add to the rotation as well.

Poll: Who Will Sign Zac Gallen?

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The impact position players are off the market for the most part at this point, and yesterday the top starter remaining followed suit as Framber Valdez landed with the Tigers on a three-year, $115MM deal. That leaves right-hander Zac Gallen as both the final remaining qualified free agent and the best starting pitcher still available. Gallen’s market has been a bit deflated coming off the weakest season of his career, though with a lifetime 3.58 ERA and 3.65 FIP across 1007 1/3 big league innings there’s no doubt that he could still impact a rotation-needy team if he can get back on track. Which teams would the right-hander be the best fit for, and where will he ultimately land? A few of the most likely options:

Arizona Diamondbacks

For a qualified free agent who lingers on the market, sometimes a homecoming simply makes the most sense. The Diamondbacks are the only team in the majors that wouldn’t forfeit a draft pick in order to bring Gallen into the fold, and that alone makes them a sensible fit. Beyond that, the Arizona pitching staff is in serious need of help. Adding Gallen would be prudent, given the team’s lack of experienced rotation depth and a fifth starter (Michael Soroka) who has had durability concerns. His addition could push some of those depth starters into the mix for a bullpen that lacks impact options with Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk both set to open the season on the injured list. The biggest obstacle for a reunion between Arizona and Gallen is money; ownership hasn’t been shy about their desire to bring down a payroll that has sat in the $190MM range over the past two years, and unless ownership makes an exception for a beloved longtime D-back, the Snakes are more or less at their limit.

Baltimore Orioles

The O’s entered the season with a need to upgrade the rotation. They’ve acquired Shane Baz and re-upped with Zach Eflin, but neither is a surefire front-of-the-rotation arm. That’s also true of Gallen after that shaky 2025 showing, but at his peak he’s been the type of arm Baltimore seeks. Adding Gallen to a rotation including Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Baz, Eflin and Dean Kremer would be a more aggressive approach than the O’s took last winter when signing back-end veterans like Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton to one-year deals. Baltimore’s payroll is still nearly $20MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark, so there shouldn’t be any major financial hurdles.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have already had a big offseason, headlined by their Alex Bregman signing and a trade for Marlins righty Edward Cabrera. The Cabrera trade has given the Cubs a deep cache of starting pitching options that’s pushed Colin Rea and Javier Assad into depth roles, and even more help figures to be on the way when rehabbing southpaw Justin Steele returns at some point in the first half. Even so, the team’s starting pitching options all have worrisome injury histories. That includes Cabrera, who briefly went on the IL with an elbow issue back in September. Adding a healthy workhorse like Gallen could make plenty of sense to raise the floor, and with talented arms like Steele, Cabrera, and Cade Horton in the mix Gallen might be under less pressure to deliver the ace-level results he’s flashed in the past.

San Diego Padres

The Padres have been clear about their desire to add another starter, and Gallen could be just the sort of high-upside arm the team needs to credibly replace Dylan Cease. It wouldn’t be the first time president of baseball operations A.J. Preller pulled off a major move in the final months before Opening Day. Cease was acquired in March of 2024, while righty Nick Pivetta signed with San Diego last February. The biggest obstacle to Gallen following in their footsteps could be financial, as it’s unclear just how much wiggle room the Padres have left. Perhaps the team working out the details of veteran righty Yu Darvish’s possible exit from the club could create the budget space necessary to land Gallen.

Other Options

While the aforementioned quartet of clubs are perhaps the most likely destinations for Gallen, they aren’t the only ones. Detroit could have made sense as a Gallen suitor, but their agreement with Valdez surely takes them out of the starting pitching market at this point. The Angels have been connected to the right-hander recently, but they’re viewed as a bit of a long-shot and are by far the least competitive team among this group. Atlanta is known to be shopping for a veteran starter, but it’s unclear if the team has the stomach for the sort of $20MM+ annual salary for which Gallen figures to be searching. The Blue Jays were connected to Valdez shortly before he signed, suggesting a willingness to continue adding to their rotation, but Gallen might not be viewed as impactful enough to justify pushing Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios out of the fifth starter job. The Giants were also connected to Gallen earlier in the winter but have since signed Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle. President of baseball ops Buster Posey downplayed the idea of adding another starter last week, but the San Francisco rotation has both injury and workload concerns behind ace Logan Webb.

Where do MLBTR readers think Gallen will ultimately land? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: Skubal, Padres, Red Sox

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Skubal decision expected:

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal went to an arbitration hearing with the Tigers yesterday, and a report from the Associated Press indicates that a decision on the matter is slated to be announced today. That decision will have substantial financial ramifications, not only for the Tigers and Skubal but for future high-end starting pitchers who go through the arbitration process. If the Tigers win, the ball won’t be moved forward for those pitchers at all as Skubal will be paid just $19MM, lower than the $19.6MM record David Price set during his final trip through arbitration over a decade ago. That scenario would presumably leave the Tigers with some additional spending power, even after adding Framber Valdez last night. If Skubal wins, the Tigers will add an extra $13MM in salary to their books as they pay him a hefty $32MM in his final season before free agency.

2. What’s next for the Padres?

The Padres have long been known to be hoping to find another bat and found one yesterday when they agreed to a $4MM deal with Miguel Andujar. The former Rookie of the Year runner-up is coming off his best season since that debut campaign; Andujar split the 2025 season between the A’s and Reds, slashing .318/.352/.470 (125 wRC+) in a platoon-heavy role where he torched lefties and was a slight bit above average versus righties. While Andujar has experience at all four corner positions, he’s a poor defender who figures to see plenty of DH work with San Diego. With Andujar aboard, will president of baseball operations A.J. Preller turn his attention towards acquiring a starter who can help fill the void left by Dylan Cease in the club’s rotation?

3. Are the Red Sox done?

The Red Sox reached an agreement with infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa yesterday, adding a talented and versatile defender to an infield that had questions at third base and second base. Though “IKF” raises the infield’s floor, he’s a well below-average hitter coming off a punchless .262/.297/.324 (75 wRC+) showing in 459 plate appearances — not exactly a replacement for the Alex Bregman-sized hole in Boston’s lineup.

It’s possible the Sox could go with some combination of Kiner-Falefa, Marcelo Mayer, David Hamilton, Nick Sogard, and Romy Gonzalez at second and third base, with Kristian Campbell or even Ceddanne Rafaela possibly mixing in, depending on health and performance (though indications are that the Red Sox prefer them in the outfield). It’s still unclear how much — if at all — Kiner-Falefa will impact the club’s pursuits of players like Isaac Paredes, Nico Hoerner, Matt Shaw, and other infield options on the trade market.

The Opener: Skubal, Valdez, DFA Resolutions

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Skubal, Tigers head to arbitration:

As noted by The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen, an arbitration hearing is scheduled for today between the Tigers and back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. That makes today the last day for the sides to reach an agreement to avoid a hearing, though that looks extremely unlikely. Not only is there a massive $13MM gap between Skubal’s $32MM filing figure and the team’s $19MM figure, but the Tigers typically refuse to negotiate on one-year deals following the filing deadline. Assuming the case does go to a hearing in front of an arbitration panel, a decision won’t be expected today. When that decision does get handed down, however, it has the potential for notable consequences. If Skubal wins, his $32MM salary for this year would raise the bar substantially for future ace pitchers after decades of arms falling short of even $20MM in salary arbitration. If the Tigers win, they could have significantly more resources available to further bolster the club.

2. The Valdez market:

Framber Valdez is the top name left on the market, with the Orioles standing as the only team aggressively linked to him on the rumor mill. Baltimore has some competition, however, as their AL East rivals in Toronto were also connected to Valdez yesterday. If the Jays pick up their interest, that could put some pressure on the Orioles to get a deal done, and after a busy offseason where the Jays missed out on both Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette the team successfully luring Valdez to Canada can’t be ruled out. With fewer and fewer avenues left to improve, teams who were focused on other targets could start to circle back to Valdez in the days ahead.

3. Two DFA resolutions expected:

Left-hander Konnor Pilkington of the Nationals and Rockies outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez were both designated for assignment one week ago today, meaning they’ve been placed on waivers and a resolution should be expected today. If either player clears, they figure to head to Triple-A as non-roster depth for their current club via outright assignment. A waiver claim from a rival club would send them off to a new organization with their hold on a 40-man roster spot intact. Pilkington made his MLB debut in 2022 as a member of the Guardians and sports a career 3.97 ERA across 88 1/3 innings of work, albeit with lackluster peripheral numbers. Fernandez, meanwhile, made his MLB debut in 2025 and hit just .225/.265/.348 in 147 plate appearances, but he’s only 23 years old, isn’t far removed from top-100 prospect status, and also has a minor league option remaining.

The Opener: Cardinals, Arb Decisions, MLBTR Chat

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After one of the offseason’s biggest trades last night, here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for throughout the day today:

1. Cardinals press conference:

The Cardinals pulled off the aforementioned major deal yesterday. They sent Brendan Donovan to the Mariners as part of a three-way trade involving Tampa Bay, and in return received a haul of prospects and draft picks headlined by right-hander Jurrangelo Cijntje. As noted by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11:15 am CT to discuss the trade. That figures to offer additional insight into the club’s negotiations regarding Donovan, and perhaps an update on future plans regarding other trade pieces (such as lefty reliever JoJo Romero) or free agent additions as Spring Training draws closer.

2. Arb Decisions to be handed down:

Arbitration hearings are underway, and yesterday saw panels listen to cases for Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish and Astros catcher Yainer Diaz. The Associated Press reports that decisions on both cases are expected to come today. Bradish filed at $3.55MM while Baltimore filed at $2.875MM. Diaz and the Astros, meanwhile, had a larger differential between their filing figures as Diaz landed at $4.5MM while Houston countered at $3MM. Edwin Uceta and Dylan Lee have both also been through their hearings, but decisions on those cases aren’t expected until later in the process because they’d potentially impact ongoing hearings. That leaves Bradish and Diaz to be the first cases resolved in this year’s slate. Teams won five of the nine cases that went to hearings last year, though players won seven of 12 cases in 2024.

3. MLBTR Chat today:

Pitchers and catchers will begin reporting later this month, but some offseason questions still remain. Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen are among the top free agents still available, and while yesterday’s Donovan trade took the last major trade piece off of the market, a surprise deal can never be ruled out. If you’re wondering what’s left for your favorite team to do before spring begins or simply looking for the latest hot stove buzz, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered with a live chat scheduled for 1:00 pm CT today. Readers can use this link to ask a question in advance, follow along when the chat begins, and read the transcript after the chat concludes.

Angels Sign Jeimer Candelario To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have signed infielder Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Candelario’s deal comes with an invite to big league Spring Training.

Candelario, 32, will enter camp looking to find a roster spot ahead of what would be his 11th big league season. Signed by the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur, he made his pro debut back in 2011 and made it to the majors for a five-game cup of coffee during Chicago’s World Series-winning 2016 campaign. He once again got into a smattering of games in an up-and-down bench role with the club in 2017 before being included alongside Isaac Paredes in a deadline trade with the Tigers where the Cubs landed catcher Alex Avila and Justin Wilson. After the deadline, he played in 27 games for Detroit down the stretch and hit an impressive .330/.406/.468 in 106 trips to the plate.

The switch-hitter would struggle at the dish over the next few years with the Tigers before breaking out during the abbreviated 2020 season. From 2020-21, Candelario slashed an excellent .278/.356/.458 with a wRC+ of 124, and led his league with 42 doubles in the latter season. Some across the board regression led to a tough 2022 campaign that saw the Tigers non-tender him, but he rebounded well in 2023 with a strong season (118 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR) for the Nationals and Cubs in order to return to free agency with a solid chance at landing a multi-year deal.

That deal eventually came with the Reds, who signed him to a three-year, $45MM contract that was set to run from 2024 through 2026. His first year in Cincinnati was a disappointing one, as he hit just .225/.279/.429 with a wRC+ of 89 in 112 games to go along with atrocious defensive numbers at third base. That down season came while he battled knee tendinitis and a fractured toe. Even with those injuries casting uncertainty over his performance, Candelario’s defensive struggles were still enough to lose him the third base job with the Reds entering 2025. He played just 22 games for the Reds last year (and posted an ugly 10 wRC+ in those 91 plate appearances) before being sidelined with a lumbar spine issue. When his rehab window for that injury ended in late June, the Reds opted to release him rather than give him another shot on their roster.

He eventually signed with the Yankees on a minor league deal to finish out last season, and wound up hitting just .203/.289/.357 at Triple-A without getting a call-up to the majors. As he returned to free agency this offseason, he represented an interesting flier a team could take at relatively low risk. Given that Candelario will earn his $13MM salary with Cincinnati this year even after being released, he’ll only cost a club that puts him on the active roster the prorated league minimum, which will come out of what the Reds have to pay him for this year.

The team that decided to take that flier on Candelario is the Angels, who currently figure to enter camp with Yoan Moncada, Vaughn Grissom, and Oswald Peraza in the mix for reps at third base with Nolan Schanuel locked in at first base and some combination of Mike Trout and Jorge Soler expected to handle DH. That seemingly leaves little room for Candelario to make the roster, but it’s certainly possible he could find his way into the mix at one of those positions with a strong performance in camp or an injury or two clearing the way for him to snag a roster spot.

Poll: Who Will Sign Isiah Kiner-Falefa?

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The shortstop market was fairly barren all offseason, with Bo Bichette as the top option available despite him being widely viewed as a player unlikely to stick at the position. Now that pitchers and catchers are just two weeks from reporting, Isiah Kiner-Falefa stands more or less alone on the shortstop market. A glove-first infielder, Kiner-Falefa has a career slash line of just .262/.311/.349 across eight seasons in the majors but has been a consistently valuable asset in spite of that thanks to a quality glove.

He’s coming off a down season with Pittsburgh and Toronto in 2025, hitting .262/.297/.334 (75 wRC+) while his defensive metrics dipped to slightly below average. As spring training approaches, he’s sure to start receiving more interest from contenders with holes in their bench mix and smaller market clubs with holes in their infield. Who’s the best fit for the former Gold Glover? A look at some of the options:

Athletics

The A’s reportedly pursued Nolan Arenado to fill out their infield before backing off when it seemed as though Arenado might wield his no-trade protection to block a deal. Kiner-Falefa’s .279 wOBA last year is just eight points lower than Arenado’s, and FanGraphs rates them as comparably valuable on defense last year. Kiner-Falefa could serve as a veteran anchor to help fill out the infield alongside Jeff McNeil and Jacob Wilson, while also being a player that’s comfortable moving to a utility role if  Max Muncy, Max Schuemann, or Darell Hernaiz breaks out to force the issue.

Atlanta Braves

Ha-Seong Kim is sidelined through at least May, which has changed the outlook of the Braves’ infield mix. Now the team figures to rely on Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo at shortstop to open the season, while also crossing their fingers for rebounds from Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley at second and third base respectively. There’s plenty of upside in that infield, especially if Kim can return healthy and effective later in the year. Kiner-Falefa can provide some stability. If added to the mix, he’d allow Dubon to see more time in the outfield (where he could complement Michael Harris II in center field) and allow the team to lean less heavily on Mateo’s services coming off a 33 wRC+ in 43 games last year. Once Kim returns, Kiner-Falefa could be used as valuable injury insurance given that Riley, Albies, and Kim himself have all contended with plenty of injuries in recent years.

Boston Red Sox

Kiner-Falefa suiting up for the Red Sox would surely come as a disappointment to fans in Boston, as he’d be (at least nominally) replacing Alex Bregman on the infield. The Red Sox have indicated that they might prioritize defense over offense when filling out their infield mix, and being able to mix and match between Marcelo Mayer, David Hamilton, Romy Gonzalez, and Kiner-Falefa on the dirt as needed alongside Trevor Story and Willson Contreras would be a decent budget option if the team fails to land a more notable upgrade. Kiner-Falefa’s ability to play either second or third base could also benefit Mayer, who is a natural shortstop blocked by Story and hasn’t yet been committed to a particular position on the infield for 2026.

Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians could do with an upgrade over Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias up the middle. Rocchio, in particular, posted just 0.4 fWAR last year due to a lackluster 77 wRC+ and below-average defensive metrics at shortstop. Kiner-Falefa wouldn’t be a slam-dunk upgrade but could provide some depth without blocking Travis Bazzana or any of the team’s other young infielders. For a team in need of some serious offensive help, however, Kiner-Falefa wouldn’t really move the needle.

Other Options

The Mariners have flirted with the idea of adding an infielder to keep the seats that will eventually go to Colt Emerson and Cole Young warm, though it should be noted that internal options like Ben Williamson and Leo Rivas may be preferred over adding a more established veteran. The Angels currently have Yoan Moncada, Vaughn Grissom, and Oswald Peraza penciled into their infield. Kiner-Falefa would likely offer a higher floor than any of those players, but Anaheim remains at least theoretically focused on getting Mike Trout back to the postseason and will need to prioritize upside in order to make that happen. The Nationals could view Kiner-Falefa as a worthwhile veteran to add to their infield but may not want to cut playing time away from their young players unless a CJ Abrams deal opens up a spot on the dirt.

Where do MLBTR readers think Kiner-Falefa will eventually land? Could he serve as an affordable starter for a team like the Guardians, A’s, or Nationals? Or would he be better served in a part-time role with a bigger market club like the Braves or Red Sox? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: Red Sox, First Base, Arbitration Hearings

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. What’s next for the Red Sox?

The Red Sox swung a trade to clear space in their budget and on the 40-man roster when they shipped right-hander Jordan Hicks, pitching prospect David Sandlin and $8MM cash and two players to be named later in exchange for Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. Getting the majority of Hicks’ salary for the next two seasons of the books has allowed them to squeak back under the second tier of the luxury, but the team has still yet to replace Alex Bregman on the infield. Marcelo Mayer poised to play either second or third base depending on where a new addition would play, but options are dwindling after both Luis Arraez and Eugenio Suarez signed over the weekend. How will Boston address its biggest remaining need?

2. First base market heating up?

While every hitter in our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list has signed after Suarez reached a deal with the Reds yesterday, there are still a number of interesting bats on the market. Specifically, the first base market has remained rather quiet throughout the winter, leaving players such as Paul Goldschmidt and Rhys Hoskins unsigned. Recently, that market has appeared to heat up. The Diamondbacks are reportedly interested in adding a first baseman, and yesterday they were connected to switch-hitting veteran Carlos Santana and also said to have interest in Ty France. Arizona’s division rivals in San Diego are also looking for help in their first/base DH mix and have interest in France, who is drawing interest from both New York clubs as well. Wilmer Flores, Nathaniel Lowe, and Rowdy Tellez are among the other noteworthy options still available. With Arraez and Suarez off the board, is the market heating up for some of these corner bats?

3. Arbitration hearings underway:

Arbitration hearings kicked off late last week, and the Associated Press reports two such hearings have occurred so far: one between right-hander Edwin Uceta and the Rays, and one between left-hander Dylan Lee and the Braves. The decision from those arbitration hearings is typically not immediately announced; Uceta’s is being withheld until other cases have resolved, while Lee’s is expected to be announced at some point next week. After first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino avoided arbitration last week, 12 more players are scheduled for arbitration hearings. The most notable among those is two-time AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal, who is facing a massive $13MM gap between his filing figure and that of the Tigers. Arbitration hearings are scheduled to run through February 13.

Latest On Derek Falvey’s Departure From Twins

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The Twins shocked the baseball world this past week when they announced that the team was parting ways with team president Derek Falvey in what was framed as a mutual decision between Falvey and executive chair Tom Pohlad. More details have come out in the aftermath of that announcement on the circumstances surrounding Falvey’s departure that offer additional insight into the motivations behind that decision.

The move was surprising to fans, media, and rival clubs around the game for a number of reasons. Falvey had been promoted from his seat as president of baseball operations to also handle business operations in a dual president role in November of 2024, just over a year prior to his departure from the organization. That Falvey went from so thoroughly entrenched in the Twins’ present and future plans to out the door in a matter of months was shocking to outside observers, and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests it was met with equal shock internally, with staffers describing the news as a “haymaker.” Even more shocking is the timing of the move, which comes just a matter of weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training with the large majority of offseason maneuvering already done.

In comments following Falvey’s departure, both Falvey himself and Pohlad have indicated that there was a difference in personalities between the two that led to the change. Pohlad described himself and Falvey (as relayed by Hayes) as “two people that were suddenly thrust into working together.” Falvey’s comments offered some additional insight into those differences.

“[Former Twins executive chair] Joe [Pohlad] and I had a different plan and working dynamic,” Falvey said of his departure, as relayed by Hayes. “Tom wants to run it a little differently. … Sometimes it’s just a feel that you get where both sides kind of sit there and say, ‘OK, is this the right match for what we need going forward?’ And if you get to a place where you don’t think it (fits) perfectly, you have to have really honest conversations and dialogue about it and we did.”

Given those comments about conflicting personalities and changing plans, it’s worth zooming out to consider the larger context of the Twins organization in recent years. After breaking the club’s lengthy drought of playoff victories in 2023, ownership slashed payroll during the 2023-24 offseason. Things have gone downhill since then on the field, and after a collapse in 2024 led to an 82-80 season and missing the playoffs, the team took an even bigger step back and lost 90 games in 2025.

Entering this offseason, all signs appeared to be pointing towards a rebuild coming to Minnesota. Players like Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and even Byron Buxton were widely viewed as trade chips who would be available to rival teams this winter, and a tear-down of the roster had already gotten underway at the trade deadline back in July. In addition to the move to shed Carlos Correa’s contract in a salary dump with the Astros, the Twins traded away a number of pieces, including controllable impact bullpen pieces like Louis Varland, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax.

In the background of those struggles on the field, the Pohlad family looked to move on from their ownership of the Twins franchise. The team announced their exploration of a sale in October of 2024, just one month before Falvey was promoted to his dual president role. Efforts to sell the family’s majority share in the club eventually fell through, however, and they instead ended up bringing on additional minority stakeholders to help address the team’s debt, which had complicated efforts to sell. After the details of that partial sale of the club were ironed out, Tom Pohlad (who had not been involved with the Twins’ operations until the effort to sell the club began) took over the executive chair position from younger brother Joe Pohlad and became the team’s control person back in December.

Given that Falvey had launched the start of what clearly seemed to be a rebuild under Joe Pohlad, much of Tom Pohlad’s rhetoric surrounding the team and it’s near-term competitive future makes a disconnect seem somewhat clear. Hayes reports that Tom Pohlad plans to be more proactive in steering the team as compared to the more laid-back approaches of former executive chairs Joe and Jim Pohlad, who Falvey had worked under in the past. Tom Pohlad’s planned direction for the team seems to be a quick return to contention, which goes against the plan Falvey had been in the midst of putting into place when Pohlad took over as Minnesota’s control person.

That planned return to contention might come with additional financial flexibility, but it’s unclear exactly how much. Pohlad has told reporters (including Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic) that he believes there is “room for investment” in the roster between now and Opening Day, which suggests there could be at least some additional spending to come to help round out a roster with a number of noticeable holes. With that said, however, Pohlad also downplayed the importance of the team’s payroll in those same comments.

“Yes, our payroll is down from last year,” Tom Pohlad said, as relayed by Gleeman. “I think there are still some investments to be made between now and Opening Day. I’d also say, at some point, I’d love to get off this payroll thing for a second. Let’s judge the success of this year on wins and losses, and on whether we’re playing meaningful baseball in September.”

Given that the team’s new control person has indicated a desire to be more hands-on than his predecessors and push the franchise in a more aggressive direction than it was previously on while also hesitating about the importance of raising payroll, it’s not hard to see where a conflict between Pohlad and Falvey could have arisen. Had Falvey been operating under a directive to return to contention in 2026, it’s easy to imagine him handling last year’s trade deadline differently, particularly when it comes to controllable, low-cost relief arms like Varland.

A departure at this point in the calendar still registers as a surprise, but Hays reports that one source described Falvey’s decision to leave now as a way to create an opportunity for the rest of his personnel to “create [their] own history” with the new control person. It’s not hard to imagine the possibility of tension down the road between Falvey and Pohlad creating a difficult situation for lower-level personnel in the front office, and Falvey removing himself from that equation immediately could help to avoid any potential issues between ownership and the front office going forward.

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