Pirates Make Several Roster Moves
The Pirates have designated right-handers Dugan Darnell and Michael Darrell-Hicks for assignment, the team announced Thursday. Pittsburgh also reinstated catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez and utilitymen Ronny Simon and Enmanuel Valdez from the 60-day injured list.
Former top infield prospect Liover Peguero, who was placed on waivers earlier in the week, went unclaimed and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Indianapolis. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, however, that Peguero will reject the assignment to become a free agent. Meanwhile, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports that Pittsburgh will select the contract of minor league righty Ryan Harbin to its 40-man roster.
Darnell’s stay in the Pirates organization lasted only a week. He was claimed off waivers from the Rockies last week. He made his MLB debut in Colorado this year, tossing 11 2/3 innings and holding opponents to five runs on seven hits but with more walks (seven) than strikeouts (five). The 28-year-old undrafted free agent sits 94 mph with his heater and posted a 3.19 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate in an extremely hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League setting this season.
Darrell-Hicks, 28 next week, is another waiver claim and former undrafted free agent. The Bucs picked him up from the Angels back in June. He pitched 9 2/3 innings between the two clubs this year but was tagged for eight runs on 10 hits and four walks with eight strikeouts. He sits just under 95 mph with his heater. Darrell-Hicks posted outstanding numbers in the upper minors in 2024 (2.60 ERA, 26.4 K%, 5.0 BB% in 62 1/3 innings) but was rocked for an ERA north of 8.00 in Triple-A this season.
Peguero was once a touted prospect whom the Pirates acquired from the D-backs in exchange for Starling Marte. He’s a former top-100 prospect who was once viewed as a possible shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. In an all-too-common refrain for Pirates position prospects, however, his bat never came around. Peguero has seen action in four big league seasons but has mustered only a .227/.278/.368 slash line in 315 turns at the plate.
Peguero has also looked overmatched at the top minor league level. Outside of a late-2023 cameo in Triple-A where he smacked a pair of homers in 30 promising plate appearances, he’s produced well below-average numbers with the Pirates’ top affiliate in Indianapolis. He’s a .253/.317/.403 hitter in 888 plate appearances there, including a career-worst .247/.313/.375 showing in 75 games with Indy this season. Baseball America and other outlets have lauded his quality defensive tools but also noted a penchant for slipping into poor mechanical stretches that lead to far too many throwing errors.
The 24-year-old Harbin was a 17th-round pick in 2019. He was about to become a minor league free agent, but the Bucs didn’t want to lose him after he posted such gaudy strikeout numbers in the minors this season. Harbin’s 4.69 ERA isn’t much to look at, but that mark is skewed by an ugly 17 earned runs allowed in his first 13 1/3 innings of Triple-A work this season. He’d posted sharp numbers in High-A and Double-A, and even while struggling to keep runs off the board in Indianapolis, Harbin continued missing bats.
Overall, the 6’4″ Harbin fanned 32% of his opponents in the minors this year — albeit against a brutal 16% walk rate. He averaged better than 97 mph on his heater and missed bats in droves with his upper-80s slider. Harbin posted a very strong 14.1% swinging-strike rate on the season overall, including an eye-popping 17% mark in Double-A, where he fanned nearly 38% of his opponents. Now that he’s on the 40-man roster, Harbin will be in major league camp and compete for a spot in manager Don Kelly’s bullpen next spring.
Twins Outright Five Players
The Twins announced Thursday that they’ve outrighted five players off the 40-man roster. Infielder Jose Miranda, lefties Genesis Cabrera and Anthony Misiewicz, and righties Michael Tonkin and Thomas Hatch all went unclaimed on waivers and have elected free agency. Minnesota has seven vacancies on its 40-man roster.
Miranda, 27, is the most notable of the bunch. He’s a former second-round pick and top-100 prospect who posted a strong debut effort with the 2022 Twins, hitting .268/.325/.426 (116 wRC+) with 15 homers and 25 doubles in 483 turns at the plate. That included an awful three-week start to his MLB career that saw him optioned back to Triple-A St. Paul. Upon returning to the majors, he mashed at a .286/.346/.461 clip in just over 400 plate appearances.
A shoulder injury ruined Miranda’s 2023 season, however. He opened the season at third base but hit just .211/.263/.303 before undergoing surgery. Miranda bounced back in 2024, slashing .284/.322/.441 (114 wRC+) in 121 big league games. Repeated back injuries shortened his season, however, and his 2025 campaign was a disaster. Miranda went 6-for-36 in the majors and spent the rest of the season in Triple-A, where he hit just .195/.272/.296 in 371 plate appearances.
There’s little doubting that Miranda is a talented hitter at his core. The question is whether he can rebound from the shoulder and back injuries that have dragged down his once-promising career. Given that he’s always been a bat-first player with a questionable glove at both infield corners, it’s imperative that he gets back on track in the batter’s box. He’ll be a depth option and moderate upside play for teams seeking help at the corners. Miranda has pronounced reverse splits in his career, so he’s not a great option for a team looking for a righty bat to help its attack against left-handed opponents.
The rest of today’s outrights/free agent elections were widely expected. Each of Cabrera, Misiewicz, Tonkin and Hatch were depth arms who were thrust into larger roles following the deadline fire sale. They’ll all be candidates for minor league deals this winter.
Cabrera nearly tied a major league record this year, pitching for four teams in one season. He’s a hard-throwing, command-challenged lefty reliever who’s bounced all over the league since 2019 and has a career 4.24 ERA with an 11% walk rate.
Misiewicz has pitched for six big league clubs and has a 4.86 ERA in 120 1/3 big league innings — only 4 2/3 of which came with the Twins this year. He had some success with the Mariners as a rookie in 2020 but has struggled to an ERA north of 5.00 since.
Tonkin was originally a Twins draftee. This season marked his third stint with the team. He’s pitched in parts of eight MLB seasons and also spent a year in Japan. In 329 2/3 innings, the soon-to-be 36-year-old righty has a 4.23 ERA.
Hatch, like Tonkin, is a righty with below-average velocity who’s bounced around MLB for several seasons and also spent a year in Japan. He pitched 34 innings with an ERA near 6.00 for the Twins in 2025 and now has a 5.24 earned run average in 103 frames at the MLB level. He just turned 31 in late September.
Angels Claim Cody Laweryson
The Angels announced that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Cody Laweryson off waivers from the Twins. That’ll bring the Halos’ 40-man roster count to 34 players while dropping the Twins to 38.
Laweryson, 28 next May, was a 14th-round pick by Minnesota back in 2019 and made his MLB debut this past season, tossing 7 2/3 innings and allowing one run late in the season. The 6’4″ righty punched out seven of 26 opponents and didn’t issue a walk. He averaged 93.2 mph on his four-seamer, mixing in a cutter and changeup to round out a three-pitch repertoire.
That marked the end of a quality all-around season for the Maine native. He split the remainder of the season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 2.86 ERA with a 24.6% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 46.3% ground-ball rate in 44 innings of minor league relief.
Laweryson was only added to the 40-man roster after Minnesota gutted its bullpen at this year’s trade deadline, shipping out five relievers for a series of prospects and controllable young big leaguers. Minnesota will likely trim several more names from the 40-man roster in the days ahead, as the bullpen for the final couple months was composed almost entirely of journeyman stopgaps to get through the end of the season.
Marlins Claim Zach Brzykcy
The Marlins have claimed right-hander Zach Brzykcy off waivers from the Nationals, per a club announcement. Miami also passed right-hander Christian Roa and infielder Jack Winkler through waivers. Both were assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville. Additionally, the Fish reinstated lefties Braxton Garrett and Andrew Nardi and righties Anthony Bender and Max Meyer from the 60-day injured list.
Washington signed the now-26-year-old Brzykcy (pronounced brick-see) as an undrafted free agent following the truncated 2020 amateur draft. He’s seen fairly brief action in each of the past two big league seasons, allowing 32 runs in just 28 2/3 innings of relief.
Brzykcy posted strong minor league numbers in 2022 and 2024 but missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery. His 2025 results with Rochester weren’t any better than they were in the majors, but in ’24 he logged 35 1/3 innings with a 2.04 ERA, a 33.1% strikeout rate and a 10.8% walk rate across four levels as he worked his way back from that ligament procedure. Brzykcy still has a minor league option year remaining, and he’ll hope that a change of scenery can get him back to the minor league form he displayed prior to this year’s dismal showing.
Miami claimed Roa, also 26, off waivers from the Reds one year ago. The 2020 second-rounder tossed three scoreless frames in his first taste of MLB action this year and also logged a 2.83 ERA in 60 1/3 Triple-A frames. Roa has poor command but solid results in the upper minors and an average fastball clocking in at 96 mph. He doesn’t have the service time or prior outright needed to elect free agency. The Marlins are surely happy to hang onto a power arm with decent results, even if his command is suspect.
Winkler came to the Fish by way of the 2024 Rule 5 Draft’s minor league phase. The former A’s farmhand also made his debut in ’25, collecting four singles in 16 at-bats. He can play all over the diamond and has decent speed but minimal offensive production. Winkler hit just .225/.299/.333 in 281 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year, though he also notched a perfect 25-for-25 record in stolen base attempts.
Garrett missed the 2025 season after undergoing UCL surgery in January. He’ll be back in the rotation mix next year, barring any setbacks, though he might not quite be ready for spring training. Nardi missed the 2025 season due to back injuries and is a non-tender candidate. Bender’s season ended in August due to a stress reaction in his right tibia. Assuming he’s healthy next year, he’ll reprise his role as a key late-inning arm for skipper Clayton McCullough. Meyer, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, underwent season-ending hip surgery in June. It’s the second notable surgery of the promising right-hander’s career. He also missed half the 2022 season and all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery.
Nationals Outright Trey Lipscomb
The Nationals announced Thursday that infielder Trey Lipscomb went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. Washington also reinstated catcher Drew Millas, lefty DJ Herz and righties Trevor Williams and Josiah Gray from the 60-day injured list. The Nats currently have five openings on their 40-man roster.
Lipscomb, 25, was the team’s third-round pick in 2022. He’s seen limited MLB time in each of the past two seasons, struggling to a .206/.272/.237 batting line in 215 turns at the plate. The University of Tennessee product posted roughly average offensive numbers across multiple minor league levels in 2023, but he’s been below-average in Triple-A in each of the past two seasons, logging a combined .261/.320/.392 batting line.
The majority of Lipscomb’s time on the field has been spent at third base, but he’s seen some time at all three other infield spots and in left field. Scouting reports pegged him as a roughly average defender at the hot corner, and he’s indeed posted decent grades there in limited big league work. He lacks the service time or prior outright to reject this assignment to the minors, so he’ll stick in the organization and hope to hit his way back to the majors in 2026.
Millas suffered a broken finger that required surgery late in the season. He should be healthy next spring. Herz and Gray both had UCL surgery in 2024 and figure to be ready next spring as well. Williams underwent an internal brace procedure on his own UCL back in July and will miss most, if not all of the upcoming 2026 season as a result.
Thairo Estrada Elects Free Agency
The Rockies announced Thursday that infielder Thairo Estrada passed through waivers unclaimed and elected free agency. Colorado also claimed right-hander Garrett Acton off waivers from the Rays. He’d been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay earlier in the week.
Colorado turned down its end of a mutual option on Estrada earlier this week, but since he has yet to accrue six years of major league service, he remained on the roster as an arbitration-eligible player. After Estrada missed most of the 2025 season due to injury and hit just .253/.285/.370 when healthy, the Rox will move on and Estrada will head to the open market in search of new opportunities.
Estrada, 30 in February, had a solid three-year run with the Giants from 2021-23, hitting a combined .266/.320/.416 with plus defense and plus baserunning. Injuries have tanked his production since late in 2023, however. Estrada suffered a broken left hand that year, then missed time with a ligament injury in his left wrist in 2024. He broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch this spring and, after returning, missed additional time due to thumb and hamstring injuries. He’s been limited to 546 plate appearances across the past two seasons and turned in a woeful .228/.258/.351 batting line in that time.
Second base has been Estrada’s primary position, though he’s also seen ample time at shortstop and briefer appearances at third base and across all three outfield slots. Statcast pegs him as a plus defender at second, though Defensive Runs Saved is on the other end of the spectrum. At the very least, he’s a fleet-footed utility man with experience at six defensive spots and a lower-than-average strikeout rate at the plate.
Acton, 27, signed a two-year minor league deal with the Rays going into 2024. He had undergone Tommy John surgery prior to signing that deal and missed the entire 2024 campaign. He was added to the 40-man late in 2025 and tossed one scoreless inning in the bigs. He threw 58 2/3 innings in Triple-A with a 3.68 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.
Red Sox, Cooper Criswell Agree To Deal For 2026
The Red Sox and righty Cooper Criswell have agreed to terms on a contract for the 2026 season, reports FanSided’s Robert Murray. Criswell, a client of Republik Sports, was already on the 40-man roster but wasn’t necessarily a lock to stick all offseason. He’s now agreed to a fully guaranteed $800K, per Murray, which greatly enhances his chances of staying in place.
Boston could still pass Criswell through waivers at some point this winter. He’s out of minor league options and would thus need to break camp with the club or else be designated for assignment. The fully guaranteed $800K, while only a bit north of the league minimum salary, makes it less likely that he’d be claimed by another club and also ensures that Criswell would accept an outright to the minors. He’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment upon clearing waivers by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted in the past, but he doesn’t have the service time necessary to reject and retain the remainder of that guarantee.
The 29-year-old Criswell appeared in seven games for the Sox this year, logging 17 2/3 innings of 3.57 ERA ball but with only an 11.3% strikeout rate. He’s totaled 154 2/3 innings across parts of five major league seasons and carries a career 4.48 ERA, 16.7% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate between the Angels, Rays and Red Sox. He also tossed 65 2/3 innings of 3.70 ERA ball for the Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester this season, working primarily as a starter.
While Criswell isn’t going to be penciled into next year’s rotation, he’ll be a depth option and could compete for a swing role in camp. Rotation help will be a focus for Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow this winter. Ace Garrett Crochet will again lead the rotation. He’ll be followed by Brayan Bello, but the rest of the group is more in flux. Kutter Crawford missed the entire season due to oblique and wrist injuries — the latter requiring surgery in July. Tanner Houck had Tommy John surgery this summer. Hunter Dobbins‘ season ended with an ACL tear. Lucas Giolito is a free agent.
Top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early debuted late in the season and impressed to varying extents, but neither will simply be handed a rotation spot. Veteran Patrick Sandoval should be healthy after spending 2025 rehabbing from UCL surgery. Former top prospect Kyle Harrison, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, will be in the mix — as will righty Richard Fitts. There are plenty of in-house options, but some of those names could move to the bullpen and others may need more time in Triple-A. Adding a playoff-caliber arm to the rotation mix seems likely, whether that addition comes via free agency or trade.
Braves To Decline Club Option On Pierce Johnson
The Braves will decline their $7MM club option on right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’ll receive a $250K buyout and become a free agent. Johnson is the second affordable reliever whose 2026 option has been declined by Atlanta today. The Braves also opted for a buyout over exercising Tyler Kinley‘s $5.5MM option.
It’s a fairly surprising decision regarding Johnson, who’s pitched well in two-plus seasons with Atlanta — particularly in 2025. The 34-year-old righty was acquired from the Rockies at the 2023 deadline, posted a sub-1.00 ERA down the stretch and was rewarded with a two-year, $14MM contract. Johnson has pitched 115 1/3 innings of 3.36 ERA ball since putting pen to paper on that deal, including a 3.05 ERA in 59 1/3 frames this past season. He’s posted nice strikeout and walk rates overall, and in 2025 fanned one-quarter of his opponents against an 8% walk rate.
That said, Johnson will be 35 next May and is coming off a poor finish to his season. Nearly half the runs he allowed on the year came over the final month of play. From Aug. 25 onward, Johnson was rocked for nine runs on 19 hits and three walks. Four of those 19 knocks left the yard. His strikeout rate dropped nearly three percentage points, and his average fastball dipped by about 0.4 mph. Those aren’t necessarily catastrophic red flags, but it’s also surely not a finish with which he or the team is satisfied.
While both the Johnson and Kinley decisions are somewhat surprising in isolation, the broader trend of seeing teams turn down reasonably priced options early in an offseason has been around for several years. Just last offseason, we saw reasonably priced options on Colin Rea, Andrew Chafin and Danny Coulombe bought out. Those teams clearly preferred not to allocate notable resources to relievers who weren’t set to be key leverage arms in 2025 (though Johnson was a regular in high-leverage spots with Atlanta). Even as far back as 2020, Cleveland waived Brad Hand and bought him out rather than pick up a $10MM option.
It’s tempting to read a bit too deep into the Braves’ bullpen decisions today, but declining options on a pair of mid-30s relievers doesn’t necessarily serve as a portent for an uncharacteristically thrifty offseason. Atlanta is never a particularly big spender in free agency under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, but the Braves typically add a mid-tier free agent or two and are active on the trade market. More of the same could unfold. By forgoing the club options on Johnson and Kinley, their projected luxury tax number at the moment is around $197MM rather than nearly $209MM, per RosterResource.
As for Johnson, he’s coming off a nice run of two and a half seasons working as a setup man. He still sits 95-96 mph with his heater and still posted quality rate stats. He ought to command a big league deal in free agency, although the lack of a trade likely indicates that he might have a hard time exceeding the $7MM price point of his prior option.
With Johnson and Kinley out of the mix, the back-end of Atlanta’s bullpen includes Joe Jimenez, Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee. Anthopoulos & Co. will surely make further additions in the months ahead. The Braves have already been linked to a potential reunion with outgoing closer Raisel Iglesias, and there’s no shortage of veteran arms to peruse on this offseason’s open market.
Rays To Exercise Option On Brandon Lowe
The Rays have informed second baseman Brandon Lowe that they’ll exercise his $11.5MM club option for the 2026 season, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. It’s the final season on the extension Lowe signed back in March 2019. He’ll wind up having earned $45MM over the eight years on that deal. Lowe is slated to become a free agent next offseason.
There was never any doubt as to whether the option would be exercised. The 31-year-old Lowe has been a consistently above-average hitter throughout his big league tenure, dating all the way back to his MLB debut in 2018. That includes 2025, when Lowe slugged 31 home runs in just 134 games. The lefty-swinging slugger turned in an overall .256/.307/.477 batting line. While his 6.9% walk rate was the lowest of his career, Lowe’s 91.1 mph average exit velocity and 46.4% hard-hit rate were some of the best he’s posted in his eight major league seasons.
The only real uncertainty surrounding Lowe’s option was whether it’d be the Rays or another club picking it up. With just one more year of control on his deal and the Rays’ penchant for trading veteran players as the end of their control windows near, Lowe stands as an obvious trade candidate. Tampa Bay could’ve flipped him to another club before the option decision was due — they could still do the same with closer Pete Fairbanks and his still-pending $11MM option/$1MM buyout, it should be noted — but at least for the time being, Lowe will slot in as the projected second baseman next year.
[Related: Top 40 Trade Candidates of the 2025-26 MLB Offseason]
Over the course of his eight big league seasons, Lowe is a .247/.326/.481 hitter with 157 home runs, 126 doubles, 12 triples, 33 steals, a 9.4% walk rate and a 27.3% strikeout rate. He’s typically graded out as a solid defensive second baseman, though he was dogged by both Defensive Runs Saved (-14) and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (-13) during the 2025 season.
Lowe spent time on the injured list due to both oblique and ankle/foot injuries. It’s feasible that either or both could’ve impacted his performance on the defensive side of the coin. His defensive grades have fluctuated wildly on a year-to-year basis, which perhaps isn’t a major surprise for a player who’s previously been sidelined by back injuries, a bone bruise in his shin and, near the end of the 2023 season, a fractured right patella (kneecap).
Even if Lowe never reclaims his status as an above-average defender following that Sept. 2023 knee injury, his bat will keep him in major league lineups. A move to another position could eventually be possible, too. He’s logged more than 300 innings in the outfield corners over his career, though he’s no longer the above-average runner he was early on, ranking in the 36th percentile of position players with his 2025 sprint speed. Lowe has drawn fine grades in 155 innings at first base as well, and his 30-homer power would play well at that position if a full-time move is needed at any point.
Rays Exercise Option On Taylor Walls
The Rays and infielder Taylor Walls are in agreement on a deal for the 2026 season, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The team will be exercising the $2.45MM club option that covers Walls’ second arbitration season but is also adding a club option that proactively covers his third year in 2027. That option is valued at $3.1MM, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. Walls is represented by Vayner Sports.
The 29-year-old Walls led the team in shortstop appearances last season, providing quality glovework but little to no production in the batter’s box. The 2017 third-rounder was credited with a superlative 17 Defensive Runs Saved but turned in an anemic .220/.280/.319 line (66 wRC+) at the plate. He did draw walks at close to a league-average clip and has been well above average in that regard throughout his career as a whole. Walls also provided a bit of value on the bases, though his 14-for-20 showing in stolen base attempts wasn’t nearly as efficient as in the earlier years of his career; he entered the season with 52 steals in 62 tries.
Heading into 2026, Walls gives Tampa Bay some cover at shortstop in the event that top prospect Carson Williams needs more time in Triple-A. Williams made his big league debut this year but hit poorly in his first 32 games/106 MLB plate appearances, slashing only .172/.219/.354 with an alarming 41.5% strikeout rate. Williams spent the rest of the season in Triple-A and didn’t exactly light things up there either (.213/.318/.447), though he was just 21 years old for most of his time at the top minor league level.
Williams will head to spring training squarely in the mix for Tampa Bay’s Opening Day shortstop job, but if he struggles in Grapefruit League play, the Rays can send him back to Triple-A Durham for more seasoning and turn shortstop back over to Walls, knowing he’ll at least provide a quality glove and a bit of speed out of the ninth spot in the batting order while Williams rounds out his development. If Williams does nab the shortstop job from the jump next year, Walls can fill a utility role; he’s also drawn strong grades for his defense at second base and third base.
Walls’ 2026 club option contained a $50K buyout, so it was a net $2.4MM decision for the team. He’d have remained under club control even if the Rays had declined the option. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz had projected Walls for a $2MM salary, so the Rays either projected a higher number for Walls or picked up the option at a marginally higher-than-expected rate as a trade-off to secure another club option year at a relatively low rate.
That same scenario will hold true next winter as well. The Rays could decline the option and still keep Walls for a lesser amount in arbitration, depending on how his season plays out. Today’s deal doesn’t buy out any potential free agent seasons. Walls is still under club control through 2027 and is slated to become a free agent in the 2027-28 offseason.