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The Opener: Yankees, DFA Resolution, Outfield Market

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

1. Yankees to hold press conference:

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is set to hold a press conference later today, as noted by Joel Sherman of The New York Post. The conference is surely going to focus on outfielder Cody Bellinger’s return to the organization after he re-upped with the team on a five-year deal last week. That deal became official on Monday, which opens the door for Cashman to speak more candidly about not only that deal, but the team’s roster and direction as a whole. Today’s press conference could offer insight into how the team plans to juggle playing time between the primary starters in the outfield (Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Aaron Judge) and the up-and-coming youngsters on the roster like Spencer Jones and Jasson Dominguez. It’s also possible Cashman could indicate whether the team is done adding, or if there could be an addition or two yet to come prior to Spring Training.

2. DFA Resolution today:

The Mets designated infielder Tsung-Che Cheng for assignment one week ago today in a move that made room for right-hander Luis García on the 40-man roster. Since then, Cheng has remained in DFA limbo without certainty about where he’ll be playing next. That uncertainty figures to end today, as Cheng will either officially pass through waivers (allowing the Mets to outright him to the minors as non-roster depth) or be claimed by another a team and added to their 40-man roster. Cheng made his big league debut in Pittsburgh last year and made it into just three games. The Taiwan native is a career .218/.319/.280 hitter at Triple-A but is still just 24 years old and a quality defender all around the infield. He also has options remaining, which could make him an attractive depth piece for clubs short on infield help. Of course, his lack of hitting chops might make some teams shy away from committing a 40-man spot to him, even with his other attractive qualities.

3. Who’s left on the outfield market?

In recent days, we’ve seen not only Bellinger but also center fielder Harrison Bader come off the board in free agency. Those two were the best options in center remaining on the open market, and the pickings are fairly slim at this point even among corner bats. Veterans like Mike Tauchman, Tommy Pham, Starling Marte, and Randal Grichuk aren’t exactly the most exciting players at this point in their careers, but they can offer stability and consistency when healthy. Meanwhile, Miguel Andujar and Austin Hays are among the top players available still in their primes. The free agent market also features a few possible bounce back candidates, such as Michael Conforto and Jesse Winker. Teams that could still use some level of help in the outfield include the Guardians, Royals, Mets, Astros, and Phillies.

Poll: Will The Yankees Trade From Their Outfield?

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After a winter-long staring contest between the Yankees and Cody Bellinger’s camp, the sides have finally reunited on a five-year pact. It’s great news for a Yankees lineup that benefited greatly from Bellinger’s production (125 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR) in 2025, but that news isn’t quite as exciting for the Yankees’ young outfielders. With Trent Grisham (129 wRC+, 3.2 fWAR) back in town via the qualifying offer, Bellinger’s return means it will be tough for former top prospect Jasson Dominguez and current top prospect Spencer Jones to push their way into the lineup.

That might not seem like a significant concern at first glance. After all, the Yankees have only returned the same group of outfielders they worked with last year, and playing time wasn’t a substantial concern for either Jones or Dominguez then. That’s an incomplete look at the situation, however. Slugging DH Giancarlo Stanton missed the first half of the season last year due to an injury impacting both of his elbows, which created ample playing time in the first half of the season for Dominguez. Jones, meanwhile, opened the year at Double-A and wasn’t realistically on the big league radar until near the end of 2025. By the time the trade deadline had passed (Aaron Judge’s brief trip to the injured list notwithstanding), New York was forced to get creative and use Ben Rice behind the plate on occasion just to fit all their players into the lineup.

While that’s not entirely a bad problem to have, it can be challenging for a young player to develop and succeed at the big league level without consistent playing time. That could spell trouble for Dominguez, whose 2025 campaign saw him post a 103 wRC+ with ten homers, 23 steals, and 0.6 fWAR due to lackluster defense in the outfield. That’s decent enough production for a rookie, but not exactly the sort of five-tool superstar he was once lauded as. Getting closer to that ceiling will surely require plenty of in-game reps, and it’s fair to wonder if the team will have enough of those to offer him at this point without an injury occurring. That’s before even considering Jones, who slugged 19 homers in 67 games at Triple-A last year and will certainly be ready for his first taste of big league action sometime this year (if he isn’t already).

With Bellinger, Judge, and Stanton all locked into the outfield/DH mix for years to come while Grisham figures to continue getting regular reps this season, the argument for a trade is fairly clear. If the Yankees could find substantial value on the trade market, it could make plenty of sense to upgrade the infield (where Jose Caballero and Ryan McMahon figure to kick off the season as regulars on the left side), a bullpen that lost both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to the Mets across town, or even a starting rotation that will be without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon to open the year.

With that said, it’s unclear just how available many interesting players are at this point. The Yankees missed out on Freddy Peralta and Edward Cabrera already. Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan are not expected to be moved as the Twins work towards competing this year. Someone like Brady Singer could still be available, but it seems unlikely that the Yankees would give up five seasons of Dominguez (never mind six of Jones) for a rental innings eater. Brendan Donovan is available, but he’s been pursued by many teams at this point. Unless the Yankees win the bidding war for Donovan or a shock trade of someone like Tarik Skubal happens, it’s unclear where the Yankees could look to move Dominguez or Jones without selling low.

Perhaps  the Yankees would be best off holding onto both youngsters, at least for the time being. After all, it’s not impossible to imagine playing time opening up in the team’s outfield. Stanton, Judge, and even Bellinger have substantial injury histories, while Grisham was a bench player as recently as 2024. Bellinger is also capable of handling first base, so there are ways to squeeze another outfielder into the lineup even without sitting anyone from that group. Keeping both Jones and Dominguez in order to utilize them as trade chips come July could make sense, as more acute needs could pop up throughout the season due to injuries or other issues. On the other hand, if the team keeps both players in the fold throughout the first half, Grisham would then be only a couple of months away from free agency. At that point, the team might be best served simply holding both players for the whole season.

How do MLBTR readers think the Yankees will handle their glut of outfielders? Should they try and pull off a trade to make sure neither Jones nor Dominguez has their development stunted by a lack of MLB playing time? Or should they hold onto their depth to protect against injuries, at least until the deadline this summer? Have your say in the poll below:

Mets, Grae Kessinger Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mets are in agreement with infielder Grae Kessinger on a minor league contract, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. A client of O’Connell Sports Management, he’ll be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Kessinger is a former second-round pick who played in 48 games with the Astros between 2023-24. The right-handed hitting utilityman batted .131 with one home run over 70 trips to the plate. Kessinger has had a light bat throughout his minor league career as well, batting .234/.335/.361 over 403 games. His Triple-A production is more respectable but came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Houston designated Kessinger for assignment last offseason. They traded him to the Diamondbacks, who optioned him to Triple-A to begin the season. He played in 11 minor league games before being designated for assignment in the middle of April. Kessinger was on the injured list at the time, so the D-Backs released him. The team never announced what injury he had suffered, but he remained unsigned for the rest of the season.

In any case, it seems the 28-year-old is healthy again and will take aim at a bench spot in Queens. He’s unlikely to provide much offensively but can play anywhere on the infield. Kessinger joins Christian Arroyo and Jackson Cluff as non-roster infielders behind Ronny Mauricio and the out-of-options Vidal Bruján. Tsung-Che Cheng would also be in the mix if he gets through DFA limbo. The Mets designated him for assignment last Wednesday, meaning he’s currently on waivers. They should announce tomorrow whether he has been claimed or cleared, in which case he’d also get a non-roster invite to Spring Training.

MLB Sets August 3 Trade Deadline For 2026 Season

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Major League Baseball has informed teams that this year’s trade deadline will be Monday, August 3 at 6:00 pm Eastern, reports Robert Murray of FanSided.  It’s pushed back a few days relative to last season’s deadline, which was on the final Thursday in July.

MLB prefers to have the deadline on weekdays. They set the cutoff in the evening so there are no ongoing games. That reduces the chances of a player being traded mid-game and “hug watch” scenarios. MLB has at least one day game scheduled for each of July 29-31 of the preceding week. There are getaway games on Wednesday and Thursday, while the Cubs are hosting the Yankees for a standard Wrigley Field day game on Friday, July 31. It seems MLB preferred to push back a few days, as all eight games on August 3 begin at 6:40 Eastern or later.

The flexible deadline is a feature of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement. Under previous CBAs, there was a fixed July 31 deadline. MLB now has the freedom to set the deadline on any date between July 28 and August 3. This is the first time that MLB has chosen the latest available date.

Mariners Designate Jackson Kowar For Assignment

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The Mariners announced they’ve designated reliever Jackson Kowar for assignment. That opens a 40-man roster spot for catcher Jhonny Pereda, whom they acquired from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations. Minnesota had designated Pereda for assignment last week when they signed free agent catcher Victor Caratini to a two-year contract.

Kowar, 29, is a former supplemental first-round pick of the Royals. He allowed 79 runs in 74 innings over parts of three seasons with Kansas City. They swapped him to the Braves for injured starter Kyle Wright over the 2023-24 offseason. Kowar’s time with the organization lasted less than a month, as the Braves flipped him to Seattle as part of the multi-player deal that sent Jarred Kelenic to Atlanta.

It was a change-of-scenery sequence involving a number of former high draft picks, but none of the players involved performed as hoped. Kowar blew out during his first Spring Training as a member of the Mariners. He underwent Tommy John surgery and was out of action until May ’25. He was on and off the active roster for the next few months until suffering a season-ending shoulder impingement in August.

Kowar has ultimately made just 15 appearances in a Seattle uniform. He allowed eight runs over 17 innings, walking seven while recording 15 strikeouts. The Florida product gave up nine runs (five earned) across 16 Triple-A innings. He has an 8.21 earned run average with a 20.3% strikeout rate and elevated 13.1% walk percentage across 91 MLB innings.

Primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher earlier in his career, Kowar cut back on the change while ramping up his slider usage last season. It resulted in a few more whiffs in his Triple-A time, though his control remains an issue. He sits around 97 MPH with the fastball and could intrigue teams based on the arm speed and his draft pedigree despite the grisly MLB numbers. He’s out of options, so he’d need to break camp or again be designated for assignment if another team is willing to give him an offseason 40-man spot.

Pereda is a well-traveled depth catcher who has divided his 48 major league games between three teams. He debuted with 20 appearances for the Marlins two seasons ago and combined for 28 games between the A’s and Minnesota last year. The 29-year-old (30 in April) has hit .241 without a home run in 118 major league plate appearances. He has a strong upper minors track record, batting .296/.392/.419 in just shy of 1000 career Triple-A plate appearances.

The Venezuelan-born Pereda has a good arm and a generally solid defensive reputation. He also has a minor league option, so the M’s can send him back to Triple-A for the 2026 season. They signed Andrew Knizner to a $1MM free agent deal to work behind Cal Raleigh. Trading Harry Ford had left them without any other catchers on the 40-man roster. Pereda has a leg up on non-roster invitee Nick Raposo as the top depth option in case either of their MLB catchers suffer an injury. Knizner is a career .211/.281/.316 hitter, so it’s not out of the question that Pereda outplays him for the backup job during the season.

Make Or Break Year: Nolan Gorman

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The Cardinals have more firmly committed to a retool than they did last offseason. They treated last season primarily as an evaluation year but weren’t as aggressive in selling off veteran pieces as they’ve been this winter. Unfortunately, they didn’t see any development from former first-round picks and top prospects Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman. They’re in a similar position now as they were 12 months ago, though the pressure is probably ramping up on both players.

MLBTR examined Walker’s situation as the ’25 season was nearing its end. He’ll enter camp as the everyday right fielder but needs to take a major step forward if he’s to project as a regular on the 2027 team. There might be even more urgency for Gorman, who is two years older than Walker and has more than 1500 major league plate appearances under his belt. He’ll turn 26 in May. If there’s a breakout season in the cards, it probably needs to be now.

The opportunity should be there. After more than a year of trade rumors, the Cards lined up the Nolan Arenado deal a couple weeks ago. Third base is open, at least in the short term. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt is on the doorstep of the majors and may even play his way onto the Opening Day roster. There’s a good chance the Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan within the next two months, though, which would open second base for Wetherholt. That’d leave Gorman competing with Thomas Saggese for playing time at the hot corner.

Saggese has a strong minor league track record, but his very aggressive approach probably leaves him in a utility role. Gorman has flashed a higher ceiling, yet it’s a couple seasons in the rearview. He hit 14 home runs in 89 games as a rookie, then slugged 27 longballs with a .236/.328/.478 slash line in year two. Gorman entered the 2024 season as a .232/.317/.454 hitter with 41 homers in his first season and a half as a big leaguer.

There was a significant amount of swing-and-miss, but Gorman’s power was enough to fit in the middle third of a lineup. That hasn’t been the case over the past two seasons. Gorman has taken roughly 800 trips to the plate in that time. His batting average and on-base percentage have dropped by 30 points each, while his slugging mark has fallen by more than 50 points. Gorman carries a .204/.284/.385 slash going back to the beginning of 2024.

His general profile is much the same as it was early in his career. The lefty hitter has a reasonably patient approach and works a decent number of walks, but his pure bat-to-ball ability is subpar. That’s probably not going to change as he gets into his late 20s. He needs to do damage when he does make contact. A combined 33 homers over his past 218 games isn’t enough.

 

Gorman battled a couple injuries last year. He missed time early in the season with a hamstring strain and was sidelined by lower back pain around the All-Star Break. The actual injured list stint was minimal, but it’s possible he was playing at less than full strength for the final two months. He finished the season with a .187/.278/.323 line while striking out at a near-40% rate in 45 games after returning from the IL stint. Gorman has battled intermittent back discomfort for a few seasons.

Whatever the cause, Gorman’s bat speed has gone slightly in the wrong direction. He’s still pulling a lot of balls to right field, which is where he’s most likely to hit for power, but it’s not with the same authority as he did in 2023. He also dramatically scaled back how often he swings at the first pitch and hunts pitches in the heart of the plate. That earned him a few more walks than he took the year before, but it’s not ideal for putting him in positions to drive the ball.

Gorman has between three and four years of service time. He’s playing on a $2.655MM arbitration salary. He still has a couple minor league option years remaining, so he’s not on the roster bubble right now. A third straight replacement level performance would make him a likely non-tender next offseason, however.

Image courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images.

Rockies, Patrick Weigel Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies and right-hander Patrick Weigel have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Sammon doesn’t specify if the GSI client will be receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.

Weigel, 31, made four big league appearances a few years ago. One of those came with Atlanta in 2020 and three with Milwaukee in 2021. Put together, he allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings via six hits, seven walks and one hit-by-pitch while striking out nine opponents. The Brewers outrighted him off the roster in 2021. Since then, he has been bouncing around professional baseball by playing in the minor leagues, indy ball and the Mexican League.

He spent 2025 with the Nationals on a minor league deal, tossing 33 2/3 innings out of their Triple-A bullpen. He threw his slider 62.2% of the time, followed by his sinker at 27% and a changeup at just a 0.5% clip.

There’s no doubting that his 8.29 earned run average was poor but there were some more encouraging things under the hood. He struck out a strong 29.3% of batters faced. His 10.3% walk rate was a bit high but not by too much. His .346 batting average on balls in play allowed and 51.2% strand rate were both to the unfortunate side. His ten home runs allowed also played a role in putting more runs on the board, though that was an unusually high number for him, as was his 27% home run to flyball ratio.

The Rockies are one of the clubs most in need of arms. As a team, they had a 5.99 ERA last year, easily the worst in the majors. They have made a few additions this winter. They signed Michael Lorenzen in free agency. They acquired Brennan Bernardino in a trade with the Red Sox. They claimed Keegan Thompson off waivers from the Reds. They took RJ Petit from the Tigers in the Rule 5 draft.

They have also bolstered the non-roster depth by signing John Brebbia, Parker Mushinski, Ryan Miller and now Weigel to minor league deals. Those arms will be looking to earn jobs on the roster throughout the season. If Weigel makes it, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of John David Mercer, Imagn Images

Rays, Cam Booser Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rays have agreed to a minor league contract with left-handed reliever Cam Booser, per the team transaction log at MLB.com. He’s a client of Northwest Sports Management. The log doesn’t specify as much, but MLBTR has confirmed that Booser will be in major league camp with the Rays as a non-roster invitee.

Booser, 33, spent the 2025 campaign with the White Sox organization, tossing 31 innings in the majors and another 14 2/3 frames in Triple-A. That was his second season with big league work, adding onto the 42 2/3 frames he logged with Boston in 2024. In 73 2/3 innings between the BoSox and ChiSox, Booser carries a 4.28 earned run average, a 23.9% strikeout rate and a 10.7% walk rate. He’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher, inducing grounders at just a 31% clip.

Booser sits 95.5 mph with his four-seamer and complements the pitch with a cutter averaging 88 mph and a slider that sits 81.7 mph. His solid strikeout rate is supported by a 13% swinging-strike rate in the majors, and his 89.5 mph average exit velocity, 10.4% barrel rate and 38.9% hard-hit rate are all at or close to the league average among relievers. Booser has never struggled to miss bats much in the minors, but command troubles have been present throughout his professional career.

After trading Mason Montgomery in the three-team swap that sent Brandon Lowe to Pittsburgh and brought Jacob Melton from Houston to Tampa Bay, the Rays’ only lefty in the bullpen is Garrett Cleavinger. They don’t have any left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster in the minors, though any of Joe Rock, Ian Seymour or DFA pickup Ken Waldichuk could conceivably work out in relief if the team prefers to explore a role change. All three are on the 40-man roster.

The Rays haven’t been especially active in bringing players aboard on non-roster deals with invitations to spring training, so at the moment Booser is one of the more experienced NRIs who’ll be in camp with Tampa Bay. That can always change in the weeks ahead, of course, but barring the addition of another lefty or two, the hard-throwing Booser probably has a chance to force his way into the Opening Day picture with a big spring showing.

Nationals Outright Andry Lara

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The Nationals announced that right-hander Andry Lara has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Rochester. He had been designated for assignment a week ago when the club claimed utility player Mickey Gasper.

Lara, 23, was an international signing out of Venezuela in 2019. He had a bit of a breakout in 2024, tossing 134 2/3 innings over 25 starts between High-A and Double-A. He allowed 3.34 earned runs per nine with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. The Nats gave him a 40-man spot in November of that year to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

His 2025 wasn’t as pleasant. He did get to make his major league debut but posted an 8.79 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. Down on the farm, he had a 7.55 ERA in 56 innings split between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A.

That performance bumped him off Washington’s roster and none of the other 29 clubs were willing to give him a spot either. Since this is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, he does not have the right to elect free agency. He will stick with the Nats and try to pitch his way back onto the roster.

The club is rebuilding and had a collective 5.35 ERA in 2025. This winter, they have thinned out the staff by trading away MacKenzie Gore and Jose A. Ferrer. They have also made a few additions by signing Foster Griffin, claiming Gus Varland and selecting Griff McGarry in the Rule 5 draft. On the whole, the staff is lacking in experience and very few guys have spots locked down, so there are paths for Lara or other pitchers to take advantage of the situation.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Yankees Claim Dom Hamel; Designate Marco Luciano, Jayvien Sandridge For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they have claimed right-hander Dom Hamel off waivers from the Rangers. They also designated left-hander Jayvien Sandridge and outfielder Marco Luciano for assignment. The two DFAs open roster spots for Hamel and for Cody Bellinger, whose five-year deal was made official yesterday. Texas designated Hamel for assignment a week ago when they signed Jakob Junis.

Hamel, 27 in March, just made his major league debut not too long ago. He tossed a scoreless inning for the Mets on September 17th, which is still his only big league appearance. Shortly thereafter, the Mets put him on waivers, with the Orioles and Rangers claiming him in quick succession. Texas held him for a few months but put him back on the wire this week.

The righty came up through the Mets’ system as a starting pitcher but a lack of control pushed him to the bullpen in 2025. He logged 67 2/3 innings over 31 Triple-A appearances last year. 11 of those were officially starts but they were mostly in opener style. His 5.32 earned run average wasn’t great but he did strike out 25.2% of batters faced and showed improved control with a 7.4% walk rate. His four-seamer and sinker both averaged in the low 90s while he also mixed in a cutter, slider and changeup.

Hamel still has a couple of options, so the Yankees could keep him as depth in the minors. They could also try putting him back on waivers in the future. He doesn’t have a previous career outright and has less than three years of service time, which means he would not have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Speaking of players getting put back on waivers, that’s been the story of Luciano’s offseason. Once a top prospect, his stock has dropped as he has exhausted his option years. That has pushed him to a fringe roster position and it seems that there are several clubs hoping to be the one to pass him through waivers, at which point he could be kept in the minors as non-roster depth. He finished the 2025 season with the Giants but has subsequently gone to the Pirates, Orioles and Yankees via the waiver wire.

He has a rough career batting line of .217/.286/.304 in his big league career while striking out in 35.7% of his plate appearances. His Triple-A line of .227/.351/.401 is better but came in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League and still saw him strike out 29.6% of the time. He was moved from the middle infield to left field last year, which only put more pressure on him to produce offensively.

The numbers have not been great but Luciano is only 24 years old and was a top 100 prospect not too long ago. His service time is still under a year, meaning he can theoretically be retained for six full seasons by some club. It’s understandable that teams would hope to have that player on hand in case he does finally break out. Now that he’s in DFA limbo once more, he will be on the move again or outrighted in the next week.

Sandridge, 27 next month, got a major league roster spot for the first time with the Yankees last year. He made just one appearance, which came against the Mets on July 5th. He was given a rude awakening, as he walked Juan Soto and then allowed a home run to Pete Alonso. He settled down somewhat by striking out Brandon Nimmo and Mark Vientos, but then walked Luis Torrens and hit Jeff McNeil with a pitch before being removed.

That one appearance has some commonalities with his minor league track record, which has featured lots of strikeouts but a lack of control. He tossed 36 2/3 innings on the farm for the Yankees last year with a 4.66 ERA. He struck out 32.7% of batters faced but issued 19 walks, an 11.4% pace. He also hit three more batters and tossed six wild pitches. He averaged around 95 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a splitter and slider.

He will now be in DFA limbo for a week at most. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Yankees could take five days to field trade interest, but they could also put him on the wire sooner. Since he has a couple of options, he could have appeal if there’s a club that is both intrigued by the arsenal and looking for some extra relief depth.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

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