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Rockies Designate Garrett Acton For Assignment

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The Rockies announced they’ve designated reliever Garrett Acton for assignment. That opens a 40-man roster spot for Willi Castro, who has officially signed the two-year deal to which he agreed a week ago.

Colorado claimed Acton off waivers from the Rays at the outset of the offseason. The 27-year-old righty had made one appearance with Tampa Bay, navigating around a couple walks to get through a scoreless inning against the Cubs on September 14. Acton was optioned back to Triple-A one day later. He spent the bulk of the season at the top minor league level, pitching to a 3.68 earned run average across 58 2/3 innings. He struck out more than 30% of opponents while walking 11.4% of batters faced.

Acton’s only other MLB experience comprised six games for the Athletics in 2023. He underwent Tommy John surgery midway through his rookie year and missed all of ’24 rehabbing. The Illinois product averaged 94 MPH on his fastball last year after sitting a tick higher before the surgery. He leans very heavily on the heater but has a mid-80s slider and changeup as well.

Colorado will trade Acton or place him back on waivers within the next five days. He has a couple minor league options remaining, so a team could keep him in Triple-A as long as they’re willing to carry him on the 40-man roster. He doesn’t have the previous career outright necessary to decline a minor league assignment if he goes unclaimed, in which case the Rockies would be able to bring him to camp as a non-roster invitee.

Mariners, Dane Dunning Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Mariners are in agreement with righty Dane Dunning on a minor league deal, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. That’ll presumably come with a non-roster invite for the Wasserman client.

Dunning is looking to rebound from a frustrating season. The former first-round draftee was limited to 12 big league appearances between the Braves and Rangers. He allowed a near-7.00 ERA across 20 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Dunning has spent the majority of his career as a starter and continued to work from the rotation in Triple-A. The results there were a little better, as he pitched to a 4.67 ERA with a league average 21.6% strikeout percentage and 7.6% walk rate across 69 1/3 frames.

The 31-year-old Dunning held a rotation spot for the Rangers from 2021-23. He fired a career-high 172 2/3 innings of 3.70 ERA ball for the World Series team in ’23. He has never had big velocity or strikeout ability, but he’s generally a solid strike-thrower who did a decent job avoiding hard contact during his best seasons. The home run ball has become a bigger issue over the past two years.

Dunning can work as long relief or rotation depth at Triple-A Tacoma. He’d probably need multiple Spring Training injuries to get consideration for an Opening Day roster spot. Dunning obviously wouldn’t crack Seattle’s rotation if their top five starters are healthy, and most of their projected bullpen is out of minor league options.

They don’t have an especially deep rotation beyond their excellent front five, however. Logan Evans and Emerson Hancock would be their next men up. Neither has found much success at the MLB level. Evans posted a 4.32 ERA with below-average strikeout stuff over his first 16 appearances. Hancock was pitching in short relief by the end of last season and might fit better there, as he has a near-5.00 ERA in 31 career starts. Rookie Blas Castaño and swingman Jhonathan Diaz are the other depth starters on the 40-man roster.

Mets Designate Richard Lovelady For Assignment

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The Mets designated lefty reliever Richard Lovelady for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man roster move for utility player Vidal Bruján, whom they acquired from Minnesota tonight.

Lovelady signed a split deal at the beginning of the offseason. He secured a spot on the 40-man at the time of signing but knew there was a decent chance he’d be dropped from the roster over the winter. The contract pays Lovelady a $1MM salary for time in the majors and a $350K rate in the minor leagues. He’s out of options, so the MiLB salary only becomes relevant if the team gets him through waivers at some point. Lovelady would have the right to elect free agency if he’s outrighted but would lose his salary, so the deal is structured to incentivize him to report to Triple-A.

The 30-year-old southpaw made eight appearances for the Mets and pitched twice for the Blue Jays last season. He combined for 11 2/3 innings and gave up 11 earned runs. Lovelady struck out 12 but issued 10 free passes — six via walk and four hit batters. That elevated his career earned run average to 5.35 across 111 innings.

Lovelady had a much better season in the minors. He tallied 38 innings of 1.66 ERA ball while striking out 26.3% of batters faced in Triple-A. The Mets like him as a depth option, so they’ll hope he clears waivers and sticks around in a non-roster capacity. A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley are slated to be the pair of southpaws in Carlos Mendoza’s season-opening bullpen.

Twins Trade Vidal Bruján To Mets

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The Twins announced they’ve traded infielder Vidal Bruján to the Mets for cash. Minnesota designated him for assignment yesterday when they acquired a different utility player, Tristan Gray, in a trade with Boston. The Mets have not announced the move and will need to designate someone themselves to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Bruján is on the move for the second time this offseason. He finished the season with Atlanta but was designated for assignment a couple weeks ago. The Twins snagged him off waivers. They’ll pick up a bit of cash out of the sequence but not much more, as they apparently prefer Gray as a depth infielder. That could be as much about roster flexibility as anything else. Bruján is out of minor league options, while Gray can be sent to Triple-A without going on waivers.

The switch-hitting Bruján was a top prospect during his time in the Tampa Bay system. His bat has stalled at the upper levels, and he’s a .199/.267/.276 hitter over parts of five seasons in the big leagues. Bruján has decent plate discipline and contact skills but rarely hits the ball hard. He has five home runs in 645 career plate appearances.

Bruján has shortstop experience but is stretched there defensively. He’s better suited at second base or bouncing around the outfield. While he was a plus runner as a prospect, Statcast graded his sprint speed as slightly below-average last year. The Mets subtracted infield depth when they swapped Luisangel Acuña to the White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. this week. Bruján backfills that to an extent even if he’s hardly guaranteed to stick on the roster.

Eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career, Bruján agreed to a split deal with Atlanta in November. He’d make $850K if he’s in the big leagues and be paid at a $500K rate in the minors. He can’t be sent to the minors without getting through waivers. Players who have less than five years of MLB service time would need to forfeit their salary if they reject an outright assignment. Bruján is unlikely to walk away from that higher than average Triple-A salary, so the Mets will probably try to get him through waivers before Opening Day and hope he sticks around in a non-roster capacity.

White Sox, LaMonte Wade Jr. Agree To Minor League Deal

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The White Sox are in agreement with first baseman/corner outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. on a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. A client of Covenant Sports Group, Wade will be in MLB camp as a non-roster invitee.

Wade is a veteran of parts of seven MLB seasons. He has spent most of the past few seasons as the Giants’ primary first baseman, at least against right-handed pitching. Wade was an above-average hitter as recently as 2024, when he put up a .260/.380/.381 slash line across 401 plate appearances. It was his second consecutive season with excellent on-base marks in a platoon role. Wade combined to hit .258/.376/.401 between 2023-24. Among hitters with 800+ trips to the plate, he ranked 11th in on-base percentage.

Everything went off the rails last year. Wade hit .167 with a .275 OBP over 50 games for San Francisco. They traded for Rafael Devers at designated hitter and eventually signed Dominic Smith to play first base. Wade was designated for assignment as the corresponding move for the Smith acquisition.

The Angels rolled the dice on a change of scenery, acquiring Wade out of DFA limbo in a small trade. They got him into 30 games over two months, but he hit .169/.260/.215 and was released in August. That ended his season with a .167/.271/.254 slash over 242 plate appearances. That kind of production obviously isn’t going to cut it, but there’s minimal risk for the Sox in giving him a look during camp to see if an offseason gets him back on track.

Munetaka Murakami will get everyday work at first base. The designated hitter spot will probably be divided between young catchers Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero. A rebuilding team isn’t going to press the 32-year-old Wade into the lineup over their younger hitters, but he could earn a spot as a left-handed bat on a bench that skews heavily to the right side. There’s also a wide open competition for playing time in right field, though GM Chris Getz left the door open to an outfield pickup after trading Luis Robert Jr. on Tuesday.

Poll: Who Will Sign Eugenio Suarez?

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With Cody Bellinger now off the market, just one impact bat remains available in free agency: third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Coming off a 49-homer campaign in 2025, the 34-year-old seemed to be one of the premier mid-tier free agents available in free agency this winter. His market has been rather quiet for most of the winter, however. Some of that can surely be attributed to age, as teams are often hesitant about how strikeout-heavy sluggers like Suarez will age as they enter their mid-thirties. A tough stretch run in Seattle where Suarez hit just .189/.255/.428 across 53 games following a midseason trade might also raise some eyebrows. Even so, the upside Suarez demonstrated last year is tremendous and could be a game changer for a lineup in need of a boost. The question is: which team will step up to land him? A look at some of the options:

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are a somewhat obvious fit for Suarez’s services after the club missed out on reuniting with Alex Bregman earlier this month. That leaves a clear hole in the team’s infield, and Suarez is by far the best option to plug that hole remaining on the free agent market. The slugger would also offer home run power that the team lacked throughout 2025, a deficiency that led them to get involved in the markets for Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso earlier this winter. With that said, however, the team’s pivot towards signing Ranger Suarez after missing on Bregman has been coupled with a focus on pitching and run prevention. Suarez is a lackluster defender at third base already and those skills only figure to decline as he ages, so the Red Sox might prefer to pursue the trade market, where younger players like Nico Hoerner, Isaac Paredes, and Brendan Donovan could be available.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates stand out as an excellent fit for Suarez on paper. After trading Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds last summer, they have a gaping hole at third base that Suarez could fill. Adding Suarez to the lineup would also lend credibility to the Pirates’ effort to contend this year. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz are a solid group of bats in the heart of Pittsburgh’s order, but a big righty bat to help balance those lefties out a bit more would go a long way to adding some credibility to the club’s lineup. The biggest question for Pittsburgh might be whether the sides can find common ground at all; the Pirates have already spent quite a bit more than usual this winter, and it’s unclear where exactly their limit for spending is. From Suarez’s perspective, meanwhile, he might prefer to sign with a more surefire contender if Pittsburgh isn’t the clear best offer available to him.

Seattle Mariners

Early in the offseason, it seemed likely that Suarez would be headed elsewhere after the 2025 season. That’s sensible enough, as he had just wrapped up his second stint in Seattle and struggled with elevated strikeout rates relative to his career norms both times thanks to the difficult hitting environment at T-Mobile Park. Once Jorge Polanco signed elsewhere, however, reporting suggested an openness on the part of Seattle to reuniting with Suarez, as he could serve as a bridge to the team’s up-and-coming young infielders in Cole Young and Colt Emerson. While Suarez’s past struggles in Seattle create some cause for concern, it’s nonetheless not hard to see him putting together another solid season like the one he delivered for the Mariners in 2022, when he swatted 31 homers with a 132 wRC+ despite a strikeout rate north of 30%.

Other Options

While the above three teams are the most obvious fits for Suarez’s services, they aren’t the only plausible options. The Cubs were connected to Suarez earlier this winter. The Reds are very familiar with the slugger and spent the early part of the offseason looking to add a power-hitting bat to the middle of their lineup. The Phillies tried to sign Bo Bichette early this month but came up empty in those efforts. The Padres could use a big bat for first base or DH, particularly one that bats righty to complement Gavin Sheets. The Marlins have an affinity for high-powered, strikeout-heavy sluggers (Kyle Stowers, Owen Caissie) and a hole at third base that Suarez could credibly fill. The A’s recently tried to land Nolan Arenado to fill their hole at third base, and Suarez would be a great fit at the team’s homer-friendly ballpark.

All of those potential suitors come with caveats, however. The Cubs seem far less likely to be interested in Suarez after adding Bregman, and would need to push top prospect Moises Ballesteros out of the lineup to make room for him. The Reds have seemed reluctant to spend big this winter after missing out on Schwarber. The Phillies pivoted from Bichette to J.T. Realmuto and might not have room in the budget to pursue Suarez, especially if they can’t trade Alec Bohm. It’s unclear if the Padres have the budget space to mount a credible pursuit of Suarez, either. The same goes for the Marlins and the A’s, with both teams also suffering from the same flaw as Pittsburgh as teams that could be unappealing to free agents due to their struggles to contend in recent years.

Where do MLBTR readers think Suarez will ultimately land? Will he replace Bregman in Boston, transform the Pirates’ lineup, or return to Seattle? Is there another team out there that could sneak into the sweepstakes as a dark horse and come out on top? Have your say in the poll below:

Nationals Designate Riley Adams For Assignment

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The Nationals announced that catcher Riley Adams has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move for their claim of right-hander Gus Varland, which was previously reported.

Adams, 30 in June, has been with the Nats for the past four-plus years. Originally drafted by the Blue Jays, he came to Washington in the 2021 deadline deal which sent lefty Brad Hand to Toronto.

He was mostly an up-and-down guy through the end of 2024, never appearing in more than 48 games in any individual campaign. He exhausted his final option in 2024 but stuck on the roster through the 2025 season. Overall, he has appeared in 263 big league games with 849 plate appearances. He has shown a bit of pop by hitting 21 home runs but also struck out at a 32.5% clip. He has a .211/.287/.354 line and 78 wRC+. Outlets such as FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Statcast have all graded him as a poor defender.

The Nats acquired catcher Harry Ford from the Mariners in the Jose A. Ferrer deal last month. Ford should share the bulk of the big league playing time behind the plate with Keibert Ruiz. Even if Ford needs more time in the minors, the Nats also have Drew Millas and Mickey Gasper on the 40-man roster. Millas and Gasper have options, so perhaps that led to Adams getting squeezed out.

Back in November, Adams and the Nationals avoided arbitration by agreeing to a split deal which would pay him $1MM in the majors and $500K in the minors. Since his service time is at least three years but below five, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment but would have to walk away from that money in exercising that right. It seems there’s a decent chance he’ll end up sticking with the Nats as non-roster depth after clearing waivers.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Cubs, Chas McCormick Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs are signing free agent outfielder Chas McCormick to a minor league contract and inviting him to major league camp this spring, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The Covenant Sports client was outrighted by the Astros following the 2025 season and became a free agent.

McCormick, 31, had a few good years with the Astros but is coming off a couple of poor seasons. He got into 342 games for Houston from 2021 to 2023, stepping to the plate 1,184 times. His 27.6% strikeout rate in that time was high but his 9.4% walk rate was good and he popped 50 home runs. That led to a combined .259/.336/.449 slash line and 120 wRC+.

His 2023 season was particularly good. He hit 22 home runs and stole 19 bases. He slashed .273/.353/.489 for a 132 wRC+. He got strong grades at all three outfield spots, spending most of his time in center. FanGraphs credited him with 3.3 wins above replacement for the year.

He’s been in quite a trough since then, unfortunately. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has a dismal .211/.273/.301 line. He hit just six home runs in his 386 plate appearances and also only drew walks at a 6.8% clip. As mentioned, he was passed through waivers and elected free agency at the end of the 2025 season.

For the Cubs, there’s no harm in bringing him aboard in a non-roster capacity for some extra outfield depth. They have let Kyle Tucker depart in free agency, which has opened the door for Seiya Suzuki to move from the designated hitter spot to right field. He’ll be next to center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and left fielder Ian Happ.

They will need a fourth outfielder and have some candidates. Kevin Alcántara and Justin Dean are currently on the 40-man roster. Matt Shaw also might get some outfield playing time in a utility capacity, now that Alex Bregman has been signed to play third base.

McCormick gives the club another name to throw into the mix there. His righty bat could give him a leg up in the competition for a bench spot. He has a career .280/.353/.493 line and 137 wRC+ against lefties. Crow-Armstrong had a breakout season last year but put up a rough .188/.217/.376 line against southpaws.

Alcántara is also right-handed but the Cubs might prefer to have him getting regular playing time in the minors. He has used three options but may qualify for a fourth, so perhaps the Cubs will be able to send him down. Dean also swings from the right side but doesn’t have McCormick’s track record of major league success. He also has options and could be sent down alongside Alcantara.

McCormick would also have options if added to the roster, though with a catch. His service time count is at four years and 161 days. With 11 more days in the majors, he would get to five years and earn the right to not be optioned without his consent.

Ultimately, McCormick will still have to earn a job, but he’s a nice fit for Chicago’s current group. If things go well and he has a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained for 2027 via arbitration.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Phillies Re-Sign Tim Mayza To Minor League Deal

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The Phillies have re-signed veteran lefty Tim Mayza to a minor league contract, reports Matt Gelb of The Athletic. He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee next month. Mayza is represented by Covenant Sports Group.

A veteran of eight big league seasons, Mayza finished the 2025 campaign with Philadelphia after coming over in a trade from the Pirates. He spent the bulk of the 2025 season on the injured list but appeared in 15 games between the two clubs and logged a 3.78 ERA in 16 1/3 frames. Dating back to 2021, the southpaw carries a 3.49 earned run average, 22.2% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 55% ground-ball rate in 214 1/3 major league innings.

Mayza, who turned 34 last week, still stands as something of a rebound candidate — despite that solid track record. In addition to missing the bulk of the 2025 season due to a lat strain, the longtime Blue Jays southpaw was roughed up for a 6.33 ERA in 42 2/3 innings between Toronto and the Bronx in 2024. His last full, healthy and productive season came with Toronto in 2023, when he turned in 53 1/3 innings with a tiny 1.52 ERA, a 24.7% strikeout rate, a 7% walk rate and a huge 58.2% ground-ball rate.

Mayza typically sits 93-94 mph with a sinker he throws more than two-thirds of the time. (He averaged 93.6 mph on the pitch in 2025.) He’s a two-pitch lefty, complementing that worm-burning two-seamer with a slider that generally sits 86-87 mph (87.1 mph in ’25). Right-handed batters have typically had little trouble handling Mayza, evidenced by a career .281/.350/.474 batting line against him. Conversely, left-handers probably wonder why they even bother when he’s on the mound; Mayza has held same-handed opponents to an awful .214/.266/.304 batting line in his career.

Philadelphia has a pair of quality left-handers — Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks — in what should be a terrific bullpen overall. Beyond those two southpaws, the Phils boast a contingent of righties including Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller and Orion Kerkering. The final few spots in the ’pen are somewhat up for grabs. Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley and journeyman Zach Pop (who signed a split major league deal this winter) feel particularly vulnerable if someone like Mayza or another in-house candidate enjoys a big spring performance.

Tigers, Corey Julks Agree To Minor League Deal

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3:15pm: Julks does indeed get an invite to big league camp, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, and will make $875K if he cracks the roster.

11:51am: The Tigers have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent outfielder Corey Julks, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’ll presumably be in big league camp as a non-roster player.

Julks, 30 next month, has seen big league time in three consecutive seasons — albeit just 13 plate appearances with the White Sox this past season. He’s played roughly the equivalent of one full major league season, appearing in 165 games and tallying 565 plate appearances as a big leaguer. In that time, he’s slashed .234/.288/.337 with nine homers, 23 doubles, 20 steals (in 25 tries), a 7% walk rate and a 24.4% strikeout rate. Julks became a free agent after the White Sox passed him through outright waivers following the 2025 season.

It’s middling big league production, but Julks has a long history of producing at the Triple-A level, where he’s spent parts of four seasons and slashed .279/.365/.486. Julks belted 31 homers and swiped 22 bags with the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate back in 2022, and by measure of wRC+, he’s been at least 18% better than average at the plate in all four of his Triple-A campaigns.

Julks doesn’t have a significant platoon split in his fairly limited MLB time — he’s been below average against both lefties and righties — but he’s a right-handed bat who’s pummeled lefties in recent minor league seasons. He slashed .301/.377/.484 against southpaws this past season and hit them at a .297/.381/.424 clip the year prior.

Defensively, Julks has experience at all three outfield spots but has primarily played the corners. He was credited with above-average sprint speed and arm strength in 2023-24 but below-average range in the outfield. He’s also played 415 innings at third base and another 28 at second base in the minors, but he’s primarily a corner outfielder who at best can make an emergency cameo at another spot on the diamond.

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