Orioles Acquire Jayvien Sandridge
The Orioles are acquiring left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from the Angels in exchange for cash, per an announcement from both teams. The Orioles had open space on their 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary to complete the transaction. Sandridge was designated for assignment by the Halos just before Opening Day.
More to come.
Angels Select Shaun Anderson
The Angels announced this afternoon that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Shaun Anderson. In a corresponding move, right-hander Victor Mederos was designated for assignment.
Anderson, 31, is entering what will be his 7th season as a big leaguer. A third-round pick by the Red Sox in 2016, he didn’t make his big league debut until 2019, at which point he was a member of the Giants after being part of the return for the Eduardo Nunez trade. Anderson came up to the majors as a swing man and struggled somewhat, with a lackluster 5.44 ERA in 96 innings of work. He moved to the bullpen full-time after that, and while he pitched to a solid 3.52 ERA in 18 appearances during the abbreviated 2020 season, questionable peripherals left his role uncertain headed into 2021.
Ultimately, Anderson didn’t even make it onto the Giants roster that year. He was traded to the Twins in the LaMonte Wade Jr. deal and spent the rest of the year riding the waiver wire. Ultimately, he split time between the Twins, Orioles, and Padres during the 2021 campaign and pitched to a rough 8.49 ERA across 23 1/3 innings during that rollercoaster year. He’s pitched just 28 2/3 innings total at the big league level since then, splitting time between the Jays, Rangers, Angels, and Marlins to post a 9.42 ERA across 14 outings.
The right-hander doesn’t have the most exciting profile as a big leaguer, to say the least. His career 6.39 ERA in 163 1/3 innings of work is certainly lackluster, and a 4.35 ERA at the Triple-A level for his career doesn’t offer much reason for further excitement. A 14-game stint in the KBO did yield some interesting results, as he pitched to a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts, but that was three years ago now and it’s hard to see that as indicative of future stateside success at this point. Still, he could help contribute to an Angels pitching staff that will need help covering innings with Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Kirby Yates, Robert Stephenson, and Ben Joyce all opening the season on the injured list.
Making room for Anderson on the 40-man roster is Mederos. A sixth-round pick by the Angels back in 2022, the club wasted no time in promoting him to the majors, allowing him to make his big league debut the following year. Despite his quick rise to the big leagues, Mederos was never quite able to stick at the level. He has just 25 1/3 innings across 12 appearances in the show, and during that time he’s looked completely over-matched with an 8.52 ERA and a 6.95 FIP. A career 3.96 ERA in 20 career starts at the Triple-A level offers a bit more room for optimism about his long-term prospects, and Mederos won’t turn 25 until June. That wasn’t enough to save his roster spot with the Angels, but perhaps another club will be intrigued enough by his profile to take him on as a more of a long-term project. if Mederos passes through waivers unclaimed, the Angels will have the opportunity to outright him to the minor leagues as non-roster depth for their pitching staff.
Cubs, Nico Hoerner Agree To Extension
The Cubs and infielder Nico Hoerner have agreed to a six-year contract extension. Hoerner was slated for free agency after this year, with 2026 being the final season of his previous extension. Hoerner will make $141MM as part of his new deal, which starts in 2027 and will cover Hoerner’s age-30 to age-35 seasons before concluding in 2032. Hoerner receives a $5MM signing bonus as part of the deal. He will make $23MM per year in 2027 and 2028, then $22.5MM per year from 2029 through 2032. $2.5MM of Hoerner’s annual salary in the 2029-32 seasons is deferred. The deferred money in the deal knocks the net present value down to $137.5MM. Hoerner’s pact is in the range of free agent deals for middle infielders. Trevor Story and Javier Báez each got $140MM over six. Hoerner just barely goes past those two, while coming in a bit under Marcus Semien‘s $175MM, Swanson’s $177MM and Willy Adames‘s $182MM, which were all seven-year deals.
Hoerner, 29 in May, has been the a key part of the Cubs for several years now. He doesn’t have a ton of power but provides strong offense with a consistent contact approach. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has almost 2500 plate appearances. His 6.4% walk rate and 10.2% strikeout rate are both well below league average. He only has 33 home runs in that time. But the contact approach has resulted in a .284/.339/.389 line and 105 wRC+ for that span. He finished each of those four seasons with a wRC+ from 102 to 109.
He combines that offense with strong attributes in other facets of his game. He has stolen 123 bases in that four-year span, with at least 20 in each season. Defensively, he is considered to be good enough to handle shortstop but has been bumped to the other side of the bag by the presence of Dansby Swanson. That has made him one of the best defensive second basemen in the league. Dating back to the start of 2023, the year he moved to second base, he has 32 Defensive Runs Saved and 35 Outs Above Average. The DRS total is behind only Andrés Giménez and Brice Turang, while the OAA number is behind only Giménez and Marcus Semien.
The combination is a valuable one. FanGraphs has credited him with a little more than four wins above replacement per year for a total of 17.4 fWAR since the start of 2022. He didn’t finish any of those four seasons lower than 3.8 fWAR.
Three years ago, the Cubs and Hoerner agreed to their first extension, a three-year deal worth $35MM. That was a bit of an odd deal, as it bought out Hoerner’s two arbitration seasons and then just one free agent year. Hoerner delayed his path to the open market for a relatively modest price.
As that deal played out, Hoerner became a plausible trade candidate for a few reasons. For one, he was getting closer to free agency, which often leads to increased trade speculation with many players. The Cubs also had some infield prospects pushing towards the majors, with Matt Shaw making his major league debut last year. The Cubs could have traded Hoerner to address another area of the roster, then put Shaw at second base. Given that another club could have put Hoerner at shortstop, perhaps that would have increased the trade return.
Instead, the Cubs are locking in another piece of their core. Third baseman Alex Bregman is signed through 2030 and Swanson through 2029. They agreed to a long-term deal with Pete Crow-Armstrong just a few days ago, so he’s going to be signed through 2032. Assuming this Hoerner deal starts in 2027, it will also run through 2032.
After 2026, the Cubs were facing a potentially huge amount of roster turnover. Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon, Hoby Milner, Dylan Carlson, Michael Conforto and Tyler Austin are all impending free agents. Matthew Boyd, Hunter Harvey, Carson Kelly and Caleb Thielbar all have mutual options for 2027 but those are almost never picked up by both sides, so they should all be considered impending free agents as well. That is still something the club will have to plan for but locking in Hoerner takes one thing off the to-do list.
One player who could be impacted by this deal is Shaw. He played third base last year but the Bregman signing bumped him into a utility role for 2026. With Hoerner’s impending free agency, it was possible to imagine that being a one-year arrangement, as Shaw could then take over at the keystone starting in 2027. That’s no longer possible.
Shaw is going to be playing some outfield this year, so perhaps he could take over a corner next year with the impending departures of Happ and Suzuki, though that depends on him proving viable on the grass. He is still under club control for six seasons, so it’s also possible to imagine him being a future trade chip, if he could find a better path to infield playing time with another club.
Hoerner would have made for a fascinating free agent case. Second basemen normally don’t get massive paychecks in free agency but Hoerner could have marketed himself as a shortstop and perhaps some clubs would have viewed him as one. Teams also normally pay more for power than contact. A speed-and-defense profile can get paid but it’s also risky since those attributes fade over time. It would have been a unique free agency test case but that’s moot now.
The 2026-27 free agent class is particularly light in terms of hitters. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently took a look at the group in a post for Front Office subscribers. While recent offseasons have had clear standout bats like Corey Seager, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker, the upcoming winter doesn’t quite have that kind of star power. Franco highlighted Bo Bichette, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham, Daulton Varsho and Hoerner as the top position players in the class.
Hoerner certainly would not have been the best hitter in that bunch but the speed and defense put him up there in terms of overall value. Teams looking for middle infield help next winter will have to cross one name off what was already a somewhat flimsy list.
As of this writing, the numbers on the deal have not been reported. That makes it difficult to assess the long-term impact for the Cubs. What can be said is that they do have a good amount of payroll space available in the future. As mentioned, they have long-term commitments to Swanson, Bregman and Crow-Armstrong but that’s essentially it. Phil Maton and Shelby Miller are the only other players with guaranteed deals for 2027. By 2028, it’s just Bregman, Swanson and Crow-Armstrong.
Photos courtesy of Michael McLoone, David Banks, Imagn Images
Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first to report that Hoerner and the Cubs had an agreement in place. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported that the deal was for six seasons, while Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported the $141MM guarantee. Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that there was deferred money in the deal, while Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported the contract breakdown. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report that the deal includes a full no-trade clause.
Cubs Outright Jack Neely
The Cubs have outrighted right-hander Jack Neely to Triple-A, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Neely was designated for assignment by the club prior to Opening Day in a move that made room for Michael Conforto on the team’s 40-man roster.
Neely, 25, was acquired from the Yankees at the 2024 trade deadline in exchange for Mark Leiter Jr. alongside Ben Cowles. The right-hander made his big league debut with Chicago down the stretch that year but struggled with a 9.00 ERA in six appearances despite a respectable 25.0% strikeout rate. His work in the minors during the 2023 and ’24 seasons had the look of a future staple of a big league bullpen, as his strikeout rate pushed 40% at the Double-A level. Unfortunately, his numbers fell off in a big way during the 2025 season. Neely struggled badly at the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa and surrendered a 5.94 ERA in 33 1/3 innings of work. His 27.7% strikeout rate was solid, but it was overshadowed by a loss of control that resulted in a massive 18.1% walk rate.
Those numbers were unplayable enough that the Cubs did not turn to Neely in the majors at any point during the 2025 campaign, but his youth and prior minor league success was enough to convince them to keep him on the 40-man roster throughout the offseason. He looked much better in camp than he had during the prior year at Triple-A. He struck out 46.7% of batters faced in four scoreless appearances. That ultimately wasn’t enough to break camp in a crowded Cubs’ bullpen picture, however. At first, he seemed likely to head back to Triple-A as a depth option like Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, Ryan Rolison and others, but when the team’s 40-man roster was squeezed by the need to add an extra bench bat following Seiya Suzuki‘s knee injury, Neely was the victim.
Now that the right-hander has cleared waivers unclaimed, the Cubs have outrighted him back to Triple-A. He’ll likely remain there for the rest of the season as non-roster bullpen depth for the Cubs, unless he gets added back to the 40-man roster and called up. Perhaps the 25-year-old will be able to post numbers more like his 2023-24 self and do just that, but if he fails to make the 40-man roster before the end of the year he’ll have the opportunity to elect minor league free agency following the season and sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs.
White Sox Outright Korey Lee
Catcher Korey Lee has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Lee was designated for assignment by the White Sox three days ago after being informed that he wouldn’t make the Opening Day roster.
The outright assignment keeps Lee in the organization, which may prove ideal for the Sox. A few weeks ago, Lee was poised for the backup catcher spot, with Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero splitting time between catcher and DH to keep both in the lineup. Then, Teel strained his hamstring in the World Baseball Classic, leading him to start the year on the injured list. The injury prompted Chicago to sign Reese McGuire to a cheap one-year deal as a backup while Quero started behind the plate. Despite his excellent performance in Spring Training, Lee was ultimately the odd man out. He’ll now start the year as Triple-A depth, but he’s likely the next man up should Quero or McGuire suffer an injury themselves.
Lee has made 530 career plate appearances between the Astros and White Sox from 2022-25. His first significant look came in 2024 with the Sox, making 394 PA over 125 games. He batted just .210/.244/.347 with a 65 wRC+, although he showed some power with 12 home runs. He spent most of 2025 at Triple-A and fared slightly better with an 81 wRC+. Still, his overall offensive output is underwhelming given his status as a former first-round draft pick.
Instead, Lee’s value comes from his defense and ability to work with a pitching staff. In 2024, Statcast graded him in the 97th percentile for pop time and the 82nd percentile for caught stealing above average. In contrast, he earned negative marks for his blocking and framing. Despite those flaws, Lee’s arm strength, youth, and affordability give him some appeal as minor-league depth. He has just over two years of service time and is out of option years. If his contract is eventually selected, he would need to hit enough to stick on the roster or else be designated for assignment. In that scenario, he would have the right to refuse another outright assignment.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Phillies Outright Garrett Stubbs
Catcher Garrett Stubbs has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, reports Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The 32-year-old was designated for assignment earlier this week to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Christian Cairo.
A wide-ranging spring that included a potential positional change and trade discussions now ends with Stubbs remaining in the organization at the minor league level. He’s on a split contract that will pay him $575,000 in the minors, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
With Rafael Marchán slated for backup catcher duties behind J.T. Realmuto, Stubbs didn’t have a clear route to a roster spot. That changed in early March, when the veteran backstop emerged as an option to replace Johan Rojas. Stubbs began taking reps in the infield and the outfield following the news that Rojas was facing a PED suspension. “There’s nothing that says [Stubbs] couldn’t be the 26th man and we carry three catchers,” manager Rob Thomson said at the time. The skipper reiterated that Stubbs would work out in the infield and outfield if he remained in the organization after the DFA, relays Zolecki.
Utilityman Dylan Moore ultimately earned the final spot on the roster. As a veteran with ample experience all over the diamond, he was a more logical choice to fill in for the suspended Rojas. Reports popped up last week that Philadelphia was looking to trade Stubbs. With the catcher out of minor league options, the Phillies tried to find a taker before DFAing him. No one bit, and the Phillies were able to successfully slip him through waivers and stash the veteran at Lehigh Valley.
Philadelphia acquired Stubbs in a November 2021 trade with the Astros. He’s earned part-time work over the past four seasons with the club. The lefty swinger has slashed .215/.293/.310 in 521 big-league plate appearances. Stubbs made a considerable impact with the Phillies in his first campaign, posting a 129 wRC+ across 50 games. He struggled to replicate that success in subsequent seasons. Stubbs made just five appearances in the big leagues last year.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images
White Sox Trade Curtis Mead To Nationals For Boston Smith
The White Sox have acquired catcher Boston Smith from the Nationals for infielder Curtis Mead, both teams have announced. Mead was designated for assignment earlier this week after falling short of an Opening Day roster spot. Smith was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft. To open up a 40-man roster spot for Mead, Washington designated lefty Jake Eder for assignment.
A former top prospect with the Rays, Mead spent the final two months of 2025 with the White Sox after coming over in the Adrian Houser trade. He scuffled to a 64 wRC+ in 41 games with the club. Mead hit .233 with a couple of home runs in 10 spring games as he battled for a big-league job. He lost out on the final bench spot to outfielder Tristan Peters.
Mead signed with the Phillies as a minor league free agent in 2018. He was dealt to the Rays straight up for future All-Star Cristopher Sanchez the following year. Mead mashed in the minors in his first full season in the Tampa Bay organization, delivering a 142 wRC+ across three levels in 2021. He continued to pound minor league pitching over the next two seasons.
MLB Pipeline ranked Mead as the Rays’ No. 2 prospect in 2023, behind only right-hander Taj Bradley. He debuted with the club that year, holding his own as a 22-year-old with a .253/.326/.349 slash line in 92 plate appearances. Despite the respectable debut, Mead was limited to part-time work with the Rays in 2024 and 2025. His production was underwhelming at the plate, though he did provide some defensive versatility. Mead spent time at first base, second base, and third base, while also making an appearance at shortstop.
Washington has been active in the infield market over the past week. The club acquired Jorbit Vivas and Zack Short from the Yankees in separate deals. Mead will now join the list. It’s unclear whether he’ll be with the big-league club or head to the minors. Chicago was more in need of an outfielder to fill out the roster following the Brooks Baldwin injury, but the Nats are thinner on the dirt.
Smith was selected with the No. 171 overall pick out of Wright State. The backstop popped 26 home runs in his final season with the Raiders. The 23-year-old has yet to suit up in the minors. Chicago has a pair of talented young catchers on the big-league squad in Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero. Veteran Reese McGuire is currently backing up Quero as Teel deals with a hamstring strain suffered in the World Baseball Classic.
Eder was signed by the Marlins as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He was traded to the White Sox for Jake Burger at the 2023 trade deadline. After a handful of uninspiring seasons in the minors with Chicago, he was sent to the Angels for cash in March 2025. Eder made eight appearances for the big-league club, pitching to a 4.91 ERA across 18 1/3 innings. The lefty found his way to the Nationals in a trade that sent relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García back to the Angels. Eder was tagged for seven earned runs over seven minor league innings with Washington.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas and Peter Aiken, Imagn Images
Twins To Sign Drew Smith To Minor League Deal
Reliever Drew Smith has landed with the Twins on a minor league deal, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The Roc Nation client was in camp with the Nationals. Smith didn’t allow a run in the spring, but Washington released him last week. As an Article XX(B) free agent, Smith was on the verge of an opt-out opportunity when the Nats cut ties with him.
The 32-year-old Smith has spent his entire big-league career with the Mets. He pitched in parts of six seasons with New York. Smith posted career highs in innings (56 1/3) and appearances (62) in 2023. He picked up his first three MLB saves that season and was primed to be a key cog in the Mets’ bullpen the following year. Smith got off to a strong start, recording a pair of saves with a career-best 29.1% strikeout rate, but went down with an elbow sprain in July 2024. He missed all of the 2025 campaign after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery. The Mets held a $2MM club option on Smith for 2026, which they declined.
Smith performed well in Spring Training with Washington, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless frames with a 35.0% strikeout rate. The right-hander was vying for a spot in a Nats bullpen lacking proven arms. He’ll encounter a similar situation in Minnesota.
The Twins sent out every notable member of their bullpen at the 2025 trade deadline. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart, and Danny Coulombe all found new homes. The club was active this offseason in the relief market, albeit on the cheaper side. Minnesota brought back lefty Taylor Rogers on a one-year deal. Anthony Banda and Eric Orze came aboard through trades with the Dodgers and Rays, respectively. Zak Kent‘s whirlwind offseason ended with a roster spot in Minnesota. It’s not an impenetrable depth chart, particularly given that the group skews left-handed and Smith is a righty.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Rangers Re-Sign Ryan Brasier To Minor League Deal
The Rangers have re-signed right-hander Ryan Brasier, according to the transactions tracker on Brasier’s MLB.com profile page. Brasier had previously signed with Rangers back in February but was released just prior to Opening Day.
He returns to the organization after having failed to make the club’s roster out of camp. A veteran of nine MLB seasons, Brasier made his debut with the Angels back in 2013 but spent most of his career as a member of the Red Sox. After struggling badly to open the year in Boston back in 2023, Brasier found himself released and caught on with L.A. on a minor league deal. He wound up turning things around in a big way with the Dodgers and turned in a sensational 0.70 ERA across 39 games with the club the rest of the way. That was enough to convince the Dodgers to bring Brasier back on a two-year deal in free agency.
Brasier’s second season with the Dodgers went fairly well, though he spent a good portion of it on the injured list due to calf strain that cost him around half the year. When he was able to pitch, he was effective with a 3.54 ERA despite a 22.7% strikeout rate that was down nearly four points from his previous work with Los Angeles. That dip in strikeout rate was enough to squeeze Brasier off the club’s 40-man roster the following offseason, and as a result they traded him to the Cubs prior to the start of Spring Training. In Chicago, Brasier was once again sidelined by injuries, as he made two trips to the injured list due to a left groin strain that wound up costing him three months in total. When healthy, Brasier’s strikeout rate dipped further to just 19.0% as his ERA ticked upwards to 4.50.
Once Brasier reached free agency this offseason, he found a quiet market. While his peripherals with the Cubs (including a 3.17 FIP) were fairly solid, his strikeout rate continuing to drop and his struggles to stay healthy were enough to convince teams not to look the other way on his below-average run prevention in 2025. That left Brasier to try and fight his way onto the big league roster with the Rangers after joining the organization on a minor league deal. Unfortunately, he surrendered seven runs (six earned) during eight Spring Training appearances this year and was unable to secure a spot on Texas’s Opening Day roster. Now that he’s back with the organization, he’ll report to Triple-A Round Rock to open the year and get work in there as he attempts to ready himself for a big league opportunity down the line.
Brewers To Recall Jeferson Quero For MLB Debut, Place Andrew Vaughn On IL
2:06pm: Vaughn has been diagnosed with a fractured hand and will miss four to six weeks due to the injury, as relayed by McCalvy. He figures to undergo hamate surgery in the coming days.
11:16am: The Brewers are set to recall catching prospect Jeferson Quero for his MLB debut, per Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. A corresponding active roster move has not been announced, though MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy reports that first baseman Andrew Vaughn is headed for the injured list due to a hand injury.
Quero, 23, was signed out of Venezuela by the Brewers as an international amateur and made his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League back in 2021. Since then, he’s climbed the minor league ladder fairly steadily but enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 that put him on the map as a prospect to watch. That year, he hit a very impressive .262/.339/.440 across 90 games at the Double-A level as a 20 year old while showing the ability to handle the catcher position. That was enough to make him a consensus top-40 prospect in the sport.
Since then, Quero’s star has lost some of its shine thanks to injuries. He played in just one game during the 2024 season due to a significant shoulder injury that wound up requiring surgery. He returned to the field of play last year, but a hamstring injury helped limit him to just 68 games, only 59 of which were at the Triple-A level. In the 250 plate appearances he did receive at Triple-A, the then-22-year-old Quero hit just .255/.336/.412. His 10.0% walk rate and 14.0% strikeout rate show solid plate discipline and contact ability, but he didn’t hit for much power to speak of with just 21 extra-base hits and six homers in that time. That 101 wRC+ showing, in conjunction with injury woes and questions about his arm strength following shoulder surgery, was enough to knock Quero off most top-100 prospect lists this offseason.
Still, it’s fair to remember that Quero hasn’t really struggled much at the plate throughout his minor league career to this point and has shown the skills necessary to be a quality catcher. It would surprise no one if he becomes an impressive partner to William Contreras in the Milwaukee catching tandem in the fairly near future. With that being said, that end goal appears relatively far off given the presence of Gary Sanchez on the club’s 40-man roster. He serves as Contreras’s primary backup and, as a veteran who has been a roughly league average offensive player for several years now, he should have a considerable leash in that role.
For now, however, the Brewers are going with a three-catcher roster due to Vaughn’s injury. Though only a league average hitter for his career, Vaughn slashed a sensational .308/.375/.493 in 63 games with Milwaukee last year after being acquired from the White Sox midway through the year. That showing was enough for the Brewers to hand Vaughn the keys to the first base job, but after he left yesterday’s game due to a hand injury he’s evidently now ticketed for a trip to the shelf. It’s unclear just how long Vaughn will be out of commission at this point, and while he’s gone adding Quero to the roster should free Sanchez up for some starts at first base. Quero, as another right-handed hitter, also keeps a righty bat in the club’s bench mix.
Of course, Sanchez isn’t likely to be the only one in the first base mix while Vaughn is out. Switch-hitting Luis Rengifo could see some time there, creating an opportunity to get more playing time as he shares third base with David Hamilton. Another option would be to get lefty-swinging outfielder Jake Bauers in at first base, which would then open the door for one of Rengifo, switch-hitter Blake Perkins, or righty hitter Brandon Lockridge in the outfield mix. Bauers is the most experienced first baseman on the roster at this point, with over 2000 innings at the position in the majors throughout his career.