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Nationals Claim Paxton Schultz

By | at January 9, 2026 1:55pm CDT

The Nationals announced that they have claimed right-hander Paxton Schultz off waivers from the Blue Jays. The Jays designated the righty for assignment recently when they signed Kazuma Okamoto. The Nats opened a 40-man roster spot earlier today by releasing Sauryn Lao.

Schultz, 28, has a limited big league track record. He made his debut with the Jays in 2025, tossing 24 2/3 innings over 13 appearances. His 4.38 earned run average in that small sample wasn’t especially impressive but his 25.5% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate were both better than average. His .333 batting average on balls in play and 65.8% strand rate were both a bit to the unlucky side, which is why his 3.43 SIERA was more optimistic than his actual ERA. He averaged around 94 miles per hour with his four-seamer and sinker while also throwing a cutter, slider and changeup.

He also served a multi-inning role on the farm with fairly comparable results. He logged 49 frames over 25 Triple-A appearances last year with a 3.31 ERA. He struck out 23.6% of batters faced at that level with an 8.7% walk rate.

The Nats had the worst bullpen in the majors last year. Their relief corps had a collective 5.59 ERA for the season, last in the majors by a decent amount. The Rockies, who play in the hitters’ haven of Coors Field, were second-worst with a 5.18 ERA. Washington’s group is arguably even weaker now, as they traded Kyle Finnegan, Luis García and Andrew Chafin at the deadline and Jose A. Ferrer this offseason.

Schultz gives them a fresh arm coming off a decent season. He still has a couple of options remaining, meaning he can be sent to Triple-A and back fairly regularly. He also has less than a year of big league service time, meaning he’s still years away from arbitration and even further from free agency.

Photo courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images

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Mets Outright Ji Hwan Bae

By | at January 9, 2026 1:30pm CDT

The Mets announced that infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae has been sent outright Triple-A Syracuse. When combined with the club losing Drew Romo via waivers to the White Sox, the Mets’ 40-man roster count dropped to 38 this week.

Bae, 26, has never played for the Mets. He spent his entire with the Pirates until being claimed by the Mets off waivers in November. The Mets also claimed Romo from the Orioles in December. With both players, it seems the plan was to put them back on the wire later to hopefully keep them as non-roster depth. It didn’t work with Romo but the Mets will keep Bae. This is his first career outright and he has less than three years of service time, so he doesn’t have the right to elect free agency.

He was once a notable prospect with the Bucs but he hasn’t fully delivered on that in the big leagues yet. He does have a decent floor due to some speed and defensive versatility. The offense has been good in the minors but hasn’t clicked in the majors.

The Pirates sent Bae to the plate 514 times over the past four seasons and he has produced a .223/.294/.293 line in those. But he stole 37 bases while playing both middle infield spots and all three outfield positions. In 2025, he exclusively played the outfield. In the minors, he stepped the plate 1,152 times from 2022 to 2025 with a .306/.390/.451 line and 126 wRC+.

Now that he has cleared waivers, the Mets can keep him around without him taking up a roster spot. If he earns his way back onto the roster at some point, he still has an option and less than two years of service time, meaning he can provide roster flexibility and years of affordable control. The Mets now have a couple of open roster spots to use for whatever they end up doing in the remainder of the offseason.

Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images

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Nationals Release Sauryn Lao To Pursue Opportunity In Japan

By | at January 9, 2026 9:45am CDT

The Nationals announced today that right-hander Sauryn Lao has been released to pursue an opportunity in Japan. The club’s 40-man roster count drops to 39. Mike Rodriguez reported last month that Lao had agreed to a deal with the Nippon-Ham Fighters of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Per Rodriguez, that deal is for one guaranteed year with a club option for 2027 and could end up paying more than $3MM.

Lao, 26, landed with the Nats via waivers in September. He had made his major league debut with the Mariners earlier in 2025. Between the two clubs, he tossed 11 innings, allowing six earned runs while striking out nine opponents.

He began his professional career as an international signing of the Dodgers back in 2015. Initially an infielder, he couldn’t hit enough to get beyond the High-A level, so the Dodgers put him on the mound in 2023. He showed some encouraging results for a couple of years but didn’t get a roster spot. He became a minor league free agent after 2024 and landed a minor league deal with the Mariners.

His track record in the majors is obviously still quite limited but his results in the minors have been good. He tossed 74 2/3 Triple-A innings last year over 25 appearances. 19 of those were technically starts, though mostly in the range of two to four innings. He allowed 3.01 earned runs per nine with a 24.7% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate, both solid figures.

Despite the solid numbers, his path to regular big league playing time would have been a bit challenging. He has two option years, meaning he could be sent to the minors regularly for another two years. Even if he carved out a regular role in the bigs, he only has 24 days of big league service time, meaning he would be three years away from an arbitration raise.

Taking the opportunity to go overseas gives him a better chance to pitch on a big stage and bank some notable earnings in the next few years. Since he’s still in his mid-20s, perhaps he can try to return to North American ball in a few years if he has some success overseas.

For the Nats, they are losing an arm they liked enough to grab from the waiver wire. However, clubs generally don’t stand in the way of players pursuing such opportunities in other leagues. The front office has also been overhauled since the claim of Lao, so it’s entirely possible the new regime was less attached to him than the previous one. The Nats will likely receive a nominal release fee from the Fighters.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

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2026 Arbitration Tracker

By and | at January 8, 2026 9:53pm CDT

Today is the deadline for players and teams to exchange figures in arbitration — an annual deadline that leads to a slew of one-year deals and, typically, a handful of multi-year deals. All but 18 arbitration-eligible players reached an agreement. Each player’s service time is in parentheses, and you can of course check back to see each player’s projected salary from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. All agreements are for one year unless otherwise noted.

Angels 

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Marlins

Mariners

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

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Yankees Avoid Arbitration With Jazz Chisholm Jr.

By | at January 8, 2026 8:45pm CDT

The Yankees announced they’ve reached an agreement with infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the 2026 season. It’s a one-year, $10.2MM deal, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network. Chisholm is a client of Roc Nation Sports.

New York settled all eight of its remaining arbitration cases today. Chisholm was the only one to crack eight figures, though closer David Bednar ($9MM) wasn’t far behind. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz nailed both numbers. The 27-year-old Chisholm is in his final year of arbitration and will head to free agency next offseason.

Chisholm put together a massive 30/30 campaign in his first full season in pinstripes. He struck out at an above-average clip, but also pushed his walk rate to a career-best 10.9%. Chisholm’s 126 wRC+ was his best mark since the 134 he posted in an abbreviated 2022 season, when a back injury limited him to 60 games. Health issues hindered Chisholm for much of his tenure in Miami. That hasn’t been the case in New York. Aside from a minimum IL stint in 2024 and a one-month absence this past year, Chisholm has been a fixture in the Yankees’ lineup. He’s played at least 130 games in back-to-back seasons.

After making the move to third base when he first joined the team, Chisholm was locked in at second base after New York traded for Ryan McMahon. He should reprise that role in 2026, assuming he’s still on the team. Rival clubs have checked in with the Yankees about Chisholm. The pending free agent is interested in a contract extension, but New York hasn’t been as keen on the idea. There’s been no indication that the Yankees are actually considering trading Chisholm. He’s more than likely going to be back in the middle of a formidable New York lineup next year.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

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Rangers Sign Patrick Murphy To Minor League Deal

By | at January 8, 2026 8:37pm CDT

The Rangers announced the signing of reliever Patrick Murphy to a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp. Texas also confirmed their previously reported agreement with veteran righty Nabil Crismatt.

Murphy will be in camp for a second consecutive spring. Texas signed the righty to a non-roster deal last offseason as well. He pitched well in exhibition play and made 14 appearances with Triple-A Round Rock before they granted him his release in July. Murphy wanted to pursue a foreign opportunity and wound up signing with the KBO’s KT Wiz. He had never played in Korea but spent the 2024 campaign in Japan as a member of the Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The former third-round draft choice started nine of 15 appearances with the Wiz. He tossed 60 2/3 innings of 3.12 ERA ball, albeit with a modest 17% strikeout rate. The Wiz wound up replacing both of their foreign-born pitchers. Lefty Enmanuel De Jesus also returned to affiliated ball on a minor league contract with the Tigers. The Wiz signed Matt Sauer and Caleb Boushley, who made 25 appearances for Texas last year, to fill those spots.

Murphy will try to pitch his way back to the MLB level for the first time in four years. He combined for 35 appearances for the Blue Jays and Nationals between 2020-22. He carries a 4.76 earned run average with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk marks in 39 2/3 MLB innings. Murphy sits around 95 MPH with his four-seam fastball and sinker and uses a low-80s curveball as his breaking pitch.

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Mariners Avoid Arbitration With Arozarena, Gilbert

By | at January 8, 2026 7:50pm CDT

7:50pm: Seattle announced agreements with all seven players in their arbitration class. That includes a $10.927MM deal with Gilbert, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’d been projected at an even $10MM. Gilbert is coming off a 3.44 ERA showing across 25 starts. He’ll go through arbitration once more before reaching free agency.

12:37pm: The Mariners and slugging outfielder Randy Arozarena are in agreement on a one-year, $15.65MM contract, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. He’s entering his final season of arbitration control before becoming a free agent next winter.

Acquired from the Rays at the 2024 trade deadline, Arozarena has been an impactful source of power in the heart of Seattle’s lineup since that trade. He had a slow start to his Seattle tenure but in 2025 slashed .238/.334/.426 with a career-high 27 home runs and 31 steals (the second-highest mark of his career). By measure of wRC+, which weights for the pitcher-friendly confines in Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, Arozarena has been 22% better than average at the plate since landing in the Emerald City.

Heading into 2026, Arozarena will again play a key role near the top of manager Dan Wilson’s lineup. He’ll be joined by MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and the recently re-signed Josh Naylor atop what should be a quality Mariners lineup. The M’s have been continuing their search for more bats, looking particularly hard at adding another infielder to the mix. They’ve reportedly shown interest in trading for Cardinals infielder Brendan Donovan and D-backs star Ketel Marte, and they haven’t yet closed the door on a reunion with slugger Eugenio Suarez.

Arozarena was the Mariners’ most expensive arb case this winter. They’ve also reportedly agreed to a deal with George Kirby ($6.65MM) and have pending cases with Logan Gilbert, Gabe Speier, Luke Raley, Matt Brash and Bryce Miller. Arozarena had been projected for a heartier $18.2MM salary by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. He’ll clock in about 14% lower than that mark, leaving the Mariners with more flexibility as they continue to look for additional help on the offensive side of things and in their bullpen.

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Reds, Brady Singer Avoid Arbitration

By | at January 8, 2026 7:08pm CDT

The Reds and right-hander Brady Singer are in agreement on a $12.75MM salary for the 2026 campaign, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. It’s the final year of arbitration for Singer, who is set to hit free agency next offseason. The contract is slightly above MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz’s projection of $11.9MM. Singer is represented by Excel Sports Management.

Cincinnati acquired Singer in a November 2024 trade that sent Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to Kansas City. He had an up-and-down season in his first year with the club. Singer was bombed for seven earned runs in his first start out of the All-Star break, pushing his ERA to 4.84 on the year. He closed the season with a strong 12-start stretch, posting a 2.81 ERA with a 25.7% strikeout rate. The final result was a pretty standard Singer season, with an ERA just above 4.00 and slightly less than a strikeout per inning.

The Reds had a hefty 12 arbitration cases this offseason. Singer was easily the most expensive. Cincinnati agreed to a $5.525MM contract with Gavin Lux and a $4.725MM deal with Nick Lodolo today. None of the other cases settled by the club exceeded $4MM. Singer’s settlement was the second-highest of the day across the league, behind only Randy Arozarena ($15.65MM). As things currently stand, Singer will be the highest-paid player on the roster next season. Jeimer Candelario‘s unfortunate deal is still on the books for $12MM, but no other active Red will make more than $10MM, barring a big free agent addition.

Singer will be joined by Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Chase Burns on the 2026 staff. Cincinnati also has youngsters Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty waiting in the wings, along with injury returnees Julian Aguiar, Brandon Williamson, and Carson Spiers. It’s a deep group, which led MLBTR’s Steve Adams to ponder whether the club would trade pitching for hitting this offseason. President of baseball operations Nick Krall has downplayed moving any of his starters, though maybe seeing the ample returns for Shane Baz and Edward Cabrera could cause the club to reconsider that stance.

Photo courtesy of Cary Edmondson, Imagn Images

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Pirates, Chris Devenski Agree To Minor League Deal

By | at January 8, 2026 5:22pm CDT

The Pirates are in agreement with reliever Chris Devenski on a minor league contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. That presumably includes a Spring Training invite for the Suarez & Associates client.

Devenski was on and off the Mets’ active roster a few times throughout the 2025 season. The 35-year-old righty made it into 13 games overall, allowing four runs across 16 2/3 innings. He struck out 14 against five walks. Devenski also managed solid numbers with Triple-A Syracuse, where he pitched 37 2/3 frames of 3.35 ERA ball. He attacked the zone while posting a slightly below-average 21% strikeout rate at both levels.

That’s now 10 straight seasons in which the former 25th-round draft pick has pitched at the MLB level. Devenski was an All-Star in his second season as a member of the Astros. He has spent the majority of his career as a well-traveled long reliever. If he gets to the big leagues in Pittsburgh, they’d be his seventh MLB team. Devenski’s 92 MPH fastball velocity is below average, so he leans on a plus changeup as his most frequent offering.

There’s opportunity for Devenski to win a job out of camp. Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Isaac Mattson, and Justin Lawrence are locked into the Opening Day bullpen. They’ll hope that hard-throwing lefty Mason Montgomery — acquired from Tampa Bay as part of the Mike Burrows trade — locks down a job in Spring Training as well. That’d still leave as many as three bullpen roles up for grabs. Yohan Ramírez is out of options, but he’s a journeyman signed for barely more than the league minimum. Carmen Mlodzinski still has an option remaining, as do potential fifth starters Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington.

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Pirates To Designate Chase Shugart For Assignment

By | at January 8, 2026 5:01pm CDT

The Pirates are designating reliever Chase Shugart for assignment, reports Jason Mackey of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They needed to create a 40-man roster spot for Ryan O’Hearn, whose two-year free agent contract was finalized this afternoon.

Pittsburgh acquired the 29-year-old Shugart in a minor trade with the Red Sox last offseason. The Texas product had only six games of MLB experience at the time. He made it into 35 contests in his first and potentially only season as a Pirate. Shugart managed a solid 3.40 earned run average across 45 innings. That came with well below-average strikeout (17.1%) and ground-ball (33.3%) marks, and the majority of his outings came in low-leverage situations.

The Bucs kept Shugart on the active roster for most of the season’s first half. He went on the injured list with left knee inflammation shortly before the All-Star Break. That cost him more than a month, and the team optioned him to Triple-A shortly after he returned. He only made three MLB appearances in the second half.

Shugart sits in the 94-95 MPH range with his four-seam fastball and sinker. He has a pair of breaking pitches, a low-80s sweeper and a cutter that sits around 90 MPH. It hasn’t led to many whiffs against big league hitters, but he has posted slightly better than average strikeout numbers in the minors. He also has better control than most up-and-down relievers.

There’s a decent chance he’ll get him some attention on the waiver wire. Shugart has one year of big league service time and has one minor league option remaining. The Pirates will trade him or put him on waivers within the next five days.

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