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Cubs To Sign Hoby Milner

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The Cubs and left-hander Hoby Milner are reportedly in agreement on a one-year deal. The MVP Sports Group will make $3.75MM plus incentives. The Cubs have multiple 40-man vacancies and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

Milner, 35 in January, is an unusual but effective southpaw. He doesn’t throw very hard, averaging in the high 80s with his fastball and sinker. But he nonetheless manages to get outs with an unorthodox sidewinding delivery, with his arsenal also featuring a slider and a changeup.

Over the past four seasons, Milner has thrown at least 64 innings in each campaign. Put together, he has logged 264 innings in that span, allowing 3.55 earned runs per nine. His 22.6% strikeout rate in that time was close to average while his 5.8% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate were both notably better than par. His Statcast data in that span has also been better than league average, with Milner having an 87 mile per hour exit velocity, 5.4% barrel rate and 35.5% hard hit rate. He earned one save and 49 holds over that four-year stretch.

That span did feature a fluky ERA spike, as Milner posted a 4.73 ERA with the Brewers in 2024. The Brewers could have retained him for 2025 via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $2.7MM salary, but they non-tendered him instead. The Rangers scooped him up with a deal for $2.5MM plus incentives and benefitted from a bounceback, as Milner posted a 3.84 ERA in 2025.

The Cubs have now given him a slight raise in the hopes that he can keep things rolling in 2026. Cubs manager Craig Counsell is plenty familiar with Milner’s abilities, as he was the skipper in Milwaukee when Milner established himself as a viable big league reliever.

Chicago had a decent relief corps in 2025. Their relievers had a collective ERA of 3.78, putting them just outside the top ten of MLB clubs. But at season’s end, Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, Drew Pomeranz, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka, Aaron Civale and Ryan Brasier all became free agents. The Cubs flipped Andrew Kittredge to the Orioles in the early days of the offseason, getting cash considerations back in return.

The Cubs generally prefer to build their bullpens on the cheap. From 2020 until last month, they didn’t sign any free agent relievers to multi-year deals, part of the reason why they just lost so many arms to free agency. They broke that pattern recently by signing Phil Maton to a two-year deal, but Milner is another low-cost, short-term commitment to the relief group.

The southpaw contingent of the bullpen was particularly lacking before this move, with Thielbar, Pomeranz and Rogers all departing for the open market. That left Luke Little as the top option, despite having just 35 1/3 career innings with an 18.2% walk rate. Milner is now the most experienced lefty in the group, though the Cubs could make further additions before the offseason is through.

This move brings the Cubs to a $184MM payroll and $199MM competitive balance tax figure, according to RosterResource. It’s unclear where the Cubs want the payroll to end up. The base threshold of the CBT is $244MM next year, meaning the Cubs are $45MM away. They went narrowly over the tax line in 2024 but ducked back below in 2025. They are still on the hunt for a big rotation upgrade. They’ve been connected to free agent Alex Bregman. They will presumably be looking for more relievers. How it all plays out will depend on how much dry powder the Cubs have.

Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation was first on the deal. Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic noted it would be for one year. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had the guarantee. Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Benny Sieu, Imagn Images

Brewers Sign Akil Baddoo To Major League Deal

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The Brewers added some outfield depth Thursday, announcing the signing of Akil Baddoo to a one-year, major league contract. Milwaukee already had an open 40-man spot. Their roster is now full following the addition of Baddoo, a client of Apex Baseball.

Baddoo, 27, was the No. 74 overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Twins. He never appeared in a big league game with Minnesota but landed in Detroit by way of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. Baddoo showed plenty of promise in that rookie season, hitting .259/.330/.436 with 13 homers and 18 steals in only 461 plate appearances. The Tigers looked to have a steal on their hands, as the lefty-swinging Baddoo at least looked the part of a platoon corner outfielder with some speed, modest power and plate discipline.

Unfortunately, he’s never returned to that same level of production. Baddoo has been an up-and-down member of the roster in four seasons since that time, hitting a combined .201/.288/.323 in 682 plate appearances — primarily against right-handed pitching. He runs well and draws strong grades for his defensive acumen in left field, but Baddoo has well below-average marks in batted-ball metrics like average exit velocity (87.5 mph), barrel rate (5.9%) and hard-hit rate (34.6%) over the past four seasons.

Baddoo has one minor league option year remaining, so he doesn’t necessarily need to break camp with the Brewers. If he doesn’t make the Opening Day club, they can send him to Triple-A Nashville without needing to pass him through waivers. He’ll jump into a competition for reps in an outfield that’ll feature Jackson Chourio in right field and Sal Frelick in center.

Isaac Collins was the Brewers’ leader in left field innings last season, though he can play all over the diamond. Jake Bauers is also in the mix, but he has ample experience at first base and could always see time at designated hitter on days that Christian Yelich is in left or is out of the lineup. (Yelich played only 19 games in left field last year and was otherwise a DH.) Blake Perkins, too, will see time on the grass but is more of a fourth outfielder/backup center fielder than an everyday option. Former first-round pick Garrett Mitchell missed most of the 2025 season due to injury and will need to hit his way back into consideration for a more prominent role.

If Baddoo ends up playing a meaningful role of any sort on the 2026 Brewers, he could be a relatively long-term addition. He currently has just 3.021 years of major league service time, meaning he can be controlled via arbitration for at least three more seasons (including 2026). Depending how much time he spends on the big league roster, that window of control could extend an extra season. Baddoo would need 151 days of MLB service this year to reach four years. Of course, that’s putting the cart before the horse; he’ll need to play his way onto the roster and then show some staying power before that’s a real consideration, but it’s a nice theoretical bonus — particularly for a club with a reputation for maximizing the performance of its low-cost acquisitions.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the Brewers were signing Baddoo to a major league contract.

Braves Designate Ryan Rolison For Assignment

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The Braves announced today that left-hander Ryan Rolison has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man roster move for the club’s signing of right-hander Robert Suarez.

Rolison, 28, has never pitched for Atlanta. He spent his entire professional career with the Rockies until a few weeks ago. Colorado needed to open some roster space for new additions and designated him for assignment. The next day, he was traded to Atlanta for cash considerations.

The Rockies had selected him 22nd overall in the 2018 draft and he was a notable prospect for a few years but he hasn’t yet delivered on that pedigree. He lost some time on his way up the minor league ladder. The pandemic wiped out the minors in 2020 and then Rolison dealt with some injuries, mostly shoulder problems.

He finally made it to the big leagues in 2025 but didn’t find immediate success. He logged 42 1/3 innings for the Rockies this year, allowing 7.02 earned runs per nine. His 47.9% ground ball rate was pretty good but his 10.4% walk rate was subpar and his 13% strikeout rate very low. His minor league numbers this year were far better. He tossed 29 2/3 innings in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with a 3.34 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate and 48.8% ground ball rate.

Rolison still has an option remaining, so he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a major league roster spot. Atlanta was intrigued enough to grab him in a cash deal but he has been squeezed off the roster.

Atlanta will now have seven days of DFA limbo to work with. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so they could take up to five days to explore trades. Rolison has a previous career outright and would therefore have the right to elect free agency if he is passed through waivers unclaimed. If any other club acquires him, he has between two and three years of service time, meaning he comes with four years of potential club control.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Astros Sign Ryan Weiss To Major League Deal

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December 11th: Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Weiss’s club option for 2027 is worth $5M with a $500K buyout.

December 9th: The Astros have now officially announced their signing of Weiss. The opened two roster spots last week by outrighting Taylor Trammell and Logan VanWey. Their 40-man count is now at 39.

December 2nd: The Astros have reportedly agreed to a major league deal with right-hander Ryan Weiss, who has been pitching in Korea lately. Weiss is guaranteed $2.6MM and there’s a club option for 2027. The Sports One Athlete Management client could potentially earn $10MM over the course of the pact. The Astros have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to make this official.

It’s a bit of an early birthday present for Weiss, who turns 29 next Wednesday. A fourth-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks back in 2018, he showed enough promise as a minor leaguer that the Snakes added him to their 40-man in November of 2021 to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He had just tossed 78 1/3 minor league innings in that 2021 season with a 4.60 earned run average and 9.5% walk rate but his 27% strikeout rate was quite good.

He struggled in the minors in 2022 and was placed on waivers, with the Royals placing a claim. Kansas City then passed him through waivers unclaimed in October of 2022. The Royals then released him in May of 2023. At that point, Weiss had tossed 76 1/3 innings on the farm, dating back to the start of 2022. In that time, he allowed 6.96 earned runs per nine.

That release kicked off a nomadic period for Weiss. He then landed with the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League. After a few months there, with a 4.61 ERA, he signed with the Fubon Guardians of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League. He had a decent 2.32 ERA there, though in just 31 innings. He started 2024 back with the Rockers, posting a 4.61 ERA over nine starts.

In June of 2024, he signed with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. It was with that club that he seemed to unlock a new gear. In 2024, he gave the Eagles 16 starts with a 3.73 ERA, 25.5% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 48.2% ground ball rate. He returned to the Eagles in 2025 and took the ball 30 more times. He logged 178 2/3 innings with a 2.87 ERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 48.5% ground ball rate.

Weiss then pitched in relief for the Eagles in the playoffs but the Astros plan to utilize him as a starter. Houston has plenty of uncertainty in their rotation mix. They just lost Framber Valdez to free agency. Luis Garcia required another Tommy John surgery late in 2025 and has been jettisoned from the roster. Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco and Brandon Walter also had TJS in 2025 and are slated to begin next year on the injured list.

That left the Astros going into 2026 with Hunter Brown and a heap of question marks behind him. Cristian Javier will be in the mix but he had a 4.62 ERA in 2025 after returning from his own lengthy surgery layoff. Lance McCullers Jr. has had all kind of injury troubles and put up a 6.51 ERA this year. Spencer Arrighetti was good in 2024 but spent most of 2025 on the IL and only made seven starts. Jason Alexander had some passable results this year but he’s a journeyman depth guy who’s about to turn 33. J.P. France spent most of 2025 recovering from shoulder surgery. Colton Gordon and AJ Blubaugh are on the 40-man but lacking in experience.

Upgrading the rotation for 2026 makes plenty of sense but it appears the club doesn’t have a ton of spending capacity. Reportedly, owner Jim Crane would prefer to avoid the competitive balance tax in 2026. RosterResource projects them for a $218MM CBT number next year. That’s more than $20MM below next year’s $244MM base threshold but the club also has other needs to address this winter. Trading someone like Christian Walker or Jake Meyers might free up some extra space but it’s somewhat tight for now.

So far, their rotation additions have been of the low-cost wild card variety. They took a flier on former top prospect Nate Pearson, signing him to a $1.35MM guarantee. Now they’ve added Weiss into the mix as well. Perhaps there’s a more surefire rotation upgrade over the horizon. For now, the Astros are making a modest bet that Weiss transfer some of his strong KBO results to the MLB level. For his part, Weiss gets a nice paycheck despite still having no major league experience.

Reporter Daniel Kim first reported that the two sides were close to a deal. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reported that an agreement was in place for a major league pact and that Weiss will be a starter. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported the guarantee, the presence of a ’27 option and the possibility for the deal to go beyond $10MM. Chandler Rome of The Athletic specified that the option is a club option.

Blue Jays Sign Cody Ponce To Three-Year Deal

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December 11th: The Jays officially announced the Ponce signing today. According to The Associated Press, he receives a $3MM signing bonus and an $5MM salary for the 2026. He’ll make $11MM annually between 2027-28.

December 2nd: The Blue Jays are reportedly in agreement with free agent starter Cody Ponce on a three-year, $30MM contract. The deal is pending a physical and has yet to be announced by the team. The Jays have two openings on the 40-man roster and do not need to make a corresponding move. Ponce, a client of Excel Sports Management, returns to the majors after an MVP-winning season in the Korea Baseball Organization.

Toronto continues to load up in the rotation on the same day they finalized their seven-year contract with Dylan Cease. They already had a strong top four with Cease, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber. Ponce and José Berríos project as the fifth and sixth starters in what looks like one of the strongest rotations in baseball. Eric Lauer, who pitched to a 3.18 ERA over 104 2/3 innings in a swing role this year, is down to seventh on the depth chart.

The three-year deal and $10MM average annual value suggests the Jays view Ponce as a starter. He doesn’t have much rotation experience in the big leagues, starting five of 20 appearances with the Pirates between 2020-21. Ponce struggled in that first look but has reinvented himself since moving to Asia. He pitched parts of three seasons in Japan before a breakout 2025 season with the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles.

Ponce took the ball 29 times and turned in a 1.89 earned run average across 180 2/3 innings. He recorded a league-best 36.2% strikeout percentage against a tidy 6% walk rate. Ponce led the league with 252 strikeouts overall and was the only KBO pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA in more than 100 innings.

The numbers alone would have been enough for Ponce to get back on the MLB radar. The more important factor for his contract was that his stuff has taken a matching jump. Ponce averaged 93.2 MPH on his fastball during his big league look, but a scout with a non-Toronto team told MLBTR in October that his velocity had climbed into the mid-90s. Eno Sarris of The Athletic wrote earlier this week that his average heater was in the 95 MPH range, and he has been clocked up to 98. Ponce has reportedly picked up a splitter — the carrying pitch for Yesavage and Gausman as well — and mixes in a cutter and curveball.

Ponce throws harder and has better secondary stuff than Erick Fedde did when he returned to North America after his own MVP season in Korea. As a result, the 31-year-old gets an extra year and doubled the $15MM guarantee that Fedde received from the White Sox over the 2023-24 offseason. Fedde, for what it’s worth, pitched well in his first year back before his numbers cratered this past season.

It’s a strong deal for Ponce, who tops MLBTR’s prediction of two years and $22MM. It’s by far the biggest payday of his career. Ponce received a signing bonus a little north of $1MM as a second-round pick by the Brewers in the 2015 draft. He did not come close to the service time to qualify for arbitration in his first stint in MLB and played on a $1MM contract with the Eagles.

The salary breakdown hasn’t been reported, but an even distribution of $10MM annually would push Toronto’s projected payroll to roughly $272MM (courtesy of RosterResource). The $10MM average annual value pushes their luxury tax projection above $280MM. The Jays are in the second tier and are taxed at a 42% rate on spending between $264MM and $284MM. That means they’ll pay $4.2MM in taxes for the first season of the Ponce contract. That’s a relative drop in the bucket given the amount the Jays are spending, but the payroll only seems likely to climb. They’d like to re-sign Bo Bichette and will almost certainly add a high-leverage reliever to join Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland at the back end.

Spending beyond the $284MM mark would raise their tax penalties and result in their top pick in the 2027 draft being moved back 10 spots. That doesn’t appear to be much of a deterrent for a team that forfeited its second and fifth-highest picks in next summer’s draft and $1MM from its international bonus pool to sign Cease. The Jays are all in after coming tantalizingly close to their first World Series in three decades.

If payroll does become an obstacle to re-signing Bichette or adding to the bullpen, the Jays could look to shop Berríos. He’s making $18MM next season and will need to decide whether to opt out of the remaining two years and $48MM on the deal after 2026. It’s not an egregious contract but looks above market for what’ll be ages 32-34 on a pitcher who has struck out fewer than 20% of batters faced in consecutive seasons. Berríos is a solid source of back-of-the-rotation innings, but the Jays would probably need to pay down some of the money and/or take back a slightly underwater deal in a trade.

The simpler path would be to keep everyone and open the season with a six-man rotation if no one suffers an injury during Spring Training. No team gets through an entire season using only five starters. The pitching staff logged a lot of innings this fall. Gausman and Bieber will be free agents after next season, and while Berríos doesn’t look like he’s trending towards an opt-out, that could change with a strong platform year. Lauer will also return to the open market next winter.

Aside from Yesavage, the Jays don’t have much in the way of upper level pitching prospects. Former top prospect Ricky Tiedemann is on the 40-man roster and will probably make his MLB debut in 2026, but he missed the entire ’25 season and has pitched 140 innings since being drafted in 2021. The durability concerns might push him to the bullpen, and even if the Jays want to give him another chance as a starter, they’re certainly not going to let him throw 150 innings. Jake Bloss is unlikely to be a factor until the second half after undergoing elbow surgery in May. The Ponce signing probably rules the Jays out on bringing back Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer but doesn’t make a Berríos trade a foregone conclusion.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that Ponce and the Jays were finalizing a three-year deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan had the $30MM guarantee.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Braves Sign Mike Yastrzemski

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The Braves announced a two-year, $23MM contract with outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. He’ll make $9MM in 2016 and $10MM in 2027 and is guaranteed a $4MM buyout on a 2028 club option valued at $7MM. Yastrzemski is represented by Jack Toffey Sports Management. Atlanta designated outfielder Michael Siani for assignment in a corresponding move.

Atlanta hadn’t waded too far into the free agent market outside of re-signing closer Raisel Iglesias. The club now improves its outfield/DH mix by bringing in Yastrzemski. The lefty-swinging veteran finished last season with the Royals after getting dealt by the Giants at the trade deadline. After spending his first six seasons in San Francisco, Yastrzemski will now be on his third team in the calendar year.

Before the move, the Braves were looking at a pair of speed-first options in holdover Eli White and waiver claim Siani as their bench outfielders behind the trio of Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, and Jurickson Profar. Yastrzemski gives them a more viable offensive contributor as the fourth outfielder. Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos recently mentioned he preferred to leave the DH spot open and split the duties between multiple players. Yastrzemski figures to factor into that equation against right-handed pitching, grabbing left field reps with Profar moving to DH.

Yastrzemski was having one of his weakest offensive campaigns with the Giants prior to getting traded. He had managed just eight home runs and a career-low .355 SLG across 97 games. The move to Kansas City flipped his season, as he quickly emerged as a crucial top-of-the-order contributor. Yastrzemski slugged nine home runs in 50 games with the Royals, while walking more than he struck out. He capped off his season with a two-homer game against the Athletics.

The 35-year-old Yastrzemski didn’t reach the big leagues until age 28. He immediately made an impact in the power department, swatting 21 home runs in 411 plate appearances as a rookie. Yastrzemski earned near-regular playing time over the next five seasons, providing solid production against righties while typically sitting against lefties. He tended to strike out at an above-average rate, but still finished with a wRC+ of at least 106 in all but one season with the Giants.

Yastrzemski has spent the majority of his time in right field, though he has experience at all three outfield spots. He made six starts in left field, five starts in center field, and 29 starts in right field during his brief stint with the Royals. Yastrzemski graded out as a neutral fielder by Outs Above Average. His range received poor marks, but he offered value with his arm, per Statcast.

Kansas City was reportedly interested in a Yastrzemski reunion. Given his strong two months for the team, it made sense the Royals would look to bring him back. The club is currently short on proven outfielders, with Jac Caglianone, Kyle Isbel, and John Rave penciled in as starters. Considering that the trio is entirely left-handed, targeting a righty bat might be a better fit for Kansas City.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the Braves were nearing a deal with Yastrzemski. Jon Heyman of The New York Post first had the two-year, $23MM guarantee and the option.

Mets, Carl Edwards Jr. Agree To Minor League Deal

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TODAY: In an interesting twist, the Mets may utilize Edwards as a starter at Triple-A, according to Sammon and Ken Rosenthal.  Edwards has never started a big league game, but he made 19 Triple-A starts over the last two seasons with the Rangers, Angels, and Padres’ top affiliates, plus he made 14 starts in the Mexican League in 2025.

DECEMBER 8: The Mets have agreed to a minor league contract with free agent reliever Carl Edwards Jr., reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Edwards, a client of the Ballengee Group, will be in major league camp next spring as a non-roster invitee.

Edwards, 34, pitched just six big league innings last season between the Angels and Rangers, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with six punchouts. He’s pitched for eight teams across parts of 11 major league seasons, totaling a 3.56 ERA, 28% strikeout rate and 12.7% walk rate in 286 frames.

Once regarded as a top pitching prospect, the 6’3″, 165-pound Edwards settled in as an important reliever with the Cubs back in their 2016 World Series run and in subsequent seasons. From 2016-18, the “Stringbean Slinger” tossed 154 1/3 innings of 3.03 ERA ball with a huge 34.2% strikeout rate but a hefty 13.5% walk rate.

Edwards slipped into journeyman status shortly thereafter, as his command troubles worsened and his struggles became untenable. He had a resurgence with the Nats in 2022-23, however, combining for 93 2/3 innings with a 3.07 earned run average. His 20.1% strikeout rate was a far cry from his Cubs peak, although his 10.6% walk rate was also an improvement.

Edwards spent the bulk of last season in Triple-A, working to a 4.44 ERA through 50 2/3 frames in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. He set down 25.8% of his opponents on strikes and posted a 7.2% walk rate that stands as the best mark of his career in any notable sample. He also induced grounders at a hearty 54.9% rate in Triple-A. He’ll be a veteran depth option with the Mets — one of several such additions surely on the docket this winter.

Phillies Acquire Yoniel Curet

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3:31pm: Both clubs have now officially announced the swap.

1:50pm: The Phillies are going to acquire right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Rays. Right-hander Tommy McCollum is going the other way. The Rays designated the Curet for assignment recently to open a roster spot when they signed outfielder Cedric Mullins. Philadelphia’s 40-man roster count jumps from 34 to 35. Reporter Mike Rodriguez first noted that Curet was going to Philly. Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported on McCollum’s inclusion.

Curet, now 23, joins a new organization for the first time. The Rays signed him as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic. By the end of 2023, he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft. He hadn’t even climbed as high as Double-A yet and had shown clear control problems, but he also racked up strikeouts. From 2021 to 2023, he logged 197 innings across various levels with a 2.97 earned run average. He walked 15.3% of batters he faced but also punched them out at a 31.7% clip.

The Rays didn’t want to risk losing him in the Rule 5, so they gave him a 40-man spot. His 2024 season was quite strong. He made 26 starts between High-A and Double-A, throwing 119 innings with a 2.95 ERA. His 11.9% walk rate was still high but an improvement for him, while his 31.5% strikeout rate was relatively unchanged. He had enough hype that Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked him as the #61 prospect in the whole league going into 2025.

But this year was a bit of a setback for him. He was on the injured list for most of the first half due to an injury in his throwing shoulder. Once healthy, he tossed 55 1/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, 12.8% walk rate and 25.5% strikeout rate. FanGraphs now lists him as the 11th-best prospect in the Rays’ system.

Due to his control problems, Curet might end up getting pushed to the bullpen. However, he still young and has an option remaining. The Phils can send him to Triple-A and either keep him stretched out or see if his stuff plays up in a relief role.

The Rays squeezed Curet off their roster but are getting a non-roster player in return. McCollum was available in today’s Rule 5 draft but wasn’t selected. According to JJ Cooper of Baseball America, this trade wasn’t able to be finalized until the draft was completed with McCollum going unselected.

McCollum, 27 in June, was an undrafted free agent in 2021. The Phils signed him and he has been pitching as a reliever in their system since then. Somewhat similar to Curet, he has a history of striking guys out while also giving them free passes. From 2021 to 2024, McCollum threw 134 innings with a 3.56 ERA, 31.8% strikeout rate and 15.6% walk rate. In 2025, he reduced the walk rate all the way down to 6.9% but his strikeout rate also fell to 25.5%. He posted a 3.07 ERA in 55 2/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Orioles Claim Josh Walker, Designate Drew Romo For Assignment

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The Orioles have designated catcher Drew Romo for assignment, 7News Boston’s Ari Alexander reports.  The move opens up space on Baltimore’s 40-man roster for left-hander Josh Walker, as the O’s announced that Walker has been claimed off waivers from the Braves.

Romo only just arrived in Baltimore’s organization a few days ago, via a waiver claim off the Rockies’ roster.  Romo has never been outrighted before and had has only 73 days of MLB service time, so if he clears waivers here, he would have no choice but to accept an outright assignment to the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate.  Another waiver claim seems possible, as teams are always in need of catching depth, and Romo has some past prospect pedigree as a former first-rounder.

Selected 35th overall by the Rockies in the 2020 draft, Romo was drawing some top-100 prospect attention prior to the 2023 season, but his star diminished as he posted okay but unspectacular numbers in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.  Romo has a career .286/.337/.466 slash line and 21 homers over 632 PA with Triple-A Albuquerque, spending time at Colorado’s top affiliate in each of the last three seasons.  In 2025, his Triple-A production dropped to .264/.329/.409 over 244 PA.

Romo has also gotten some brief playing time in the majors, producing just a .419 OPS in 56 PA over 19 games with Colorado over the last two seasons.  The Rockies opted to move on and the Orioles made the claim, even if Baltimore is already quite set at catcher between Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo (not to mention Maverick Handley also on the 40-man).

Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns, and Grant Wolfram are the only left-handed relief options on the Orioles’ 40-man roster, so adding Walker gives Baltimore a bit more depth in that area.  The O’s are already familiar with Walker, as he first joined the team on another waiver claim off the Phillies’ roster back in August, and Walker was then signed to a big league contract in November.  This guaranteed salary didn’t stop the Braves from claiming Walker away when the Orioles designated him in November, but the offseason roster churn has now seen Walker land back in Baltimore just a month later.

Walker has pitched in each of the last three MLB seasons, delivering a 6.59 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, and 10.9% walk rate over 27 1/3 career innings with the Mets and Blue Jays.  The southpaw had spent his whole pro career in the Mets organization before he was dealt to the Pirates at the 2024 trade deadline, and Walker has since bounced around to multiple teams in journeyman fashion.

Since transitioning to bullpen work in 2022, Walker saw an uptick in his minor league strikeout numbers, but also an increase in his walks.  The 2025 season also saw Walker struggle to keep the ball in the yard, as he gave up seven home runs over 42 2/3 combined innings with the Triple-A affiliates of the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Phillies.  Walker is out of minor league options, so more DFAs and claims could be in his future as the O’s or other teams try to sneak him through waivers.

Twins Release Carson McCusker To Pursue Opportunity In Asia

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The Twins have placed outfielder Carson McCusker on unconditional release waivers, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. McCusker is expected to play in Asia next year, though no details have been provided about the specific country or team he is headed to. For the Twins, their 40-man roster count drops to 39, just hours before the Rule 5 draft. That means they could now be in position to make a selection in that draft.

McCusker, 28 in May, was a bit of a feel-good story for the Twins in 2025. He went undrafted out of college and wound up in indy ball in 2021 and 2022. The Twins then signed him and he worked his way up the ladder to the majors. He was sent up to the plate 30 times over 16 appearances. His .172/.200/.172 line was not impressive in that small sample but he was surely delighted just to make it to the show after not even being in affiliated ball a few years prior.

His minor league track record is greater in quantity and quality. From 2023 to 2025, he stepped to the plate 1,146 times across various levels of the farm. His 32.1% strikeout was quite high but he hit 55 home runs and slashed .265/.335/.494 for a wRC+ of 119.

If McCusker had stayed in with the Twins, he likely would have spent the majority of 2026 in the minors. Minnesota’s outfield mix currently consists of Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, James Outman, Alan Roden, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez as well as infield/outfield types like Austin Martin, Kody Clemens and Ryan Kreidler. Prospect Walker Jenkins isn’t on the 40-man yet but has reached Triple-A and should be in the mix soon.

By heading overseas, he will presumably lock in a bigger guarantee and a more regular opportunity to showcase his abilities. If he succeeds in this new venture, he could parlay that into a return to North America or further opportunities in other leagues.

Photo courtesy of Matt Krohn, Imagn Images

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