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Cardinals Sign Bruce Zimmermann To Minors Contract

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The Cardinals signed Bruce Zimmermann to a minor league deal, as per the southpaw’s MLB.com profile page.  He was outrighted off the Brewers’ 40-man roster at the end of the season and then elected minor league free agency.

Zimmermann spent all of 2024 in the Orioles’ minor league system, and then just about all of 2025 with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate before his contract was selected in the final week of the season.  With the Brewers looking to cover innings and generally save its pitchers heading into the playoffs, Zimmermann ate up six innings in a start on Sept. 23, allowing five earned runs in his lone MLB appearance of the year.

The left-hander’s previous big league resume consists of 158 1/3 innings with the Orioles from 2020-23, starting 27 of 38 games and posting a 5.57 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, and 5.2% walk rate.  Zimmermann was tagged for 40 home runs during his time in Baltimore, and he hasn’t had much success against either left-handed or right-handed batters at the Major League level.

The Brewers were deep enough in rotation options that Zimmermann was something of an afterthought for the team, even though he posted decent numbers as a starter and reliever at Triple-A Nashville.  St. Louis might not necessarily offer Zimmermann more chances at MLB playing time since the rebuilding Cardinals are prioritizing their younger arms, but he could fill a similar role as a Triple-A depth option, with spot start opportunities available if any of the youngsters struggle or if injuries arise.

Zimmermann is out of minor league options, so if he is selected to the Cards’ 26-man roster, they’d first have to expose him to waivers before outrighting him off the 40-man and sending him back to Triple-A.  Since Zimmermann has previously been outrighted, he’d also have the right to elect free agency rather than accept another outright assignment.  Depending on whether or not the Cardinals bring him up to the Show at all, Zimmermann might be in for a busy year on the transaction front.

Blue Jays Re-Sign Eloy Jimenez To Minor League Deal

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The Blue Jays have signed Eloy Jimenez to a minor league contract, according to reporter Mike Rodriguez.  Jimenez’s latest deal with the Jays includes an invitation to Toronto’s Major League spring camp.

After signing a minors deal with Toronto right at the end of August, Jimenez only got into six games with Triple-A Buffalo, and he had a .508 OPS over 21 trips to the plate.  This gave Jimenez an overall .247/.326/.347 slash line in 215 plate appearances in the Jays’ and Rays’ farm systems, without any games played at the Major League level.

Once a feared power bat who signed a six-year, $43MM deal with the White Sox before ever appearing in a big league game, Jimenez somewhat lived up to that potential by hitting .275/.324/.487 with 89 homers over 1777 PA during the 2019-23 seasons.  However, Jimenez was set back by a laundry list of injuries, and his 122 games played in 2019 remains his highest game total in a regulation-length season.  The 2024 season was a total calamity for Jimenez, as he hit .238/.289/.336 over 349 PA while missing time with an adductor strain and a hamstring strain.

The White Sox gave up on Jimenez by dealing him to the Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline, and Baltimore unsurprisingly declined a $16.5MM club option on the former slugger for the 2025 season.  Jimenez then landed in Tampa Bay last winter on a minors deal, but between more injury woes and his uninspiring numbers, the Rays released him last July.

Jimenez is still only 29 years old, and is still posting decent hard-hit ball numbers and exit velocities.  Considering his past history, there’s no risk for the Blue Jays in taking a more extended look at Jimenez in camp to see if a late-career turn-around is possible, even if it doesn’t seem likely Jimenez will be able to crack Toronto’s crowded roster.  His best-case scenario might be a big Spring Training performance, and then heading to another interested team via trade or an opt-out in his contract at the end of camp.

Pirates Sign Noah Davis To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates signed Noah Davis to a minor league deal earlier this week, as per Davis’ MLB.com profile page.  The right-hander elected minor league free agency in October, qualifying for the status due to multiple career outright assignments and not being added back to the Twins’ 40-man roster after being outrighted in September.

After making his MLB debut in the form of a single inning of work for the Rockies during the 2022 season, Davis has now played in each of the last four Major League seasons, albeit with not a ton more playing time than that initial cup-of-coffee appearance.  Davis has 27 games and 62 1/3 innings under his belt, with a 9.53 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 9.2% walk rate.

A lot of the damage has come from the long ball, as Davis has given up a whopping 17 home runs in his 62 1/3 IP.  Ten of those 17 homers came during Davis’ three seasons in Colorado, and he then allowed seven more runs over 11 innings with the Dodgers and Twins in 2025.  The right-hander actually began the 2025 season with the Red Sox on a minor league contract, but Los Angeles swung a trade for Davis in late March, and then designated him for assignment in July.  Minnesota then claimed Davis off waivers but things didn’t do any better for the righty in Minnesota, and he finished his 2025 campaign an 18.00 ERA.

Now entering his age-29 season, Davis also doesn’t have great numbers in Triple-A or even in Double-A, though 2025 marked the first time he’d been utilized almost exclusively as a reliever.  The results were better, with Davis posting a 3.88 ERA, 26K%, and 11.5BB% across 48 2/3 innings and 35 appearances with the Dodgers’ and Twins’ Triple-A affiliates.

While this improvement hasn’t translated to success against big league batters, Davis’ possible upside as a reliever was enough to get the Pirates interested in a look during Spring Training.  Between Pittsburgh’s recent success in producing arms and new pitching coach Bill Murphy’s track record with the Astros, there’s some reason to believe Davis might be a late bloomer with some help from the Buccos’ pitching development team.

Marlins Re-Sign Jesus Tinoco To Minor League Contract

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The Marlins signed Jesus Tinoco to a minor league deal earlier this week, according to the right-hander’s MLB.com profile page.  Tinoco returns after electing free agency following an outright assignment off Miami’s roster in early November.

The length of the contract isn’t known, which is a key element since Tinoco isn’t expected to pitch in 2026 after undergoing flexor surgery last September.  It is possible the Marlins inked him to a two-year pact with an eye towards having Tinoco healthy and available for 2027, and giving him the 2026 season to rehab in a familiar environment.

This is now the third time Tinoco has joined the Marlins over his 14-pro career, which includes six seasons in the majors (from 2019-25 with the Marlins, Cubs, Rangers, and Rockies) and the 2023 season spent in Japan with the Seibu Lions.  Tinoco first arrived in South Beach after being dealt from Colorado in August 2020, and Miami then claimed Tinoco off waivers from the Cubs in July 2024.

Fifty-one of Tinoco’s 126 2/3 career Major League innings have come in a Marlins uniform, and he has a 3.00 ERA over his time with the Fish.  The numbers were even better before Tinoco posted a 5.12 ERA over 19 1/3 frames last year, and is fair to assume that he was never himself following an IL stint due to a back injury, and then a forearm strain that shut him down at the start of June.

Tinoco has a 3.98 ERA, 19.7% strikeout rate, and 11.3% walk rate over his big league career.  His 2024 campaign was his most promising performance, as he had a 3.32 ERA, 25.9K%, and 7.4BB% in 40 2/3 innings despite bouncing around to three different teams over the course of the season.  The drop in walk rate was a particularly good development, as Tinoco had previously struggled with his control in the majors and at times during his minor league career.

Tinoco relies on his slider and sinker as his primary offerings, and doesn’t make much use of his traditional four-seam fastball (which has mid-90s velocity).  It is an open question how Tinoco’s repertoire might develop once he returns to the mound in what will be his age-32 season, as Tinoco turns 31 this coming April.

Reds Sign Garrett Hampson, Josh Staumont, Brandon Leibrandt To Minors Contracts

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The Reds signed utilityman Garrett Hampson, right-hander Josh Staumont, and left-hander Brandon Leibrandt to minor league deals in December, as per each player’s official MLB.com profile page.  Hampson’s deal was also announced today on the Reds’ official X feed, with the added detail that Hampson has been invited to the club’s big league Spring Training camp.

This is Hampson’s second go-around in Cincinnati, after appearing in nine games for the team in 2025.  Hampson began the season on a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks and made the Opening Day roster, but was then released in May.  Cincinnati inked Hampson to a MLB deal a few days later but designated the utilityman near the end of June, with the Cardinals then claiming Hampson away on waivers.  Hampson has been a free agent since he was DFA’ed again and then released by St. Louis in September.

Over 62 games and 91 plate appearances spread out over his three teams, Hampson hit just .143/.250/.169.  It was a tough showing even for a player who carried a modest .240/.301/.362 career slash line into the 2025 season, though Hampson’s versatility has been far more important than his bat in carving out an eight-year MLB career.  Hampson has played at least eight games at every position on the diamond besides catcher, with the bulk of his coming as a second baseman and center fielder.  Even over just those nine previous games with the Reds, Hampson appeared at second base, third base, shortstop, and center field.

Cincinnati already has a number of multi-position players on the roster, so Hampson may have a tricky time winning a spot on the Reds’ roster.  Hampson is also out of minor league options, while Staumont has one option year remaining and Leibrandt has two.

Staumont is back for what is technically his second season with the Reds, though a preseason injury kept Staumont from getting any game action in either the majors or minors.  Staumont had pitched in each of the previous six big league seasons, posting a 3.97 ERA over 192 2/3 innings with the Royals and Twins.  Once a key leverage reliever and potential future closer for Kansas City, Staumont’s production started to drop off in 2022 as injuries impacted his career, culminating in a thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in 2023.

After averaging 98 mph on his fastball in 2020, Staumont’s velo dropped to 94.3mph by the 2024 season, and his strikeout numbers also sharply dropped off.  Control had been an issue for Staumont even in his best years, so it is anyone’s guess as to how he’ll now look entering his age-32 season and after a full year away from pitching.  The Reds already have first-hand knowledge of Staumont’s health situation, however, and a minors deals represents no risk for the team in bringing Staumont to camp and seeing what can still contribute.

Leibrandt is yet another former Red, as he posted a 9.95 ERA over 6 1/3 innings (two appearances) for the team in 2024.  This brief stint and five games (nine IP) with the Marlins in 2020 represent Leibrandt’s entire MLB resume, and the rest of his career has seen the southpaw pitch in the minors, with independent league teams, and with the Chinese Professional Baseball League’s CTBC Brothers in 2025.

Leibrandt had good results over approximately half a season in the CPBL, posting a 1.94 ERA and 5.37% walk rate over 83 1/3 innings with the Brothers, albeit with a 16.45% strikeout rate.  This was enough to get Cincinnati’s attention for another contract, and Leibrandt figures to act as Triple-A rotation depth.

Reds Sign Michael Toglia To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have added first baseman Michael Toglia on a minor league deal, according to his MLB transactions log. The 27-year-old was non-tendered by the Rockies in late November. Toglia split the 2025 season between Triple-A and the majors.

Toglia had the makings of a viable three-true-outcomes bat following the 2024 campaign. He popped 25 home runs in 116 games while walking at a strong 11.8% clip. The power and patience came with a 32.1% strikeout rate, but the end result was a passable 98 wRC+. Toglia’s shaky contact skills cratered to begin this past season. He posted a 39.1% strikeout rate in the first two months of the year, earning a demotion. He bounced up and down between the big-league club and the Isotopes for the rest of the season.

Colorado took Toglia in the first round of the 2019 draft. He flashed big power at every level of the minors, though it came with concerning swing-and-miss tendencies. Toglia debuted with the club in 2022, playing sparingly that season and the next. He totaled six home runs over his first 76 games. The 2024 breakout was closer to what Toglia had shown in the minors, particularly with the free passes. He had a walk rate of at least 12% at every minor league stop before his promotion. It hadn’t reached 8% in his first two MLB stints.

Toglia has shown the ability to do real damage when he makes contact. He ranked in the 98th percentile in barrel rate and the 94th percentile in hard-hit rate in 2024. The contact just hasn’t come consistently enough. Toglia’s had a whiff rate above 33% in all four MLB seasons. He had the fourth-lowest contact rate among hitters with at least 300 plate appearances last year.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Braves Re-Sign Tyler Kinley

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The Braves announced they are bringing back right-hander Tyler Kinley on a one-year contract worth $4.25MM in guaranteed money. Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported on the deal prior to the official announcement. The deal breaks down as a $3MM salary for the 2026 season, and there is a $1.25MM buyout on a $5.5MM club option for the 2027 season. Kinley is represented by Paragon Sports International. Left-hander Ken Waldichuk has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Atlanta declined its $5.5MM option on Kinley shortly after the season ended, opting to hand him a $750K buyout. The move was a bit of an eyebrow raiser at the time, considering the righty’s strong work once he joined the team, but it makes more sense now. The Braves get Kinley at a cheaper number while adding the ability to retain him in 2027.

The deal is indicative of Kinley’s impressive turnaround last season. The 34-year-old had an ugly 5.66 ERA in the first half with Colorado. It continued a troubling trend, as Kinley was coming off back-to-back seasons with an ERA over 6.00. Atlanta scooped him up at the trade deadline for a Double-A reliever. The Braves weren’t in contention, so acquiring Kinley was more about giving him an audition for 2026. The gambit paid off, as the veteran allowed just two earned runs in 24 appearances with the team.

Kinley often worked in high-leverage spots during his Rockies tenure. The role was given to him more out of necessity, not performance. Despite a 6.19 ERA in 2024, Kinley led the team with a dozen saves. He wrapped up his five-plus seasons in Colorado with a 5.05 ERA. Pitching half your games at Coors Field is no easy task, and Kinley’s underlying metrics were routinely better than his standard run prevention numbers. He had a SIERA close to or below 4.00 in each of his five full campaigns with the team. Kinley’s xERA was more than a run lower than his actual ERA on three occasions.

The Braves have already made several additions in the bullpen this offseason. The club re-signed Raisel Iglesias in mid-November, then doubled down by grabbing Robert Suarez in early December. Atlanta also brought back Joel Payamps and picked up veterans Ian Hamilton and Danny Young. Iglesias and Suarez are the clear 1-2 punch in the late innings, which likely leaves Kinley to pick up opportunities in the middle frames.

Rockies Acquire Jake McCarthy From Diamondbacks

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The Rockies have acquired outfielder Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Josh Grosz.  Both teams have officially announced the trade.

Selected 39th overall by the D’Backs in the 2018 draft, McCarthy’s tenure in Arizona has been marked by trade rumors and flashes of potential.  McCarthy’s first full MLB season in 2022 saw him finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting, off a .283/.342/.427 slash line, eight homers, and 23 steals in 26 attempts over 354 trips to the plate.  This translated to a 116 wRC+, but McCarthy’s production then drastically tailed off to a 78 wRC+ during the 2023 season, and he wasn’t involved in any of Arizona’s playoff rosters during the team’s run to the NL pennant.

The pendulum swung again in 2024 when McCarthy played in a career-high 142 games, and hit .285/.349/.400 with eight homers and 25 stolen bases over 495 PA.  This past season, McCarthy had only a 60 wRC+ from a slash line of .204/.247/.345 over 222 PA, and he spent two months in Triple-A in a fruitless attempt to get his bat on track.

With a 431-game sample size to work with, McCarthy’s strengths and weaknesses are clear.  He can play all three outfield positions at least passably well, and he is one of the very fastest players in baseball, ranking in no lower than the 98th percentile of speed since his debut in the Show.  McCarthy makes a lot of contact, yet with very little hard contact or power, leaving him somewhat at the mercy of batted-ball luck.

Coming up as one of several left-handed hitting outfielders in the Diamondbacks farm system, McCarthy has been a trade candidate for years.  During the 2023-24 offseason, the White Sox were reportedly given the option of acquiring either McCarthy or Dominic Fletcher in exchange for Cristian Mena, and Chicago opted to go with Fletcher.  It is easy to second-guess the D’Backs by arguing that McCarthy could’ve garnered more of a return if they’d moved him much earlier than January 2026, though McCarthy’s up-and-down performance made him something of a difficult player for the Diamondbacks to gauge, let alone shop to trade suitors.

Even with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. set to miss most or all of the 2026 season recovering from a torn ACL, the Diamondbacks still felt comfortable moving McCarthy out of their outfield mix.  McCarthy is out of minor league options, so sending him back to Triple-A again would’ve first required a trip through the waiver wire.  Today’s trade allows the D’Backs to get something back in return for a player who simply no longer seemed to be in their plans.

Corbin Carroll is locked into right field and Alek Thomas will probably get the bulk of center field work.  Any of Blaze Alexander, Jorge Barrosa, or utilityman Tim Tawa could be utilized in left field, plus former top prospect Jordan Lawlar played some center field in winter ball action and might also eventually get some looks in left field.  The Diamondbacks could also explore adding another outfielder over the course of the offseason.

The 28-year-old McCarthy now heads to the Mile High City for a fresh start, though he’ll be joining another somewhat crowded outfield picture.  If anything, there had been an expectation that the Rockies might deal from their outfield rather than add, given that it is perhaps the only real position of depth within the organization.  That said, acquiring McCarthy could be the Rockies’ way of retaining their outfield depth in advance of another trade later this winter.  For now, McCarthy joins Mickey Moniak, Brenton Doyle, Zac Veen, and Jordan Beck in Colorado’s outfield mix, with McCarthy probably lined up as the fifth outfielder.

Since being hired as the Rockies’ president of baseball operations in November, Paul DePodesta has swung two other trades, but this is the first that brought a brought a big league player back to Colorado in return.  DePodesta has a long road ahead of him in trying to bring the Rox back to respectability, but adding a former well-regarded prospect like McCarthy is a way of both raising the talent floor, and seeing what McCarthy can perhaps do with a change of scenery.  McCarthy is arbitration-controlled through the 2028 season, and is earning $1.525MM in 2026.

Grosz is on the move for the second time in less than six months, as the righty was one of the two pitching prospects the Yankees sent to the Rockies for Ryan McMahon at the last trade deadline.  Grosz was an 11th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2023 draft, and he posted a 4.67 ERA, 25.2% strikeout rate, and 10.3% walk rate over 125 1/3 innings at the high-A level in 2025 (87 IP with the Yankees’ high-A affiliate, and the rest with the Rockies’ affiliate).

MLB Pipeline ranked Grosz as the 20th-best prospect in Colorado’s farm system, projecting him as a multi-inning reliever or perhaps a back-end starter.  Grosz’s fastball (which sits 93-95mph with a good spin rate) is his best pitch but also “his lone better-than-average offering,” as per Pipeline’s scouting report.  The 23-year-old is something of lottery ticket that the Diamondbacks can continue developing as a possible rotation piece.

Rangers Release Anthony Veneziano

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The Rangers announced that Anthony Veneziano has been released from his minor league contract so that the southpaw can pursue an opportunity with an Asian team.  Veneziano only just signed with Texas about four weeks ago, though as per the norm with non-roster players, the Rangers aren’t going to stand in the way if Veneziano is given a guaranteed offer from a foreign club.

A veteran of three MLB seasons, Veneziano started his big league career with a two-game cup of coffee with the Royals in 2023.  He followed those 2 1/3 innings with 13 1/3 IP with the Royals and Marlins in 2024, and then 25 frames with Miami and St. Louis last season.  The Cardinals claimed Veneziano off the Marlins’ waiver wire shortly after the trade deadline, and after outrighting him off the 40-man roster in November, Veneziano elected minor league free agency.

The 28-year-old had a 3.98 ERA over his 40 2/3 innings in the Show, including a 4.68 ERA over his 25 innings in 2025.  His 21.4% career strikeout rate is decent, though his 9.4% walk rate from 2025 was on the high side.  Control has been an increasing issue for Veneziano, and he had more walks (20) than strikeouts (18) over his 24 2/3 innings of Triple-A work last season, with a 5.11 ERA to show for his time with the Marlins’ and Cardinals’ top affiliates.

Veneziano has started only one of his 40 Major League games, and that came in an opener capacity during a Miami bullpen game last June.  He moved into a bullpen role in 2024 and worked almost exclusively as a reliever at all levels in 2025, so it could be that Veneziano is looking to resurrect his starting prospects overseas.  At the very least, Veneziano will get some extra financial security rather than earn only a minimum MLB salary for whatever time he spends in the majors in 2026.

Red Sox, Seth Martinez Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Red Sox agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Seth Martinez, as first reported by Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects. He’ll get a non-roster invitation to MLB camp.

Martinez has pitched in the majors in five straight seasons. He got a decent amount of run in the Astros’ middle relief corps from 2022-24. He didn’t get as much big league work last year, only making it into six games for the Marlins. Martinez gave up four runs with three walks and four strikeouts across 6 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old righty spent the majority of the year with Miami’s Triple-A club. He pitched to a 3.71 ERA behind a 29% strikeout rate over 43 2/3 frames. Martinez routinely posts strong whiff numbers in the minors and has fanned more than 30% of opponents with a sub-3.00 ERA in five Triple-A seasons. His flat 4.00 earned run average and 20.5% strikeout percentage in 117 MLB appearances are more solid than great.

Martinez only sits around 90 MPH with his fastball. He frequently relies on his breaking ball while mixing in a changeup. He’s out of options, meaning the Sox would need to keep him on the big league roster or expose him to waivers if they call him up at any point.

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