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Orioles To Claim Pedro León

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The Orioles have claimed outfielder Pedro León off waivers from the Astros, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. It was reported earlier this week that Houston had put several players on waivers, including León, as they looked to clear out some roster space. The O’s will need to make space on their 40-man roster to make the move official.

Baltimore is taking a flier on a post-hype prospect. León was a high-profile signing out of Cuba several years ago. In January of 2021, the Astros gave him a $4MM signing bonus. He was ranked as one of the top prospects in the system for the next few years. He’s now 27 years old, turning 28 in May, but hasn’t yet delivered on that hype. He has only appeared in seven big league games thus far. He struck out in 10 of his 21 plate appearances as he has produced a .100/.143/.100 line.

That’s obviously a tiny sample of work but his minor league track record also isn’t great. From 2021 to 2023, he hit .233/.350/.419 on the farm. That offense translates to a 104 wRC+, indicating he was above average but barely. He struck out in 29% of his plate appearances in that time.

In 2024, he had a monster .299/.372/.514 showing in Triple-A. He still struck out at a fairly high 27% clip but that offense was good enough for a 130 wRC+, even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League. Here in 2025, a sprained MCL in his left knee limited him to just 22 Triple-A contests. He hit .241/.312/.422 for a wRC+ of 89 in those.

Obviously, the Astros were hoping for more when they signed him. The Orioles are hoping that a late-bloomer breakout can come in their organization. León is still optionable, so they could keep him in the minors. He showed big potential in 2024 before the injury-marred 2025. Ideally, the O’s will get a healthy and productive season from León in 2026. If that comes to pass, he could push his way into their outfield mix as the season goes along. Currently, that group includes Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Beavers, Jeremiah Jackson, Leody Taveras and others.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Shea, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Discussing Extension With Manager John Schneider

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The Blue Jays have had conversations with manager John Schneider about a contract extension, GM Ross Atkins confirmed at today’s end-of-season press conference (relayed by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet). It seems likely that’ll get done at some point this offseason. For the moment, Atkins confirmed that the Jays have officially exercised their 2026 option on Schneider’s contract.

Schneider took over the position on an interim basis when Charlie Montoyo was fired halfway through the 2022 season. The Jays removed the interim tag and signed him to a three-year contract with an option over the offseason. The guaranteed portion of the deal expired at the end of this past season. The Jays weren’t going to make a managerial change on the heels of an American League title.

It was a formality that they’d exercise the option and entirely expected they’d open talks on a multi-year deal. Most teams prefer not to have their managers or top front office personnel working on expiring contracts. That’s especially true when the manager led the team tantalizingly close to a championship. The Jays pushed the Dodgers to the brink in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. They were a blown save and/or one timely hit away from their first title in more than 30 years.

As is the case with any manager, Schneider has made some decisions that came under fire with the fanbase. His handling of the pitching staff during the 2023 Wild Card series loss to the Twins was heavily criticized. One can quibble with how aggressively he pinch ran for many of his best hitters in Game 3 of this year’s World Series, which left the Jays with a mostly punchless lineup in a game that went 18 innings.

Still, the Jays have won just over 54% of their regular season games over three-plus years with Schneider at the helm. He has led the team to two postseason berths, an AL championship, and fostered what appears to be a close-knit clubhouse. That came into play when Shane Bieber exercised a below-market player option to give things another go in Toronto. The Jays’ offseason focus will be on getting a long-term deal done with Bo Bichette and further addressing the pitching staff.

Tigers Decline Mutual Option On Paul Sewald

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The Tigers have declined their $10MM mutual option on reliever Paul Sewald, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. He will instead receive a $1MM buyout and become a free agent.

Sewald, 35, was acquired from the Guardians in July while he was rehabbing a right shoulder strain. The Tigers sent him on a rehab assignment in early September and activated him off the IL on September 18. He made his team debut the next day but only made four regular season appearances with Detroit, ultimately being left off the roster for the club’s playoff run. In 19 2/3 innings between the Guardians and Tigers in 2025, Sewald pitched to a 4.58 ERA while striking out 24.7% of hitters and issuing walks at a rate of 7.4%. While he has never been much of a ground-ball pitcher, he saw his ground-ball rate decline from 26.6% in 2024 to just 14.5% in 2025. His fastball, which he used 59% of the time this year, declined to 90.4 mph after sitting at 91.4 mph last year.

More to come.

Thairo Estrada Elects Free Agency

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The Rockies announced Thursday that infielder Thairo Estrada passed through waivers unclaimed and elected free agency. Colorado also claimed right-hander Garrett Acton off waivers from the Rays. He’d been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay earlier in the week.

Colorado turned down its end of a mutual option on Estrada earlier this week, but since he has yet to accrue six years of major league service, he remained on the roster as an arbitration-eligible player. After Estrada missed most of the 2025 season due to injury and hit just .253/.285/.370 when healthy, the Rox will move on and Estrada will head to the open market in search of new opportunities.

Estrada, 30 in February, had a solid three-year run with the Giants from 2021-23, hitting a combined .266/.320/.416 with plus defense and plus baserunning. Injuries have tanked his production since late in 2023, however. Estrada suffered a broken left hand that year, then missed time with a ligament injury in his left wrist in 2024. He broke his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch this spring and, after returning, missed additional time due to thumb and hamstring injuries. He’s been limited to 546 plate appearances across the past two seasons and turned in a woeful .228/.258/.351 batting line in that time.

Second base has been Estrada’s primary position, though he’s also seen ample time at shortstop and briefer appearances at third base and across all three outfield slots. Statcast pegs him as a plus defender at second, though Defensive Runs Saved is on the other end of the spectrum. At the very least, he’s a fleet-footed utility man with experience at six defensive spots and a lower-than-average strikeout rate at the plate.

Acton, 27, signed a two-year minor league deal with the Rays going into 2024. He had undergone Tommy John surgery prior to signing that deal and missed the entire 2024 campaign. He was added to the 40-man late in 2025 and tossed one scoreless inning in the bigs. He threw 58 2/3 innings in Triple-A with a 3.68 ERA, 30.1% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.

Red Sox, Cooper Criswell Agree To Deal For 2026

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The Red Sox and righty Cooper Criswell have agreed to terms on a contract for the 2026 season, reports FanSided’s Robert Murray. Criswell, a client of Republik Sports, was already on the 40-man roster but wasn’t necessarily a lock to stick all offseason. He’s now agreed to a fully guaranteed $800K, per Murray, which greatly enhances his chances of staying in place.

Boston could still pass Criswell through waivers at some point this winter. He’s out of minor league options and would thus need to break camp with the club or else be designated for assignment. The fully guaranteed $800K, while only a bit north of the league minimum salary, makes it less likely that he’d be claimed by another club and also ensures that Criswell would accept an outright to the minors. He’d have the right to reject a minor league assignment upon clearing waivers by virtue of the fact that he’s been outrighted in the past, but he doesn’t have the service time necessary to reject and retain the remainder of that guarantee.

The 29-year-old Criswell appeared in seven games for the Sox this year, logging 17 2/3 innings of 3.57 ERA ball but with only an 11.3% strikeout rate. He’s totaled 154 2/3 innings across parts of five major league seasons and carries a career 4.48 ERA, 16.7% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate between the Angels, Rays and Red Sox. He also tossed 65 2/3 innings of 3.70 ERA ball for the Sox’ Triple-A affiliate in Worcester this season, working primarily as a starter.

While Criswell isn’t going to be penciled into next year’s rotation, he’ll be a depth option and could compete for a swing role in camp. Rotation help will be a focus for Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow this winter. Ace Garrett Crochet will again lead the rotation. He’ll be followed by Brayan Bello, but the rest of the group is more in flux. Kutter Crawford missed the entire season due to oblique and wrist injuries — the latter requiring surgery in July. Tanner Houck had Tommy John surgery this summer. Hunter Dobbins’ season ended with an ACL tear. Lucas Giolito is a free agent.

Top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early debuted late in the season and impressed to varying extents, but neither will simply be handed a rotation spot. Veteran Patrick Sandoval should be healthy after spending 2025 rehabbing from UCL surgery. Former top prospect Kyle Harrison, acquired in the Rafael Devers trade, will be in the mix — as will righty Richard Fitts. There are plenty of in-house options, but some of those names could move to the bullpen and others may need more time in Triple-A. Adding a playoff-caliber arm to the rotation mix seems likely, whether that addition comes via free agency or trade.

Tigers To Decline Option On Jose Urquidy

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The Tigers informed right-hander José Urquidy that they’re declining his $4MM option, the pitcher told reporters in Mexico yesterday (video provided by Miguel Lugo). The team has not officially announced the decision. Detroit also has yet to announce their move on Paul Sewald, though they’re certainly going to buy him out for $1MM rather than exercise their end of a $10MM mutual option.

Urquidy was recovering from the second Tommy John surgery of his career when Detroit signed him to a $1MM deal last March. They knew he’d miss almost all of the 2025 campaign. They guaranteed him a little more than the league minimum for his rehab year while tacking on the club option to provide a potential source of cheap innings in 2026. The move also reunited Urquidy with A.J. Hinch, his former manager in Houston.

The 30-year-old righty did make it back to the mound at the end of the season. He pitched twice out of the bullpen in September, surrendering two runs with three strikeouts and walks apiece across 2 1/3 innings. His fastball averaged 93 MPH, which is right in line with his velocity from his days with the Astros. He didn’t need to hold that velocity over a full start, but it’s also not surprising that his stuff would be marginally down in his first couple outings back from elbow surgery.

In any case, the Tigers weren’t so impressed with his form that they wanted to commit $4MM at the beginning of the offseason. They could try to circle back later in the winter, but they’ll keep their options open for the time being. Tarik Skubal will anchor the staff barring a shocking trade. Jack Flaherty exercised his $20MM player option, though the Tigers could shop him if they want to clear payroll space for a bigger swing in the rotation. Reese Olson, Casey Mize and second-year righty Troy Melton project as the final three starters. Keider Montero and Sawyer Gipson-Long are their top depth arms. Jackson Jobe might return from Tommy John surgery in the second half.

Urquidy can now hear from all 30 teams as he looks for a rotation opportunity. He was a solid fourth starter before the injury. Urquidy turned in an earned run average just below 4.00 in more than 400 innings over parts of five seasons in Houston. He gave up a few too many home runs and didn’t miss a ton of bats, but he attacks the strike zone and has neutralized opposite-handed hitters behind an excellent changeup. He should be able to find an incentive-laden big league deal. A non-contender like the Nationals, Twins or White Sox might make the most sense by offering the clearest path to a rotation spot.

Braves To Decline Club Option On Pierce Johnson

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The Braves will decline their $7MM club option on right-handed reliever Pierce Johnson, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’ll receive a $250K buyout and become a free agent. Johnson is the second affordable reliever whose 2026 option has been declined by Atlanta today. The Braves also opted for a buyout over exercising Tyler Kinley’s $5.5MM option.

It’s a fairly surprising decision regarding Johnson, who’s pitched well in two-plus seasons with Atlanta — particularly in 2025. The 34-year-old righty was acquired from the Rockies at the 2023 deadline, posted a sub-1.00 ERA down the stretch and was rewarded with a two-year, $14MM contract. Johnson has pitched 115 1/3 innings of 3.36 ERA ball since putting pen to paper on that deal, including a 3.05 ERA in 59 1/3 frames this past season. He’s posted nice strikeout and walk rates overall, and in 2025 fanned one-quarter of his opponents against an 8% walk rate.

That said, Johnson will be 35 next May and is coming off a poor finish to his season. Nearly half the runs he allowed on the year came over the final month of play. From Aug. 25 onward, Johnson was rocked for nine runs on 19 hits and three walks. Four of those 19 knocks left the yard. His strikeout rate dropped nearly three percentage points, and his average fastball dipped by about 0.4 mph. Those aren’t necessarily catastrophic red flags, but it’s also surely not a finish with which he or the team is satisfied.

While both the Johnson and Kinley decisions are somewhat surprising in isolation, the broader trend of seeing teams turn down reasonably priced options early in an offseason has been around for several years. Just last offseason, we saw reasonably priced options on Colin Rea, Andrew Chafin and Danny Coulombe bought out. Those teams clearly preferred not to allocate notable resources to relievers who weren’t set to be key leverage arms in 2025 (though Johnson was a regular in high-leverage spots with Atlanta). Even as far back as 2020, Cleveland waived Brad Hand and bought him out rather than pick up a $10MM option.

It’s tempting to read a bit too deep into the Braves’ bullpen decisions today, but declining options on a pair of mid-30s relievers doesn’t necessarily serve as a portent for an uncharacteristically thrifty offseason. Atlanta is never a particularly big spender in free agency under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, but the Braves typically add a mid-tier free agent or two and are active on the trade market. More of the same could unfold. By forgoing the club options on Johnson and Kinley, their projected luxury tax number at the moment is around $197MM rather than nearly $209MM, per RosterResource.

As for Johnson, he’s coming off a nice run of two and a half seasons working as a setup man. He still sits 95-96 mph with his heater and still posted quality rate stats. He ought to command a big league deal in free agency, although the lack of a trade likely indicates that he might have a hard time exceeding the $7MM price point of his prior option.

With Johnson and Kinley out of the mix, the back-end of Atlanta’s bullpen includes Joe Jimenez, Aaron Bummer and Dylan Lee. Anthopoulos & Co. will surely make further additions in the months ahead. The Braves have already been linked to a potential reunion with outgoing closer Raisel Iglesias, and there’s no shortage of veteran arms to peruse on this offseason’s open market.

Padres Hire Craig Stammen As Manager

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The Padres announced that they have signed former big leaguer Craig Stammen to a three-year deal to serve as their new manager. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Stammen’s hiring prior to the official announcement.

“Craig has been a strong presence in our organization for nearly a decade,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said in the press release. “He possesses deep organizational knowledge and brings natural leadership qualities to the Manager’s chair. As both a player and in his post-playing career, Craig has displayed an ability to elevate those around him. His strength of character, competitive nature and talent for bringing people together make him the ideal choice to lead the Padres.”

It’s yet another out-of-the-blue development from San Diego. Shortly after the Padres were eliminated from the postseason, initial reporting indicated that manager Mike Shildt was likely to stay for the 2026 season. A few days later, he surprisingly stepped down, amid reporting that Shildt’s relationship with other club employees was quite poor.

Now the news of Shildt’s replacement also comes as a surprise. Prior to the news of Stammen’s hiring, there had been no public indication that he was even a candidate for the job. Names like Ryan Flaherty, Ruben Niebla, Albert Pujols and Nick Hundley were connected to the job over the past month. Last week, reporting from Acee indicated that there were “no more than four” finalists, with Pujols, Niebla and Hundley being three of them. It would now appear that Stammen was the mystery fourth candidate.

It’s also a surprising development in that Stammen has no prior managerial or even coaching experience. He pitched in the big leagues from 2009 to 2022. The first seven of those seasons came with the Nationals and the final six with the Padres. He signed a minor league deal with the Padres going into 2023 but then suffered a major shoulder injury during spring training. He announced his retirement a few months later. In January of 2024, the Padres hired him in a player development role.

Despite the lack of dugout experience, apart from his time as a player, the Padres seem to feel that Stammen is the man for the job. They obviously know him well, as their relationship with him goes back at years at this point, combining his playing days with his recent player development role.

Still, it’s a notable gambit for the team to take, as the wobbly manager’s chair in San Diego has been a topic of conversation for years. Preller was hired back in 2014, with the Padres rebuilding for a while. Going into 2020, as they hoped the rebuild was over, they hired Jayce Tingler to be their new skipper. At the time, Tingler had a few years of coaching experience but was just 38 years old and had never been a manager. The Padres performed well in the shortened 2020 season but disappointed in 2021 amid reports that Tingler lost the clubhouse.

Going into 2022, they went for a more seasoned manager. They hired Bob Melvin, who was 60 years old and had almost two decades of managerial experience. The Friars made the playoffs in 2022 but disappointed in 2023. There were whispers that Melvin and Preller didn’t get along. The Padres let Melvin interview with the division-rival Giants and he jumped ship prior to the 2024 season.

Shildt, another baseball lifer with lots of coaching and managerial experience, was hired two years ago. The Padres won at least 90 games in each of his seasons but, as mentioned, recent reports have indicated that things weren’t pretty behind the scenes. It was also recently reported that Preller preferred to hire Ryan Flaherty over Shildt but he may have been overruled by ownership. Flaherty was 37 years old and barely removed from his playing days at the time.

Stammen, 41, is seemingly more towards the Tingler/Flaherty end of the spectrum than the Melvin/Shildt side. Perhaps that may not matter and the Padres just feel that, as an individual, he is the best man for the job. Stammen will have to jump right to the helm and try to steer the Padres forward. The club has had a lot of success in recent years and is surely hoping for more. The roster is filled with expensive veteran star players and all signs point to them continuing to attempt to contend.

For those who missed out on the gig, they are mostly out of chances for a managerial job. There were several managerial vacancies this winter but this was one of the last ones to be filled. The Rockies are the last club without a skipper, though a decision for that job is not imminent. The Rockies are first planning to hire a new front office leader. Whoever gets that job will then start the search for the club’s next manager. Dennis Lin of The Athletic relays that Niebla was the other finalist for the Padres’ job. Alden González of ESPN says Niebla is expected to return to the Friars as pitching coach next year.

Photos courtesy of Orlando Ramirez, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Announce Several Roster Moves

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The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves this morning. Right-handers Nick Sandlin, Bowden Francis, Yimi Garcia, and Angel Bastardo were all activated from the 60-day injured list. Meanwhile, the Jays outrighted right-handers Dillon Tate, Robinson Pina, and Ryan Burr off their 40-man roster. Tate and Burr both elected free agency, while Pina will qualify for minor league free agency this evening as a player with seven years of experience. Additionally, Toronto has selected the contract of catcher Brandon Valenzuela.

Pina, 27 later this month, made his big league debut earlier this year as a member of the Marlins. His time in Miami lasted just one appearance, as he surrendered a solo home run but allowed no other traffic in his lone inning of work before being designated for assignment. Pina was traded to the Blue Jays just a couple of days later in exchange for minor league hurler Colby Martin, but once again made only one appearance for Toronto in 2025 with a 6.75 ERA in 1 1/3 innings of work. Despite his struggles in the majors in an extremely small sample, Pina did pitch to a respectable 3.58 ERA in 65 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A between his two organizations this year.

Tate, 31, spent most of the year at the Triple-A level. In 39.1 innings there, he pitched to a 2.06 ERA while getting ground balls at a 48.1% rate. He did walk 12.0% of opposing hitters though, and his 4.55 xFIP in the minors suggests that he benefited from good luck. Tate only made it into six big-league games for the Blue Jays in 2025, allowing three earned runs in 6 1/3 innings while striking out eight. His overall body of work is solid and includes a 3.05 ERA with just a 5.5% walk rate as recently as 2022 with the Orioles. He’ll get looks from other organizations as a depth piece.

Burr, 31, underwent season-ending surgery in July to repair a capsule injury in his right shoulder and was therefore seen as a non-tender candidate. He also missed time earlier in the year with shoulder inflammation, which led to him making just two appearances at the big-league level. In 32 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays in 2024, Burr had a middling 4.13 ERA but struck out 33.6% of hitters while walking 8.6% and posting strong peripherals. He’ll find opportunities elsewhere if and when he is recovered from his surgery.

Turning now to the IL activations, these are largely procedural moves. Teams place players on the 60-day IL during the regular season to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. However, they must be added back during the offseason. Sandlin had been out with right elbow inflammation since early July, while Francis went down in June with a right shoulder impingement. Garcia underwent season-ending elbow surgery in August and is expected to be ready for spring training. Bastardo missed the year while recovering from Tommy John surgery. All four are controlled through at least 2026.

As for Valenzuela, the 25-year-old catcher was rated as a top-30 prospect for the Padres in 2024 before being traded to Toronto this past July. He batted a roughly average .229/.313/.387 in 87 games at Double-A but struggled with Toronto’s Triple-A team, with just a 76 wRC+ and a 30.5% strikeout rate in 105 plate appearances. Toronto, of course, has Alejandro Kirk entrenched as their starting catcher, so Valenzuela is likely a depth option behind him and Tyler Heineman.

Valenzuela would have been eligible for minor league free agency as a seven-year minor leaguer if he weren’t added to the 40-man roster. Toronto evidently didn’t want to let him get away for nothing. He still has a full slate of minor league options and can spend the next few seasons in Triple-A, but he’s the clear #3 catcher on the depth chart at the moment.

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