January 14, 2026
The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reports that "at least one person with the Red Sox suggested this week that there's still an opportunity to trade from the outfield group," and that outfielder
Jarren Duran "remains a likely trade candidate." Boston has at least four capable outfielders currently on the roster between Duran,
Roman Anthony,
Wilyer Abreu, and
Ceddanne Rafaela. While the Red Sox could simply prioritize outfield depth and keep all four, the team's needs elsewhere on the roster could necessitate a trade. Across 696 plate appearances with Boston in 2025, Duran posted a .256/.332/.442 slash line with 16 home runs, 84 RBI, 86 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. He's entering his age-29 season and will remain under team control through 2028. A Duran trade could potentially provide a playing time boost for Abreu, Rafaela, and Red Sox designated hitter
Masataka Yoshida.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Jen McCaffrey
January 14, 2026
The Boston Red Sox "quietly shopped" starting pitcher
Brayan Bello earlier in the offseason, per Ken Rosenthal and Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. While Bello remains a member of the Red Sox for the time being, Boston's recent big-money agreement with lefty starter
Ranger Suarez could lead to renewed willingness to trade from their starting pitching depth. Across 166 2/3 innings (29 starts) for the Red Sox in 2025, Bello posted an 11-9 record with a 3.35 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 124 strikeouts. Bello, who turns 27 years old in May, is locked up on a team-friendly extension through at least the 2029 season. He would almost certainly generate interest on the trade market, and the presence of young arms such as
Connelly Early and
Payton Tolle in Boston could lead the team to move Bello in pursuit of a bat.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal, Jen McCaffrey
January 14, 2026
MLB Network Radio's Jim Duquette said on Wednesday that from what he can tell, it's likely the New York Mets have "gone to a fourth year" for free-agent outfielder
Kyle Tucker. Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Mets were willing to offer Tucker a short-term contract with an average annual value of $50 million, but they might have added a year after it was announced that the Toronto Blue Jays had extended a long-term deal to Tucker. The Los Angeles Dodgers were seen as suitors for Tucker earlier this offseason, but right now, the Mets and Blue Jays are getting into a bidding war, which means he's unlikely to go to the Dodgers. Regardless of where the 28-year-old left-handed-hitting slugger goes, he will most likely be a top-20 position player in fantasy baseball, even considering his durability questions. The Mets would love to add some more middle-of-the-order lineup protection for lefty slugger
Juan Soto and shortstop
Francisco Lindor after losing
Pete Alonso in free agency.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network Radio - Jim Duquette
January 14, 2026
Free-agent left-hander
Ranger Suarez agreed to a five-year deal worth $130 million with the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. The Red Sox were bound to make another big move after losing third baseman
Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs. Suarez, 30, will now join ace lefty
Garrett Crochet at the top of Boston's starting rotation going into the 2026 season. Boston also acquired veteran righty
Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this offseason to boost their starting rotation. Suarez isn't a big strikeout guy (career 22.1% strikeout rate) and has never reached the 200-inning mark in eight big-league seasons. However, the crafty southpaw has been lights-out in the playoffs with a 1.48 ERA in 42 2/3 innings, and he holds a strong 3.38 career ERA with a 1.27 WHIP, 705 K's, and 240 walks in 762 frames. Suarez might have the track record of a high-end starter, but he's a solid, command-driven ground-ball artist.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA Today Sports - Bob Nightengale
January 14, 2026
The Boston Red Sox are getting aggressive in pursuing top-level starting pitching on the trade market this offseason, sources told Rob Bradford of WEEI. The Red Sox are ready to make a move after losing third baseman
Alex Bregman in free agency to the Chicago Cubs. Bradford suggests they'd be willing to trade for a No. 1 or 2 starter. Boston has already been linked to Milwaukee Brewers righty
Freddy Peralta, Minnesota Twins right-hander
Joe Ryan, and Kansas City Royals left-hander
Cole Ragans since the beginning of the offseason. In addition to the trade market, the BoSox could go after free-agent left-handers
Framber Valdez or
Ranger Suarez. St. Louis already acquired righty
Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals, but they want to add another top-of-the-rotation arm to pair with lefty ace
Garrett Crochet.
--Keith HernandezSource: WEEI - Rob Bradford
January 14, 2026
The San Diego Padres were the team besides the Arizona Diamondbacks that "mounted the heaviest pursuit" of
Nolan Arenado, people briefed on the talks told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The Padres already have
Manny Machado entrenched at third base, so the Padres intended for Arenado to play first base. However, the Padres were unwilling to take on as much of Arenado's salary as the D-backs were. Arizona owes Arenado $1 million less than the White Sox gave left-hander
Anthony Kay in the final two years of Arenado's contract. The Padres have payroll concerns, so they might have been trying to land Arenado for something close to the minimum salary. The 34-year-old has been on a three-year offensive decline. He had an xwOBA under .300 for the second straight year, and his exit velocity was in the bottom-10th percentile. Arenado is still strong defensively and makes a lot of contact, but moving to first base will make him even less attractive in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
January 14, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies met with free-agent infielder
Bo Bichette on Monday, and Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports that both sides "emerged with optimism" from the meeting. Across 628 plate appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs, 94 RBI, 78 runs scored, and four stolen bases. He'll turn just 28 years old in March, making him one of the younger big-name free agents on the open market. Bichette has spent the majority of his career playing shortstop, but he's graded out as a poor defender and has expressed an openness to moving off the position with his next team. Philadelphia already has
Trea Turner at short, so Bichette would likely take over for either
Bryson Stott at second base or
Alec Bohm at third base with the Phillies. Multiple other teams, including the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, have been linked to Bichette at different points throughout the offseason. However, Gelb highlights Philadelphia's historical willingness to sign longer-term free agent deals as one reason why the organization may emerge as the winner of the Bichette sweepstakes.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
January 14, 2026
Free-agent first baseman
Paul Goldschmidt "continues to loom as a potential fit" with the Arizona Diamondbacks, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Goldschmidt spent the 2025 season with the New York Yankees, posting a .274/.328/.403 slash line with 10 home runs, 45 RBI, 76 runs scored, and five stolen bases across 534 plate appearances. Entering his age-38 season, Goldschmidt's days as an everyday player are likely behind him. However, he mashed left-handed pitching to a .336/.411/.570 line in 2025, which could make him an ideal platoon partner for Diamondbacks left-handed hitting first baseman
Pavin Smith. Goldschmidt also spent the first eight years of his career in Arizona before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, so a homecoming could be a nice story for both player and team.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
January 14, 2026
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that some members of the Boston Red Sox organization are "high on free-agent left-hander
Ranger Suarez," and speculates that signing Suarez could be one way for Boston to pivot after losing third baseman
Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency. Across 157 1/3 innings (26 starts) for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2025, Suarez posted a 12-8 record with a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 151 strikeouts. He lowered his walk rate to a career-best 5.8% in 2025 and now hits free agency going into his age-30 season. In Boston, Suarez would likely slot in alongside veteran right-hander
Sonny Gray as one of the top starting pitching options behind ace of the staff
Garrett Crochet. However, Rosenthal also reports that Suarez's market "remains unclear," so it does not appear that a signing is imminent.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
January 14, 2026
Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports that the Boston Red Sox met with starting pitcher
Framber Valdez in person at the MLB general managers' meetings in November, and speculates that the team could circle back to Valdez after losing third baseman
Alex Bregman to the Chicago Cubs in free agency. Valdez, who is entering his age-32 season, posted a 13-11 record with a 3.66 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 187 strikeouts across 192 innings for the Houston Astros in 2025. The veteran left-hander has made at least 28 starts in four consecutive seasons, posting a 3.21 ERA across 767 2/3 innings pitched in that span. Healey notes that the Red Sox acquired starting pitcher
Sonny Gray after meeting with Valdez, so it's possible the team feels it has filled its rotation needs. However, Boston could choose to upgrade its pitching staff with the money it has left over after missing on Bregman.
--Will BradySource: The Boston Globe - Tim Healey
January 14, 2026
Miami Marlins pitching prospect
Robby Snelling appears poised to compete for a starting job in the rotation during spring training. Over the past week, the Marlins have sent two of their starting pitchers,
Edward Cabrera and
Ryan Weathers, to competing teams in exchange for top prospects. As a result, Snelling faces even less competition to crack the rotation next month. Last summer, the southpaw was one of the most dominant pitchers at the Triple-A level. While he had a modest start to the season at Double-A, where he posted a 3.61 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP across 72 1/3 innings, he reached a new level with Jacksonville. Through 63 2/3 innings at the top level of the minor leagues, Snelling posted an elite 1.27 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, with an 81:17 K:BB. Snelling is a name to closely monitor in spring training, as he would carry high-end sleeper appeal given the strikeout upside he flashed against the top hitters in the minor leagues if he begins the season in the majors.
--Andy SmithSource: RotoBaller
January 14, 2026
Former first-round pick Caden Bodine was included in the package to Tampa Bay that sent right-handed pitcher
Shane Baz to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this offseason. The Orioles selected the young backstop with the 30th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft and will now join his second professional club. Following his selection out of Coastal Carolina, the backstop was set to Low-A Delmarva, where he appeared in his first 11 professional contests. In this brief stint, Bodine held a .326/.408/.349 line with a .757 OPS. The 22-year-old hit one double and had an 8:5 K:BB. The catcher is considered Tampa Bay's No. 13 overall prospect. Entering the draft, Bodine was credited with having some of the best contact skills in the class. Dynasty managers should expect the switch-hitting catcher to spend most of 2026 in the lower levels of the Tampa Bay system.
--Andy SmithSource: Jeff Passan
January 14, 2026
Right-handed pitching prospect Michael Forret was the top piece the Rays acquired in exchange for right-handed pitcher
Shane Baz, who was shipped to the Orioles earlier in the offseason. Forret is now considered the No. 7-ranked prospect in the Tampa Bay system on MLB.com. Last summer, Forret enjoyed an impressive campaign with High-A and Double-A, logging 74 total innings to the tune of a 1.58 ERA and a .082 WHIP. With High-A, the right-hander held an elite 1.51 ERA with a 76:17 K:BB. Through his first 14 1/3 innings at Double-A, the former 14th-round selection posted a similar 1.88 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, with a 15:4 K:BB. Given his impressive control and high strikeout upside, Forret is worth closely monitoring in dynasty leagues. Given his dominant performance last summer, the budding 21-year-old could reach Triple-A much sooner than expected.
--Andy SmithSource: Jeff Passan
January 14, 2026
New York Yankees infield prospect
Dylan Jasso was included in the package that sent left-handed starting pitcher
Ryan Weathers to the New York Yankees on Tuesday evening. Additionally, Jasso was sent to the Malrins alongside fellow prospects
Dillon Lewis,
Brendan Jones, and
Juan Matheus. Jasso, the No. 23-ranked prospect in the Yankee system ahead of the trade, spent his entire 2025 campaign with Double-A. During his first look with Double-A Somerset, Jasso held his own, posting a .257/.326/.400 line with a .726 OPS. Across 127 games, Jasso hit 13 round-trippers, added 17 doubles, but held a rough 130:42 K:BB. In 2024, Jasso posted a .728 OPS split between Low-A and High-A. Managers should expect Jasso to make a case to begin the 2026 campaign with Triple-A, which could open the door for a second-half MLB debut.
--Andy SmithSource: Jack Curry
January 14, 2026
The New York Yankees have traded outfield prospect
Dillon Lewis to the Miami Marlins in the package that brought
Ryan Weathers to the Bronx. Additionally, the Yankees sent fellow prospects
Brendan Jones,
Dylan Jasso, and
Juan Matheus to Miami. Lewis was viewed as the No. 16-ranked prospect in the New York pipeline ahead of Tuesday's trade. Lewis joined the Yankees in the 2024 draft in the 13th round out of Queens University of Charlotte. After a small taste of Low-A following the draft in 2024, Lewis received his first full look at professional baseball last season with Low-A and High-A. Across 122 games split between the levels, Lewis held a .237/.321/.445 line with 21 doubles, 22 home runs, and 26 stolen bases. Given that he spent 76 of these games with High-A, Lewis should be in the mix to debut at Double-A early in the 2026 campaign.
--Andy SmithSource: Jack Curry
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