January 30, 2026
Chicago White Sox infielder
Miguel Vargas is excited about the chance to primarily be a third baseman this upcoming season. Vargas said he's 100 percent happy with playing third base, and it's a position he has been playing since he was a kid. He did see action at the hot corner last season, but also played 63 games at first base. Given these comments, it seems likely that
Munetaka Murakami is going to be the everyday option at first base. The shift to full-time third baseman is a downgrade defensively for Vargas, who made nine errors in 79 games at the hot corner last season. He doesn't offer a ton of upside with the bat, but he did produce decent power numbers last season. Vargas slashed .234/.316/.401 with 16 home runs, 60 RBI, and six steals in 138 games in 2025. He figures to be the everyday man at third base with
Lenyn Sosa mixed in as well.
--Andy WebbSource: Scott Merkin
January 30, 2026
Chicago White Sox catcher
Kyle Teel has reportedly put on some muscle this offseason. According to Scott Merkin, Teel has added about 20 pounds of muscle mass as he prepares for the 2026 season. The 23-year-old put together solid numbers during his time on the South Side last season. Teel slashed .273/.375/.411 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 78 games in 2025. The hope is that the addition of muscle mass will help Teel in the power category this upcoming season. The former first-round pick is hopefully going to be a big part of the future on the South Side of Chicago. Fantasy managers should be excited to see what a full season of Teel looks like at the big league level.
--Andy WebbSource: Scott Merkin
January 30, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies have signed infielder/outfielder
Dylan Moore to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. Moore can earn up to $3.25 million with incentives for the 2026 season, assuming he makes the roster. The 33-year-old doesn't offer a ton of upside with the bat. His upside comes from his versatility to play just about every position on the diamond. Last season, Moore slashed .201/.267/.374 with 11 home runs, 25 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in 106 games between the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers. Moore is a much better hitter against left-handed pitching, so he'll likely be a platoon player in Philly. His fantasy value is unlikely to be consistent, as he probably won't be an everyday player.
--Andy WebbSource: Will Sammon
January 30, 2026
First baseman
Vinnie Pasquantino and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a two-year contract on Friday to avoid salary arbitration, sources told Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The deal is worth more than $11 million guaranteed and can max out at close to $16 million with incentives. The 28-year-old left-handed slugger played in all but two games in 2025 in his fourth year in the big leagues and slashed .264/.323/.475 with a .798 OPS, career-high 32 home runs, career-high 113 RBI, and career-high 72 runs scored in 682 plate appearances. Pasquantino managed to have a career year because he stayed off the injured list for the first time since 2022. He's one of the best sources of left-handed power at the first base position, but Pasquantino will need to improve against lefties if he wants to continue his upward trajectory. The former 11th-rounder in 2019 has top-five upside at his position.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Anne Rogers
January 30, 2026
Veteran right-handed reliever
David Robertson announced his retirement from professional baseball on Friday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. The 40-year-old veteran signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the second half of last season and posted a 4.08 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, two saves, 22 strikeouts, and eight walks in just 17 2/3 innings pitched in the regular season. Robertson was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 2006 out of Alabama in the 17th round. After 17 seasons in the big leagues, Robertson will walk away with a career 2.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 179 saves, and a 31.9% strikeout rate in 894 1/3 regular-season innings. His lone All-Star season came back in 2011 with the Yankees, when he had a sharp 1.08 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, one save, and a 100:35 K:BB in 66 2/3 frames. Robertson won a World Series ring in 2009 with the Yankees.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA Today - Bob Nightengale
January 30, 2026
The Washington Nationals have claimed relief pitcher
George Soriano off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. Soriano was designated for assignment earlier this week after they added
Jose Suarez to their roster. Soriano is looking to bounce back in 2026 after a disastrous season with the Miami Marlins in 2025. The 26-year-old finished with an 8.35 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and a 36/19 K/BB ratio in 24 appearances. Somehow, Soriano almost allowed more earned runs (34) than he struck out batters (36). The Nationals are hopeful that Soriano can return to form and pitch as he did during his rookie season in 2023. He's expected to compete for a middle relief role during Spring Training.
--Andy WebbSource: Washington Nationals
January 30, 2026
The Chicago White Sox have signed relief pitcher
Lucas Sims to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. Sims is looking to bounce back after posting ugly numbers with the Washington Nationals last season. He allowed 19 earned runs with 14 walks across 18 appearances with the Nats in 2025. The 31-year-old hasn't been successful since leaving the Cincinnati Reds mid-way through the 2024 season. In seven years with the Reds, Sims registered a 3.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, with nearly 300 strikeouts in over 200 appearances. It's a low-risk move for the White Sox, who could get a decent middle reliever if Sims bounces back.
--Andy WebbSource: James Fegan
January 30, 2026
The Texas Rangers are expected to sign first baseman
Nick Pratto to a deal for the 2026 season. The assumption is that this will be a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The deal isn't officially done, but Chris Cotillo believes that the deal is close to being finalized. Pratto is a former first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals during the 2017 draft. The organization viewed him as the future at first base, but Pratto could never put it together at the big league level. Last season, Pratto slashed .232/.307/.353 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 95 games with the Royals. The Rangers are hopeful they can tap into his potential and help the 27-year-old turn around his career.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
January 30, 2026
Athletics infielder
Jacob Wilson has agreed to a long-term extension with the organization on Friday. The two sides have agreed on a seven-year, $70 million extension, including an eighth-year club option. It didn't take long for the A's to lock up their young infielder after a breakout rookie campaign. In 2025, Wilson slashed .311/.355/.444 with 13 home runs, 63 RBI, and five steals in 125 games. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting behind his teammate
Nick Kurtz. The A's have seen enough of the 23-year-old to warrant buying out the rest of his rookie contract. The front office has done a nice job of locking up their young talent with
Brent Rooker,
Tyler Soderstrom,
Lawrence Butler, and now Wilson signed to long-term deals. The A's have some strong pieces to build a future around going forward.
--Andy WebbSource: Jeff Passan
January 30, 2026
Miami Marlins left-hander
Thomas White, the consensus top prospect in the organization, is expected to be called up later in the 2026 season, according to Kevin Barral of Fish on First. Across three minor-league levels last year, White had a 2.31 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 14.55 K/9, and a 5.12 BB/9 in 89 2/3 innings pitched. The 21-year-old southpaw needs to improve both his command and control, though, and he'll be working to show that to the Fish during spring training. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder needs more innings under his belt before Miami will trust throwing him into the fire in their MLB starting rotation, as he's made just two starts at the Triple-A level. Besides his shaky control, White has the obvious makings of a front-line starting pitcher for fantasy managers, who should already be stashing him in dynasty/keeper leagues. He's MLB Pipeline's No. 17 overall prospect going into the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Fish On First - Kevin Barral
January 30, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Emmet Sheehan is likely to be considered for a starting role to begin the 2026 regular season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. That will especially be the case if manager Dave Roberts opens the year with a hybrid or six-man rotation. Both
Shohei Ohtani and
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will miss a large chunk of spring training for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. It was quite impressive what Sheehan did last year for the Dodgers, as he was returning from Tommy John surgery and an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow. The 26-year-old had a 2.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 89 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 15 outings (12 starts) over 73 1/3 innings in his second MLB season. Sheehan mostly relies on his slider and changeup for whiffs and has plenty of strikeout upside for fantasy managers to dream on if he ever gets a full-time shot at a starting spot in L.A.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Katie Woo
January 30, 2026
The Atlanta Braves and free-agent left-hander
Martin Perez agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, sources told Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media. Perez, who will turn 35 years old in April, had a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 44:22 K:BB in 56 innings over 11 outings (10 starts) with the Chicago White Sox last season. In his 14-year major-league career, the veteran Venezuelan hurler has posted a 4.41 ERA (4.44 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP with a weak 16.3% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate over 1,631 2/3 innings pitched for six different clubs. Perez made the All-Star team once, back in 2022 with the Texas Rangers, when he went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 32 starts. He missed most of last year with elbow and shoulder injuries, and it's unclear if he'll be ready for the start of spring training. Perez isn't much of a fantasy asset, but he'll give Atlanta some starting depth with
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow),
Grant Holmes (elbow), and
Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) all rehabbing injuries in the offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Just Baseball Media - Aram Leighton
January 30, 2026
The Cleveland Guardians announced on Friday that infield prospect
Travis Bazzana has received a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. Bazzana, who was the first overall pick in 2024 out of Oregon State, hit .245/.389/.424 with an .813 OPS, nine home runs, 39 RBI, 71 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in 84 games at three minor-league levels in 2025. The 23-year-old Australian's season ended early due to left-flank soreness, and he also missed almost two months earlier in the year with a right-oblique strain. So far, Bazzana hasn't looked like a No. 1 overall pick, although he has gotten on base regularly with a .384 on-base percentage. MLB Pipeline has Bazzana ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect going into the 2026 season. He's an extremely patient hitter and has 20/20 upside at the second base position. Bazzana could be a candidate for his MLB debut in the second half of 2026, depending on how he looks at Triple-A Columbus.
--Keith HernandezSource: GuardsInsider
January 30, 2026
When healthy, Texas Rangers shortstop
Corey Seager remains one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball. Across 445 plate appearances in 2025, the 31-year-old posted a .271/.373/.487 slash line with 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 61 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Unfortunately, consistent health has been elusive for Seager for the majority of his MLB career. Since 2018, Seager has topped 550 plate appearances in a season just once. From a fantasy perspective, the lack of availability limits Seager's ability to rack up counting stats across all categories and minimizes the benefit of his strong batting average. He's also never recorded more than four stolen bases in a season, so building a roster around Seager means accepting below-average speed from the shortstop position. All that being said, Seager should be healthy entering 2026 Spring Training. If he can somehow manage a full season's worth of playing time, Seager could easily out-produce his current average draft position of pick number 88. He's a risky selection, but one that could pay off in a big way for fantasy managers in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher
Robert Suarez was one of the top closers in fantasy baseball while pitching for the San Diego Padres in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across 69 2/3 innings and racking up 40 saves, 75 strikeouts, and four wins. Suarez's stellar performance was enough to land him a three-year $45 million contract with Atlanta this past December. However, the Braves have long-time closer
Raisel Iglesias in place in the ninth inning, and reportedly plan to use Suarez in a high-leverage setup role. Suarez profiles as the lead candidate to assume the closer role if Iglesias struggles or suffers an injury. Still, Suarez's fantasy value is greatly diminished for as long as he remains siloed to a setup role, at least in redraft formats. In dynasty leagues, Suarez could jump right back into the ninth-inning role in Atlanta in 2027, as Iglesias will hit free agency at the end of 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
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