November 18, 2025
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that MLB informed teams on Tuesday that right-hander Tatsuya Imai of the Saitama Seibu Lions has been posted. The negotiating window starts on Wednesday at 8 am ET and closes on Jan. 2 at 5 pm ET. Imai will generate plenty of interest around the league this winter, with the New York Yankees and New York Mets already being rumored to have interest in him. The 27-year-old has had an ERA of 2.34 or lower in three straight years in Japan, including a stingy 1.92 mark in 2025. His strikeout rate has risen in each of the last three seasons as well, with his walk rate also dropping each year over that span. Imai is expected to land a deal north of $150 million as he heads from Japan to the U.S. this year. He had 178 strikeouts and 45 walks in 163 2/3 innings for the Lions this past season, in addition to his 1.92 ERA.
UPDATE: Imai could end up being the highest-paid starter of the winter because of his age, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
November 17, 2025
Houston Astros second baseman/outfielder
Jose Altuve (foot) had a minor skin aspiration on Monday, a source told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The procedure removed fluid from a wound between Altuve's fourth and fifth toes on his right foot after he was bothered by a sore foot in the final two weeks of the regular season. The 35-year-old nine-time All-Star and former MVP hit .265 in 2025 with 26 home runs, 77 RBI, and 80 runs scored in 155 games. Altuve started the year in an unfamiliar position in left field before moving back to second base after
Yordan Alvarez suffered a hand injury early in the year. He ended up starting 61 games at the keystone, 49 at designated hitter, and 44 in left field. In his 15th season with the Astros, Altuve moved into second all-time on the franchise list in hits with 2,388, trailing only Craig Biggio. Altuve is also third on the franchise list in extra-base hits (742) and games played (1,976). He is the fourth primary second baseman in baseball history with 255 career homers and 325 steals, joining Biggio, Joe Morgan, and Ryne Sandberg. Altuve should be a full-go for spring training.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
November 17, 2025
Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said last week at the GM meetings in Las Vegas that third baseman
Isaac Paredes (hamstring) is around 65% recovered from his right-hamstring injury. "We'll feel like he'll at least get to somewhere between 80 and 90 percent at the start of the spring and potentially be ready to go by Opening Day," Brown said. The 26-year-old tore his hamstring in the middle of July and was limited to designated hitter duties late in the season when he returned. The Mexican infielder had a fine 2025 campaign when he was on the field, hitting .254/.352/.458 with an .809 OPS, 20 home runs, 53 RBI, and 53 runs scored in 102 games in his first year in Houston. Although Paredes might not be a full-go for the start of the 2026 regular season, he won't be a bad target for some power at third base once the bigger names at the position come off the board in fantasy drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
November 17, 2025
MLB Network's Jon Morosi says that he thinks the Boston Red Sox will "either bring back
Alex Bregman" or "make an all-out pursuit of
Pete Alonso." Morosi likes Boston's "chances to get one or the other." "I believe the Red Sox are the strongest contender of anyone to take Pete Alonso away from the New York Mets," Morosi added. The BoSox will be on the market for a starting pitcher this winter, too, but Morosi thinks it will be a big priority to try and bring Bregman back after his strong season in 2025 in Beantown. In 114 games last year, Bregman hit .273 with 18 homers, 62 RBI, an .821 OPS, and a 3.5 WAR, while Alonso hit .272 with 38 bombs, 126 RBI, an .871 OPS, and a 3.4 WAR in 162 games. Alonso has the clear edge in the power department, but Bregman is more versatile on defense and is still an above-average defender at third base. Both players opted out of their deals with their respective teams following the World Series, and both share the same agent in Scott Boras.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
November 17, 2025
Free-agent left-hander
Ryan Yarbrough agreed with the New York Yankees on an undisclosed one-year deal on Monday, pending a physical, a source told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that Yarbrough is signing for $2.5 million. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw served in a swing role for the Yankees in 2025, starting in eight of his 19 appearances in pinstripes. In his 64 innings pitched, Yarbrough held a 3-1 record, 4.36 ERA (5.04 FIP), and 1.20 WHIP with a save, 55 strikeouts, and 19 walks. Yarbrough has a career 4.22 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in eight major-league seasons with five different teams. He's not much of a draw in fantasy baseball with a career 7.1 K/9 mark in 832 innings pitched, but he'll give the Yankees plenty of flexibility in terms of role, with the team expected to be without several of their high-end starting pitchers to begin the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
November 16, 2025
First baseman
Josh Naylor and the Seattle Mariners are finalizing a five-year contract on Sunday evening, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Mariners will now keep Naylor around for the foreseeable future after acquiring him at this year's trade deadline from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old Canadian left-handed slugger hit .299 (58-for-194) with nine home runs, 33 RBI, 32 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases in 54 regular-season games after being traded to Seattle. Overall, he slashed a strong .295/.353/.462 with an .816 OPS, 20 home runs, 92 RBI, 81 runs scored, and a career-high 30 stolen bases in 147 games in his seventh year in the majors. Naylor ranked in the 66th percentile in xwOBA, 42nd percentile in xBA, and 43rd percentile in hard-hit rate, suggesting his 31-homer campaign in 2024 is a ceiling that could be hard to reach again. Fantasy managers also shouldn't expect a repeat in the steals department, with his previous high-water mark in that category being 10.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 15, 2025
Free-agent first baseman/designated hitter
Joey Meneses signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics on Saturday, sources told Francys Romero. Meneses did not surface in the big leagues during the 2025 season, instead spending all of his time at Triple-A Syracuse in the New York Mets' organization, where he slashed .264/.321/.444 with 11 home runs, 55 RBI, and 37 runs scored in 421 plate appearances. The 33-year-old Mexican debuted in the majors in 2022 with the Washington Nationals and hit a combined .274/.322/.408 with a .731 OPS, 29 home runs, 165 RBI, and 123 runs scored in 286 games over three seasons in D.C. The 33-year-old will be fighting for an Opening Day roster spot with the A's at spring training in 2026, but if he makes the squad, he'll merely be a right-handed-hitting option off the bench. Meneses hit 13 homers and drove in 89 in a career-high 154 games for the Nats in 2023.
--Keith HernandezSource: Francys Romero
November 15, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
Enrique Hernandez (elbow) announced that he had left-elbow surgery on Friday for an injury that he played through during the second half of the regular season and into the playoffs, according to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. Hernandez said it will prevent him from playing for Team Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic next spring. It's unclear if the 34-year-old veteran will be delayed for the start of the 2026 regular season. Kike barely hit over .200 during 92 regular-season games for L.A. while adding 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 30 runs scored in 256 plate appearances. He was better during the playoffs, though, going 16-for-64 (.250) with a homer and seven RBI to help the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series championships. Hernandez is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and won't be much of a fantasy target, regardless of where he lands.
--Keith HernandezSource: Los Angeles Time - Jack Harris
November 14, 2025
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that a "perfect storm" for the New York Mets to lose free-agent closer
Edwin Diaz "might be developing." Diaz opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Mets and will test free agency for the first time in his career. The Toronto Blue Jays, who were two outs away from winning the World Series before closer
Jeff Hoffman blew it, are poised to spend big and are among the teams interested in adding Diaz. The 31-year-old Diaz said on Thursday that his chances of returning to the Mets are "50-50," and according to a person briefed on his wishes, he wants the same kind of deal he signed with the Mets in 2022 -- five years and $102 million. Toronto met with Diaz's agents during the GM meetings this week in Las Vegas and is targeting high-leverage relief as well as starting pitching. If they were to land Diaz in free agency, they'd almost certainly slide Hoffman to the eighth inning.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
November 14, 2025
Texas Rangers right-hander
Jacob deGrom was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year for the 2025 season, according to MLB. deGrom exceeded expectations for the Rangers this year while coming off Tommy John surgery, even if they weren't able to return to the postseason. The 37-year-old ace had not pitched since April of 2023 before returning in September of 2024. He finished the year 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA and 0.92 WHIP, which trailed only Detroit Tigers left-hander
Tarik Skubal, who won back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, among qualified pitchers. deGrom's strong season earned him the fifth All-Star selection of his career, and he finished eighth in the AL Cy Young voting. Perhaps among the most surprising stats of the season was the fact that deGrom made 30 starts for the first time since 2019.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB
November 14, 2025
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year in 2025, according to MLB. Acuna showed that he was still one of the game's elite players by successfully returning from a second major knee surgery, a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee. On the first pitch he saw in his season debut on May 23, the 27-year-old Dominican hit a 467-foot home run. Acuna was an All-Star for the fourth time in his career and slashed a strong .290/.417/.518 with 21 home runs for the Braves in 95 games played. Only five players among the 215 players with at least 400 plate appearances had a higher OPS than Acuna's mark of .935. He also dealt with a minor calf issue in 2025, but it thankfully did not slow him down. Fantasy managers aren't forgetting the risk that now comes with Acuna, but when healthy, he's still an elite fantasy outfielder that contributes across all categories.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB
November 14, 2025
Boston Red Sox left-hander
Aroldis Chapman was named the American League Reliever of the Year in 2025 for the second time in his career, with the first coming with the New York Yankees in 2019. Chapman defied Father Time this year to win the award at age 37 while also making his eighth career All-Star team. He led all qualified relievers with a 1.17 ERA and 0.70 WHIP in 61 1/3 innings for the BoSox. Opponents hit just .132 versus the veteran southpaw, the lowest average against any qualified reliever. Chapman retired 50 straight hitters at one point during the season, during a stretch that spanned over two months. Unbelievable, Chapman still averaged 99.8 mph with his fastball (ranked in the 98th percentile in baseball) in his 16th season in the big leagues. He proved with Boston this past season that he still has gas left in the tank in what has been a remarkable career.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB
November 14, 2025
New York Mets right-handed closer
Edwin Diaz was named the National League Reliever of the Year on Thursday night for the third time in his career, according to MLB. Diaz joins Houston Astros lefty
Josh Hader as the only players to win three Reliever of the Year awards since the honor was established in 2014. The hard-throwing Puerto Rican closer had a stingy 1.63 ERA in 66 1/3 innings in 2025, the second-lowest mark of his career and the best among qualified relievers in the NL. Diaz also held opponents to a .164 batting average to earn his third All-Star nod. His nasty fastball/slider mix helped him to 98 strikeouts and a 13.3 K/9 ratio while he also ranked in the 99th percentile among MLB pitchers with a 41.5% swing-and-miss rate. Diaz is now on the free-agent market this winter after opting out of the final two years and $38 million on his contract with the Mets, and he's sure to generate lots of interest around the league.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB
November 13, 2025
Free-agent right-handed reliever
Edwin Diaz said that he thinks his chances of re-signing with the New York Mets are "50-50," according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The Mets extended a one-year, $22.05 million qualifying offer to Diaz, but he's fully expected to decline the offer after he opted out of his contract with New York this offseason. If the 31-year-old signs with another team, the Mets will receive draft-pick compensation. The three-time All-Star missed all of the 2023 season due to a knee injury and struggled in his return in 2024, but he bounced back to All-Star form in 2025, going 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA (2.28 FIP), 0.87 WHIP, 28 saves, 98 strikeouts, and 21 walks in 66 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Diaz will surely have plenty of suitors on the free-agent market as one of the more dominant relief arms in the game. He has 253 career saves in nine MLB seasons and an elite 14.5 K/9 and 39.9% strikeout rate.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
November 13, 2025
The New York Mets are fielding trade inquiries on second baseman
Jeff McNeil, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. McNeil has just one year left on an overpriced contract, and there is interest from teams around the league after he showed new versatility in 2025. The 33-year-old former batting champion underwent a minor procedure for thoracic outlet syndrome shortly after the season ended, but he's expected to be ready to go for spring training. McNeil is a contact-oriented second baseman who also showed in 2025 that he can fill in if needed in the outfield, which will help his trade value. The two-time All-Star holds more real-life value than fantasy value, coming off his eighth season in the big leagues in which he hit .243 (97-for-399) with 12 home runs, 54 RBI, 42 runs, and three steals in 122 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
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