January 15, 2026
Kansas City Royals catching prospect
Carter Jensen made his MLB debut late in the 2025 season and immediately flashed high upside. With the Royals, Jensen posted a .300/.391/.550 line with six doubles, three home runs, and a 12:9 K:BB across a 20-game stint. Under the hood, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the system per MLB.com generated a remarkable .447 xwOBA, .336 xBA, and a .633 xSLG, suggesting he was not only making contact with the ball. but was flashing high raw power. Earlier in 2025, Jensen began the season with Double-A but needed only 68 games to earn the call to Triple-A. Through 43 games with the top level of the Kansas City system, Jensen held a .288/.404/.647 line with 14 home runs. In 2026, Jensen is expected to split the job with
Salvador Perez behind the dish and likely shift to the DH spot on his off days from catching. In his brief stint last summer, he logged 10 games behind the dish and nine at DH. If he continues to perform at this level, Jensen has the upside to be an everyday player and carry high-end sleeper appeal at the catching position.
--Andy SmithSource: RotoBaller
January 15, 2026
Top Texas Rangers shortstop prospect
Sebastian Walcott is expected to make a strong push to join Triple-A at the start of the 2026 regular season. Last summer, the No. 6-ranked prospect in all of baseball (according to MLB Pipeline) spent the entire campaign with Double-A Frisco and was able to hold his own, suggesting he is ready for a promotion. Across 125 contests, the infielder posted a .255/.355/.386 slash line with 19 doubles, 13 home runs, and an eye-catching 32 stolen bases. He held a 108:70 K: BB and scored 71 runs. In 2024, Walcott spent most of his time with High-A and held a similar .261/.342/.443 line before earning a brief five-game taste of Double-A. If the 19-year-old can join Triple-A Round Rock early in the campaign, he could push for a second-half MLB debut. He is worth closely monitoring in all dynasty leagues and deeper redraft leagues, as he could be in the mix to debut in the back half of the regular season.
--Andy SmithSource: RotoBaller
January 14, 2026
The Minnesota Twins have claimed utility man
Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Atlanta Braves, designating catcher/utility man
Mickey Gasper for assignment as the corresponding move. Brujan, who will turn 28 in February, has already appeared for five different MLB teams across five seasons in the big leagues. Across 94 plate appearances split between the Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Baltimore Orioles in 2025, Brujan posted a .253/.305/.310 slash line with zero home runs, eight RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Brujan's main appeal at this point in his career is defensive versatility, as he spent time at every position other than first base and catcher this past season. If he's able to stick on the Twins roster, Brujan is likely headed for a bench role. Neither Brujan nor Gasper, who has a career .133 batting average across 133 big-league plate appearances, projects to carry much fantasy value in 2026.
--Will BradySource: Minnesota Twins
January 14, 2026
Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports that the Seattle Mariners "remain interested" in acquiring Chicago Cubs second baseman
Nico Hoerner. With the Cubs' recent addition of third baseman
Alex Bregman, Chicago could be looking to shuffle pieces around in its infield, and Hoerner will reach free agency at the end of the 2026 season. Across 156 games for the Cubs in 2025, Hoerner posted a .297/.345/.394 slash line with seven home runs, 61 RBI, 89 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases. The 28-year-old is widely considered one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball and has logged at least 640 plate appearances in three straight seasons. Seattle currently has
Cole Young penciled in as its opening day second baseman, who posted a .607 OPS across 257 plate appearances in 2025. Jude also reports that the Mariners have strong interest in St. Louis Cardinals utility man
Brendan Donovan, so it appears that the team is actively seeking infield upgrades.
--Will BradySource: The Seattle Times - Adam Jude
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
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