November 12, 2025
Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said at the GM meetings in Las Vegas on Wednesday that left-handed closer
Josh Hader (shoulder) has thrown off a mound three times and is "progressing well," according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Hader's 2025 season ended early in the middle of August after he strained his left shoulder. Although it's unclear if the 31-year-old six-time All-Star will be ready for the start of spring training in mid-February, he should be ready for Opening Day, barring a setback. Before his injury in August, Hader was once again one of the more dominant closers in fantasy baseball, posting a 6-2 record, 2.05 ERA (3.25 FIP), 0.85 WHIP, 28 saves, 76 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 52 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He now has 227 saves in his nine-year MLB career, including 62 the last two years in Houston.
UPDATE: The Astros are hoping to get Hader ramped up by "sometime early to mid-February," according to Brown.--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
November 12, 2025
Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said at the GM meetings in Las Vegas on Wednesday that outfielder/designated hitter
Yordan Alvarez (ankle) is jogging at 65-70 percent but is expected to be ready for spring training in 2026, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. It was an injury-plagued 2025 season for Alvarez, who suffered a pretty serious left-ankle sprain towards the end of the final month of the regular season in September. The 28-year-old Cuban slugger only played in 48 games for the Astros this year, slashing .273/.367/.430 with a career-worst .797 OPS, just six home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 runs scored in 199 plate appearances. Before his ankle injury, Alvarez missed extended time with a right-hand fracture. Assuming he's completely healthy for the start of next season, Alvarez will be a bounce-back candidate in fantasy baseball.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
November 12, 2025
Minnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton wants to play for a winner and may reconsider his stance for certain teams if the Twins continue to break up their roster, a major-league source told The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Buxton, a two-time All-Star, has three years and $45 million left on his current contract. He also has full no-trade protection through next season and the ability to block trades to five teams in 2027 and 2028. The Twins organization is in a precarious state this offseason after trading away shortstop
Carlos Correa and most of their bullpen over the summer. Baseball Prospectus estimates the team's current payroll at $95 million, which is a steep drop-off from where the Twins have been the last five seasons. Buxton's decision on whether to waive his no-trade clause could depend on whether Minnesota trades away one or both of starting pitchers
Joe Ryan and
Pablo Lopez.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
November 12, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Paul Skenes won the National League Cy Young award on Wednesday night, getting all 30 first-place votes one season after winning Rookie of the Year, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Philadelphia Phillies left-hander
Cristopher Sanchez finished second in the voting, with Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto coming in third. It's crazy how quickly Skenes has become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In his first two years in the majors, Skenes' 1.96 career ERA is the lowest through 55 starts in any pitcher's career since 1920. The former first overall pick out of LSU only got 3.4 runs of support per game, the third-lowest of any qualified pitcher in 2025. His MLB-best 1.97 ERA was more than a half-run lower than his closest competition in the NL. Skenes is the first pitcher in MLB to have a sub-2.00 ERA with at least 185 innings since
Jacob deGrom did it in 2018. He's going to be a mainstay as the top-rated fantasy starting pitcher for years to come.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 12, 2025
Detroit Tigers left-hander
Tarik Skubal was named the American League Cy Young winner for the second straight year on Wednesday night, becoming the first back-to-back winner in the AL since
Pedro Martinez in 1999-00, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Boston Red Sox lefty
Garrett Crochet finished second in the voting, with Houston Astros right-hander
Hunter Brown coming in third. Skubal won the AL pitching Triple Crown in 2024 and followed that amazing feat up by posting an AL-best 2.21 ERA and a career-high 241 strikeouts in 195 1/3 regular-season innings in 2025. He also led baseball with a 0.89 ERA. The talented southpaw's changeup was rated as the league's most dominant pitch, and combined with his high-90s heater, he struck out 32.2% of opposing batters and limited them to a .200 average and .559 OPS. Heading into his walk year in Detroit, Skubal will be a clear high-end fantasy ace.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 11, 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers won their second straight World Series title this fall by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games, but it's no secret their bullpen was a weak spot in 2025. They are expected to "dive into the deep waters of the free-agent relief market" again this offseason. According to league sources, the Dodgers are "looking to add at least one high-leverage right-handed bullpen arm, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. Two-time All-Star and current free agent
Devin Williams is a candidate to be signed by L.A. after they were in the mix to trade for Williams last winter before the Brewers dealt him to the Yankees. Williams had a rough 4.79 ERA in the Bronx and lost the closer role by the end of the year, but his 2.68 FIP and 13.1 K's per nine innings suggest he could bounce back as a high-end reliever in 2026. There appears to be mutual interest between L.A. and Williams. Stay tuned.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
November 11, 2025
MLB Network announced on Tuesday night that Cleveland Guardians skipper
Stephen Vogt won American League Manager of the Year for the second straight season. Brewers skipper Pat Murphy went back-to-back as well in the NL, with both managers in their first two seasons at the helm. Pretty crazy stuff. Despite making it to the ALCS in 2024 and being 15 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central in July, the Guardians battled back to take the division title over the Detroit Tigers in the final week of the regular season. It was the largest deficit a team has overcome to win a division since 1969. Cleveland went on a 19-4 run to overtake Detroit in the season's final month. Somehow, Vogt was able to lead the Guards to the postseason despite a franchise-low .226 batting average while also losing two key pitchers --
Emmanuel Clase and
Luis L. Ortiz -- to non-disciplinary paid leave for gambling violations. The 41-year-old has quickly proven he can do a lot with a little as a manager.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network
November 11, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers skipper Pat Murphy was named the National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday night for the second straight season, MLB Network announced. Both Murphy and Cleveland Guardians manager
Stephen Vogt defied expectations to win the award in back-to-back seasons in their first two years on the job. Pretty impressive. The Brewers won the NL Central division for the second straight season and finished with the best record in baseball. Murphy joins Hall of Famer Bobby Cox (2004-5) as the NL's only manager to win the award in consecutive seasons. Milwaukee was three games under .500 in late May with six pitchers on the injured list, but they had winning streaks of eight, 11, and a franchise-record 14 games between May 25 and Aug. 16 to eventually finish 97-65. The 66-year-old Murphy led the Brew Crew to the best record in franchise history, but they fell short of postseason success by losing to the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network
November 11, 2025
New York Mets outfield prospect
Carson Benge "is going to come into spring training with a chance to make our team," president of baseball operations David Stearns said at the GM meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Per MLB Pipeline, Benge is considered the team's No. 2 prospect, behind only pitcher
Nolan McLean. The 22-year-old was the 19th overall pick in 2024 out of Oklahoma State, and he impressed at High-A Brooklyn, Double-A Binghamton, and Triple-A Syracuse this year by hitting .281 (124-for-441) with 15 long balls, 73 RBI, 87 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 116 total games. However, Benge struggled with a .583 OPS at Syracuse, so fantasy managers might want to pump the brakes on the left-handed hitter contributing right away at the big-league level in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Joel Sherman
November 11, 2025
Atlanta Braves right-hander
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) is pain-free, according to president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos. Schwellenbach fractured his right elbow at the end of June and didn't pitch again for Atlanta in 2025. The 25-year-old was cleared to resume throwing in late September, though, which means that barring a setback, he should be an option for the Braves' starting rotation to begin the 2026 season. Schwellenback should be a lock for the rotation if he's healthy after going 15-11 with a nice 3.23 ERA (3.27 FIP), 1.01 WHIP, and 235:41 K:BB in 234 1/3 innings over 38 starts in his first two big-league seasons the last two years. There's a lot to like about Schwellenbach's fantasy profile, but there's also plenty of risk for a player coming off a major injury who made the leap straight from Double-A to the big leagues when he debuted in 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
November 11, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman/outfielder
Tommy Edman (ankle) will undergo surgery on his right ankle next week, according to executive vice president and general manager Brandon Gomes. Barring a setback, Edman is expected to be ready around the start of spring training in February, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. The 30-year-old switch-hitter has had issues with the same ankle over the last couple of seasons, but hopefully the surgery will alleviate any concerns he might have had going forward. Edman has won World Series rings with L.A. in his first two seasons with the team while hitting .229/.280/.392 with a .672 OPS, 19 home runs, 69 RBI, 69 runs, and nine steals in 134 regular-season games. He hasn't been all that relevant in fantasy, but he has stepped up in the playoffs when it matters most the last two seasons, as Edman has hit .282 with 33 hits, four homers, 20 RBI, and 16 runs scored for the Blue.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
November 11, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager Mike Hazen said on Tuesday in Las Vegas at the GM meetings that "it's mostly unlikely" that the team will trade All-Star second baseman
Ketel Marte this offseason, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale reported on Monday that the D-backs are motivated to trade Marte this offseason, but Hazen at least did a good job of deflecting that rumor a day later. The 32-year-old Marte will have 10-and-5 rights and a full no-trade provision by mid-April, so if a trade does occur, it will no doubt come before then. Marte has $71 million remaining on his contract through 2030, so the Snakes will surely have an extremely high asking price for any teams that come calling. He has become one of the best second basemen in baseball since the start of the 2023 season and has totaled 89 homers and 249 RBI in that span.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB Network - Jon Morosi
November 11, 2025
The Kansas City Royals announced on Monday that they acquired outfielder
Kameron Misner from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. The move was made after the Rays designated Misner for assignment last week. The 27-year-old former first-rounder by the Miami Marlins in 2019 out of Missouri played in eight games for the Rays in 2024 before appearing in 71 games this past season, recording a .213 average (42-for-197) with five homers, 22 RBI, 27 runs, eight steals, and a 69:16 K:BB in his 217 plate appearances. Misner will now give the Royals extra outfield depth, and he'll be competing for an Opening Day roster spot during spring training. The athletic outfielder showed an intriguing power/speed combination in the minors, but he'll need to cut down on the strikeouts at the big-league level to get an extended shot with the Royals.
--Keith HernandezSource: Kansas City Royals
November 11, 2025
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer
Craig Breslow said on Monday that outfield prospect
Roman Anthony (oblique) is asymptomatic and is expected to have a normal offseason, according to The Boston Globe. Anthony, one of the team's top prospects, strained his left oblique in early September, missed the rest of the regular season, and was unavailable in the playoffs. The 21-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder should be full-go for spring training and the start of the 2026 season, though, and will be a starter from the get-go in his first full season in the big leagues. Anthony, a former second-rounder in 2022, was as advertised in his first year in the majors in 2025, slashing .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS, eight home runs, 32 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in 257 at-bats after making his debut on June 9. He is not going to come cheap in fantasy drafts next spring.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Boston Globe
November 11, 2025
It would be a huge surprise if Boston Red Sox outfielder
Jarren Duran is with the team in spring training next year in Fort Myers, Fla., in the opinion of Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Boston is looking for an upgrade over Duran and thinks he "needs a fresh start." The BoSox are trying to deal from a position of strength to acquire some starting pitching, as they already have prospect
Roman Anthony,
Wilyer Abreu, and
Ceddanne Rafaela in the outfield. The 29-year-old Duran isn't a great defensive outfielder, and he took a step back in 2025 after hitting .285 with a career-high 21 home runs and 34 stolen bases while leading the league in doubles (48) and triples (14). He led the league in triples (13) again in 2025 but regressed to slash .256/.332/.442 with 16 homers, 84 RBI, 86 runs, and 24 steals in 157 regular-season games. Despite his defensive limitations and lack of high-end power, Duran will be an attractive contributor across all roto categories, regardless of where he's playing in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
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