January 7, 2026
The New York Yankees and free agent outfielder
Cody Bellinger have a "sizeable gap" in their current contract negotiations, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com. Bellinger enjoyed an impressive debut season in the Bronx but has been unable to come to an agreement with the Yankees on an extension. Last season, Bellinger posted a .272/.334/.480 line with 29 home runs and 13 stolen bases. His 29 home runs were the most since his 2019 breakout campaign, in which he launched 47 long balls. While he only generated a low .322 xwOBA under the hood, his left-handed swing is built for Yankee Stadium, and he should be able to carry 25+ HR upside if he were to return there in 2026. If the 30-year-old were to join a different club, the Yankees would likely rely on
Jasson Dominguez,
Trent Grisham, and
Aaron Judge to cover the outfield on most days.
--Andy SmithSource: Buster Olney
January 7, 2026
Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that it "seems inevitable" that either Ranger Saurez or
Framber Valdez will sign with the New York Mets, given their current rotation. Olney noted that Suarez "makes a lot of sense" in New York, given that he has already pitched for a big-market team during his career. Before entering free agency, the southpaw has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Phillies. Last summer, Suarez turned in a strong campaign, logging 157 1/3 innings to the tune of a 3.20 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. He generated a stellar 3.16 xERA with a 5.5% barrel rate and a 31.1% hard-hit rate, placing him in the 84th percentile or higher. However, his strikeout production remained pedestrian as he only tallied 151 during the campaign. If Suarez were to sign with the Mets, he should slide in near the top of the rotation and hold high-floor SP3 value in standard leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: Buster Olney
January 7, 2026
The St. Louis Cardinals have designated right-handed pitcher
Zak Kent for assignment on Tuesday afternoon. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals acquired left-handed pitcher
Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians. Kent made his MLB debut last summer with the Cleveland Guardians. Across his first 17 2/3 innings of work in the big leagues, the former ninth-round pick posted a 4.58 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP. He struck out 16 hitters and served up eight walks. However, he generated a promising 3.33 xERA, suggesting he should be due for some positive regression in his second stint in the majors. Through 122 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level, Kent has held a 3.74 ERA, 1.32 WHIP with a 136:63 K:BB. If he were to pass through waivers, he would likely begin the 2026 season in the minor leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: St. Louis Cardinals
January 7, 2026
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, free agent right-handed pitcher
Erasmo Ramirez is set to throw for interested clubs on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. Sherman noted that the 35-year-old pitcher has been training as a starting pitcher in the offseason and hopes to transition from being a primary relief option. Ramirez began his career as a starter but has been shifted to the bullpen for most of his last seven campaigns. In 2025, Ramirez logged 11 innings of relief with the Twins and held a 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, with one save. Since 2022, he has only eclipsed the 65.5 inning mark in one season and has held a modest 4.24 overall ERA during this four-year stretch. Given that he has not been used as a full-time starter in several seasons, Ramirez will likely have to open the 2026 season in the minor leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: Joel Sherman
January 6, 2026
The San Francisco Giants have designated outfielder
Justin Dean for assignment to make room for right-hander
Tyler Mahle, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Dean never appeared in a game for the Giants after being claimed off waivers in early November. The 29-year-old most recently played for the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, appearing in 18 games last season, primarily as a pinch-runner. Mahle joins a Giants starting rotation that includes
Logan Webb,
Robbie Ray,
Adrian Houser, and
Landen Roupp. The 31-year-old righty spent the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers, where he posted a 2.54 ERA with 76 strikeouts across 99 1/3 innings. However, durability remains a major concern. Since 2022, Mahle has undergone Tommy John surgery and hasn't made more than 20 starts in a season. In 2025, he missed 85 games with right-shoulder fatigue, and his declining velocity only adds to the concerns. His fastball, which averaged around 94 mph in 2021, dipped to roughly 92 mph last season. While Mahle still does a solid job locating the ball, and Oracle Park is pitcher-friendly, he's mainly a fantasy option for deeper formats, like 15-team leagues. Even then, it's best to leave him on the waiver wire to start the season until he proves he can stay healthy and that his stuff can still play at the major-league level.
--Marty TallmanSource: Susan Slusser
January 6, 2026
The New York Yankees are running out of viable options to replace outfielder
Cody Bellinger, which, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, is giving Bellinger significant leverage in his free-agent talks with New York. Rosenthal added that free-agent outfielder
Kyle Tucker is likely too expensive for the Yankees' taste, while third baseman
Alex Bregman and shortstop
Bo Bichette don't appear to be great fits for their roster. Last week, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Bellinger is still the Yankees' top priority. However, other teams, such as the Mets, Angels, Dodgers, and Blue Jays, have also shown interest in the former National League MVP. In 2025, Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, 89 runs scored, 98 RBI, and 13 stolen bases with a career-low 13.7% strikeout rate. If Bellinger does re-sign with New York, he'll be a clear top-25 outfielder heading into fantasy drafts in 2026.
--Marty TallmanSource: Ken Rosenthal
January 6, 2026
The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired left-hander
Justin Bruihl from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for cash considerations, as announced by both teams. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cardinals designated right-hander
Zak Kent for assignment. Bruihl has pitched five years in the majors, posting a 4.72 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and a 1.37 WHIP across 89 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old does a solid job of keeping the ball on the ground and has held left-handed hitters to a .224 batting average over his career. Bruihl appears to be a replacement for lefty reliever
John King, who was non-tendered by St. Louis following the 2025 season. Outside of very deep leagues that count holds, Bruihl can safely be left off fantasy radars heading into 2026.
--Marty TallmanSource: St. Louis Cardinals X account
January 6, 2026
The Colorado Rockies are expected to pursue veteran starting pitching ahead of the 2026 season, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The club is reportedly looking to add two experienced starters who can provide innings stability. Colorado's rotation struggled mightily in 2025, finishing with a 6.65 ERA, which is one of the worst marks by a starting staff in MLB history. As things currently stand, the Rockies have
Kyle Freeland,
Chase Dollander,
Tanner Gordon,
Ryan Feltner, and
McCade Brown projected as their starting five. Feltner posted the best ERA among that group at 4.75, though he logged just 30 1/3 innings. It is unlikely that Colorado will pursue top-tier free-agent starters such as
Framber Valdez,
Ranger Suarez, or
Zac Gallen. Instead, Darragh McDonald of MLB.com suggests the Rockies could target older veterans like
Wade Miley,
Miles Mikolas,
Alex Cobb,
Jose Quintana,
Patrick Corbin, or
Martin Perez. Unless Colorado changes its usual offseason approach, their rotation is probably best avoided for fantasy in 2026.
--Marty TallmanSource: Thomas Harding
January 6, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a minor-league deal with free-agent left-hander
Tucker Davidson, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. It is currently unclear whether the contract includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Davidson has spent parts of five seasons in the majors, pitching for the Braves, Angels, and Orioles. The 30-year-old lefty owns a 5.76 career ERA (5.13 SIERA) across 129 2/3 innings. In 2025, he pitched in Korea for the Lotte Giants, where he started 22 games and posted a 3.65 ERA, a 22.5% strikeout rate, 9.1% walk rate, and a 46.4% ground-ball rate. If Davidson earns a spot on the Phillies' roster, he would likely serve as depth out of the bullpen. As such, he is not expected to have any fantasy relevance heading into the 2026 season.
--Marty TallmanSource: Will Sammon
January 6, 2026
In the opinion of The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the odds of the Toronto Blue Jays re-signing shortstop
Bo Bichette are "increasingly unlikely." The Blue Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto to primarily play third base. Rosenthal thinks the big move the Blue Jays are waiting to make is to sign superstar right fielder
Kyle Tucker, which would leave Bichette as the odd-man out. Toronto is planning on moving
Andres Gimenez to shortstop, so if Bichette were to return, he'd primarily play the keystone. If Bichette signs elsewhere, it will open things up at second base for postseason hero
Ernie Clement. If the Blue Jays are indeed moving on from Bichette, his most likely landing spots would be with the Yankees, Cubs, Phillies, or Red Sox. All of those landing spots would be good spots for Bichette, who bounced back nicely in 2025 after an injury-plagued 2024 campaign.
--Keith HernandezSource: Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory
January 6, 2026
ESPN's Buster Olney writes that the Boston Red Sox really want to re-sign third baseman
Alex Bregman and "have signaled a willingness to pay him big money." They could offer Bregman something in the range of the six-year, $171.5 million deal that the Detroit Tigers offered last spring. ESPN's Jesse Rogers adds that there was a feeling in the industry that Bregman was down to the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks, and when Kazuma Okamoto signed with Toronto, it would push Bregman to Arizona. There's a widespread belief that Boston and Bregman "need each other." "If it was down to Toronto and Arizona before, maybe it's now Boston or Arizona," one executive said. Durability is a concern for a player heading into his age-32 season, but Bregman should still be firmly in the fantasy mix at 3B in 2026 after tying for fourth among third basemen in 2025 with a 124 wRC+. Staying in Beantown would be a plus for Bregman's fantasy value, but the hitting environment in Arizona would also be very attractive.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Buster Olney
January 6, 2026
The Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets have been the two teams that are most connected to signing free-agent starting pitcher
Framber Valdez, according to MLB Network Insider Mark Feinsand. Valdez has a history with both operations executives for the Orioles and Mets, with Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias serving as the Astros' scouting director when they signed Valdez in 2015. Mets' president of baseball operations, David Stearns, was the Astros' assistant general manager at that time. The 32-year-old lefty is one of the top starting pitchers on the free-agent market and has been one of the most consistent starters in baseball over the past six seasons. He's thrown at least 175 innings in four consecutive years, holding a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 16% K-BB%, and a league-high 60% ground-ball rate in that time. Valdez would remain a high-end starter in fantasy baseball despite a less-than-stellar strikeout rate with a move to either of these teams.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Mark Feinsand
January 6, 2026
The Detroit Tigers have traded outfielder
Justyn-Henry Malloy to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations, according to Tigers PR. Malloy was recently designated for assignment following the Tigers re-signing reliever
Kyle Finnegan. The 25-year-old appeared in 52 games for Detroit last season, slashing .221/.346/.308 (92 wRC+) in 127 plate appearances. The former sixth-round pick in 2021 has below-average power and speed with poor defensive metrics, but he has posted a double-digit walk rate at every stop of his career. Malloy could have an opportunity for playing time in the Rays' outfield if his defense can hold up, while he also has two minor-league options remaining, giving Tampa Bay some flexibility with their roster.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Tigers PR
January 6, 2026
The Boston Red Sox and starting pitcher
Kutter Crawford have agreed to a one-year, $2.75 million contract to avoid arbitration, according to the Washington Times Sports. Crawford did not pitch last season after beginning the year on the injured list with a knee injury, and he underwent surgery on his wrist in July. The 29-year-old led the Red Sox with 183 2/3 innings in his breakout 2024 season, pitching to a 4.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 16.3% K-BB%. Crawford has experience as both a starter and a reliever, and it remains to be seen how Boston will deploy him in 2026.
--Kyle McCarthySource: Washington Times Sports
January 6, 2026
The Houston Astros have designated right-handed pitcher
Kaleb Ort for assignment. This transaction opened a spot on the roster for recently acquired pitcher
Tatsuya Imai. Ort has spent each of the last two campaigns with the Astros operating as a relief pitcher. In 2025, the right-hander logged 46 innings to the tune of a 4.89 ERA with a 1.35 WHIP. He earned one save and struck out 49 hitters. However, during the 2024 campaign, Ort enjoyed his most impressive campaign, posting a 2.55 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and a 26:4 K:BB through 24 2/3 innings. Given his previous success, the 33-year-old could draw interest as a middle reliever on waivers. If he goes unclaimed, Ort would begin his 2026 season in the minor leagues with Triple-A Sugar Land.
--Andy SmithSource: Chandler Rome
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