February 3, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers star closer
Edwin Diaz will pitch for Puerto Rico in this year's World Baseball Classic, three years after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the tournament, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. Diaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a victory back in 2023 over the Dominican Republic. He signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason and will enter 2026 as one of the top closers off the board in fantasy baseball drafts. Since 2018, Diaz has 201 saves, which is fourth-most in the majors. The 31-year-old veteran converted 28 of his 31 save chances and had a sharp 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings last year for the New York Mets. As one of the most dominant closers in the game with the back-to-back World Series-champion Dodgers, the sky is the limit for Diaz in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
February 3, 2026
The Minnesota Twins announced on Tuesday that they claimed right-hander
Jackson Kowar off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. Kowar was designated for assignment by Seattle last week after the team acquired
Jhonny Pereda from the Twins. The 29-year-old former first-rounder by the Kansas City Royals in 2018 out of the University of Florida had his 2025 season cut short by a right-shoulder impingement. Before his injury, he had a 4.24 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 15 strikeouts, and seven walks in 17 innings for the M's out of the bullpen. Kowar will most likely begin the 2026 campaign in the minors as organizational relief depth for Minnesota. In his four major-league seasons (three with the Royals), Kowar has posted an ugly 8.21 ERA (5.96 FIP), 1.93 WHIP, 90 strikeouts, and 58 walks in 54 outings (eight starts) over 91 innings pitched.
--Keith HernandezSource: Minnesota Twins
February 3, 2026
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that outfielder
Cam Smith will play some center field in spring training, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Reports this offseason have suggested that Smith isn't a lock for an Opening Day roster spot, but adding versatility in center field definitely will help his cause. The 22-year-old former first-rounder played well defensively in right field in 2025 in his first year in the big leagues while also slashing .236/.312/.358 with a .671 OPS, nine home runs, 51 RBI, 55 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 134 games played. The 22-year-old was brought up to the big leagues quickly, which makes his struggles less surprising. Smith carried a 27.8% strikeout rate, 90 wRC+, 6.9% barrel rate, and 45.1% ground-ball rate. Because of the possibility that Smith will start the 2026 season at Triple-A Sugar Land, he's a very risky investment in single-year fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
February 3, 2026
The Miami Marlins announced that they claimed right-hander
Garrett Acton off waivers from the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday and designated outfielder
Victor Mesa Jr. for assignment in a corresponding move. Acton, 27, made his major-league debut with the Athletics in 2023 and only threw one inning in relief for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025. He spent most of last year at Triple-A Durham, where he pitched to a 3.68 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 27 walks in 58 2/3 innings pitched. Acton will now compete for an Opening Day bullpen spot with the Marlins in spring training, but he'll likely open the year at Triple-A Jacksonville. Mesa made his big-league debut in 2025 with the Fish and went 6-for-32 (.188) with a homer in only 16 appearances. He was much better at Triple-A, though, slashing .303/.374/.513.
--Keith HernandezSource: Miami Marlins
February 3, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said the team wants to get to know and understand switch-pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje better before making any determinations about his switch-pitching future, according to Brenden Schaeffer of St. Louis Sports Central. However, the Cardinals see Cijntje's upside similar to how the Seattle Mariners did. Before the M's traded the 22-year-old to the Cardinals on Monday in the deal that sent
Brendan Donovan to Seattle, they were mainly going to have him focus on pitching from the right side in spring training. "Broadly speaking, we do think the course that they were going to take is a good one," Bloom said. Cijntje was much more effective as a righty than as a lefty in the minors in 2025. The Mississippi State product is likely to begin at Double-A Springfield in 2026, and he's projected as a mid-rotation talent whenever he reaches the big leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Sports Central - Brenden Schaeffer
February 3, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said on Tuesday that infielders
Thomas Saggese and
Freddy Fermin could play into the competition in the outfield during spring training, according to Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN. Entering the mix in the outfield would give Saggese a better path to more playing time, but he hasn't spent any time in the outfield yet in his professional career. The 23-year-old former fifth-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2020 debuted in the majors in 2024 but played in only 18 games. Last year in 82 games (295 plate appearances), Saggese hit .258/.299/.342 with a .641 OPS, two home runs, 25 RBI, 25 runs scored, and three stolen bases for the Red Birds. Saggese still has time to develop, but he has so far disappointed with an elevated strikeout rate and limited power. His 44.1% hard-hit rate and 90.2 average exit velocity give hope that he can build on his offensive performance in 2026, but consistent playing time could be hard to come by.
--Keith HernandezSource: 101 ESPN - Brandon Kiley
February 3, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals infielder
Nolan Gorman will have "plenty of opportunity" this year to make an impact, according to president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. "It's a big year for him... He should have plenty of opportunity this year. We've seen it (before). He has power everywhere. He can drive the baseball to any part of the field... He knows this is a big opportunity (for him)," Bloom said. The Cardinals have two openings on the infield going into spring training at third base and second base after they traded both
Nolan Arenado and
Brendan Donovan this offseason. The 25-year-old Gorman is expected to take over at the hot corner, with infield prospect
JJ Wetherholt having a clear path at the keystone. We know there is power in Gorman's bat after he hit a career-high 27 homers in 2023, but he has struck out 35% of the time the last two seasons while hitting 33 combined homers. If Gorman can lower his strikeout rate in 2026, he could be a nice sleeper source of power with regular playing time.
--Keith HernandezSource: 101 ESPN - Brandon Kiley
February 3, 2026
The Colorado Rockies signed former Athletics catcher
Kyle McCann to a minor-league deal on Tuesday with a non-roster invitation to spring training, major-league sources told Thomas Harding of MLB.com. McCann will head to Colorado to give the Rockies additional catching depth. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting backstop did not play in the majors at all last year after making his MLB debut with the A's in 2024. In his first 54 big-league games that season, McCann hit .236/.318/.371 with a .690 OPS, five home runs, 15 RBI, and 13 runs scored in 157 plate appearances. He split last season between Triple-A Las Vegas and the Mexican League. McCann will not be on the fantasy baseball radar in 2026 and is fully expected to begin the season at Triple-A Albuquerque.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
February 3, 2026
The Houston Astros and third baseman
Isaac Paredes avoided an arbitration hearing by settling on a one-year, $9.35 million deal on Tuesday, a source told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Both sides met in the middle after exchanging figures last month. The 26-year-old's fantasy stock is down heading into the 2026 campaign, as he might not have a path to an everyday role in his second year in Houston. Paredes slashed .254/.352/.458 with 20 home runs, 53 RBI, and 53 runs scored in 438 plate appearances over 102 games played. A hamstring injury was the reason why he didn't play a full season, and he wasn't 100% percent when he returned in the final month. In addition to Paredes not having a clear path to a starting role in 2026, there's a chance he's not ready for Opening Day as the Astros bring him along slowly. A trade out of town would most likely be the best thing for Paredes' fantasy value.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
February 3, 2026
Athletics pitching prospect Jamie Arnold, the 11th overall pick in 2025, added a cutter and a kick changeup to his arsenal this offseason while working at Driveline in the offseason, according to Jesus Cano of Baseball America. The 21-year-old southpaw also features a mid-90s fastball, slider, and splitter. Arnold stands at 6-foot-1, 188 pounds and has a strong track record in college from his time at Florida State, where he was a top-two ACC pitcher in consecutive seasons. His fastball-slider combination was already pretty devastating, but now with a more diverse arsenal, he's a name to monitor in dynasty/keeper leagues entering the 2026 campaign. Arnold has drawn comparisons to
Chris Sale due to his lower arm slot from the left side. Depending on how he performs in the minors this year, Arnold could make his big-league debut this summer.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball American - Jesus Cano
February 3, 2026
Free-agent pitcher
Eduardo Salazar signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. The right-hander has a foreign team inquiry clause. The 27-year-old Venezuelan right-hander appeared in 30 games out of the bullpen for the Washington Nationals in 2025 and pitched to a rough 8.38 ERA, 2.17 WHIP, and 23:16 K:BB in 29 innings. Salazar made his debut in the big leagues back in 2023 with the Cincinnati Reds and had an 8.03 ERA (11 earned runs allowed in 12 1/3 innings). In his three seasons in the majors with the Nationals, Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers, Salazar has a 5.99 ERA, 1.87 WHIP, and weak 16% strikeout rate in 70 2/3 relief innings. Salazar is unlikely to make Minnesota's Opening Day roster and should serve as organizational relief depth if he sticks around.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 3, 2026
Free-agent reliever
Daniel Robert re-signed a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday that includes an invite to major-league spring training camp, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Robert missed the final month of the 2025 season with a forearm strain, and it's uncertain if he'll be limited at all for the start of spring training in a couple of weeks. The 31-year-old veteran right-hander made only 15 appearances in relief for the Phillies last year and gave up seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits (two homers) while walking 10 and striking out 15 in 13 innings pitched. He debuted in the big leagues in 2024 with the Texas Rangers, but threw only 5 2/3 frames of relief. Robert was originally a 21st-round selection by the Rangers in 2017 out of Auburn. He won't carry any fantasy value into the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 3, 2026
Cleveland Guardians left-hander
Joey Cantillo has plenty of experience pitching in relief, but MLB.com's Tim Stebbins writes that Cantillo will compete for a rotation job in spring training. In 13 starts (67 innings) for the Guardians in the second half of last season, Cantillo had a solid 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 72 strikeouts, and 28 walks. The 26-year-old southpaw will primarily be competing with pitching prospect
Parker Messick for one of the final spots in the rotation in camp. If Messick impresses more, Cleveland can just slide Cantillo back into a relief role. He had a 3.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 21 outings out of the Guardians' bullpen in 2025. Although he may have had some luck as a starter to close out the year, Cantillo did have a 25.9% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate while holding hitters to a .214 average. As more of a swingman than a locked-in starter, Cantillo can be ignored in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Tim Stebbins
February 3, 2026
The New York Post's Jon Heyman said on MLB Network that the New York Yankees are looking to add another right-handed bat this offseason. Heyman mentions first basemen
Paul Goldschmidt and
Ty France, and outfielders
Austin Slater and
Randal Grichuk as players that are "on their list." The Yankees are heavily left-handed right now and only have three projected starters that hit right-handed --
Aaron Judge,
Giancarlo Stanton, and
Jose Caballero. Goldy might make the most sense for the Yanks since he played in the Bronx in 2025, but he'd have to take a salary cut and would become a part-time player. Goldschmidt has been declining the last several years offensively, but he still hit .274 last year and was particularly successful against left-handed pitchers. Heyman believes the Yankees will "definitely" sign one of Goldy, France, Slater, or Grichuk.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 3, 2026
The Tampa Bay Rays have joined the list of teams interested in signing free-agent outfielder/designated hitter
Marcell Ozuna, sources told MLB insider Mike Rodriguez. In addition to the Rays, the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates are looking at the three-time All-Star slugger. Ozuna was fourth in the MVP voting in 2024 but really struggled in 2025 in his sixth season with the Atlanta Braves, slashing .232/.355/.400 with a .756 OPS, 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and 61 runs scored in 145 games and 592 plate appearances. The 35-year-old veteran Dominican was bothered by a hip injury that he suffered in June, which may have been the big reason why he struggled. Ozuna did increase his walk rate to a career-high 15.9%, but at this point in his career, he's most likely a full-time DH. There's potential for a bounce-back 2026 campaign, but at his age, Ozuna is also a pretty big risk.
--Keith HernandezSource: Mike Rodriguez
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