February 14, 2026
Free-agent outfielder
Nick Castellanos is joining the San Diego Padres on a league-minimum MLB deal ($780,000), according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Athletic's Dennis Lin reports that Castellanos is expected to make his first-base debut with the Padres while also seeing time in the outfield and at designated hitter. The Philadelphia Phillies will pay Castellanos the remainder of the $20 million he's owed for 2026 after they released him earlier this week. The 33-year-old former first-rounder has been declining at the plate in recent seasons, and he has also been one of the worst defensive outfielders in the game. He hit .250/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, and 72 runs for the Phils last year in 147 regular-season games. Castellanos can still contribute, but Petco Park will be a ballpark downgrade, and he's unlikely to play every day anymore.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 13, 2026
Free-agent
Joey Gallo, who is making a full-time transition as a pitcher, is starting to throw for interested teams and has been working out in Florida, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Gallo was in spring training with the Chicago White Sox last year before being released after going 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts at the plate in nine games. The 32-year-old veteran had two 40-homer seasons with the Texas Rangers back in 2017 and 2018 and had prodigious power in his prime, but he drastically fell off as a hitter in recent seasons and is now trying to make a comeback on the mound. In 2024 with the Washington Nationals, he hit just .161/.277/.336 with 10 home runs and 102 strikeouts in 76 games (260 plate appearances). Gallo's arm strength has always been elite, but he'll probably be a long shot to contribute at the major-league level as a pitcher.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 13, 2026
San Diego Padres right-handed reliever
Jason Adam (quadriceps) told 97.3 The Fan on Friday that he thinks he could be available for Opening Day in late March as he works his way back from a ruptured left quadriceps tendon that he suffered late last year. Adam has been throwing bullpen sessions, but he still has some boxes to check to prove that he can field his own position and move around. The most likely scenario is that the 34-year-old veteran will start the 2026 season on the injured list before making his season debut at some point in April. Before his injury, Adam was a key piece of SD's lights-out bullpen, posting a 1.93 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 70:25 K:BB in 65 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. His 29 holds ranked seventh among relievers. Adam's strikeout rate dipped a bit to 25.9%, which was his lowest mark since 2019. If he can stay healthy in 2026, Adam should be a great asset in holds leagues yet again.
--Keith HernandezSource: 97.3 The Fan
February 13, 2026
The Arizona Diamondbacks re-signed right-hander
Zac Gallen for around $22 million on Friday night, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He rejected Arizona's $22.025 million qualifying offer back in November, but he'll end up making around the same amount in 2026 as he looks to bounce back in a familiar environment. Gallen will return to the desert after the 30-year-old veteran had a career-high 4.83 ERA (4.50 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 175 strikeouts and 66 walks in 192 innings over 33 starts in his walk year in 2025. His 31 home runs were easily a career high as well. In addition to being much more hittable last year, Gallen's strikeout rate fell to a career-low 21.5%. Gallen's cutter and sinker, which he threw more of, were just not effective enough. He could rebound by keeping the ball in the yard more often, but there's also a good chance we've already seen peak Gallen.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 13, 2026
Colorado Rockies outfield prospect
Zac Veen finished his first MLB season at an unhealthy 202 pounds, but he's now at 245 pounds after adding muscle in the offseason, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "Definitely one of the bigger, main things was sobering up," said Veen, 24. "I had a pretty big substance abuse problem for a few years. But I'm completely clean and sober." The former ninth overall pick in 2020 went 4-for-34 (.118) with 14 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances in his first 12 big-league games with the Rockies last year before being sent back to Triple-A Albuquerque. Johnny Goodrich, Veen's high-school coach, said his speed, leaping ability, and hitting exit velocities have improved with the added muscle. Veen is currently in an uphill battle to win an Opening Day roster spot, especially with the offseason addition of
Jake McCarthy. He can be ignored in redraft leagues to start the year, but fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper leagues shouldn't give up on him just yet.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
February 13, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals catcher
Yohel Pozo announced on his X account that he has dropped 33 pounds since last season. The 28-year-old Venezuelan will be battling for a big-league roster spot in spring training after he hit .231/.262/.375 with a .637 OPS, five home runs, 19 RBI, and 16 runs scored in 67 games in his first year with the Cardinals last season. St. Louis non-tendered him in the offseason before he re-signed with the club on a split contract. Pozo is obviously in much better shape this year, but he still has plenty of work to do with
Ivan Herrera (elbow) and
Pedro Pages ahead of him on the catching depth chart. He'll also have to beat out
Jimmy Crooks to avoid starting the year at Triple-A Memphis. Pozo's 2025 campaign started well with a .312 average and four homers in his first 38 games, but he went 8-for-67 in the second half and also missed time with a concussion. For now, fantasy managers can avoid Pozo in all formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: Yohel Pozo on X
February 13, 2026
Miami Marlins right-hander
Sandy Alcantara is adding a sweeper to his arsenal, which already consists of a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter, slider, and changeup, according to Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. In his first year back from Tommy John surgery in 2025, Alcantara went 11-12 with a career-worst 5.36 ERA (4.28 FIP), 1.27 WHIP, and 142:57 K:BB in 174 2/3 innings over 31 starts. The 30-year-old former Cy Young winner and two-time All-Star looked much better down the stretch, though, recording a 2.68 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 52:10 K:BB in 53 2/3 innings over his final eight starts. Alcantara was also able to return to his pre-injury velocity, a good sign going into his eighth year in the big leagues. He's not in the greatest situation in Miami to rack up wins, but Alcantara's finish to the 2025 campaign should inspire confidence that he can bounce back as a fantasy ace in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Miami Herald - Jordan McPherson
February 13, 2026
Houston Astros right-hander
Nate Pearson (elbow) had a cleanup surgery on his right elbow in the offseason, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Pearson was scheduled to throw a bullpen session in camp on Friday, though, and appears to be just fine for the start of the 2026 season with his new team. The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with Houston in the offseason. Pearson has primarily been a reliever since 2021, but the Astros are going to stretch him out as a starter this spring. The former first-rounder by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 out of the College of Central Florida has a career ERA over 5.00 in five major-league seasons, and he allowed 15 earned runs with 10 walks and seven strikeouts in just 14 2/3 relief frames for the Cubbies in 2025. The hard-throwing right-hander was once one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball, but he just has not lived up to expectations. Fantasy managers will want to take a wait-and-see approach with Pearson in his return to a starting role.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
February 13, 2026
New York Yankees right-hander
Clarke Schmidt (elbow), who is on the 60-day injured list as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery last July, was seen throwing in the outfield in camp on Friday, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Schmidt won't be an option for the Yankees' starting rotation until some point after the All-Star break in mid-July. The 29-year-old also opened last year on the IL due to a shoulder injury that he suffered in spring training. He struck out only 73 batters in 78 2/3 total innings over 14 starts in 2025, but Schmidt held a solid 3.32 ERA (3.95 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP in his sixth year in the big leagues with the Bombers. Schmidt does a great job of keeping hitters off balance and inducing weak contact, but durability has been a concern, and he's only gone over 100 innings pitched in one of his five MLB seasons. Fantasy managers should have better stash candidates in single-year leagues in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chris Kirschner
February 13, 2026
Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder
Spencer Steer (quadriceps) played through a sore right quadriceps that bothered him for most of last season, and he finished with a .238/.312/.411 slash line, 21 home runs, and 75 RBI in 146 games. Steer also dealt with a sore right shoulder that lingered after the 2024 campaign. To avoid re-injuring his quad this year, Steer said he cleaned up some of his sprinting mechanics. The 28-year-old will see time at first base in 2026 and could occasionally spell Matt McClain at second base, but most of his playing time is expected to come in either left or right field. Steer's drop in stolen bases from 25 in 2024 to just seven last year likely had a lot to do with his quad issue. Steer will be more of a super-utility player in 2026, and his stolen base numbers could bounce back with better help, giving fantasy managers some hope that he can post another 20-20 season. He's hit at least 20 homers in each of the last three seasons, being propped up by a very hitter-friendly home ballpark.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Sheldon
February 13, 2026
The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they agreed to a two-year minor-league deal with left-hander
John Means (Achilles). It feels like ages ago when Means was an All-Star with the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 in his second major-league season. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw didn't see the mound in the big leagues at all in 2025 and has made just 10 starts since the beginning of the 2022 season due to various injuries. Means was recovering from his second Tommy John surgery last year and will miss all of the 2026 campaign as well due to a torn Achilles that he suffered in the offseason. The Royals will keep Means around going into next season in hopes that he can put his injury woes behind him for good. Fantasy managers in all formats should take a wait-and-see approach with Means in 2027.
--Keith HernandezSource: Kansas City Royals
February 13, 2026
Detroit Tigers second baseman
Gleyber Torres (groin) should be ready to go on Opening Day this year after the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold reported in December that Torres had been cleared for all baseball activities. The 29-year-old had sports-hernia surgery in October after playing injured in the final month of the regular season and into the playoffs. He accepted the team's one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer for the 2026 campaign and will reprise his role as the team's starting second baseman as they look to get back to the postseason. In his first year in Motown, the Venezuelan infielder was named an All-Star for the third time in his career while hitting .256/.358/.387 with a .745 OPS, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 79 runs, and four stolen bases in 145 regular-season contests. Torres doesn't have a high ceiling in fantasy, but he should have a stable floor in an improved Tigers lineup. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 22 fantasy second baseman.
--Keith HernandezSource: Detroit Free Press - Evan Petzold
February 13, 2026
The Athletic's Zack Meisel wrote in December that Cleveland Guardians first baseman
Kyle Manzardo added 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2025 season. The Guardians want him to hold up better physically and be a candidate for more reps at first base in 2026. The 25-year-old former second-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 out of Washington State played in 142 regular-season games last year in his first full year in the big leagues, hitting .234/.313/.455 with a .768 OPS, 27 home runs, 70 RBI, 47 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 531 plate appearances. Manzardo appeared in 84 games as the designated hitter while manning first base 55 times. He'll be a legitimate late-round source of power and should start at first base more often with
Carlos Santana no longer around. If Manzardo can improve against lefties -- he hit just .186/.253/.419 against them -- he'll have true breakout potential in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Meisel
February 13, 2026
Seattle Mariners right-hander
Bryan Woo said he turned down an invitation to pitch for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic as he looks to reach the 200-inning mark in 2026, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. The former sixth-round pick out of Cal Poly in 2021 had a breakout 2025 campaign with Seattle, going 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA (3.47 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with a career-high 198 strikeouts and 36 walks in 186 2/3 innings pitched over 30 starts. It was nice to see Woo make 30 starts after some of his early career injury woes, and even though he's healthy this spring, the Mariners might ease him into Cactus League action. Woo led Seattle's rotation in innings, K's, WHIP, and ERA while posting a 128 ERA+, putting him in the running to start on Opening Day in 2026. He's a starting pitcher on the rise in a very favorable pitching environment at T-Mobile Park. Consider him a top-15 fantasy starting pitcher.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Daniel Kramer
February 13, 2026
The San Francisco Giants announced on Friday that they agreed with free-agent reliever
Rowan Wick (elbow) on an undisclosed one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season, according to Justice delos Santos of MLB.com. Wick will miss the entire 2026 season after having Tommy John surgery in November of last year. The 33-year-old right-hander has not appeared in the major leagues since 2022 with the Chicago Cubs, and he last pitched in the U.S. in 2023 at Triple-A Iowa. Wick has pitched in Japan in Nippon Professional Baseball the last two years and had a sharp 1.13 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 58:13 K:BB in 47 2/3 innings in 2025 before having TJ surgery. The Canadian reliever made his big-league debut in 2018 with the San Diego Padres, and he holds a career 3.82 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 20 saves, 160 K's, and 66 walks in 146 relief outings in his five MLB seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Justice delos Santos
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