January 30, 2026
Veteran right-handed reliever
David Robertson announced his retirement from professional baseball on Friday, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. The 40-year-old veteran signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the second half of last season and posted a 4.08 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, two saves, 22 strikeouts, and eight walks in just 17 2/3 innings pitched in the regular season. Robertson was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 2006 out of Alabama in the 17th round. After 17 seasons in the big leagues, Robertson will walk away with a career 2.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 179 saves, and a 31.9% strikeout rate in 894 1/3 regular-season innings. His lone All-Star season came back in 2011 with the Yankees, when he had a sharp 1.08 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, one save, and a 100:35 K:BB in 66 2/3 frames. Robertson won a World Series ring in 2009 with the Yankees.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA Today - Bob Nightengale
January 30, 2026
The Washington Nationals have claimed relief pitcher
George Soriano off waivers from the Atlanta Braves. Soriano was designated for assignment earlier this week after they added
Jose Suarez to their roster. Soriano is looking to bounce back in 2026 after a disastrous season with the Miami Marlins in 2025. The 26-year-old finished with an 8.35 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and a 36/19 K/BB ratio in 24 appearances. Somehow, Soriano almost allowed more earned runs (34) than he struck out batters (36). The Nationals are hopeful that Soriano can return to form and pitch as he did during his rookie season in 2023. He's expected to compete for a middle relief role during Spring Training.
--Andy WebbSource: Washington Nationals
January 30, 2026
The Chicago White Sox have signed relief pitcher
Lucas Sims to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. Sims is looking to bounce back after posting ugly numbers with the Washington Nationals last season. He allowed 19 earned runs with 14 walks across 18 appearances with the Nats in 2025. The 31-year-old hasn't been successful since leaving the Cincinnati Reds mid-way through the 2024 season. In seven years with the Reds, Sims registered a 3.94 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, with nearly 300 strikeouts in over 200 appearances. It's a low-risk move for the White Sox, who could get a decent middle reliever if Sims bounces back.
--Andy WebbSource: James Fegan
January 30, 2026
The Texas Rangers are expected to sign first baseman
Nick Pratto to a deal for the 2026 season. The assumption is that this will be a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The deal isn't officially done, but Chris Cotillo believes that the deal is close to being finalized. Pratto is a former first-round pick of the Kansas City Royals during the 2017 draft. The organization viewed him as the future at first base, but Pratto could never put it together at the big league level. Last season, Pratto slashed .232/.307/.353 with seven home runs and 35 RBI in 95 games with the Royals. The Rangers are hopeful they can tap into his potential and help the 27-year-old turn around his career.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
January 30, 2026
Athletics infielder
Jacob Wilson has agreed to a long-term extension with the organization on Friday. The two sides have agreed on a seven-year, $70 million extension, including an eighth-year club option. It didn't take long for the A's to lock up their young infielder after a breakout rookie campaign. In 2025, Wilson slashed .311/.355/.444 with 13 home runs, 63 RBI, and five steals in 125 games. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting behind his teammate
Nick Kurtz. The A's have seen enough of the 23-year-old to warrant buying out the rest of his rookie contract. The front office has done a nice job of locking up their young talent with
Brent Rooker,
Tyler Soderstrom,
Lawrence Butler, and now Wilson signed to long-term deals. The A's have some strong pieces to build a future around going forward.
--Andy WebbSource: Jeff Passan
January 30, 2026
Miami Marlins left-hander
Thomas White, the consensus top prospect in the organization, is expected to be called up later in the 2026 season, according to Kevin Barral of Fish on First. Across three minor-league levels last year, White had a 2.31 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 14.55 K/9, and a 5.12 BB/9 in 89 2/3 innings pitched. The 21-year-old southpaw needs to improve both his command and control, though, and he'll be working to show that to the Fish during spring training. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder needs more innings under his belt before Miami will trust throwing him into the fire in their MLB starting rotation, as he's made just two starts at the Triple-A level. Besides his shaky control, White has the obvious makings of a front-line starting pitcher for fantasy managers, who should already be stashing him in dynasty/keeper leagues. He's MLB Pipeline's No. 17 overall prospect going into the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Fish On First - Kevin Barral
January 30, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Emmet Sheehan is likely to be considered for a starting role to begin the 2026 regular season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. That will especially be the case if manager Dave Roberts opens the year with a hybrid or six-man rotation. Both
Shohei Ohtani and
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will miss a large chunk of spring training for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. It was quite impressive what Sheehan did last year for the Dodgers, as he was returning from Tommy John surgery and an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow. The 26-year-old had a 2.82 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 89 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 15 outings (12 starts) over 73 1/3 innings in his second MLB season. Sheehan mostly relies on his slider and changeup for whiffs and has plenty of strikeout upside for fantasy managers to dream on if he ever gets a full-time shot at a starting spot in L.A.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Katie Woo
January 30, 2026
The Atlanta Braves and free-agent left-hander
Martin Perez agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, sources told Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media. Perez, who will turn 35 years old in April, had a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 44:22 K:BB in 56 innings over 11 outings (10 starts) with the Chicago White Sox last season. In his 14-year major-league career, the veteran Venezuelan hurler has posted a 4.41 ERA (4.44 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP with a weak 16.3% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate over 1,631 2/3 innings pitched for six different clubs. Perez made the All-Star team once, back in 2022 with the Texas Rangers, when he went 12-8 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 32 starts. He missed most of last year with elbow and shoulder injuries, and it's unclear if he'll be ready for the start of spring training. Perez isn't much of a fantasy asset, but he'll give Atlanta some starting depth with
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow),
Grant Holmes (elbow), and
Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) all rehabbing injuries in the offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Just Baseball Media - Aram Leighton
January 30, 2026
The Cleveland Guardians announced on Friday that infield prospect
Travis Bazzana has received a non-roster invite to major-league spring training. Bazzana, who was the first overall pick in 2024 out of Oregon State, hit .245/.389/.424 with an .813 OPS, nine home runs, 39 RBI, 71 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in 84 games at three minor-league levels in 2025. The 23-year-old Australian's season ended early due to left-flank soreness, and he also missed almost two months earlier in the year with a right-oblique strain. So far, Bazzana hasn't looked like a No. 1 overall pick, although he has gotten on base regularly with a .384 on-base percentage. MLB Pipeline has Bazzana ranked as the No. 20 overall prospect going into the 2026 season. He's an extremely patient hitter and has 20/20 upside at the second base position. Bazzana could be a candidate for his MLB debut in the second half of 2026, depending on how he looks at Triple-A Columbus.
--Keith HernandezSource: GuardsInsider
January 30, 2026
When healthy, Texas Rangers shortstop
Corey Seager remains one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball. Across 445 plate appearances in 2025, the 31-year-old posted a .271/.373/.487 slash line with 21 home runs, 50 RBI, 61 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Unfortunately, consistent health has been elusive for Seager for the majority of his MLB career. Since 2018, Seager has topped 550 plate appearances in a season just once. From a fantasy perspective, the lack of availability limits Seager's ability to rack up counting stats across all categories and minimizes the benefit of his strong batting average. He's also never recorded more than four stolen bases in a season, so building a roster around Seager means accepting below-average speed from the shortstop position. All that being said, Seager should be healthy entering 2026 Spring Training. If he can somehow manage a full season's worth of playing time, Seager could easily out-produce his current average draft position of pick number 88. He's a risky selection, but one that could pay off in a big way for fantasy managers in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitcher
Robert Suarez was one of the top closers in fantasy baseball while pitching for the San Diego Padres in 2025, posting a 2.97 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across 69 2/3 innings and racking up 40 saves, 75 strikeouts, and four wins. Suarez's stellar performance was enough to land him a three-year $45 million contract with Atlanta this past December. However, the Braves have long-time closer
Raisel Iglesias in place in the ninth inning, and reportedly plan to use Suarez in a high-leverage setup role. Suarez profiles as the lead candidate to assume the closer role if Iglesias struggles or suffers an injury. Still, Suarez's fantasy value is greatly diminished for as long as he remains siloed to a setup role, at least in redraft formats. In dynasty leagues, Suarez could jump right back into the ninth-inning role in Atlanta in 2027, as Iglesias will hit free agency at the end of 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Across 589 plate appearances in 2025, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Jackson Chourio posted a .270/.308/.463 slash line with 21 home runs, 78 RBI, 88 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases. The 21-year-old's overall output was solid, but he didn't quite deliver on the full-scale breakout that some were hoping for heading into the year. Chourio missed time during the year due to a hamstring injury, which held down his counting stats and may have impacted his performance. Heading into 2026, Chourio should be fully recovered and locked into an everyday spot at or near the top of a Brewers lineup that finished second in the National League in runs scored (806) in 2025. While Chourio's top-level production in 2025 looks similar to the numbers he posted in 2024, he improved his barrel rate from 7.8% to 9.7% while cutting his strikeout rate from 21.1% to 20.5%. With improved health in 2026, Chourio could provide first-round caliber five-category fantasy production.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Chicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a spectacular season overall in 2025, posting a .247/.287/.481 slash line with 31 home runs, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases across 647 plate appearances. However, the 23-year-old's production fell off in the second half of the year. Across 246 plate appearances after the All-Star break, Crow-Armstrong hit .216/.262/.372 with just six home runs and struck out at a 25.6% rate, up from 22.9% in the first half. The lefty-swinging Crow-Armstrong also showed a notable platoon split throughout the season, logging a .594 OPS across 188 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Heading into 2026, Crow-Armstrong should remain an everyday staple in the Cubs lineup thanks to his elite defense in center field. He also posted a 13% barrel rate in 2025 and has 64 career stolen bases across 293 MLB games, so his power/speed profile appears legit. However, fantasy managers may want to anticipate a drop in counting stats and potentially a decline in batting average in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher
Paul Skenes established himself as one of MLB's premier hurlers in 2025, posting a 10-10 record with a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 216 strikeouts across 187 2/3 innings pitched. The 23-year-old was unanimously named the National League Cy Young Award winner in just his second big-league season. With a career K-BB rate of 25% across 320 2/3 MLB innings, Skenes' underlying numbers support his dominance. From a fantasy perspective, wins are the one category where Skenes provided middling production in 2025, particularly relative to other high-end starting pitching options. While the Pirates don't profile as a juggernaut in 2026, they have made some steps towards contention this offseason by adding veteran infielders
Brandon Lowe and
Ryan O'Hearn. With a better supporting cast around him, Skenes could reach yet another level in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
January 30, 2026
Atlanta Braves right-handed pitching prospect
JR Ritchie is an emerging arm in the Atlanta system and is expected to make his MLB debut in 2026. Ritchie began the campaign with High-A Rome but was able to reach Triple-A Gwinnett in the second half. At High-A, the right-hander was impressive, logging 41 2/3 innings to the tune of a 1.30 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. At Double-A, Ritchie took a slight step back, carrying a 3.49 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP across 38 2/3 innings of work. However, during his first look at Triple-A, the 22-year-old rounded back into form, posting a strong 3.02 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. During these 59 2/3 innings, Ritchie struck out 61 hitters while allowing 27 walks. Managers should keep a close eye on his status during camp as he could contend for an early 2026 debut.
--Andy SmithSource: RotoBaller
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