December 11, 2025
The Milwaukee Brewers have signed infielder/outfielder
Greg Jones to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Jones, 27, is a switch-hitter who has spent nearly his entire professional career in the minors. Over six minor-league seasons, he has tallied 51 home runs, 172 stolen bases, and a .262/.346/.434 slash line across 1,677 plate appearances. He has appeared in the majors only briefly, totaling eight plate appearances. The Brewers are taking a look at Jones because of his athleticism and defensive versatility, particularly his ability to handle the outfield. While he's unlikely to break camp with the major-league club, it's hard not to root for a player who has worked this long and this hard to reach the Show.
--Marty TallmanSource: Todd Rosiak
December 11, 2025
Free-agent outfielder
Akil Baddoo has agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Baddoo appeared in only seven games for the Detroit Tigers last season, slashing .118/.167/.176 with no home runs and a -8 wRC+. He has yet to recapture the promise he showed during his 2021 rookie campaign, when he posted a 108 wRC+ with 13 homers and 18 steals. For Milwaukee, Baddoo is far from a lock to make the roster out of Spring Training, but his athleticism keeps him on the radar as a potential early-season watch-list candidate.
--Marty TallmanSource: Todd Rosiak
December 11, 2025
The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox met with first baseman
Pete Alonso at the Winter Meetings before he ultimately signed his five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post. While details of the discussions remain unclear, it's noteworthy that the Cubs sat down with the 31-year-old slugger. Chicago's current first baseman,
Michael Busch, is coming off a career year in which he slashed .261/.343/.523 with 34 home runs, 90 RBI, 78 runs, and four stolen bases, good for a 140 wRC+. The one notable concern is his performance against left-handed pitching. Busch hit just .207 against southpaws last season and struck out 26 times in 95 plate appearances, raising the possibility that the Cubs may view him as a long-term platoon option. For fantasy managers, Busch's usage against same-handed pitching is something worth monitoring moving forward.
--Marty TallmanSource: Jon Heyman
December 11, 2025
Free-agent right-hander
Colin Holderman has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Cleveland Guardians, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. Holderman, 30, has a career 4.13 ERA with a 22.2% strikeout rate and a 1.40 WHIP across 161 1/3 innings. He endured a difficult 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, posting a career-worst 7.01 ERA while dealing with multiple injuries. For Cleveland, Holderman is expected to serve primarily as extra bullpen depth, and for now, he carries no fantasy relevance.
--Marty TallmanSource: Robert Murray
December 11, 2025
Free-agent outfielder
Lane Thomas has agreed to a one-year, $5.25 million deal with the Kansas City Royals, with an additional $1 million available through incentives, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Thomas battled injuries last season and struggled at the plate, slashing .166/.245/.290 with five home runs and five stolen bases over 177 plate appearances with the Cleveland Guardians. The 30-year-old has yet to recapture his 2023 breakout form, when he hit 28 home runs, stole 20 bases, and posted a .268/.315/.468 slash line with a 109 wRC+. For the Royals, Thomas is expected to open the season as the starting left fielder and will likely slot into the lower part of the batting order. Fantasy managers can safely take a wait-and-see approach for now, but he's a name to monitor early in the season in case he rediscovers his previous level of production.
--Marty TallmanSource: Will Sammon
December 11, 2025
The Athletics are in agreement with free-agent relief pitcher
Mark Leiter Jr. on a one-year deal worth around $3 million, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Leiter Jr. will turn 35 years old in March 2026. Across 48 1/3 innings (59 games) with the New York Yankees last season, Leiter Jr. pitched to a 6-7 record with a 4.84 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts. Leiter Jr.'s 3.72 xERA and inflated .374 opponent batting average on balls in play could be indicators of poor luck and better results going forward. Still, Leiter Jr. also saw his strikeout rate drop from an excellent 33.6% in 2024 to 24.7% in 2025, his lowest mark since the 2018 season. Leiter Jr. has a tiny bit of closing experience, recording seven saves across two seasons with the Chicago Cubs in 2022 and 2023. With the Athletics, Leiter Jr. could have an outside chance at the closer role, but is more likely ticketed for middle relief.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Jesse Rogers
December 11, 2025
San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller recently shut down any possible trade speculation surrounding outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr., telling Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune that Tatis is "somebody that we're not talking about." Preller has been known for making big moves in the trade market during his time in charge in San Diego, but it does not appear that the team is interested in trading away its superstar. Across 691 plate appearances for the Padres in 2025, Tatis Jr. slashed .268/.368/.446 with 25 home runs, 71 RBI, 111 runs scored, and 32 stolen bases. He upped his walk rate to a career high 12.9% while also slashing his strikeout rate to a career low 18.7%. San Diego has Tatis Jr. locked up under contract through 2034, so there is little impetus for the team to move him other than to save money or get back a monstrous haul of talent.
--Will BradySource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
December 11, 2025
USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the Detroit Tigers "surprised teams by engaging in serious talks" around the possibility of trading starting pitcher
Tarik Skubal at the winter meetings this week. Nightengale goes on to predict that Detroit will hang on to Skubal, but it's still noteworthy that the team is apparently willing to listen to offers for its star pitcher. The 29-year-old has won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards. Across 195 1/3 innings (31 starts) in 2025, Skubal pitched to a 13-6 record with a 2.21 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 241 strikeouts. While the Tigers presumably expect to contend, Skubal can be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season. If the team is unwilling to shell out a monster contract, it could decide that getting a trade return for Skubal is better than watching him leave for nothing.
--Will BradySource: USA Today - Bob Nightengale
December 11, 2025
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he views second baseman
Jazz Chisholm Jr. as "currently part of the solution," but that the team will be "open-minded" when asked about a possible trade, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. While it doesn't appear that the Yankees are actively shopping Chisholm Jr., it seems that the team may listen to the right offer. Across 531 plate appearances in the Bronx last season, Chisholm Jr. slashed .242/.332/.481 with 31 home runs, 80 RBI, 75 runs scored, and 31 stolen bases. He will play the entire 2026 season, his final year under club control, at 28 years old. If the Yankees don't view Chisholm Jr. as part of their long-term plans, they could look to move on. However, a Chisholm Jr. trade would leave what is presumably a win-now team with a hole at second base. Depending on how the rest of New York's offseason progresses, Chisholm Jr. could be a name to monitor.
--Will BradySource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
December 11, 2025
The Chicago Cubs are signing free-agent relief pitcher
Hoby Milner, per Michael Cerami of Bleacher Nation. Across 70 1/3 innings (70) games with the Texans Rangers in 2025, Milner recorded a 3-4 record with a 3.84 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts. He will turn 35 years old in January 2026. Milner, a left-handed pitcher, specializes in getting out left-handed batters. Across 341 1/3 career big-league innings, lefty batters have slashed .221/.269/.339 against Milner, while righties have punished him to a .277/.343/.451 line. In Chicago, Milner profiles as a middle relief option who will be part of the bridge to projected Cubs closer
Daniel Palencia.
--Will BradySource: Bleacher Nation - Michael Cerami
December 11, 2025
Despite the recent addition of All-Star closer
Robert Suarez on a three-year, $45 million deal, right-hander
Raisel Iglesias will remain the Atlanta Braves' closer in 2026, a source told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Suarez will open next season as Atlanta's high-priced, high-leverage setup man in front of Iglesias. The 35-year-old Cuban reliever got off to a rough start with the Braves last year, but he rebounded and had a sharp 1.96 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 51:12 after the start of June to finish with a 3.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 29 saves in 67 1/3 innings. His 85.3% save share was the third-highest among closers in baseball, although that figures to drop in 2026 with Suarez in the fold. In the final two months, Iglesias had a 0.38 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a league-leading 16 saves. Iglesias still has the stuff to get the job done in the ninth, but he's on much shakier ground now that Suarez is an option to replace him if he struggles again at any point next year.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
December 11, 2025
Free-agent closer
Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a three-year, $45 million deal on Thursday, sources tell Jeff Passan of ESPN. It's a curious landing spot for Suarez after the Braves already re-signed closer
Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal this offseason. Reports suggest that Iglesias will remain the Braves' primary closer in 2026, which means that the 34-year-old Suarez will serve in a high-leverage setup role in his new digs. Suarez has been one of the most dominant closers in recent seasons with the San Diego Padres, posting a 2.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 76 saves, 134 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 134 2/3 regular-season innings since the start of the 2024 campaign. He should continue to be useful for his strikeout rate and holds, but if Iglesias actually holds him off for closer duties, Suarez's overall fantasy value will take a hit in Atlanta.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
December 10, 2025
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Houston Astros are among the teams with interest in acquiring current Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher
Freddy Peralta. The 29-year-old Peralta is coming off an excellent 2025 season in Milwaukee. Across 176 2/3 innings (33 starts), he recorded a 17-6 record with a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 204 strikeouts. While the Brewers won 97 games in 2025 and appear to be in win-now mode, they could look to move Peralta, given that he has just one season left under team control. Peralta slightly outperformed his underlying metrics and could be in for some regression in 2026. Still, he's established himself as a front-end starting pitcher, sporting a career 3.59 ERA and 29.9% strikeout rate. While Rosenthal and Sammon report that "no deal appears close" and "talks are fluid," it appears as though Peralta has multiple potential suitors. It could just be a matter of time before a deal comes together.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon
December 10, 2025
The Atlanta Braves are in agreement with free-agent outfielder
Mike Yastrzemski on a two-year, $23 million contract that also includes a third-year club option, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The 35-year-old spent the first six-plus seasons of his big-league career with the San Francisco Giants before being traded to the Kansas City Royals at the 2025 trade deadline. Across 558 plate appearances split between San Francisco and Kansas City in 2025, Yastrzemski slashed .233/.303/.403 with 17 home runs, 46 RBI, 68 runs scored, and seven stolen bases. He cut his strikeout rate to a career-best 19.4% while upping his walk rate to 12.9%, his highest mark since the shortened 2020 season. The left-handed-hitting Yastrzemski sports a career .648 OPS against left-handed pitching, so he profiles best as a platoon bat. He's likely ticketed for a starting corner-outfield job against right-handed pitchers in Atlanta.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Jeff Passan
December 10, 2025
The Colorado Rockies have selected former Detroit Tigers pitching prospect
RJ Petit with the first pick of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft. Petit is a 26-year-old right-hander who has been in the Tigers organization since 2021. Across 66 1/3 innings split between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo, Petit recorded a 10-2 record with a 2.44 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts. As a result of selecting Petit in the Rule 5 Draft, Colorado must now keep Petit on its big-league roster for the entirety of the 2025 season. Petit has some closing experience in the minor leagues, as he's recorded at least three saves in each of the last four seasons. He could have an outside shot at working his way into the closer role in Colorado, which currently appears open for competition.
--Will BradySource: MLB.com - Jonathan Mayo
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