January 17, 2026
Cincinnati Reds second baseman
Matt McLain has added 12 pounds in the offseason as he has focused on getting stronger. The former 17th overall pick has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his two-year MLB career and is eyeing a "fresh start." McLain made his debut in 2023 but missed the entire 2024 campaign due to a rib and shoulder injury. In 2025, McLain appeared in a career-high 147 games but struggled at the plate, posting a .220/.300/.343 line with 18 doubles, 15 home runs, and 18 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated a low .290 xwOBA. This was a stark drop from the promising .290/.357/.507 line he held during his debut campaign in 2023. Managers should keep a close eye on his status during camp, as the young infielder does possess five-category upside when on the field.
--Andy SmithSource: Charlie Goldsmith
January 17, 2026
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, New York Mets third baseman
Brett Baty is expected to play numerous positions, including left field. On Friday, the team signed infielder
Bo Bichette, who is now slated to take over the everyday role at third base, shifting Baty into a super-utility role. While Baty may struggle to find at-bats in the infield, he could carve out a role in the New York outfield that traded
Brandon Nimmo this offseason and failed to sign
Kyle Tucker. Throughout his MLB career, Baty has only made one appearance in left field, but is expected to earn opportunities there during camp. Last season, the 26-year-old held a .254/.313/.435 line with 13 doubles and a career-best 18 home runs across 130 contests. While Baty's short-term fantasy value did take a hit following Bichette's signing, he could eventually carve out a role in the outfield. For now, he is best left for deeper redraft formats.
--Andy SmithSource: Jon Heyman
January 16, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder/outfielder
Konnor Griffin is among the Pirates' invites to big-league spring training this year, according to the team. Per MLB Pipeline, Griffin is considered the top prospect in baseball in 2026. The 19-year-old turned heads in his first year in the minors for the Bucs in 2025, hitting .333/.415/.527 with a .941 OPS, 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 117 runs, and 65 stolen bases in 122 combined games with Single-A Bradenton, High-A Greensboro, and Double-A Altoona. Depending on how he looks in spring training, Griffin has a real chance to be the first teenager to debut in the big leagues since
Juan Soto in 2018. Griffin is expected to compete for the starting shortstop job this spring. Griffin is a premium all-around athlete with plus-plus speed, and he certainly has the looks of a future fantasy superstar, potentially as early as 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh Pirates
January 16, 2026
The New York Mets officially signed Dominican Republic shortstop Wandy Asigen on Thursday for $3.9 million, according to Francys Romero. Asigen, 16, was considered the most explosive player in this year's international class. He was expected to sign with the New York Yankees, but he ended up going to the cross-town rivals. Asigen hits from the left side and stands at 6-foot, 175 pounds. He has plenty of tools, most notably his plus raw power and plus speed at a premium position. Depending on how Asigen develops in the Mets' minor-league system over the coming years, he has a shot to be their shortstop of the future after
Francisco Lindor.
--Keith HernandezSource: Francys Romero
January 16, 2026
The San Francisco Giants signed Venezuelan shortstop
Luis Hernandez, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 international class, for $5 million on Thursday, according to MLB.com's Jesse Borek. It's the second straight year that the Giants have signed the top international free agent. The 17-year-old has projectable tools that could eventually make him a 30/30 candidate because of his hit, power, and run tools. Hernandez is seen as an above-average runner who is extremely aggressive on the basepaths. He has a quick first step at shortstop, although his arm is merely average right now. At just 15 years old in the Venezuelan league, Hernandez hit .346 in 104 at-bats against much older competition. He should be able to stick at the 6 long-term, although he could be battling Josuar Gonzalez, last year's international signing, as the Giants' shortstop of the future.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jesse Borek
January 16, 2026
The New York Mets have claimed shortstop
Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. He was claimed off waivers by the Rays on January 8 from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Rays designated Cheng for assignment to free up a spot on their 40-man roster following a trade. He'll now head to New York after putting up a lackluster campaign in Triple-A Indianapolis last season. Cheng slashed .207/.305/.267 with one home run, 36 RBI, and 20 steals in 110 games in the minors in 2025. He figures to serve as organizational depth in the minors to begin the season.
--Andy WebbSource: SNY Mets
January 16, 2026
The Miami Marlins have claimed right-handed pitcher
Osvaldo Bido off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays. Bido was claimed off waivers by the Rays in December from the Atlanta Braves. He was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay after they needed to open a 40-man roster spot following a trade. The Marlins have decided to pick up the 30-year-old, who is looking to bounce back after a rough 2025 campaign. Last season, Bido registered a 5.87 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, and 68/35 K/BB ratio across 26 games (10 starts) with the Athletics. Bido posted strong numbers with the A's during the 2024 season. This is a solid low-risk move for the Marlins to take a chance on Bido, who could be a decent swingman option for them in 2026.
--Andy WebbSource: Daniel Alvarez-Montes
January 16, 2026
The Minnesota Twins have agreed to a deal with free-agent catcher
Victor Caratini on Friday. They've agreed on a two-year, $14 million deal, according to Robert Murray. At first glance, this seems like an odd fit given the Twins already have
Ryan Jeffers. There's still a scenario that the rebuilding Twins trade Jeffers and use Caratini as the starting catcher. The 32-year-old has posted back-to-back strong campaigns with the Houston Astros. Last season, Caratini slashed .259/.324/.404 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI across 114 games. It seems unlikely that Caratini would play over 100 games in Minnesota, assuming Jeffers remains in the picture. His fantasy value will be dependent on his playing time, but Caratini isn't likely to be a strong fantasy option anyway.
--Andy WebbSource: Robert Murray
January 16, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher
Brad Keller has decided to join Team USA for the upcoming World Baseball Classic. This should pretty much round out the pitching staff, but it's always possible that someone drops out. This is a nice addition to the roster as Keller experienced a breakout season with the Chicago Cubs in 2025. He posted a 2.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 75/22 K/BB ratio across 68 games. That performance earned him a two-year, $22 million deal with the Phillies this offseason. The 30-year-old will now get a chance to shine for his country.
--Andy WebbSource: World Baseball Classic
January 16, 2026
According to Marc Topkin, newly acquired infielder/outfielder
Gavin Lux is going to primarily play second base with the Tampa Bay Rays. It sounds like Lux is going to step in and fill the void left by
Brandon Lowe. Rays' president of baseball operations Erik Neander sounds confident in Lux being an everyday option at the keystone. Lux spent most of his time in left field or as the designated hitter during his time with the Cincinnati Reds last season. He did play full-time at second base during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, so it's not an unfamiliar position to him. Last season, Lux slashed .269/.350/.374 with five home runs and 53 RBI in 140 games with the Reds. The loss of power at the position is significant because Lowe smacked 31 homers with the Rays last season. The front office clearly sees something in Lux, so maybe they can tap into some hidden potential.
--Andy WebbSource: Marc Topkin
January 16, 2026
The Houston Astros have signed free-agent pitcher
Cody Bolton to a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Bolton only pitched in one game for the Cleveland Guardians last season. That was his lone big league appearance in 2025, but he did pitch 17 games with the Seattle Mariners in 2024. Bolton is a former sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates from the 2017 draft. He began his career as a starter, but has converted into a bullpen arm. He'll likely serve as organizational depth and start the season in Triple-A.
--Andy WebbSource: Garrett Greene
January 16, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies have reached an agreement to bring back free-agent catcher
J.T. Realmuto. They've agreed on a three-year, $45 million deal, which could total to $60 million with incentives. A deal between the two seemed inevitable as a return to Philly makes sense for both sides. The 34-year-old has seen a regression in production in recent years, but still offers around a 3.0 WAR. Last season, Realmuto slashed .257/.315/.384 with 12 home runs, 52 RBI, and eight steals in 134 games with the Phillies. Realmuto has spent the last seven years with the Phillies organization. He's familiar with their pitching staff and is a trustworthy option behind the plate.
--Andy WebbSource: Robert Murray
January 16, 2026
Detroit Tigers infielder
Colt Keith could be primed to "lock down a large share of playing time at third base," per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. The 24-year-old has spent time at every infield position other than shortstop so far in his big league career, but saw more appearances as a designated hitter than anywhere else in 2025. Stavenhagen notes that Detroit has a multitude of options at the hot corner, namely, veterans
Javier Baez,
Zach McKinstry, and
Matt Vierling, as well as prospects
Kevin McGonigle and
Max Anderson. As such, Keith is not guaranteed to hold the job throughout the season, but he may enter Spring Training as the favorite to start at third base on Opening Day. Across 468 plate appearances for Detroit in 2025, Keith posted a .256/.333/.413 slash line with 13 home runs, 45 RBI, 65 runs scored, and one stolen base. He's been significantly better against right-handed pitching (.731 OPS) than left-handed pitching (.610 OPS) so far in his career.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Cody Stavenhagen
January 16, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies offered infielder
Bo Bichette a seven-year, $200 million contract before he signed with the New York Mets, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Bichette's reported agreement with New York is worth $126 million over three years, so the 27-year-old is apparently prioritizing a higher average annual value and the chance to get back on the open market more quickly. Nightengale reports that the Phillies "believed they would sign (Bichette) until the Mets swooped in." Bichette has almost exclusively played shortstop as a big leaguer, but he's set to move to third base with the Mets and likely would have done the same in Philadelphia. With Bichette now in New York, Philadelphia's opening day third baseman currently projects to be
Alec Bohm. Bohm posted a .287/.331/.409 slash line with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, 53 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 504 plate appearances with the Phillies in 2025.
--Will BradySource: USA Today - Bob Nightengale
January 16, 2026
Free-agent outfielder
Michael Conforto is drawing interest from the Chicago White Sox, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Conforto, who is entering his age-33 season, is coming off a brutal 2025. Across 466 plate appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a .199/.305/.333 slash line with 12 home runs, 36 RBI, 54 runs scored, and one stolen base. The rebuilding White Sox would presumably be able to offer Conforto significant playing time in their corner outfield spots, which would allow the veteran an opportunity to get his career back on track and re-establish his market. Conforto posted a .759 OPS across 488 plate appearances with the San Francisco Giants in 2024, so he's not too far removed from providing above-average production at the plate.
--Will BradySource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
RADIO
