Tigers Eyeing Ryan Helsley as a Starter: The Detroit Tigers are among the teams talking to free-agent right-hander Ryan Helsley about becoming a starter next year, according to people familiar with his market. Helsley has not started since 2019 while at Triple-A Memphis in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization. If the 31-year-old veteran were to return to a starting role, he would need to expand his repertoire, as he threw more than 90% sliders and four-seam fastballs with the Cardinals and New York Mets in 2025. However, he does have a curveball, and he added a cutter in spring training. The market for closers is pretty deep this offseason, so Helsley would expand his possibilities on the open market this winter if he's willing to start. Helsley led the big leagues with 49 saves in 2024, but the two-time All-Star struggled to a 4.50 ERA and 1.54 WHIP this year while saving 21 games with the Cards. He was tipping pitches at times and had a rough 7.20 ERA in 20 innings after joining the Mets. - as of Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:25:44

Braves Re-Sign Joel Payamps to One-Year Deal: The Atlanta Braves agreed to terms on Sunday to re-sign right-hander Joel Payamps on a one-year contract worth $2.25 million for next season, according to the team. Payamps began the 2025 season pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers before he was claimed off waivers by the Braves in late September. The 31-year-old veteran had a career-worst 6.84 ERA (4.54 FIP), 1.52 WHIP, one save, 24 strikeouts, and nine walks in only 26 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2025 with both the Brewers and Braves. Payamps should have a role in Atlanta's bullpen on Opening Day, but he won't be much of an option in fantasy baseball leagues as he looks to bounce back in 2026. Through seven big-league seasons, Payamps has a career 3.41 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 10 saves, a 21.9% strikeout rate, and a 7.2% walk rate. - as of Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:14:43

Phil Maton, Cubs Agree on Two-Year Deal: Free-agent right-hander Phil Maton and the Chicago Cubs agreed to an undisclosed two-year deal with a club option for a third year on Friday, a league source told Will Sammon of The Athletic. Daniel Palencia emerged as Chicago's primary closer by the end of the 2025 season, but Maton will no doubt be in the late-inning mix for the Cubs in 2026. The 32-year-old veteran spent the ninth year of his big-league career in 2025 with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, combining for a 2.79 ERA (2.60 FIP), 1.06 WHIP, a career-high five saves, 81 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 61 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 22 relief appearances. Maton had a strikeout rate over 30% (32.7) for the second time in his career this past season and walked 9.3% of the batters he faced. - as of Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:07:39

Marcus Semien Shipped to the Mets on Sunday: The Texas Rangers traded second baseman Marcus Semien to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo on Sunday evening. Semien has spent the past four seasons with the Rangers but is coming off his most disappointing campaign of his 13-year MLB season. In 2025, Semien posted a low .230/.305/.364 line with a .669 OPS, which was even a drop from the modest .699 OPS he held back in 2024. Last summer, the veteran infielder hit just 15 home runs, which was his lowest mark since the 2018 season (excluding the shortened 2020 campaign). While he still placed in the 92nd percentile in Range, he was a below-average hitter according to several metrics, sitting in the 42nd percentile in xwOBA (.318) and the 33rd percentile in xBA (.245). However, Semien should see an everyday role covering the keystone in New York. Despite his disappointing 2025 campaign, he could be primed to bounce back, batting near the top of a lineup that will feature Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Josh Smith will likely see most of the opportunities at second base in Texas next summer. - as of Sun, 23 Nov 2025 20:26:37

Brandon Nimmo Traded to Texas: According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the New York Mets are trading outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien. Nimmo has spent his entire 10-year MLB career in Queens. Last season, the 32-year-old posted a .262/.324/.436 slash line with 25 long balls and 13 stolen bases. This was his third-straight campaign blasting at least 20 home runs and just the second-straight season in which he swiped double-digit bags. Under the hood, Nimmo held a .321 xwOBA with a .255 xBA, which placed him in the 47th and 54th percentiles among qualified hitters. In Texas, fantasy managers should expect Nimmo to see an everyday role in the outfield as the Rangers opted not to tender right fielder Adolis Garcia, who is testing free agency. In New York, Nimmo's departure could open up a spot on the Opening Day roster for budding outfield prospect Carson Benge. - as of Sun, 23 Nov 2025 20:19:38

Alek Manoah Becomes a Free Agent: Right-hander Alek Manoah became a free agent on Friday after the Atlanta Braves did not tender him a contract for the 2026 season, according to the team. Manoah was an All-Star in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting that year, but things quickly fell apart for him the following season, and now he's a free agent this winter. The 27-year-old had UCL surgery on his right elbow in June of 2024 and spent most of this year rehabbing. Manoah had a 3.96 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 35 strikeouts and 23 walks in 10 starts over 38 2/3 innings at four minor-league levels in the Blue Jays organization in 2025 before he was cut in late September. The former first-rounder will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal somewhere as he looks to work his way back to the big leagues. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 21:30:30

Orioles Tender a Contract to Ryan Mountcastle: The Baltimore Sun reports that the Baltimore Orioles tendered a contract offer to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle for the 2026 season. Mountcastle was a non-tender candidate after hitting just seven home runs in 2025. The 28-year-old is projected to make more than $8 million in salary arbitration in 2026, but it looks like he's going to stick around in Baltimore for at least one more season. The former 36th overall pick in the 2015 draft hit .250/.286/.367 with a career-worst .653 OPS, 35 RBI, and 34 runs scored in 89 games played in his sixth year in the majors this past season. Since clubbing a career-high 33 long balls and driving in 89 RBI in his first full season in 2021, Mountcastle has regressed at the plate, especially in the power department. 2026 will be a make-or-break year for him, and he could be a trade candidate before the regular season even begins. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 19:06:36

Orioles Avoid Arbitration With Felix Bautista: Right-handed reliever Felix Bautista and the Baltimore Orioles avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.25 million contract for next season, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Bautista will return to Baltimore for the 2026 campaign, but he's not expected to be available to pitch again until after the All-Star break after he had surgery to fix a torn labrum and torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder back in August. The 30-year-old Dominican reliever also missed the entire 2024 season due to injury. The good news is that Bautista looked strong again in 35 appearances out of the O's bullpen in 2025 before his shoulder injury, posting a 2.60 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 19 saves, 50 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 34 2/3 frames. He had a career-high 33 saves in 56 appearances in his All-Star season in 2023. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:57:52

Clarke Schmidt, Yankees Avoid Arbitration on Friday: Right-hander Clarke Schmidt and the New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.5 million deal for the 2026 season, a source told Robert Murray of FanSided. Schmidt probably won't pitch again for the Yankees until the second half of next season after he had an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow in mid-July. The 29-year-old former 16th overall pick in 2017 out of South Carolina was solid in 14 starts for the Yanks before his elbow injury this year, going 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 73:30 K:BB over 78 2/3 innings pitched. Schmidt was even better in 2024 before another injury ended his season early, as he posted a career-best 2.85 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 16 starts in pinstripes. In his six MLB seasons, Schmidt has a 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 23% strikeout rate, and 8.3% walk rate. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:46:28

Brewers Avoid Arbitration With Jake Bauers, Sign him to One-Year Deal: The Milwaukee Brewers signed first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers to a one-year, $2.7 million deal on Friday to avoid salary arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Bauers will return to the Brewers for the 2026 season as a left-handed-platoon bat at first base, designated hitter, and left field. The 30-year-old hit .235/.353/.399 with a career-best .752 OPS, seven home runs, 28 RBI, 28 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 85 regular-season games in his first year with the Brew Crew. Bauers made $1.4 million in 2025. He entered the month of September with a .653 OPS but had a 1.018 OPS in the final month of the regular season before posting a .973 OPS with a home run in six playoff games. If not for that strong final month of the year, Bauers' overall numbers would not have looked nearly as good, although he did make strides to drop his strikeout rate and increase his walk rate in 2025. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:32:38

Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday: Outfielder Adolis Garcia is being non-tendered by the Texas Rangers on Friday, sources told Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Garcia will now become a free agent this offseason after hitting .227 with 19 home runs and a .665 OPS for the Rangers in 2025. The 32-year-old has battled through injuries in recent seasons, but plenty of teams should be interested after he had a ridiculous 1.108 OPS in the 2023 postseason on his way to helping Texas win its first World Series championship that year. The Rangers didn't want to have to pay the right-handed slugger around $12 million in salary arbitration for next season. In addition to Garcia, the Rangers also non-tendered catcher Jonah Heim. In the last two years, Garcia's .675 OPS ranks 117th among 123 qualified hitters. In the 2023 postseason, he hit .323/.382/.726 in 15 games, including a walk-off homer in Game 1 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:24:33

Giants Acquire Joey Wiemer From the Marlins: The San Francisco Giants are acquiring outfielder Joey Wiemer from the Miami Marlins on Friday in exchange for cash considerations, according to MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. The Giants designated catcher Andrew Knizner for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for Wiemer, who will give San Fran extra outfield depth going into next season. The 26-year-old hit .236 with a .715 OPS in 27 games for the Fish in 2025 before being DFA'd by the Marlins earlier this week. The soon-to-be 27-year-old is out of options and can't be sent to the minors without clearing waivers. Wiemer is considered an above-average defender and can play all three outfield spots, but at best, he's likely to operate as a platoon bat in the Bay Area. He has a .779 career OPS against left-handers and a .559 mark against righties. He won't move the needle in standard-sized fantasy baseball leagues in 2026. - as of Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:12:44

Mets Have Not Approached Brandon Nimmo About Waiving No-Trade Clause: New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo has seen his name thrown about in trade rumors early on this offseason. However, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Mets have not "asked (Nimmo) or his representatives if he'd be willing to waive" his full no-trade clause. While that does not mean the team won't approach Nimmo at a later date to gauge his interest, Martino's report highlights that any trade talks are still in the preliminary stages. Across 652 plate appearances in 2025, Nimmo slashed .262/.324/.436 with 25 home runs, 92 RBI, 81 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases. The 32-year-old Nimmo has spent his entire 10-year MLB career with the Mets. Still, with five years and over $100 million remaining on his current contract, New York may be looking to move off Nimmo before he hits his mid-30s. - as of Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:59:39

Jorge Polanco "Remains a Priority" for Mariners Front Office: Free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco "remains a priority" for the Seattle Mariners front office, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. Polanco had a resurgent 2025 season in Seattle, slashing .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs, 78 RBI, 64 runs scored, and six stolen bases across 524 plate appearances. The 32-year-old is more of a designated hitter than a defender at any position at this point in his career, but he can still log a few innings at any infield position other than shortstop. Polanco is also a switch-hitter who has logged double-digit barrel rates in four out of the last five seasons and cut his strikeout rate to 15.6% in 2025, his lowest full-season mark since 2017. If he does re-sign with the Mariners, Polanco would likely slot in as the team's opening-day designated hitter. - as of Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:46:53

Elly De La Cruz Played Through Partially Torn Quad to End 2025: In a media appearance on Wednesday night, Cincinnati Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that shortstop Elly De La Cruz (quad) played through a"partial torn quad" from late July onwards, per Doug Gray of Redleg Nation. Krall later attempted to clarify his statements by calling the injury "more nagging than serious," but Krall also said that De La Cruz has been "rehabbing this whole offseason." It certainly sounds as though De La Cruz was playing through a significant leg injury for the final two-plus months of the 2025 season. Overall, De La Cruz slashed .264/.336/.440 with 22 home runs, 86 RBI, 102 runs scored, and 38 stolen bases across 699 plate appearances. However, the 23-year-old hit just .221 with three home runs and eight stolen bases from August onwards. If De La Cruz can get fully healthy heading into the 2026 season, he could push closer towards the 67 stolen bases he racked up in 2024 than the 38 he collected in 2025. The health of De La Cruz's quad is something for fantasy managers to monitor over the course of the winter. - as of Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:15:32

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal: The New York Post's Jon Heyman said that the idea of the Detroit Tigers trading left-hander Tarik Skubal is "doubtful." The Tigers offered Skubal less than $80 million for four years at this time a year ago, but it wasn't a realistic offer, and left-hander Garrett Crochet got double that from the Boston Red Sox. Heyman thinks the Tigers will gauge the trade market for Skubal this offseason, and while he won't rule out any trade, he considers it unlikely. The 29-year-old has won the American League Cy Young in back-to-back seasons while going a combined 31-10 with a 2.30 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 469:68 K:BB in 62 starts during the regular season. He had career-highs in 2025 in ERA (2.21), WHIP (0.89), strikeouts (241), and innings pitched (195 1/3). The Tigers are likely to hang onto him in the final year of his contract as they look to make the playoffs for the third straight year. - as of Thu, 20 Nov 2025 18:18:27

Braves Acquire Mauricio Dubon From the Astros: The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros pulled off a trade on Wednesday, with the Braves acquiring infielder/outfielder Mauricio Dubon from the Astros in exchange for infielder Nick Allen, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Braves have a glaring need at shortstop going into next season, but it's unclear if Dubon, a two-time Gold Glover, will play at the 6 primarily or be used as more of a utility man. The 31-year-old has played seven different positions in his seven big-league seasons, including 107 games at short and 214 at second base. Both Dubon and Allen are glove-first players, which doesn't make them as attractive in fantasy baseball. Dubon has had a .677 OPS the last three years in Houston, while Allen had just a .535 OPS while serving as the Braves' primary shortstop for much of 2025. Dubon has only 39 homers with a .257/.295/.374 slash line in his seven seasons in the majors. - as of Wed, 19 Nov 2025 23:27:30

Mets Release Frankie Montas: After designating him for assignment on Tuesday, the New York Mets officially released right-hander Frankie Montas (elbow) on Wednesday, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Montas will go down as a huge bust signing for the Mets, as he ended up making only nine appearances (seven starts) for New York in 2025 while posting an ugly 6.28 ERA (5.33 FIP) and 1.60 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and 14 walks in 38 2/3 innings pitched. The 32-year-old veteran needed Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will now miss the entire 2026 season. The Mets will owe him $17 million while he rehabs next year. The Dominican hurler teased fantasy managers back in 2021 with a 3.37 ERA and a career-high 207 strikeouts, but things began to fall apart health-wise shortly after he was acquired by the New York Yankees the following season. Montas did manage to make 30 starts in 2024 with the Reds and Brewers, but he was unable to rediscover the form he showed in Oakland. - as of Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:39:41

Nathaniel Lowe Designated for Assignment by Boston: The Boston Red Sox announced on Tuesday that they designated first baseman Nathaniel Lowe for assignment after acquiring infielder Tristan Gray from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for minor-league right-hander Luis Guerrero. Lowe began the 2025 campaign playing for the Washington Nationals, where he hit just .216/.292/.373 with a career-low .665 OPS, 16 home runs, 68 RBI, 50 runs scored, and a 130:47 K:BB in 119 games played. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger finished up the year in Boston, where he went 28-for-100 (.280) with two bombs, 16 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 34 regular-season contests. Lowe should attract some interest on the free-agent market this winter as a left-handed power bat, but in a best-case scenario, he'll probably be a platoon power bat at first base/designated hitter wherever he ends up. Lowe's best season came in Texas in 2022, when he hit 27 homers and drove in 76 in 157 games. - as of Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:30:46