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
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
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
Raisel Iglesias Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal: The Atlanta Braves announced on Wednesday that they re-signed right-handed closer Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million deal for the 2026 season. The 35-year-old Cuban veteran will return to Atlanta for a fifth season, where he should be firmly locked in as their closer yet again. Iglesias didn't exactly look like himself early on, but it didn't take long for him to right the ship in 2025, and he finished with a 3.21 ERA (3.31 FIP), 0.99 WHIP, 29 saves, 73 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 67 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He wasn't quite as good as he was in 2024, when he had a career-high-tying 34 saves and a career-best 1.95 ERA, but he did have an ERA of 1.96 with 51 K's and 12 walks after the start of June. Iglesias will be a little more volatile than most closers in 2026 because of his age, but his locked-in role on what should be a strong Braves team will make him a high-end closing target in fantasy. - as of Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:19:48
Rangers Looking to Trade Jonah Heim, Adolis Garcia?: ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that the Texas Rangers "are trying to deal" catcher Jonah Heim and outfielder Adolis Garcia before this Friday's tender deadline. If they can't find any takers, both Heim and Garcia are non-tender candidates. Heim split playing time behind the dish in 2025 with Kyle Higashioka and hit .213/.271/.332 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and 38 runs scored in 124 games played. His 11 home runs were his fewest since 2021, when he played in only 82 games. Garcia, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract in 2026 and has had trouble staying healthy in recent seasons. The 32-year-old right-handed-hitting Cuban hit a career-best 39 long balls in 2023 but dropped down to 19 homers in 2025 while slashing a pedestrian .227/.271/.394 with a below-average .665 OPS, 75 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases in 135 games played. - as of Wed, 19 Nov 2025 01:00:35