Chris Bassitt, Orioles Agree on One-Year Deal: Free-agent right-hander Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles agreed on a one-year, $18.5 million contract on Wednesday night, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 36-year-old now joins an overhauled Orioles rotation that also includes Shane Baz, Zach Eflin, Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, and Dean Kremer. Bassitt will stay in the American League East after going 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 166:52 K:BB in 170 1/3 innings over 32 regular-season outings (31 starts) in 2025 with the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran hurler isn't overpowering (career 22% strikeout rate), but he does an excellent job at avoiding hard contact. Bassitt was in the 85th percentile last year in average exit velocity and the 80th percentile in hard-hit rate, and he's made at least 30 starts each year since 2022. At his age, fantasy managers know what they are getting: a safe, dependable back-end starter with a limited ceiling. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:01:27
Zack Gelof "Feeling Ready to Go": Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (shoulder) told Foul Territory on Wednesday that he's "feeling healthy, feeling ready to go," according to Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated. Gelof is very excited for the upcoming season and will be reporting to spring training on Friday. The 26-year-old is expected to be a full-go in camp after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. He didn't make his season debut until early July after recovering from a fractured right wrist and a stress reaction in his ribs, and then he was shut down in the final month with a dislocated left shoulder. In between, Gelof hit an ugly .174/.230/.272 with two home runs, seven RBI, seven walks, and 46 K's in 30 games (101 plate appearances). Gelof looks to be healthy after having surgery on his shoulder, but he'll need to stay healthy and beat out Darrell Hernaiz for playing time at the keystone. Making contact has been an issue for the former second-rounder, as he led the league in strikeouts with 188 in 547 plate appearances in 2024. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:22:30
Hunter Strickland Throws a Bullpen on Wednesday: Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland (shoulder) threw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Strickland was shut down for the rest of the season in early July of last year due to a right-shoulder strain, but the veteran reliever appears to be healthy going into the 2026 campaign. Even though Kenley Jansen is no longer in town, the 37-year-old veteran is not a lock to win an Opening Day bullpen job with the Halos out of camp. Before his shoulder injury last year, Strickland held a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, one save, 14 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 22 innings out of the bullpen. If Strickland pitches well this spring and begins the season with the Angels, he'll only be worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues that reward points for holds. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:15:33
Jacob Stallings Retires, Joins Pirates' Front Office: Veteran catcher Jacob Stallings has retired from playing baseball and is joining the Pittsburgh Pirates' front office as a baseball operations specialist, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Stallings split the first half of the 2025 season with the Rockies and Orioles, but he elected free agency at the end of July in lieu of being sent outright to Triple-A. He slashed just .134/.195/.168 with a 31% strikeout rate and -7 wRC+ last year, and his defense also took a step backward as he posted -1.4 FRM and -5 FRV. Overall, he finishes his 577-game MLB career with 33 home runs, 77 wRC+, 0.5 FRM, and 9 FRV. The University of North Carolina product will now make the jump to a front office role with the Pirates, who drafted him in 2012 and rostered him through 2021. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:09:26
Roman Anthony Likely to Lead Off for the Red Sox?: Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is projected to bat leadoff and rotate between right field and designated hitter this season, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Specifically, Cotillo posted on X that manager Alex Cora "seems to like Anthony leading off." The talented outfielder made his presence felt right away upon debuting last year. Over 71 games in the majors, he slashed .292/.396/.463 with eight home runs, a 13.2% walk rate, a 27.7% strikeout rate, and 140 wRC+. More than 42% of his at-bats came out of the leadoff spot last year, and he ultimately posted a 1.003 OPS in the No. 1 hole. He is a talented, pure hitter with the ability to tap into additional power as his career progresses. He was also solid defensively with 6 OAA and 4 FRV between left field and right field last year. We expect him to play more left and less right in 2026, with Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:17:02
Trevor Story Expected to Bat Second?: Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story could bat second after manager Alex Cora said that he "earned the right" to hit at the top of the order, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Story's 2025 season was refreshing, as he improved his production at the plate while staying healthy for 157 games. He ultimately slashed .263/.308/.433 with 25 home runs, 31 stolen bases, a 5.0% walk rate, a 26.9% strikeout rate, and 101 wRC+. Last year represented his best power surge since 2019, but his walk rate dropped to a new career-low, and he continued to struggle with strikeouts. That's not great for a prospective No. 2 hitter, but Cora seems committed to putting the veteran infielder near the top of the lineup. Cotillo speculates that Roman Anthony could lead off, followed by Story in the No. 2 hole. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 17:10:29
Nick Castellanos Told Not to Report to Spring Complex: Updating a previous report, the Philadelphia Phillies have told outfielder Nick Castellanos not to report to the team's spring training complex this week, league sources told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Castellanos doesn't even have a locker in the team's spring training clubhouse, and a resolution -- either through a trade or release -- is expected to come in the next two days. The declining 33-year-old outfielder is scheduled to make $20 million this year in the final year of the five-year, $100 million contract he signed with the team back in March of 2022, but the Phillies are ready to move on. Castellanos slashed a very mediocre .250/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 72 runs scored, and four steals in 547 regular-season at-bats in 2025. His hard-hit rate has fallen for three straight seasons, and on top of his declining offensive profile, he's one of the worst defensive outfielders. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:49:43
Brandon Woodruff Throwing Bullpens, "in a Good Spot": Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that right-hander Brandon Woodruff (lat) "is in a good spot" physically and has been throwing bullpen sessions, but his ramp-up this spring will be monitored closely, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "This is a time of year when people are very vulnerable, so you have to be mindful of that. A guy with an injury history, even more so," Murphy said. Woodruff missed the entire 2024 season after having capsule repair surgery on his right shoulder, and a right-lat strain kept him out at the tail end of last season, so the Brewers aren't going to take any chances with their ace. The 33-year-old didn't make his 2025 debut until July, but he pitched well in his 12 starts, going 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 83 K's and 14 walks in 64 2/3 innings. Woodruff showed diminished velocity last year, though, making him a risk/reward No. 3 fantasy starter. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 16:01:32
Robert Garcia, Chris Martin the Front-Runners for Saves in Texas: Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that relievers Robert Garcia and Chris Martin are the front-runners to receive most of the save chances to start the 2026 season, according to Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports. Alexis Diaz could be another option to close out games, but the Rangers want to see how he performs in spring training games first. Garcia, 29, went 4-8 in 2025 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, the first nine saves of his career, 68 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 64 relief innings. Shawn Armstrong and Luke Jackson tied Garcia for the team lead in saves last year, but both Armstrong and Jackson are gone, potentially giving Garcia the leg up as the Rangers' primary closer this year. Martin, 39, had a nice 2.98 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, two saves, and a 43:8 K:BB in 42 1/3 frames for Texas last season. This has the makings of a committee approach, so fantasy managers shouldn't invest too much into either Garcia or Martin. - as of Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:47:28