The Cardinals and Gorman avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.655 million contract Thursday, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

It was Gorman's first year of arbitration eligibility. The 25-year-old has regressed at the dish over the last two seasons, finishing 2025 with a .666 OPS, 14 home runs and a 33.8 percent strikeout rate in 111 games. The left-handed-hitting Gorman could get another opportunity for regular at-bats versus right-handed pitching in 2026, though his playing time outlook would diminish if the Cardinals are unable to trade Nolan Arenado.

The Cardinals and Donovan avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.8 million contract Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan finished the 2025 season with a .287/.353/.422 batting line, 10 home runs and 32 doubles over 118 contests. He's a strong candidate to be traded before Opening Day, but if that doesn't happen, Donovan will open 2026 as the Cardinals' primary second baseman. He underwent abdominal surgery in October but is fully recovered.

Atlanta designated Brujan for assignment Thursday.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Ken Waldichuk, who was claimed off waivers. Brujan has a lackluster .199/.267/.276 career batting line across parts of five big-league seasons, but he could draw interest on waivers due to his defensive versatility.

The Brewers and Turang avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.15 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Turang had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time, so he's getting a massive raise. The second baseman slashed .288/.359/.435 with a career-high 18 home runs and 24 stolen bases over 156 regular-season contests for the Brewers this past season.

The Phillies and Stott avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.9 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Stott slashed .257/.328/.391 with 13 homers and 24 steals across 147 regular-season contests in 2025. He'll open the 2026 campaign as the Phillies' primary second baseman and will have one more year of arbitration eligibility next offseason.

The Giants signed Kennedy to a minor-league contract Dec. 15.

Kennedy spent a little time in the majors with three different teams in 2025, going just 2-for-29 at the plate. The 27-year-old will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he'll give the Giants some experienced infield depth.

Chavis signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Wednesday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Chavis spent the entirety of 2025 with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, slashing .291/.350/.547 with 13 homers, 45 RBI and 45 runs scored across 283 plate appearances. The 30-year-old infielder will get a chance to compete for a roster spot during spring camp, but he'll most likely return to the minors to begin the '26 campaign.

Vargas signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Vargas spent most of his time at Triple-A Reno this past season but still managed to appear in 38 games for the D-backs, during which he slashed .270/.292/.383 with 19 RBI and 12 runs scored. He'll officially return to the organization to begin the 2026 campaign, although he's expected to remain an organizational depth piece.

The Pirates acquired Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from the Rays on Friday in a three-team trade that sent Mike Burrows to the Astros and Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito to Tampa Bay, Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

The Rays picked up Lowe's $11.5 million option for 2026 last month but will now ship him to another team. Lowe slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs over 134 games with the Rays during the 2025 season. The 31-year-old will give the Pirates some much-needed thump to their lineup and also take over at a position of need in second base.

Donovan said Tuesday that he is "full go" in his offseason workouts following Oct. 7 abdominal surgery, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan played through an injury to his abdominal wall for much of the second half before getting shut down late in the year and then having surgery. His offseason workouts are no longer restricted and he will arrive at spring training 100 percent. What team Donovan reports to in February remains to be seen, as he's widely expected to be traded this offseason. The Giants and Mariners reportedly are leading a pack of interested teams to land the super utility player.