The White Sox claimed Romo off waivers from the Mets on Thursday.

Thursday marks the third time that Romo has switched teams this offseason after previously being claimed by the Orioles and Mets following his departure from Colorado. With fellow backstops Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee already on the White Sox's 40-man roster, Romo is likely destined to begin 2026 at Triple-A Charlotte.

Rutschman agreed to a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Much like the Orioles as a whole, Rutschman is coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw him finish with just nine home runs and a .220/.307.673 slash line in 90 games. Top prospect Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut down the stretch last year and inked a massive extension in August, which is likely to cut into Rutschman's playing time behind the plate in 2026. However, Rutschman is still expected to operate as the primary catcher, with Basallo set to see significant action at designated hitter.

Fortes signed a one-year, $2.535 million contract with the Rays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After being traded from Miami to Tampa Bay at the deadline, Fortes slashed .213/.307/.348 with 11 RBI and eight runs scored across 101 plate appearances. He could continue to split reps behind the plate with Hunter Feduccia in 2026, though Fortes was by far the more productive of the two backstops last year.

Langeliers signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Athletics on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Langeliers emerged as one of the top bats in the Athletics' lineup in 2025 while slashing .277/.325/.536 with 31 homers, 72 RBI, 73 runs scored and seven steals across 123 contests. He'll take a $4.48 million raise into his fifth MLB season as a result while maintaining a firm grip on the starting catcher job in Sacramento.

Heineman agreed to a one-year, $1,237,500 deal with the Blue Jays on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 34-year-old catcher is set to return as Alejandro Kirk's backup after avoiding arbitration. Heineman had a career year in 2025, logging 2.1 fWAR after having never been worth a full win over replacement in any prior season. He slashed .289/.361/.416 with three home runs, two steals and a 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 174 plate appearances.

The Guardians re-signed Nunez to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Nunez went 2-for-7 at the plate during his brief time with the Guardians in 2025 and slashed .176/.330/.349 at Triple-A Columbus. He's likely headed back to Columbus to begin the 2026 season.

The Royals signed Alfaro to a minor-league contract Monday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Alfaro got into 14 games with the Nationals in 2025, slashing .256/.256/.308. The 32-year-old hasn't seen significant action at the major-league level since 2022, and with Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen locked onto the big-league roster, that's unlikely to change in 2026.

Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said earlier this month that Fry (face) is expected to resume playing defense during the 2026 season, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports. "I'm just excited that David is going to be healthy," Vogt said. "David having a full winter, healthy, completed the [throwing] rehab. It's going to be really exciting to be able to use him the way his skill set is intended."

After undergoing Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow last November, Fry was cleared to make his 2025 debut for the Guardians in late May but ended being limited exclusively to designated-hitter and pinch-hitting duties throughout the season. His campaign came to an early end when he was hit in the face by a pitch from the Tigers' Tarik Skubal on Sept. 23, resulting in Fry requiring surgery to repair nasal fractures. Vogt suggested that Fry has fully healed from that procedure, putting the 30-year-old on track to resume duties as the team's third catch while also being in the mix for playing time at the infield and outfield corners in 2026. Fry's ability to hit lefties -- he had a .996 OPS against southpaws in 2024 -- should provide a boost to the Guardians, who ranked 27th against left-handers in 2025 with a .647 OPS.

The Athletics signed Soderstrom to a seven-year, $86 million contract extension Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. The deal includes a club option for 2033.

The deal buys out at least three free-agent years and can max out at $131 million if Soderstrom reaches all of the escalators in the contract. Soderstrom broke out in 2025 in his first full major-league season, slashing .276/.346/.474 with 25 home runs and 93 RBI. He also learned to play left field on the fly and took to it surprisingly well, finishing as a Gold Glove finalist. Soderstrom will be only 31 in the final year of the contract if the Athletics pick up his option, so it's a deal that is likely to be very team-friendly if he continues his upward trajectory.

The Red Sox plan to have Contreras (shoulder) split his playing time between first base and designated hitter, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Triston Casas' recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon is coming along well and there's a chance he's ready for Opening Day, but the acquisition of Contreras allows the Red Sox to slow-play Casas, if needed. Contreras is coming back from a shoulder injury of his own but is expected to be fine for spring training. When both players are healthy, they should soak up most of the reps between first base and DH, though Casas does have minor-league options remaining.