MLB Player News
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Drew Romo C | CHW
White Sox's Drew Romo: DFA'd by White Sox
The White Sox designated Romo for assignment Sunday.
The 24-year-old catcher was claimed off waivers by Chicago in early January and will now go through the waiver process once again. Romo has also spent time on the rosters of the Rockies, the Orioles and the Mets this offseason. He spent most of 2025 at the Triple-A level and had a .738 OPS in 244 plate appearances.
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Edgar Quero C | CHW
White Sox's Edgar Quero: Works on swing at Driveline
Quero visited Driveline Baseball last week with a goal of increasing his bat speed and improving his launch angle, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Quero had a healthy 46.3 percent hard-hit rate and 90.4 mph average exit velocity during his rookie season, but his bat speed ranked in the fourth percentile and his average launch angle ranked in the seventh percentile. An assessment determined Quero was lacking lower-body strength, so he was given drills to help increase his explosiveness and add more bat speed. He also had a pull-air rate of just 7.8 percent last season, and the instructors at Driveline worked with him on catching the ball in front of the plate in order to pull the ball with authority. Quero had a respectable .268/.333/.356 batting line in his rookie season and sported a 17.9 percent strikeout rate, but he swatted just five home runs. If the young switch hitter is able to boost his power while maintaining his quality eye at the dish, he could break through. Quero is set to share catching duties with Kyle Teel in 2026 and is also expected to see ample starts at designated hitter for the White Sox.
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C.J. Stubbs C | WAS
Blue Jays' C.J. Stubbs: Grabs NRI deal from Toronto
The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Stubbs made his major-league debut in 2025 with the Nationals, going hitless in three plate appearances. The 29-year-old will merely be organizational catching depth for the Blue Jays at Triple-A Buffalo.
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Jancel Villarroel C | HOU
Giants' Jancel Villarroel: Heads to Giants
Villarroel was traded from the Astros to the Giants in exchange for Kai-Wei Teng on Thursday, Chandler Rome and Andrew Baaggarly of The Athletic report.
The Giants needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Harrison Bader, which was the motivation for this deal. Villarroel reached High-A in 2025 and batted 276/.306/.362 in 15 games, and it's unclear if he'll hit enough to be a productive big leaguer given his lack of defensive value.
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Samuel Basallo C | BAL
Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Slims down over winter
Basallo said at the Orioles' recent Birdland Caravan fan event that he's lost around 15 pounds this offseason, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Basallo could afford to slim down a bit without sacrificing the massive power that's helped propel him to being one of the most exciting young hitters in baseball. The 21-year-old is locked into an Opening Day roster spot after signing an eight-year, $67 million contract extension six days into his big-league career. Where the playing time will come from is less of a sure thing, as the Orioles have Adley Rutschman at catcher and Pete Alonso at first base. Settling in at designated hitter is Basallo's most likely path, but he will get starts in the field, as well.
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Mets' Austin Barnes: Signs NRI deal with Mets
Barnes signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Barnes appeared in 13 regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2025, posting a .519 OPS across 44 plate appearances before being cut loose by the team in May. The 36-year-old backstop will now aim to return to the big leagues with the Mets, though he'll most likely fill in as minor-league depth at Triple-A Syracuse.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Outrighted to Rochester
Adams cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.
The 29-year-old catcher was DFA'd by the Nationals last Thursday to create space on the 40-man roster for Gus Varland (undisclosed). Adams had the right to elect free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed, but he will instead accept his assignment to Rochester and is likely to remain there for the majority of 2026.
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Reese McGuire C | CHC
Brewers' Reese McGuire: Goes to Milwaukee on NRI pact
The Brewers signed McGuire to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
McGuire participated in 44 regular-season games for the Cubs in 2025, slashing .226/.245/.444 with nine home runs. The Brewers have an opening at backup catcher behind William Contreras, and there's a good chance McGuire wins that job.
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Jhonny Pereda C | SEA
Mariners' Jhonny Pereda: Traded to Seattle
The Twins traded Pereda to the Mariners on Tuesday in exchange for cash.
The Twins DFA'd Pereda on Friday after signing Victor Caratini, but the former will reclaim a 40-man roster spot now that he's been dealt to the M's. He won't take playing time away from Cal Raleigh, but Pereda could provide some quality organizational depth after slashing .308/.422/.465 across 192 Triple-A plate appearances last year.
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Moises Ballesteros C | CHC
Cubs' Moises Ballesteros: Greater opportunity awaits
Ballesteros has a clearer path to the Cubs' starting DH job as a result of the trade that sent Owen Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Ballesteros acquitted himself quite well in 66 major-league plate appearances during the 2025 regular season, slashing .298/.394/.474 with two homers. His 13.6 BB rate and 18.2 K rate were particularly encouraging for a player making his debut as a 21-year-old. Ballesteros might get pushed into the strong-side of a platoon with Matt Shaw, who lost his starting third base job when the Cubs signed Alex Bregman.