The Red Sox designated Criswell for assignment Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox re-signed Criswell to a one-year contract in early November, but he'll lose his roster spot less than one month later. He spent the majority of the 2025 season with Triple-A Worcester and should have the chance to contribute as a reliever at some point in 2026 if he sticks with the organization.

Samaniego was traded along with Johan Oviedo and Adonys Guzman from the Pirates to the Red Sox in exchange for Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Pirates added Samaniego to the 40-man roster in mid-November, but he'll now try to reach the majors with the Red Sox. He'll be entering his age-27 season and has yet to pitch above Double-A, though he did post a strong 3.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 26.1 innings with Altoona while working exclusively as a reliever. Samaniego is a strong candidate to begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Worcester, but he could provide depth to the Boston bullpen at some point in 2026.

The Twins signed Hartwig to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Hartwig split the 2025 season between Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets organization and with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. Slated to turn 28 later this month, Hartwig has collected a 5.14 ERA and 34:19 K:BB over 42 innings during his time at the big-league level.

The Guardians signed Brogdon to a one-year, $900,000 contract Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Brogdon made 43 appearances for the Angels in 2025, putting up a 5.55 ERA and 49:18 K:BB over 47 innings. Slated to turn 31 next month, Brogdon hasn't had much success at the big-league level since 2022, but the Guardians felt the right-handed reliever was worthy of a major-league deal. Brogdon will have an additional year of arbitration eligibility in 2027.

Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There's been some talk of Jax potentially stretching out to join the Rays' rotation, but the current plan is to leave the 31-year-old in the bullpen. Acquired from the Twins at the trade deadline, Jax had an elevated 4.23 ERA in 2025, but a 2.51 FIP and 35 percent strikeout rate were more indicative of how he pitched. Mason Montgomery, Bryan Baker, Hunter Bigge, Steven Wilson and Manuel Rodriguez (elbow) could also work their way into high-leverage work, but the tentative plan seems to be for Jax, Cleavinger and Uceta to share the closer role.

Uceta, Garrett Cleavinger and Griffin Jax are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays next season, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Pete Fairbanks easily paced the Rays with 27 saves in 2025, but he is a free agent after the team declined his $11 million option. That leaves a vacancy in the ninth inning, and it seems the Rays plan to fill that void with multiple arms. Uceta finished with a 3.79 ERA in 2025, but he had a 32.1 percent strikeout rate and boasts a 33.3 percent strikeout rate in his two seasons with Tampa Bay.

Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta are expected to be part of a closer-by-committee for the Rays in 2026, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays elected to decline Pete Fairbanks' $11 million option, and the plan for now is to fill that ninth-inning vacancy with multiple players. Cleavinger had the best season of his career in 2025, holding a 2.35 ERA and 82:18 K:BB over 61.1 innings. The lefty has neutral splits, so he should not be at a matchup disadvantage when it comes to who manager Kevin Cash chooses to deploy in save situations.

Helsley signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Orioles on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Helsley's new deal will also give him the ability to opt out after the first season. Multiple teams were pursuing the right-hander with hopes of converting him to a starter, but Passan states that Helsley will remain in a closing role upon joining the Orioles. The 31-year-old got off to a strong start this past season in St. Louis, posting a 3.00 ERA and 1.39 WHIP alongside 41:14 K:BB across 36 innings and tallying 21 saves. He then regressed considerably after being traded to the Mets and finished the year giving up 16 earned runs over his final 20 frames. Despite his poor finish, Helsley still boasts a career 2.96 ERA and is just one year removed from tallying an MLB-high 49 saves in 2024, keeping him worthy of fantasy attention next season.

The Mariners re-signed Lawrence to a minor-league contract Thursday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Lawrence appeared in six games between the Blue Jays and Mariners last season, holding a 4.08 ERA and 7:1 K:BB over 17.2 frames. The 38-year-old right-hander will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Tacoma as swingman depth.

The Yankees re-signed Arias to a minor-league contract Wednesday.

Arias missed a chunk of the 2025 season due to injury, holding a 2.57 ERA and 29:15 K:BB over 21 frames during his time at Double-A Somerset. He had been non-tendered by the Yankees last week but will stick around in the organization on a new minor-league pact.