MLB Player News
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Ryan Brasier RP | TEX
Rangers' Ryan Brasier: Agrees to deal with Rangers
The Rangers signed Brasier to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Injuries limited Brasier to 26 regular-season innings with the Cubs in 2025, and he finished with a 4.50 ERA and 20:5 K:BB. The Rangers' bullpen is a weak link, giving Brasier a good shot to make the team, but the 38-year-old is unlikely to rise too high in the hierarchy.
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George Soriano RP | STL
Nationals' George Soriano: Goes back to waiver wire
The Nationals designated Soriano for assignment Thursday.
He's clearing out to make room on the 40-man roster for Ken Waldichuk, who was claimed off waivers. Soriano was a waiver claim himself just last week and could be on the move again. The right-handed reliever has put up a 5.95 ERA and 117:55 K:BB covering 118 innings at the big-league level.
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Josh Fleming RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Josh Fleming: Inks NRI pact with Blue Jays
The Blue Jays signed Fleming to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Fleming spent all of the 2025 season at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, collecting a 4.91 ERA and 44:29 K:BB over 84.1 innings. The 29-year-old lefty has plenty of past experience as a starting pitcher but has primarily been a reliever the last three years, and that's likely how he'll be deployed in his projected destination of Triple-A Buffalo.
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Konnor Pilkington RP | DET
Konnor Pilkington: Becomes free agent
Pilkington elected to become a free agent Thursday.
Pilkington was booted off the Nationals' 40-man roster last week and has decided to test out free agency rather than accept an outright assignment. The southpaw collected a 4.45 ERA and 34:17 K:BB over 28.1 innings with Washington last season.
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Konnor Pilkington RP | DET
Nationals' Konnor Pilkington: Outrighted to Triple-A
The Nationals outrighted Pilkington to Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday.
Pilkington has the ability to elect free agency rather than accepting the outright assignment, though it's unclear what his plans are. The lefty posted a 4.45 ERA and 34:17 K:BB over 28.1 innings with the Nationals last season.
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Kyle Finnegan RP | DET
Tigers' Kyle Finnegan: Looks like setup option
With Kenley Jansen the favorite to open the season as Detroit's closer, per the Tiger Territory podcast, Finnegan will likely need to settle for a setup role.
Jansen leads all active MLB players and is fourth all time with 476 career saves, so it's not too surprising that manager A.J. Hinch figures to look the veteran's way first. Finnegan had 24 saves last season, with four of those coming with the Tigers after arriving via trade at the summer deadline, but it looks like his 2026 total will be significantly lower, unless Jansen gets hurt or struggles out of the gate. Detroit's 2025 saves leader, Will Vest, also figures to be in the setup mix in the seventh and eighth innings.
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Tayler Saucedo RP | LAA
Angels' Tayler Saucedo: Signs NRI pact with Angels
The Angels signed Saucedo to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training.
Saucedo has posted a 4.36 ERA and 112:58 K:BB over 128 frames covering parts of five major-league seasons. The 32-year-old spent most of 2025 in the minors and faces an uphill battle to make the Opening Day roster, even in an unsettled Angels bullpen.
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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Tigers' Kenley Jansen: Named favorite to close by manager
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch indicated Wednesday on the Tiger Territory podcast that Jansen will open the season as the team's favorite to serve as closer.
Speaking about his high-leverage relief options, Hinch said, "I think they're all going to get saves," before adding that "I think we can pretty much guess how it's gonna go given that one of them has a historic number of saves." The latter comment was in reference to Jansen, who is 24 saves away from 500 for his career. It doesn't mean the 38-year-old will finish the 2026 season as the Tigers' closer, but it's a safe bet Jansen will open the year as Hinch's first choice to handle save opportunities. Will Vest and/or Kyle Finnegan would be next-in-line if Jansen slips up. Jansen's strikeout rate dipped to a career-low 24.4 percent in 2025 with the Angels, but he remained effective, posting a 2.59 ERA and 0.95 WHIP while notching 29 saves.
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Pirates' Mike Clevinger: Gets NRI from Pittsburgh
The Pirates signed Clevinger to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Clevinger opened 2025 in the bullpen with the White Sox, but he was battered for five runs with a 3:8 K:BB in 5.2 innings before returning to a rotation role at Triple-A Charlotte and remaining there for the rest of the season. The Pirates will likely keep the 35-year-old at Triple-A Indianapolis as rotation depth in 2026.
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Bryan Hudson RP | NYM
White Sox's Bryan Hudson: DFA'd by ChiSox
The White Sox designated Hudson for assignment Wednesday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Austin Hays, whose signing was made official Wednesday. Hudson was a key reliever for the Brewers in 2024, but he regressed in 2025, spending much of the year in the minors and collecting a 4.80 ERA and 19:13 K:BB over 15 frames during his time at the big-league level. The 6-foot-8 lefty doesn't have minor-league options remaining, but his 1.73 ERA and 0.72 WHIP from 2024 could be enough to garner some interest on the waiver wire.