The Orioles designated Walker for assignment Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Walker was claimed off waivers from Atlanta earlier this month after he was previously DFA'd by Baltimore in November. He's now going to be exposed to waivers once again. The 31-year-old left-hander appeared in three games for Toronto last season, turning in a 7.20 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 8:2 K:BB across five innings of work at the big-league level.

The Phillies acquired Backhus from the Diamondbacks on Friday in exchange for Avery Owusu-Asiedu, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Backhus is a sidearming lefty reliever who held left-handed hitters to just a .139/.225/.278 slash line in 2025. Righty bats slashed .365/.417/.571 off the 27-year-old, so manager Rob Thomson will have to be judicious with his usage of Backhus.

The Phillies acquired Bowlan from the Royals on Friday in exchange for Matt Strahm, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Bowlan had a mini-breakout in 2025 in his first full season as a reliever, posting a 3.86 ERA and 46:17 K:BB over 44.1 innings with the Royals. The 29-year-old righty had significant splits, as he held right-handed bats to a .182/.255/.250 batting line but was torched by lefties to the tune of a .288/.358/.575 line. Bowlan is not yet eligible for salary arbitration and will be under team control through 2031.

The Royals acquired Strahm from the Phillies on Friday in exchange for Jonathan Bowlan, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

It's a homecoming for Strahm, who was drafted by and first reached the majors with the Royals. The left-hander has been one of the best relievers in baseball in recent years, posting a 2.71 ERA, 30.5 percent strikeout rate and 6.2 percent walk rate over the last three regular seasons for the Phillies. Strahm will fill a high-leverage role ahead of closer Carlos Estevez.

King agreed to a one-year contract with the Padres on Thursday that includes player options for 2027 and 2028, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

King had two excellent seasons with the Padres in 2024 and 2025 and passed on a qualifying offer with the team earlier in the offseason, but he'll ultimately remain with San Diego. According to Feinsand, King will make $17 million in 2025 and will net at least another $5 million in the form of a buyout for the 2027 option. His player options for 2027 and 2028 are worth $28 million and $30 million, respectively. Assuming King can avoid any lingering issues with his shoulder -- which cost him much of the 2025 season -- he should headline the Padres' rotation in 2026.

The Guardians signed Armstrong to a one-year, $5.5 million contract Thursday that includes a mutual option for 2027, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 35-year-old Armstrong had arguably the best season of his career in 2025 with the Rangers, putting up a 2.31 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 74:20 K:BB over 74 innings. It's a return to the organization that drafted him and where he debuted back in 2015 for Armstrong. The right-hander should be used in a setup role ahead of closer Cade Smith.

The Diamondbacks re-signed Curtiss to a minor-league contract Tuesday.

Curtiss had chosen free agency after being booted off Arizona's 40-man roster last month, but he's now back in the organization on a new deal. The 32-year-old pitched well in 30 relief outings for the Diamondbacks in 2025, collecting a 3.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB over 36.2 innings. Curtiss is likely headed to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2026 season.

The Rangers signed Veneziano to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Veneziano made 26 appearances in the majors in 2025 between the Marlins and Cardinals, holding a 4.68 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP and 25:11 K:BB across 25 innings. The lefty will compete for a spot in the Rangers' bullpen but, in all likelihood, will begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Round Rock.

The Guardians acquired Bruihl from the Blue Jays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Bruihl held a 5.27 ERA and 18:7 K:BB across 13.2 frames at the major-league level during the 2025 regular season. The left-handed reliever does not have minor-league options remaining, so he should have a good chance to crack the Guardians' Opening Day bullpen.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris stopped short of naming Jansen the team's closer Wednesday, saying that there are "at least three or four closer types" on the roster, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Jansen is 24 saves shy of 500 for his career and has been adamant about reaching that milestone, but it seems he was not promised the closer role in Detroit when he agreed to a one-year, $11 million contract. Harris said that who closes for the Tigers will be up to manager A.J. Hinch. While Jansen remains the favorite to see the bulk of the save opportunities, Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest and Tyler Holton could be in the mix, as well.