The Royals acquired Black from the Giants on Tuesday in exchange for Logan Martin.

Black had been designated for assignment by the Giants last week and will now join the Royals' 40-man roster. The 25-year-old spent most of this season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he held a 5.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP alongside a 114:62 K:BB over 119.1 innings. Black has been used mostly as a starting pitcher to this point in his pro career, though it's not known whether the Royals intend to keep him in that role. The righty has minor-league options remaining.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday that Anthony (oblique) is asymptomatic and will have a normal offseason, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Anthony suffered a left oblique strain in early September that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. However, the rookie outfielder is heading into the offseason with a clean bill of health. Anthony slashed .292/.396/.463 with eight homers and four steals over 71 contests in his rookie campaign.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday that Mayer's recovery from right wrist surgery had progressed to the point that he could have been available had the team made a deep postseason run, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

That suggests Mayer -- who underwent a right wrist arthroscopy in August -- should be fully recovered well ahead of spring training. As things currently stand, Mayer could open the 2026 season as the starter at either second or third base, though much will depend on what additions the Red Sox make to their roster.

Kurtz was named the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year on Monday.

Kurtz was the clear frontrunner for the award, which was only confirmed when the results showed he received all 30 first-place votes. He becomes the eighth player in Athletics history to bring home Rookie of the Year honors. Kurtz slashed .290/.383/.619 with 36 home runs, 86 RBI, two stolen bases and 90 runs scored in 117 games during his rookie campaign.

The Royals acquired Misner from the Rays on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.

Misner had been designated for assignment by the Rays last week and is now on the move to a new organization. The Royals don't have much in terms of outfield depth, so it's possible Misner finds a decent amount of playing time in Kansas City. The 27-year-old is no sure bet himself, though, having put up a .585 OPS and 34.1 percent strikeout rate across 232 plate appearances at the big-league level.

The Orioles signed Paredes to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Paredes spent all of the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, holding a 4.40 ERA and 72:30 K:BB over 57.1 frames. The 30-year-old has a career 3.00 ERA and 53:41 K:BB over 54 innings covering parts of four seasons at the big-league level. Paredes will compete for a spot in the Orioles' Opening Day bullpen but will likely begin the year at Triple-A Norfolk.

Giolito said Saturday in an appearance on Audacy's "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that he began his offseason throwing program in mid-October and is fully recovered from the right elbow injury that ended his season in late September.

The right-hander came down with right elbow soreness at the end of the regular season and was unavailable to pitch in the playoffs for the Red Sox. However, Giolito noted that "within three days, my elbow felt 100 percent fine again," and "whatever injury there was, it's gone." Giolito is entering free agency, and assuming his medicals check out fine, he should receive plenty of interest on the open market. The 31-year-old held a 3.41 ERA and 121:56 K:BB over 145 innings for Boston in 2025.

Clase was indicted Sunday on multiple federal charges related to rigging bets on pitches thrown in MLB games, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Cleveland's former closer missed the final two-plus months of the 2025 season while being investigated by MLB, and he and teammate Luis L. Ortiz are now formally being charged in federal court, with Ortiz already having been arrested earlier Sunday. The indictment alleges that the pitchers were paid to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on the pitches being a ball or a strike. Clase, who is a three-time All-Star and led the majors in saves in each of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons, is facing a maximum of 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, per Passan.

Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier Sunday after he was indicted on charges for his alleged role in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Fellow Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has also been indicted, though he has yet to be taken into police custody. Citing a statement from the Department of Justice, Zack Meisel of The Athletic relays that Ortiz and Clase are facing charges of "wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy" after the two pitchers were accused of intentionally throwing balls in games so that bettors could wager on the pitches. According to Passan, prosecutors allege that Clase's involvement in the betting scheme dated back to as early as May 2023, while Ortiz was included at a later date. Ortiz has remained on administrative leave since July 3 while MLB has conducted its own sports-betting investigation. If MLB concurs with the accusations levied against Ortiz in the indictment, the 26-year-old right-hander's time in affiliated ball would most likely be over.

General manager Ross Atkins said Thursday that the Blue Jays aren't committed to using Hoffman as their primary closer in 2026, Rob Longley of The Toronto Sun reports.

Although he finished 2025 with a career-high 33 saves, Hoffman's first year in Toronto was met with struggles. He posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 68 innings during the regular season and, most notably, blew a save during Game 7 of the World Series. Atkins brought up Yimi Garcia (elbow) and Louis Varland as potential options to work the ninth inning next season instead of Hoffman and didn't rule out the possibility of acquiring someone in the offseason to fill the role.