The Guardians selected Pallette with the ninth pick of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

Pallette was a second-round pick in 2022 by the White Sox and was recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time he was drafted. He moved to the bullpen in 2024 and spent most of 2025 at Triple-A, where he logged a 4.36 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 54:20 K:BB and three saves in 43.1 innings. Pallette has a mid-90s fastball with good spin and several solid secondary offerings, headlined by his curveball.

The Astros selected Munoz with the eighth pick of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

Munoz, 25, actually has plenty of MLB experience, unlike most Rule 5 picks. The hard-throwing righty logged 83.2 innings in the majors for Miami in 2024 before spending 2025 in the Cardinals organization, working primarily as a reliever at Triple-A. Munoz had a 3.28 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB in 57.2 innings last season at Triple-A.

The Athletics selected Watson with the sixth pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday and traded him to the Red Sox, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.

A 28-year-old righty reliever from the Giants organization, Watson was originally drafted by the Orioles back in 2016 and he has never pitched in the big leagues. Last season, Watson logged a 4.26 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 64 strikeouts, 16 walks and nine saves in 50.2 innings in the Pacific Coast League. The Red Sox will likely use the 6-foot-5 Watson in low-leverage situations if he makes the Opening Day roster.

The Pirates selected Baumler with the fifth pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday and traded him to the Rangers, per Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News.

Baumler received a seven-figure bonus from the Orioles out of high school in 2020 but he has dealt with significant shoulder issues over the years. The 6-foot-2 righty touched 98 mph in 2025 while logging a 2.04 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings as a reliever, primarily at High-A. The Rangers will likely attempt to use Baumler as a low-leverage reliever in 2026 before potentially sending him back to the minors in 2027.

The Orioles claimed Walker off waivers from Atlanta on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Walker went from Baltimore to Atlanta via waiver claim less than a month ago, and he'll now head back to the Orioles. The left-hander holds a career 6.59 ERA and 31:14 K:BB over 27.1 innings covering parts of three big-league seasons. Walker does not have minor-league options remaining.

The Orioles designated Romo for assignment Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for Josh Walker, who was claimed off waivers. Romo was a waiver claim himself just last week, and he'll now go through the waivers process again. The switch-hitting catcher is 9-for-54 at the plate during his brief time in the majors.

The White Sox selected Paez with the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

A skinny 6-foot-1 righty from the Red Sox's farm system, Paez only logged 19.1 innings at Double-A in 2025 due to a calf injury. Long known for his stingy control, Paez's walk rates have been below four percent at ever stop since the start of the 2023 season. He lacks impact stuff, but if the White Sox can coax a bit more velocity out of his 91-92 mph fastball, Paez could make it as a back-end starter. He'll likely work as a low-leverage reliever for as long as he sticks on Chicago's active roster in 2026.

Bieber dealt with right forearm fatigue toward the end of this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear exactly when the issue popped up for Bieber, who was the last Blue Jays hurler to throw a pitch in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers, serving up a go-ahead home run to Will Smith in the top of the 11th inning. General manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Bieber is "in a strong position" and the righty being ready for Opening Day is "a very realistic outcome." While the concern for Bieber doesn't currently seem to be high, the forearm issue and past Tommy John surgery surely weighed into the pitcher's decision to exercise a $16 million player option rather than test the open market. More should be known about Bieber's health status during spring training.

The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After losing their closer earlier this week, the Mets now watch their slugging first baseman walk out the door. The $31 million average annual value is a record for a first baseman. Alonso -- who just turned 31 over the weekend -- put together one of his better seasons in 2025 with the Mets, slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 long balls and 126 RBI. The Orioles are now overloaded with first baseman/designated hitter types and seem likely to deal from that surplus for pitching help.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he expects Rice to play "a lot" against left-handed pitchers in 2026, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

The left-handed-hitting Rice's playing time against southpaws in 2025 was limited, though that was due in large part to Paul Goldschmidt's effectiveness versus lefties. Rice hit only .208 over 119 regular-season plate appearances against left-handers this past season, but he slugged seven home runs while boasting a .481 slugging percentage in those matchups. Heading into his age-27 season, Rice will be the Yankees' primary first baseman in 2026, and he could get an opportunity to be an everyday player.