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.

Finnegan signed a two-year, $19 million contract with the Tigers on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

After turning in a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 39 innings with the Nationals, Finnegan became dominant on the mound once he moved from Washington to Detroit at the trade deadline, posting a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with a 23:4 K:BB in 18 regular-season innings with the Tigers. He'll now officially stay put in the Motor City for the 2026 campaign and figures to remain in the mix for saves along with Will Vest.

The Red Sox plan to challenge Abreu to face more left-handers this coming season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Abreu has mostly been limited to facing right-handers since his MLB arrival in 2023, but the Red Sox are ready to give him a shot against all starters. "With Willy and some of the lefties, we have to see if they can do it," manager Alex Cora said. "It's about that time, especially with Abreu. If he can hit lefties and hit for power and play defense the way he's done the last few years, he can be the guy." Abreu's made just 15 starts against lefties and has 145 total plate appearances against southpaws since 2023, struggling to a .205 average and .589 OPS.