MLB Player News

Arraez signed a one-year contract with the Giants on Saturday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports. Per Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com, the deal is for $12 million and is pending a physical.

Arraez played mostly at first base with San Diego last season, but he's expected to fill San Francisco's need for a starting second baseman in 2026. While the veteran infielder continued to display his bat-to-ball excellency last season -- he led the NL with 181 hits and stuck out just 21 times over 675 plate appearances -- he also posted a career-low .719 OPS with just eight homers while collecting 61 RBI, 66 runs and 11 stolen bases. The theft total was a career-best mark and was really the only area where Arraez made even a modest impact in fantasy outside of his .292 batting average. With San Francisco, Arraez should maintain an everyday spot in the lineup, and there's no reason to think he won't continue to hit for a high average. While his consistent lack of contributions elsewhere makes Arraez a mostly unexciting fantasy asset, his eventual return to eligibility at the keystone should prop his appeal up to some extent.

Ohtani indicated Saturday that he'll be ready to take on a full two-way role at the outset of the 2026 regular season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani began last year continuing to rehab from September 2023 Tommy John surgery and didn't pitch in a major-league game until mid-June. He was managed carefully upon his return to the mound, as he finished the regular season with a modest 47 innings over 14 starts. The superstar was very effective as a hurler, though, posting a 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 62:9 K:BB during those appearances. The leash was loosened in the postseason, as Ohtani completed six frames in each of his first three playoff outings and then started Game 7 of the World Series on three days of rest. After getting through the summer and fall with no arm issues, Ohtani is now set to slot into the Dodgers' rotation from the outset of the 2026 campaign. There will likely still be some careful management of Ohtani as a pitcher -- manager Dave Roberts stated Saturday that the two-way star won't pitch for Japan in the World Baseball Classic, and he's expected to continue to be part of a six-man rotation with Los Angeles -- but Roberts also said that Ohtani will be treated as a normal pitcher on days when he takes the mound.

Fernandez signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday and received an invitation to spring training.

Fernandez hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2022, but he turned in a 4.40 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 43 innings at Triple-A last season. The 28-year-old will likely remain a minor-league depth piece in 2026.

Bleday still has a minor-league option remaining, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Bleday was signed as a free agent this offseason, and the option gives the organization flexibility when finalizing its Opening Day roster. In publishing a first attempt at a roster projection, Rosecrans included the lefty-hitting outfielder on the active roster but did not pencil him into the projected starting lineup. Bleday, who can play all three outfield spots, is best suited and most likely to see time in left field. Will Benson, another lefty batter that has an option remaining, is slotted in left field against right-handers while Spencer Steer gets the nod against lefties. The Reds are hoping Bleday returns to his 2024 form, which saw him belt 20 home runs with a .761 OPS over 159 games for the Athletics.

Moore signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday and was invited to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Moore finished the 2025 campaign with just a .642 OPS across 243 plate appearances, though he went 7-for-27 (.259) with two homers, six RBI, six runs scored and two steals after signing with the Rangers for the final month of the regular season. He'll now attempt to win a spot on Philadelphia's Opening Day roster, and his defensive versatility should help his chances.

The Nationals designated Cheng for assignment Friday.

Cheng has already been in four different organizations this offseason and could make it a fifth as he heads back to waivers. The 24-year-old infielder slashed .209/.307/.271 at Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pirates organization last season and went hitless in seven plate appearances during a cup of coffee in the majors.

The Nationals claimed Soriano off waivers from Atlanta on Friday.

Soriano is on the move again, as this will be his fourth organization of the offseason. The righty has put up a 5.95 ERA and 117:55 K:BB covering 118 innings at the big-league level. He does not have minor-league options remaining, so the Nationals would have to pass him through waivers in order to send him to Triple-A Rochester.

Atlanta signed Perez (shoulder) to a minor-league contract Friday, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Elbow and shoulder woes limited Perez to just 56 innings in 2025 with the White Sox, but he pitched well when on the bump, collecting a 3.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 44:22 K:BB. It's unclear whether the shoulder strain that ended his season will affect his readiness for the start of spring training. There isn't room for Perez in Atlanta's rotation when everyone is healthy, but Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Grant Holmes (elbow) and Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) all ended the 2025 campaign on IL.

Villarroel was traded from the Astros to the Giants in exchange for Kai-Wei Teng on Thursday, Chandler Rome and Andrew Baaggarly of The Athletic report.

The Giants needed to clear a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Harrison Bader, which was the motivation for this deal. Villarroel reached High-A in 2025 and batted 276/.306/.362 in 15 games, and it's unclear if he'll hit enough to be a productive big leaguer given his lack of defensive value.

Snell has ramped up slowly this winter in an effort to recover from his postseason workload, Jack Harris of the New York Post reports.

Snell acknowledged that he was exhausted following the Dodgers' postseason run, during which he made five starts and a relief appearance after tossing 61.1 innings during the regular season. He hopes to be ready for Opening Day, but both he and the team have acknowledged the importance of exercising patience as he builds back up. Los Angeles is expected to handle its pitching staff cautiously overall, and it has enough rotation depth to do so -- particularly early in the campaign.