MLB Player News

The Mets signed Cluff to a minor-league contract Friday with an invitation to spring training.

Cluff spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Rochester in the Nationals organization, collecting a .242/.349/.422 batting line with 12 home runs and 23 stolen bases. He'll turn 29 next month and is likely to open the 2026 season in a utility role at Triple-A Syracuse.

Acuna has received permission from Atlanta to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Acuna was limited to 412 plate appearances in 2025 while recovering from a torn ACL while also dealing with a calf issue later in the campaign. Coming off the shortened campaign, he'll play for Tiburones de La Guaira this winter to get in some extra reps. Reports suggest he aims to report to the team in the last week of November or early December.

Ohtani was named the National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Ohtani won the award unanimously for the third straight season and for the fourth time overall, with two wins in both the NL and AL. Though he wasn't as active on the basepaths with 20 stolen bases after stealing 59 bags in 2024, Ohtani still hit an exceptional 55 home runs with a 1.014 OPS across 725 plate appearances. He also returned to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgery and recorded a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings.

Atlanta claimed Ragsdale off waivers from Baltimore on Thursday.

Ragsdale was DFA'd by the Orioles last Thursday after making two appearances with the O's, during which he gave up eight earned runs in only five innings. His fortunes were a bit better in Triple-A, as he finished the season with a 4.87 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 88.2 frames. He'll have a chance to win a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen during spring training, but he's more likely to begin 2026 at Triple-A Gwinnett.

McNeil's agent, Garrett Parcell, has revealed that his client underwent thoracic outlet surgery shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Parcell said that McNeil already has good range of motion and is expected to participate fully in spring training. Thoracic outlet surgery is a much more serious operation for pitchers, but Parcell did note that the issue caused McNeil discomfort with his swing late in the season. McNeil had a .514 OPS in September after posting an OPS no lower than .742 in any other month. The 33-year-old is tentatively projected to open the 2026 season as the Mets' second baseman, though he offers the versatility to play other positions, if needed.

Lavender (elbow) cleared outright waivers Wednesday and was returned to the Mets.

The Rays acquired Lavender via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, so now that he's been outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster, he'll return to the Mets' farm system. The 25-year-old lefty missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he underwent another procedure in August to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. His availability for the start of spring training remains unclear.

Skenes won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Skenes received all 30 first-place votes after finishing the year with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP alongside a 216:42 K:BB across 187.2 innings. He joins Vern Law and Doug Drabek on the list of Pirates to take home the award after the latter two did so in 1960 and 1990, respectively.

The Reds claimed Rortvedt off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Rortvedt split 2025 between the Rays and Dodgers, collecting a .152/.240/.205 batting line over 44 regular-season contests. Per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Rortvedt had avoided arbitration with the Dodgers with a one-year, $1.25 million contract prior to being placed on waivers, and that salary will now be the Reds' responsibility. He does not have minor-league options remaining and the Reds already have Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino pegged as their catching duo in 2026, so it's unclear how Rortvedt fits into the picture for Cincinnati.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated Tuesday that Crawford has a strong chance to open the season in the majors, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies lost Max Kepler and Harrison Bader to free agency and are expected to trade or release Nick Castellanos, which would leave Brandon Marsh as the team's only returning outfielder. Even if they sign an outfielder in free agency, that would still leave a spot open for Crawford. The 21-year-old makes good contact, striking out 18.0 percent of the time in 112 Triple-A games last season en route to a .334 batting average, and he's stolen 40-plus bags for three straight years. He pounds the ball into the ground, however, and has topped out at nine home runs in a season.

The Brewers signed Leonard to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Leonard spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, slashing .239/.304/.435 with 20 homers and 11 steals. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to play in the majors and will likely begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Nashville.