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.

Ryan signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ryan spent the entirety of 2025 with the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate, turning in a 4.79 ERA and 1.35 WHIP to go with a 61:38 K:BB through 71.1 innings. He's likely destined to spend most of 2026 in the minors, as well.

The Brewers signed Waguespack to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Waguespack spent all of the 2025 regular season at the Triple-A level between the Rays and Phillies organizations, holding a 2.45 ERA and 31:11 K:BB over 33 innings covering 25 relief outings. The 32-year-old has rotation and bullpen experience and it's unclear what role the Brewers have planned for him.

The Nationals designated Gasper for assignment Thursday.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for Richard Lovelady, who was claimed off waivers. Gasper was also a waiver claim of the Nationals just last week and could be on the move to another organization. He's a career .133/.250/.195 hitter over 58 career games in the majors but will have appeal due to his ability to play catcher, first base, second base and left field.

The Nationals claimed Lovelady off waivers from the Mets on Thursday.

Lovelady struggled to find his footing in the majors in 2025, finishing the year with an 8.49 ERA and 1.54 WHIP through 11.2 innings. Triple-A was a different story, however, as he logged a 1.66 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 38 frames. He'll compete for a spot in Washington's Opening Day bullpen during spring training.

The Marlins have extended Snelling an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

It was a bit surprising Snelling wasn't called up late last season, given that he finished with a 1.27 ERA and 81:17 K:BB over 63.2 innings after being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville. He does, however, have a good chance to break camp in the major-league rotation after the Marlins traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers. Snelling -- who was acquired from the Padres at the 2024 trade deadline in a deal that sent Tanner Scott to San Diego -- finished with a 2.51 ERA and 166:39 K:BB in 136 frames covering 25 starts between Double-A Pensacola and Jacksonville in 2025.

The Marlins have extended White an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

White is only 21 years old and has made just two starts at the Triple-A level, so he's likely to begin the 2026 season back in the minors as he continues working on his control. That said, the lefty is one of the most exciting young pitching prospects in baseball and has a good chance to debut at some point during the upcoming season. White collected a 2.31 ERA with a whopping 145 strikeouts (and 51 walks) over 89.2 innings across three minor-league stops in 2025.

The Marlins signed Johnson to a minor-league contract Dec. 29 that includes an invitation to big-league spring training.

Johnson received 57 plate appearances between the Giants and Orioles in 2025, finishing with a .548 OPS. The 30-year-old can handle all three outfield spots and will provide experienced depth at Triple-A Jacksonville, barring his surprising inclusion on the Opening Day roster.

Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said recently of Freeman that "we still see him as an outfielder" who "complements Jake (McCarthy) and Mickey (Moniak)," Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

DePodesta also noted of Freeman that they "really value his versatility and think that he can play in multiple spots," but DePodesta's comments on the whole suggest that the Rockies don't view Freeman as a candidate to take on an everyday role in the infield. At minimum, it sounds like Freeman will be part of a short-side platoon in the outfield with McCarthy and/or Moniak, but his role against right-handed pitching could be less stable. Freeman slashed .281/.354/.361 with two home runs and 18 stolen bases for Colorado in 2025, drawing 60 starts in right field, 26 starts at designated hitter and 12 starts at second base.