Birdsong has been working on staying more upright with his delivery this offseason as he looks to improve his command, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

In his first 16 appearances (five starts) last season, Birdsong collected a 2.79 ERA and 51:19 K:BB over 48.1 innings. He then posted a 10.38 ERA and 17:18 K:BB over his next five outings, got optioned to Triple-A Sacramento and never returned to the majors. Birdsong believes he was "over-bending," which made his arm slot rise and the movement on his pitches get out of whack. The 24-year-old is pleased with his mechanical work over the winter, and he's also tentatively planning to pitch exclusively from the stretch in 2026 after he used a windup in 2025 for the first time since college. There's currently not room for Birdsong in the Giants' rotation, and he's had trouble throwing strikes both in the majors (13.1 percent walk rate) and minors (11.3 percent walk rate). However, with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate in the majors and 32.3 percent strikeout rate in the minors, Birdsong could still have upside if he's able to get his walk rate to an acceptable level.

The Cardinals signed Velazquez to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Velazquez split the 2025 season between the Triple-A level in the Royals and Pirates organizations and also spent time in the Mexican League. The 27-year-old has cranked 31 home runs in 615 plate appearances at the major-league level, but that's come with just a .212/.286/.433 career batting line and 28.8 percent strikeout rate. The Cardinals have been looking for a right-handed-hitting reserve outfielder, which gives Velazquez a chance to make the team even if the odds aren't high.

Matos could be the player whose outlook is most negatively impacted by the Giants' signing of Harrison Bader, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Matos had been set to compete for playing time in right field, but Jung Hoo Lee will now shift to that position to accommodate the arrival of Bader in center field. He's managed just a .231/.281/.369 batting line over parts of three big-league seasons and is out of minor-league options, but Matos will turn only 24 later this week and could be a change-of-scenery candidate if the Giants don't think they can fit him on their roster.

Williams said Monday that his positional focus heading into spring training will be at shortstop, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Acquired from the Mets last week in the Freddy Peralta trade, Williams' primary position so far in pro ball has been shortstop, but he's also played second base and center field and considers himself "pretty comfortable at all three positions now." Williams is likely to begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Nashville after hitting only .209/.285/.433at Triple-A Syracuse in 2025 following a late-season promotion. The 22-year-old could debut at some point during the upcoming season, likely either at shortstop or in center field.

Atlanta designated Soriano for assignment Monday.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Jose Suarez, who was claimed off waivers. Soriano was a waiver claim of Atlanta himself earlier this month and now could be on the move again. The right-handed reliever has collected a 5.95 ERA and 117:55 K:BB covering 118 innings across parts of three seasons in the big leagues.

Atlanta claimed Suarez off waivers from the Orioles on Monday.

Suarez went from Atlanta to Baltimore via waivers earlier this month and is now headed back the other direction. The left-hander made seven appearances (one start) with Atlanta in 2025, finishing with a 1.86 ERA and 16:10 K:BB across 19.1 innings of work. Suarez doesn't have minor-league options remaining, so if he's still with Atlanta on Opening Day, he's likely to slide into a long relief role with the big club.

The Giants signed Bader to a two-year, $20.5 million contract Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Rosenthal's colleague, Andrew Baggarly, reported over the weekend that the Giants were expected to pursue Bader, and now the two sides have come together on a deal. Bader is expected to take over in center field for the Giants, shifting Jung Hoo Lee to right field. The 31-year-old Bader slashed .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs and 11 steals over 146 regular-season games in 2025 between the Twins and Phillies. He is likely to take a step back offensively in 2026, particularly when factoring in his pitcher-friendly home park.

Steele (elbow) threw off a mound Jan. 16 for the first time since undergoing UCL revision surgery April 18, MLB.com reports.

Throwing off a mound represents an important milestone in the recovery process for Steele, who had been limited to playing catch off flat ground since resuming a throwing program in October. He'll likely continue to build up the intensity and frequency of his bullpen sessions over the next few weeks, but Steele probably won't be ready to face hitters until the latter half of spring training. The 30-year-old lefty will almost certainly open the season on the injured list, but if he steers clear of any setbacks while building up this spring, he could avoid placement on the 60-day IL and make his 2026 debut at some point in late April or May.

The Cubs signed Carlson to a minor-league contract Saturday that includes an invitation to spring training, Greg Zumach of The Baseball Tribune reports.

Carlson slashed only .203/.278/.336 across 241 plate appearances for the Orioles in 2025. He's still just 27, but the former top prospect has had little success at the major-league level since a nice rookie season back in 2021. Carlson will likely begin the 2026 campaign as outfield depth at Triple-A Iowa.

Ballesteros has a clearer path to the Cubs' starting DH job as a result of the trade that sent Owen Caissie to the Marlins for Edward Cabrera, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Ballesteros acquitted himself quite well in 66 major-league plate appearances during the 2025 regular season, slashing .298/.394/.474 with two homers. His 13.6 BB rate and 18.2 K rate were particularly encouraging for a player making his debut as a 21-year-old. Ballesteros might get pushed into the strong-side of a platoon with Matt Shaw, who lost his starting third base job when the Cubs signed Alex Bregman.