MLB Player News

The Cardinals acquired Peete from the Mariners on Monday as part of a three-team trade involving the Rays, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.

Peete, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Colton Ledbetter will head to St. Louis while Ben Williamson is shipped off to Tampa Bay and the headliner of the trade, Brendan Donovan, goes to Seattle. Peete was selected by the Mariners with the 30th pick of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft and spent the entire 2025 season with High-A Everett, where he slashed .213/.285/.401 with 25 steals (in 36 attempts) and 19 home runs in 530 plate appearances. Peete, a former shortstop, is now a quality defensive center fielder with power and speed, and he won't turn 21 until August.

The Cardinals acquired Cijntje from the Mariners on Monday as part of a three-team trade involving the Rays, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

St. Louis also receives Tai Peete, Colton Ledbetter and a compensatory draft pick. Brendan Donovan is going to Seattle and Ben Williamson is headed to Tampa Bay as part of the deal. A first-round pick in the 2024 Draft, Cijntje held a 3.99 ERA and 120:51 K:BB over 108.1 innings between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas in 2025. The Mariners said over the weekend that Cijntje -- who has been a switch pitcher -- would focus on throwing right-handed in spring training. It's unclear whether the Cardinals will also have the same plan or have Cijntje continue switch pitching.

The Rockies signed Bellozo to a minor-league contract Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Bellozo elected free agency back in November after being removed from the Marlins' 40-man roster. The right-hander held a 4.65 ERA and 1.33 WHIP across 81.1 innings in 2025. Bellozo will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Albuquerque as swingman depth.

Waldrep could begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Waldrep seemingly did enough last season to be locked into Atlanta's rotation, posting a 2.88 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 55:22 K:BB over 56.1 innings covering nine starts and one extended relief outing. However, several other of the team's rotation candidates cannot be optioned to the minors, while Waldrep can, so the 23-year-old could be a roster casualty as Atlanta seeks to retain depth. Bowman writes that while Waldrep might wind up being the most valuable of the current fifth-starter candidates by the end of the season, if he becomes a "lasting part" of the rotation early on, "then something disastrous will have already happened." Atlanta has Chris Sale and Spencer Strider locked into rotation spots, with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) and Grant Holmes (elbow) expected to fill the other slots, if healthy. Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, Martin Perez (shoulder) and Waldrep are among the club's depth starters, and Waldrep is the only one in the group that has minor-league options remaining. Atlanta also remains in the market for additional rotation help, which could push Waldrep farther down the pecking order.

Ryan (elbow) said Saturday that he added 30 pounds over the offseason in hopes of increasing his durability, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ryan believes his relatively slight build contributed to the Tommy John surgery that knocked him out for the entirety of the 2025 season. While rehabbing that injury, Ryan "ate a lot of calories" and "lifted like an animal," which resulted in his weight going from 195 to 225. Ryan said he's had a normal offseason, having already thrown 10 bullpen sessions and touched triple digits on the radar run. The 27-year-old is unlikely to be on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster, but he could be a key rotation depth piece. Ryan held a 1.33 ERA and 18:9 K:BB over 20.1 innings covering four starts for the Dodgers in 2024.

Betts said Saturday that he's spent the offseason "rewiring" his body after falling into bad habits during a down season offensively in 2025, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Betts' .318 wOBA last season was easily the worst of his career. The cause of his regression at the plate, Betts believes, was twofold: the preparation for becoming a full-time shortstop threw off his normal routine, and an early-season stomach virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds sapped his strength and led to bad habits. Betts said he's now "in a really good spot" as he looks to bounce back in 2026 in his age-33 campaign. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated over the weekend that "you could certainly see" Betts batting third this season behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker, though nothing is set in stone yet in regard to the lineup.

Stewart is expected to split his time between designated hitter and corner infield following the Reds' signing of Eugenio Suarez, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

As long as he's healthy, Ke'Bryan Hayes is in line to be the team's everyday third baseman, which leaves Stewart and Suarez to share first base and DH duties. Bringing Suarez aboard does not preclude Stewart from getting everyday reps, but it does give him less margin for error. The rookie swatted five home runs in 18 regular-season contests down the stretch for Cincinnati while slashing .255/.293/.545. Stewart also sported a robust 52.5 percent hard-hit rate and 17.5 percent barrel rate during his cup of coffee.

Steer is expected to play some in the outfield and serve in a super utility role following the Reds' signing of Eugenio Suarez, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Suarez and Sal Stewart will soak up most of the at-bats between first base and designated hitter, and Ke'Bryan Hayes will occupy the hot corner. Steer's clearest path to playing time is in left field -- which was his primary position in 2024 -- though the 28-year-old is unlikely to settle in at one spot. He slashed an underwhelming .238/.312/.411 with 21 home runs across 146 regular-season contests in 2025, though Steer's numbers were held back by a dreadful .174/.248/.272 line in April when he played through a shoulder issue.

De La Cruz should benefit from Cincinnati signing free agent Eugenio Suarez, who is expected to bat cleanup behind De La Cruz, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

The addition of Suarez's bat is expected to provide protection for De La Cruz, who started 148 games as the No. 3 hitter and led the team with 22 home runs in 2025. The Reds hadn't done much to address the need for power during the offseason until signing Suarez, a right-handed bat that belted 49 home runs in 2025 while with Arizona and Seattle. Despite playing in one of the league's friendlier hitting environments, Cincinnati ranked 21st in home runs and struggled offensively at times last season, and it lost two of its top offensive performers this offseason, Austin Hays and Gavin Lux.

Hayes is expected to remain the starting third baseman despite the Reds' signing free agent Eugenio Suarez on Sunday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

The organization reunited with Suarez, who played mostly third base for Cincinnati from 2015 to 2021 prior to being traded in March of 2022. Recognizing Hayes' value as a fielder -- he won a second Gold Glove at the hot corner in 2025 -- the Reds plan to deploy Suarez as the primary designated hitter while also giving him occasional starts at both corner infield spots.