MLB Player News
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Gage Ziehl SP | BOS
Red Sox's Gage Ziehl: Sent to Boston
The Red Sox are acquiring Ziehl and a player to be named later from the White Sox on Sunday in exchange for Jordan Hicks (shoulder), David Sandlin, two PTBNL and cash, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Ziehl was sent to Chicago at the summer deadline in the Austin Slater trade and is now on the move once again. The 22-year-old right-hander worked across four minor-league levels during his first professional season in 2025 and posted a 4.12 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 90:19 K:BB over 107 innings. Ziehl made one appearance at the Double-A level last year but may be more likely to open 2026 at High-A.
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David Sandlin SP | CHW
White Sox's David Sandlin: Traded to White Sox
The White Sox are acquiring Sandlin, Jordan Hicks (shoulder), two players-to-be-named and cash from the Red Sox on Sunday in exchange for Gage Ziehl and a player-to-be-named, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Sandlin was added to Boston's 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he'll now make his way to Chicago. The right-hander had a 3.61 ERA across 82.1 innings at the Double-A level last season but struggled to a 7.61 ERA upon being promoted to Triple-A. Sandlin is likely to return to the Triple-A level to begin 2026 but will be in big-league camp with the White Sox, so he'll have an outside chance of cracking the Opening Day roster.
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Jordan Hicks RP | CHW
White Sox's Jordan Hicks: Dealt to White Sox
The White Sox are acquiring Hicks (shoulder), David Sandlin, two players-to-be-named and cash from the Red Sox on Sunday in exchange for Gage Ziehl and a player-to-be-named, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Hicks was shipped from San Francisco to Boston in the Rafael Devers trade last year and is now on the move once again. The right-hander signed a four-year, $44.83 million contract with the Giants in January of 2024 to serve as a starter, and he pitched decently that year with a 4.10 ERA across 109.2 innings. However, he struggled early last year and was shifted to the bullpen, finishing the regular season with a 6.95 ERA over 67.1 frames between the Giants and Red Sox. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox are covering $8 million of Hicks' salary across the remaining two years of his contract. The 29-year-old missed most of September due to shoulder tendinitis but should be ready for the start of spring training since he was back to throwing before the end of the season.
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Ryan Waldschmidt CF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ryan Waldschmidt: Receives invite
Waldschmidt received an invite to major-league training camp, Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports reports.
The Diamondbacks revealed their 2026 spring training roster Friday, and it included Waldschmidt, the club's top prospect. With Lourdes Gurriel (knee) expected to miss the first three months of the season, Waldschmidt should get significant playing time in left field this spring. Earlier in the offseason, Arizona general manager Mike Hazen suggested one of the team's prospects could break camp on the active roster, and many believed the GM was referring to Waldschmidt. The 23-year-old outfielder played all three outfield spots in the minors last year and could get work in center field, too, while Alek Thomas represents Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. Waldschmidt, who is not currently on the 40-man roster, reached Double-A Amarillo in 2025 and posted a .921 OPS over 66 games.
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Luis Arraez 2B | SF
Giants' Luis Arraez: Signs with San Francisco
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.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Prepping for full season in two-way role
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.
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Junior Fernandez RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Junior Fernandez: Signs with Arizona as NRI
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.
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Brayan Bello SP | BOS
Red Sox's Brayan Bello: Part of trade talks
Bello has been the subject of recent trade talks, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
According to a December report from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Red Sox "quietly shopped" Bello -- something the organization disputed at the time -- and a league source confirmed to McCaffrey that Bello's name has surfaced in trade discussions. What's changed since December is that Boston's added several starters and has a wealth of starting options. In addition to Bello, Patrick Sandoval and Jordan Hicks are generating interest. The 26-year-old Bello is entering the third year of a six-year deal and is seen as a young, controllable mid-rotation starter another organization might covet. Apparently, Boston is more likely to trade Bello than its top prospects, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle. Bello posted a 3.35 ERA in 2025, but it could have been higher given a favorable BABIP (.268) and a lack of swing-and-miss ability (17.7 K%, 6.7 K/9).
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J.J. Bleday LF | CIN
Reds' JJ Bleday: Has option remaining
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.
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Austin Hays LF | CHW
White Sox's Austin Hays: Lands with White Sox
Hays signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the White Sox on Saturday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
After sending Luis Robert to the Mets earlier in the month, the White Sox will add some talent back to their outfield by bringing in Hays. The 30-year-old enjoyed one of his best seasons in the majors last year with the Reds, slashing .266/.315/.453 with 15 homers, 64 RBI and 60 runs scored while adding seven steals in 103 games. He's primarily played in left field over the past few seasons, but the White Sox may look to take advantage of his arm strength in right field, keeping Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) in left.