MLB Player News
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Cooper Criswell RP | BOS
Mets' Cooper Criswell: Claimed off waivers by Mets
The Mets claimed Criswell off waivers from the Red Sox on Friday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Criswell had been designated for assignment following Boston's five-player trade with Pittsburgh on Thursday. The 29-year-old has been a useful swingman for the Red Sox the last two seasons, holding a 4.00 ERA and 82:36 K:BB over 117 innings covering 19 starts and 14 relief appearances. Criswell does not have minor-league options remaining but is not yet arbitration-eligible, so the Mets will have several years of control of the righty.
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Curt Casali C | ATL
Curt Casali: Joins Giants front office
The Giants have hired Casali as an advisor to baseball operations.
Casali was released by Atlanta during spring training and never caught on with another team. Now, it appears the 37-year-old's playing career is officially over. He slashed .218/.312/.369 over parts of 11 major-league seasons.
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Taylor Rashi RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Taylor Rashi: Back in Arizona as NRI
The Diamondbacks re-signed Rashi to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Friday.
Arizona non-tendered Rashi last month, but he'll return to the organization as a non-roster invitee. Slated to turn 30 in January, Rashi posted a 4.41 ERA and 22:8 K:BB across 16.1 innings with the Diamondbacks in 2025.
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Nick Castellanos RF | PHI
Phillies' Nick Castellanos: Willing to play first base
Castellanos said Friday that he would "really welcome" playing first base, if asked, MLB Network reports.
Castellanos has never played first base before and has been a full-time right fielder since 2018. However, he came up through the minors as a third baseman and that was his primary position through his first five seasons in the big leagues, so he's not foreign to the infield. Castellanos is set to make $20 million in 2026 in his final year under contract with the Phillies, but the expectation is he will be either traded or released by Philadelphia this offseason.
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Cooper Criswell RP | BOS
Red Sox's Cooper Criswell: Designated for assignment
The Red Sox designated Criswell for assignment Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
The Red Sox re-signed Criswell to a one-year contract in early November, but he'll lose his roster spot less than one month later. He spent the majority of the 2025 season with Triple-A Worcester and should have the chance to contribute as a reliever at some point in 2026 if he sticks with the organization.
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Tyler Samaniego RP | BOS
Red Sox's Tyler Samaniego: Joining Red Sox
Samaniego was traded along with Johan Oviedo and Adonys Guzman from the Pirates to the Red Sox in exchange for Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Pirates added Samaniego to the 40-man roster in mid-November, but he'll now try to reach the majors with the Red Sox. He'll be entering his age-27 season and has yet to pitch above Double-A, though he did post a strong 3.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP across 26.1 innings with Altoona while working exclusively as a reliever. Samaniego is a strong candidate to begin the 2026 season with Triple-A Worcester, but he could provide depth to the Boston bullpen at some point in 2026.
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Jhostynxon Garcia CF | PIT
Pirates' Jhostynxon Garcia: Dealt to Pittsburgh
Garcia and Jesus Travieso were traded from the Red Sox to the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for Johan Oviedo, Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The Pirates are reportedly more willing to be aggressive to upgrade their roster this offseason, and Garcia will add some much-needed power potential to their lineup. He made a brief appearance in the majors with the Red Sox in late August but tallied only nine plate appearances. Garca otherwise had a solid campaign in the upper levels of the minors in 2025, consistently hitting about 15 percent above league average at 22 years old. He should immediately have the chance to win the starting job in the outfield for the Pirates this spring.
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Johan Oviedo SP | BOS
Red Sox's Johan Oviedo: Headed to Boston
Oviedo was traded from the Pirates to the Red Sox in exchange for Jhostynxon Garcia and Jesus Travieso on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Tyler Samaniego and Adonys Guzman are also going to Boston in the deal.
After acquiring Sonny Gray earlier in the offseason, the Red Sox remained aggressive in upgrading their rotation this winter. Oviedo rehabbed from Tommy John surgery for much of the 2025 season, though he managed to join the Pirates' rotation for the final two months of the campaign. In nine starts, the right-hander managed a 3.57 ERA,1.21 WHIP and 42:23 K:BB across 40.1 frames. Control has been a consistent concern for Oviedo throughout his 361 innings in the big leagues, but he should be a decent back-end starter for the Red Sox.
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Ty Adcock RP | NYM
Padres' Ty Adcock: Gets MLB deal from Padres
The Padres signed Adcock to a one-year contract Thursday.
Adcock got into three games with the Mets in 2025 but spent most of the season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted a 4.66 ERA and 35:14 K:BB over 36.2 frames. The right-handed reliever does not have minor-league options remaining and has previously been outrighted, so he'll either be part of the Padres' Opening Day bullpen or have a chance to return to the open market.