Mears agreed to a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Mears was traded from Milwaukee to Kansas City in December following his best season in the majors, during which he logged a 3.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 56.2 regular-season innings. The 29-year-old will now receive a $937,000 raise from his new club and is expected to begin the new year as a middle reliever for the Royals.

Schreiber agreed to a one-year, $3.715 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Schreiber's $1.415 million raise comes after he posted a 3.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 64 innings while collecting 23 holds in 2025. The Royals acquired Matt Strahm from Philadelphia in December, which figures to lessen the number of high-leverage opportunities available for Schreiber in 2026, but he should still collect his fair share of holds again this year. The 31-year-old righty is due to enter the open market next offseason.

Allen agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Astros on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 27-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Houston earlier in the offseason and is now officially under contract for 2026. Allen played 135 games last season but with Jeremy Pena entrenched at shortstop, he'll work in a reserve role for the Astros after posting a .221/.284/.251 slash line in 2025.

Rogers agreed to a one-year, $6.2 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Rogers opened the 2025 season on the IL due to a right knee injury, and he initially worked at Triple-A once healthy before earning a permanent spot in the Orioles' rotation by mid-June. He went 9-3 across 18 major-league starts and posted a 1.81 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 103:29 K:BB across 109.2 innings. Rogers figures to be a key member of the Orioles' rotation for the 2026 campaign and is a candidate to serve as the Baltimore's starter for Opening Day.

Holton and the Tigers agreed to a one-year, $1.575 million contract Thursday to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Holton was a solid presence for the Tigers' bullpen in 2025, making a career-high 70 appearances (six starts as an opener) during the regular season while posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 18 holds and a 64:17 K:BB across 78.2 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw should continue to operate in high-leverage situations for Detroit in 2026.

Carpenter agreed to a one-year, $3.275 million contract with the Tigers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Carpenter didn't maintain the same efficiency in 2025 (.788 OPS) that he displayed during his injury-plagued 2024 campaign (.932), but he still managed to set a career high with 26 homers last year while driving in 62 runs and scoring 66. The 28-year-old outfielder holds value as a home-run threat against right-handed pitchers but is likely to ride the bench when matched up against most lefty starters.

O'Hoppe agreed to a one-year, $2.625 million contract with the Angels on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

It's the first year of arbitration eligibility for O'Hoppe, who has operated as the Angels' primary backstop the past two seasons. The 25-year-old will likely retain the role to begin 2026 but may need to improve upon his .629 OPS from last season to maintain the job all year.

The White Sox designated Cowles for assignment Thursday.

Cowles struggled to perform consistently at the Triple-A level in 2025, turning in a .679 OPS across 527 plate appearances between the Cubs' and White Sox's affiliates. He'll now lose his place on the Sox's 40-man roster to make room for Drew Romo, who was claimed off waivers.

Baz agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Baz is coming off a 2025 campaign with the Rays during which he posted a 10-12 record across in 31 starts with a 4.87 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 176:64 K:BB across 166.1 innings. He was shipped to the Orioles in mid-December, and the 26-year-old right-hander should benefit from the move from hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field to Camden Yards.

The White Sox claimed Romo off waivers from the Mets on Thursday.

Thursday marks the third time that Romo has switched teams this offseason after previously being claimed by the Orioles and Mets following his departure from Colorado. With fellow backstops Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee already on the White Sox's 40-man roster, Romo is likely destined to begin 2026 at Triple-A Charlotte.