MLB Player News
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Lane Thomas RF | KC
Royals' Lane Thomas: Links up with Royals
Thomas (foot) signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Royals on Thursday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Injuries limited Thomas to playing in just 39 games with the Guardians in 2025, as he missed time at the start of the year with a wrist issue before plantar fasciitis in his right foot ended his season in July. When the 30-year-old was healthy, he struggled to produce at the plate, slashing just .160/.246/.272 over 142 plate appearances. Despite his struggles, Thomas should be able to capture a starting job in a Royals outfield that lacks depth following Mike Yastrzemski's departure.
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Colin Holderman RP | CLE
Guardians' Colin Holderman: Nets one-year deal with Cleveland
The Guardians signed Holderman to a one-year, $1.5 million contract Thursday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Holderman was non-tendered by the Pirates in November following a disastrous 2025 season that saw him collect a 7.01 ERA and 18:16 K:BB over 25.2 innings. The 30-year-old reliever entered the season with a career 3.58 ERA and 23.8 percent strikeout rate, so he's a good bet to bounce back to some degree in 2026 in a new setting. The Guardians will have multiple years of control, as Holderman will be eligible for salary arbitration in 2027 and 2028.
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Maverick Handley C | BAL
Orioles' Maverick Handley: Designated for assignment
The Orioles designated Handley for assignment Thursday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Handley will lose his place on the 40-man roster in order to make room for Pete Alonso, whose signing became official Thursday. Handley went 3-for-41 (.073) in the majors this past season but slashed a more respectable .258/.373/.367 over 154 plate appearances at Triple-A Norfolk.
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Greg Jones RF | MIL
Brewers' Greg Jones: Invited to Brewers' camp
Jones signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
Jones slashed .145/.254/.258 across 71 plate appearances with the White Sox's Triple-A affiliate before being released by the club in May. He then signed a minor-league deal with the Astros, but an injury forced him to miss most of the remainder of the season. Now with the Brewers, the 27-year-old projects to remain a minor-league depth piece.
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Akil Baddoo LF | MIL
Brewers' Akil Baddoo: Signs with Brewers
Baddoo signed a one-year contract with the Brewers on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Baddoo spent the majority of the 2025 campaign with the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate, where he slashed .281/.385/.481 with 15 homers, 48 RBI, 73 runs scored and 25 steals over 103 games. The 27-year-old outfielder will have a chance to earn a spot on Milwaukee's Opening Day roster during spring training, though it's unlikely he lands a starting job over Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick and Jackson Chourio.
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Hoby Milner RP | CHC
Cubs' Hoby Milner: Lands one-year deal with Cubs
The Cubs signed Milner to a one-year, $3.75 million contract Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Milner will be reunited with manager Craig Counsell, who he pitched for in three of his four years with the Brewers. The left-handed reliever spent the 2025 campaign with the Rangers, collecting a 3.84 ERA, 51.4 percent groundball rate and 58:21 K:BB over 70.1 frames.
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Ryan Rolison RP | CHC
Braves' Ryan Rolison: Removed from 40-man roster
Atlanta designated Rolison for assignment Thursday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Robert Suarez, who was signed to a three-year deal. Rolison was just acquired from Colorado for cash considerations last month after he had been removed from the Rockies' 40-man roster. He posted a 7.02 ERA and 25:20 K:BB over 42.1 innings in 2025.
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Robert Suarez RP | ATL
Braves' Robert Suarez: Grabs $45 million deal from Atlanta
Atlanta signed Suarez to a three-year, $45 million contract Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Atlanta re-signed Raisel Iglesias to a one-year, $16 million contract earlier this offseason, but it wasn't done with high-leverage reliever additions. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says Iglesias will remain the team's closer for the upcoming season, with Suarez settling into a setup role. Suarez has put up a 2.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 134:32 K:BB over 134.2 regular-season innings since the start of the 2024, collecting 76 saves along the way.
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Justin Steele SP | CHC
Cubs' Justin Steele: Late start to season confirmed
Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed this week that Steele (elbow) will not be ready for the start of next season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
Steele underwent UCL revision surgery on his left elbow in mid-April, so it's not a surprise that he'll be in line for a stint on the injured list to begin the 2026 season. Counsell noted that the team will have a better idea as to a timetable for the left-hander in spring training, with the skipper noting that "I think it will be the first half of the season." Steele has collected a 3.18 ERA over 82 regular-season starts since the beginning of the 2022 campaign.
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Mark Leiter RP | ATH
Athletics' Mark Leiter: Agrees to terms with Athletics
The Athletics signed Leiter to a one-year, $3 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Leiter was non-tendered by the Yankees last month after posting a 4.84 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over 48.1 regular-season innings in 2025, but a 3.55 FIP and 54:17 were encouraging. He's collected a 28.3 percent strikeout rate over the past four regular seasons and could be in the mix for saves as part of an unsettled Athletics bullpen.