MLB Player News

The Red Sox and Wong (hand) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday.

Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com says the deal is worth $1.375 million, with an additional $75,000 possible in performance bonuses. It was a disastrous 2025 season for the 29-year-old Wong, as he lost his starting job to Carlos Narvaez and finished with a .500 OPS and zero home runs over 63 regular-season contests. Wong -- who is expected to be recovered from October right hand surgery by spring training -- will be Narvaez's backup at catcher again in 2026.

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall revealed this week that De La Cruz played through a left quad strain from late July through the end of the season, Mark Sheldon and Manny Randhawa of MLB.com report.

It's not clear when exactly De La Cruz was first hurt, and Krall indicated the injury wasn't overly serious. However, after slashing .284/.359/.495 with 18 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the first half, De La Cruz hit only .236/.303/.363 with four homers and 12 steals in the second half, so it's reasonable to think the injury affected him to some degree. De La Cruz is expected to be fully healthy at the beginning of spring training.

Delgado signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Rays on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Delgado spent the entire 2025 season with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, slashing .281/.363/.378 with 53 RBI, 58 runs scored and 40 stolen bases across 474 plate appearances. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to make his big-league debut but will get a chance to compete for a roster spot during spring training.

Atlanta traded Allen to the Astros on Wednesday in exchange for Mauricio Dubon.

Allen's strong defensive capabilities at shortstop allowed him to appear in 135 games in 2025, though he finished the year with just a .535 OPS over 416 plate appearances. Now that he's moving to Houston, where Jeremy Pena is locked in at shortstop, Allen is likely to operate in more of a bench role.

The Astros traded Dubon to Atlanta on Wednesday in exchange for Nick Allen, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Dubon slashed .241/.289/.355 with seven homers, 33 RBI and 43 runs scored across 398 plate appearances in 2025. While he may not be the most formidable threat at the plate, Dubon offers elite defensive versatility. He could see most of his action at shortstop if Atlanta doesn't make any significant offseason acquisitions.

Iglesias signed a one-year, $16 million contract with Atlanta on Wednesday.

After posting a 3.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 67.1 innings and recording 29 saves in 2025, Iglesias will officially return for a fifth season in Atlanta. He figures to remain the team's primary closer in 2026, and although he got off to a rough start this year, his reliability shouldn't be much of a concern to fantasy managers, as he turned in a 1.96 ERA and 0.83 WHIP alongside a 51:12 K:BB after the beginning of June.

Atlanta acquired Rolison from the Rockies on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Rolison had been removed from the Rockies' 40-man roster Tuesday and is now headed to a new organization. The left-hander held an ugly 7.02 ERA and 25:20 K:BB over 42.1 innings for Colorado in 2025, but Atlanta believes it can coax better results out of the 2018 first-round pick.

The Mets released Montas (elbow) on Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The move was a foregone conclusion after Montas was designated for assignment Tuesday. The veteran right-hander will miss the entire 2026 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Montas is still owed $17 million next season, and the Mets will be responsible for picking up that tab.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that he would like to keep Rafaela in center field "as long as possible" next season, Foul Territory TV reports.

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said something similar last offseason, and while Rafaela made 129 starts in center field in 2025, he was also needed for 19 starts at second base. Rafaela posted a .752 OPS with 14 home runs and an 18.8 percent strikeout rate through the end of July but had just a .622 OPS with two homers and a 22.2 percent strikeout rate between August and September. Cora attributed Rafaela's late-season struggles to the 25-year-old wearing down, and the team has tasked Rafaela with getting "bigger and stronger" this offseason so he won't become fatigued as easily.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday that Trout "is working his tail off to play the outfield again," Taylor Blake Ward of TheSportingTribune.com reports.

Trout began the past season as the Angels' starting right fielder, but he was a full-time designated hitter after returning from a knee injury in late May. The 34-year-old is aiming to return to outfield duty in 2026, though he will likely still spend plenty of time in the DH slot, as well. Trout slashed .232/.359/.439 with 26 home runs in 2025 but saw his strikeout rate balloon to 32 percent.