MLB Player News
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Brewer Hicklen CF | PHI
Braves' Brewer Hicklen: Nets MiLB pact from Atlanta
Atlanta signed Hicklen to a minor-league contract Tuesday.
Hicklen got into one game with the Tigers in 2025 but spent nearly all of the season in the minors, slashing .221/.318/.403 with 16 homers and 25 steals over 95 contests. The outfielder will turn 30 in February and is likely to begin next season at Triple-A Gwinnett.
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Anthony Rendon 3B | LAA
Angels' Anthony Rendon: Expected to retire following buyout
The Angels and Rendon (hip) are in talks to buy out the final year of his seven-year, $245 million contract, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Rendon is expected to agree to defer at least some of the $38 million he is owed in 2026, and, once the buyout is finalized, the 35-year-old is expected to retire. It will spell the end of one of the worst free-agent contracts in baseball history, as Rendon has slashed .242/.348/.369 and never played more than 58 games during his five seasons with the Angels. He missed most of the 2025 campaign following left hip surgery. Even after the dreadful tenure with the Halos, Rendon will still finish with a career .280/.364/.464 batting line with 158 home runs over 12 major-league seasons. He made one All-Star team, finished in the top-10 in National League MVP voting four times and won a World Series in 2019 with the Nationals.
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Joe Jimenez RP | ATL
Braves' Joe Jimenez: Underwent another knee surgery
Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said last week that Jimenez recently underwent a cleanup procedure on his left knee, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Jimenez had surgery last November to address cartilage damage in the knee, and he wound up requiring another operation on the same knee following a setback. The reliever missed the entire 2025 season, and Anthopoulos noted that a timetable for Jimenez won't become clearer until late December or January. Jimenez -- who is owed $9 million in 2026 in his final year under contract -- boasts a 2.81 ERA, 30.1 percent strikeout rate and 7.2 percent walk rate in his two regular seasons with Atlanta and should be in line for high-leverage bullpen work in 2026, if healthy.
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Kody Clemens 1B | MIN
Twins' Kody Clemens: Set up as primary first baseman
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has indicated that Clemens is in line to be the team's primary first baseman next season, Aaron Gleeman and Dan Hayes of The Athletic report.
Clemens was traded to the Twins in late April and went on to slash .216/.284/.442 with 19 home runs over 112 contests. He split most of his reps between first base (47 starts) and second base (34 starts) during his time in Minnesota but also saw some action in the outfield (12 starts). Clemens is just a .206/.263/.403 career hitter and will turn 30 in May, but he took significant strides in his batted-ball metrics in 2025, sporting a 48.3 percent hard-hit rate and 12 percent barrel rate. Fellow left-handed hitter Edouard Julien is likely Clemens' primary competition for the first base job against righties, and neither player has minor-league options remaining.
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Sean Newcomb RP | CHW
Sean Newcomb: Interest as starter, reliever
Newcomb (elbow) is drawing interest from teams as both a starter and reliever, Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic report.
Newcomb thrived as a full-time reliever after being traded to the Athletics in May, posting a 1.75 ERA and 50:14 K:BB over 51.1 innings. The left-hander hasn't been a full-time starter at the major-league level since 2018, but he threw six different pitch types out of the A's bullpen. Newcomb ended the 2025 season on the injured list with left elbow inflammation, and it's unclear where he's at in his offseason throwing program.
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Tommy Pham LF | PIT
Tommy Pham: Played through plantar fasciitis
Pham revealed that he's played though plantar fasciitis since the second half of the 2023 season, Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic report.
Pham said the foot issue first cropped up about one month after he was traded to the Diamondbacks at the 2023 deadline, and it has led to a lack of aggressiveness on the basepaths. The 37-year-old outfielder has only 12 steals on 18 attempts over the last two regular seasons. Pham believes his plantar fasciitis has been addressed after he underwent stem cell therapy earlier this offseason, and he is setting a goal of reaching 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases for his career. Given that he will turn 38 in March and sits at 149 homers and 131 steals, it is a lofty goal. Pham is a free agent after slashing .245/.330/.370 with the Pirates in 2025.
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Caleb Boushley RP | TB
Caleb Boushley: Signs overseas
Boushley signed a contract with the KT Wiz of the Korea Baseball Organization on Tuesday, Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net reports.
Boushley will take his talents overseas after posting a 6.02 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over 43.1 innings with the Rangers this past season. He logged a 2.14 ERA over 33.2 innings in Triple-A, however, and a strong season in Korea could enable him to recapture the attention of MLB clubs.
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Rangers' Jonah Bride: Invited to Rangers' camp
Bride signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Bride finished 2025 with a mere .435 OPS over 125 plate appearances between Miami and Minnesota. He slashed .281/.423/.453 over 43 games in Triple-A, however, which was enough to earn him a shot with the Rangers this spring. He'll most likely report to Triple-A Round Rock at the start of the upcoming season.
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Jose Ramos RF | LAD
Mets' Jose Ramos: Signs with Mets
Ramos signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
The Dodgers promoted Ramos to Triple-A toward the end of the 2025 season, and he slashed .295/.359/.557 with eight homers, 27 RBI and 29 runs scored across 167 plate appearances. The 24-year-old will presumably report to Triple-A Syracuse upon joining the Mets organization, and his offensive stats are likely to drop now that he's out of the Pacific Coast League.
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Robert Stock RP | BOS
Mets' Robert Stock: Latches on with Mets
Stock signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.
Stock saw major-league action for the first time since 2021 this past season and gave up three earned runs over 2.2 innings with the Red Sox. He was more successful at Triple-A Worcester, finishing the year with a 3.92 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 85 frames. He will most likely begin 2026 at Triple-A Syracuse.