Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

The following are excerpts from the managers’ press conferences from the Winter Meetings.

Braves

• Ronald Acuña Jr. could lead off again.

Q. I know you haven’t necessarily got to the point of making lineup cards, but he moved down a bit in the order. Do you anticipate [Acuna] moving back up?

WALT WEISS: That’s a good conversation. I’m looking forward to that with him. I want to pick his brain with that. It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order because I’m I really like when a lineup turns over that there’s teeth right away. Your pitcher — you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as that lineup turns over.

So there’s some incentive to — he was prolific in that position. The other argument is, you could put him in a more RBI position in the lineup and hit him third.

Those are conversations we’re going to have, we’re going to talk about. Like you said, we’re a ways away from the lineup, talking about lineups and that type of thing. But it’s on my radar.

• Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes will get a shot at making the rotation.

Q. As healthy as Reynaldo López stayed as a reliever, and then last year, even though two years ago even though he pitched so well, he hasn’t stayed healthy as a starter. Are you tempted to move him back to relief since you have some other guys?

WALT WEISS: Not so much tempted but it’s a nice fallback plan. These guys are going to be built up. I know I get those questions about Grant Holmes and this and that. These guys are going to be built up as starters in Spring Training, but it’s really nice to know that, whatever, because of acquisitions, because of health, whatever, somebody all of a sudden steps up and opens your eyes, it’s nice to know those guys can do that. They’ve done it before and they’ve been really good at it. But sitting here today, those guys are, we’re looking at them as starters.

• Bryce Elder and Hurston Waldrep are being considered for the rotation.

Q. You’ve got some options questions, too, obviously, right, this year complicates some things with a couple of the starters?

WALT WEISS: Yeah, look, Bryce, I was really encouraged by the way Bryce finished. I mean, the stuff ticked up. He was good against some really good teams, playoff teams in September. And he had another run, I think, early, I want to say May, maybe, where he had a nice run. Then he had some hiccups. That’s the thing about Bryce, he’s pretty unflappable. If he has a tough one or a clunker or two, demeanor doesn’t change, confidence doesn’t change, and here he is showing up and posting again and righting the ship. A lot to be said about that.

I’m excited about Bryce. I’m excited about Waldrep. I think the ceiling for Waldrep is pretty high, man. He’s got a wipeout pitch. And it’s hard to find where it’s a legitimate wipeout pitch at the Major League level. He’s got that. There’s some things to be excited about. We talked about Grant already.

Brewers

• No usable fantasy information.

Cardinals

• No usable fantasy information.

Cubs

• Sounds like Moisés Ballesteros will not catch many games.

Q. With Moises, how were you thinking about balancing the need for continued development at the catching position versus his Major League-ready bat?

CRAIG COUNSELL: I think he’s at the point where if he can help the Major League team, he’s going to be in the Major Leagues. There’s not an every day catching job in the Major Leagues for him. But as constructed right now, we’ve got room for at-bats, and I think — I would prioritize the Major Leagues right now. But that can change with roster stuff.

Q. You mentioned Ballesteros not having an opportunity to catch a lot. If the opportunity did pop up, if he was forced into action, how comfortable are you with that?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, then he’ll catch. Yeah. Simple as that. I think he’s absolutely going to catch games.

Q. Do you feel like he’s made real progress there and you’re comfortable with him as a semi-regular catcher?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, he’s got to be better than the other two guys. But yeah, I’m comfortable with that.

Diamondbacks

• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. should be back around mid-season.

Q. Do you have any sense on Gurriel with the —

TOREY LOVULLO: The timing?

Q. The window, yes.

TOREY LOVULLO: I haven’t been in touch with him in probably three weeks. I don’t know how he’s doing right now. Last time I talked to him he’s really, really encouraged about how he’s feeling. He’s in a good routine. Timing-wise, I’ve been generically told midseason, something along those lines. Like, head’s up, it could be that long, a little bit longer.

We want to be patient with him, make sure he heals right. He’s in a good space. That’s the most important thing. He’s back in Miami doing his rehab there. He’s in good hands and taking care of himself the best that he possibly can.

Dodgers

• Tommy Edman expects to be healthy to start the season and the injury will not limit the position he plays.

Q. Do you have any more details like Tommy, the timetable for him to be back on the field?

DAVE ROBERTS: Talking to the training staff, feeling like he should be with some limitations once we start Spring Training, but talking to Tommy, he’s expecting to be ready at the outset of the season.

Q. Do you see him as infield/outfield type or is that ankle going to limit him?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don’t think the ankle will limit him. I think that’s going to be contingent more on the roster and where guys are at.

• Tanner Scott was never really healthy last season.

Q. What [is] your confidence in Tanner [Scott]?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think there were just some things he kept under wraps about his body, and I think the transition to LA, and he just kind of — anything that could go wrong went wrong. I just feel — he works his tail off. He’s too talented. And his track record was nothing like last year. So I just think it was an outlier of a season.

Q. [Scott] after he came back after the forearm?

DAVE ROBERTS: There was some stuff that he just, honestly, he never felt right all year. And there were moments where it looked right, he felt okay, but he just never felt comfortable. But he’s never going to use that as an excuse, though. To have a regular offseason to kind of prepare for ’26, he’s going to be on a mission next year.

• Shohei Ohtani will get extra rest but the rest of the rotation will try to remain five-man as much as possible.

Q. You expect Shohei to be used like in a normal rotation starting the season, what ways are you guys going to be creative with him?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the thought is to have Shohei being used as a regular starter, but it’s not going to be a regular five-man rotation. I just think that — I don’t want to go down the six-man rotation road, but I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that’s in our process. But again we have a long way to go but we’ve got some viable candidates seriously.

• Dalton Rushing will back up Will Smith and maybe play a little first base or DH.

Q. What role do you envision for Dalton Rushing next season? Do you think he could play any other positions possibly?

DAVE ROBERTS: We ran him out there a little bit at first base, but Freddie is a guy that wants to be out there every day. But if there’s an opportunity to get Freddie off his feet, I can see Dalton playing a little bit of first base to spell Freddie.

I also see with Will Smith last year — I think last year you saw — we cut back a little bit on his playing time, and I felt that he stayed strong throughout the entire season. I think there could be some more of that to give Dalton a little bit of runway and some opportunity. I thought he did a great job with the pitching staff. Dalton did. And I think that there’s a lot more bat in there that he’ll show in 2026.

Giants

• What a waste of an interview, not a single question about the players, it was all questions about Vitello and his staff.

Marlins

• Agustín Ramírez will start the season as the team’s main catcher

Q. [Agustin] and (indiscernible) working the academy, what do you see from him and expectation?

CLAYTON MCCULLOUGH: Our expectation for Gus is he comes in and Gus is going to be a catcher. Still believe in that. Saw Gus for a couple of days down in the Dominican. He was working hard.

And it wasn’t just the work that he was doing. I think speaking with Gus and talking to him, how he was able to reflect on that season. It’s hard to get a breath during the season. So I think Gus had a chance to self-reflect some on the year, take a breath.

One thing that he mentioned physically he felt okay, but mentally, it’s quite the grind. And I asked him to hit in the top of the lineup almost every day. Having to go back there and catch, probably played more than he ever has.

Gus was saying all the right things. He was embracing and taking on this offseason different than he did the last season, which is fair. He has a different perspective on what’s ahead and what’s expected.

Gus knows the narrative. Gus is smart. He knows what’s said and he’s not backing away from it and we’re right behind him because we believe in the person, number one, and believe in the ability that Gus has a real shot to catch the big leagues.

• Some prospects the manager is “looking forward to seeing” are Joe Mack (C), Josh White (RP), Robby Snelling (SP), Thomas White (SP), and (Riley) Kemp Alderman (OF).

Q. What’s the prospect you’re most looking forward to seeing in the Spring Training and why?

CLAYTON MCCULLOUGH: The most exciting part is we have a lot of very talented players in our system coming up. Much has been written about Joe Mack and should be. He’s a young catcher at a premium position that I feel like eventually can impact on both sides of the ball.

I think the year that Josh White had last year in Triple-A from a performance standpoint was spectacular. So excited to get to see Josh more this year. And certainly Robby Snelling, Thomas White, with the type of seasons they have, their youth, the ceiling they have.

Pitching is always going to be what drives this thing. Excited to see them as well, as Kemp Alderman, Minor League Player of the Year. Kemp had a really big year. Our group in Petey loves him. The tenacity, the toughness, the edge he brings, which is something I value as well. Excited to see Kemp get a chance to come to camp and get comfortable around our group.

Mets

• Brett Baty will be the team’s third baseman.

Q. When Semien now occupying second base, how do you view third base? Obviously second base you could use that to get some of the other guys playing time, but now you don’t have that much of a luxury.

CARLOS MENDOZA: I think Brett Baty took that step forward last year. We had tryouts there between Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio at times. I think Brett Baty got comfortable and played really well on both sides of the field, defensively, offensively.

Going into camp, I think as we sit here right now, you can say that Brett will get the majority of the playing time.

That doesn’t mean that Mark Vientos won’t get any reps there. He’s preparing for everything. We know how much he means to the team, and we’ll see what happens. But as of right now, Brett Baty will get a lot of the opportunities.

Nationals

• Nothing fantasy relevant.

Padres

• Nothing fantasy relevant.

Phillies

• Nothing fantasy relevant. All Schwarber talk.

Pirates

• Jhostynxon Garcia could play any outfield position, and the manager seems excited to play him.

Q. You mentioned Garcia. What do you kind of like about just the possibility of him adding some power to the lineup in ’26 and just the impact that he could potentially make?

DON KELLY: Yeah. Some big-time power that he brings and just the ability to play all three outfield positions. Looks like he’s an above average outfielder. Just the way — I saw that double that he hit in his first at-bat down there in winter ball, and the way that he hustled and ran into second. All the reports we’ve gotten back and the video we’ve gotten to watch, we’re really excited to add a young project of his caliber to this team.

Q. Do you think he could handle center if needed?

DON KELLY: I think so. He definitely could go to center field.

• Spencer Horwitz is now the team’s first baseman, nothing more.

Q. We saw Horwitz bounce around a little bit at the end of the year. You guys have been connected to a couple of first basemen. Is second base or another position an option for him, or would you like to keep him at first?

DON KELLY: I think ideally we’d like to keep him at first base. He’s such a good defensive first baseman. But totally open to other ways. We played him at second last year at the end of the season. He’s played second for Toronto.

Just looking at any way to impact the team. Ideally he’ll be at first.

• Sounds like a small chance Joey Bart will get any reps at first base.

Q. With your catchers right now, will you explore another option with Joey Bart? Is first base an option for him to get both bats in the lineup? How do you view the delineation of duties?

DON KELLY: Last year in practice Joey’s taken some ground balls at first. Really see Joey as a catcher, but as it goes, we were able to get him in last year at DH a little at the end. I think that first base, if he continues to take some ground balls, something that we could explore down the line.

• The manager still says they are undecided on Konnor Griffin.

Q. Do you anticipate seeing Konnor in the mix for the shortstop position in Spring Training?

DON KELLY: Konnor’s going to get — yeah, we’re still talking about a lot of that. It’s too early to say exactly what’s going to happen there. But as far as a 19-year-old guy that just came out of high school, the year that he had to go through three levels and play the way that he played, the sky’s the limit for him. The talent that you see, the wiring, the way he goes about it, he’s really, really impressive.

Reds

• Sal Stewart still doesn’t have a place on an MLB team.

Q. How does someone like Sal Stewart fit in your plans? Knowing obviously you have more roster choices coming up, but how do you see him fitting and growing within the month?

TERRY FRANCONA: I think Freddie went down to visit with him for a couple of days in Miami, just to help him defensively at first base. It’s going to be interesting because we love, love the hitter. I remember all the way back last year in Spring Training — I think I told you guys I thought he was one of the most advanced young hitters I’d seen, and I believe that. Rarely do you see guys come to the Big Leagues like that late in the year, and he wasn’t overwhelmed.

Where his game goes defensively, we’re still trying to figure that out. I talked to him at length — it’s been a while now — but about being agile. People talk about his weight. I said, I don’t want to talk about your weight. I want you to be athletic. Because he’s a baseball player. Where that fits, we’ll see.

Rockies

• Blaine Crim was the only person mentioned for the first base job.

Q. A lot of turnover at first base so far this off-season. Where do you kind of see the position? A lot of time still before Spring Training, but where do you see it right now?

WARREN SCHAEFFER: We’ve got Crim coming in to battle for that job. I feel like guys are going to come out here in competition for that spot. Just like a lot of spots in the diamond and the pitching, we’re going to have a lot of competition.

• Hunter Goodman will continue to get DH at-bats.

Q. Following up on that, you did this quite a bit the second half last year. Could [Goodman] be your full-time DH when he’s not behind the plate?

WARREN SCHAEFFER: Yeah, that’s something we’re going to talk about big time, because I personally think that’s a yes, that he can. We pushed him last year at the end. We tried to get him through that knee injury, had a little bit going on there. I think there was something else, hamstring was barking. So we wanted to keep him healthy.

I do believe that he’s got the makeup and the physical toughness and ability and durability to be able to do that. We’ll see where that goes, but I think that’s maybe the initial plan.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The following are excerpts from the managers’ press conferences from the Winter Meetings.

• With the new automated strike zone, the exact height of hitters will be needed.

Q. Do you have any other early team-wide strategies you’re thinking about when it comes to using it?

A.J. HINCH: I’ve spent some time talking to our P.D. group and even some of the players who have gone up and down. Right now we’re locked in on measurements and making sure that we have everybody in camp at the time in which they’re going to make those measurements get done. And we’ll adapt accordingly.

I think, similar to the replay, the subtle little adjustments that everybody’s had to make around some new rules. It will fall into a good rhythm and a good understanding of the — I think the first month will probably be the hardest month.

I wonder which hitters will shrink the most.

Read the rest of this entry »

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

American League

Angels

• The team is considering using Christian Moore, Kyren Paris, or Denzer Guzman at third base.

But with Rendon not expected to play due to injury again in 2026, the Angels are in the market for a third baseman. Minasian also said they could be open to moving youngster Christian Moore to third base from second if they find a better fit for a second baseman. Kyren Paris and Denzer Guzman (Angels’ No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) also have been getting in work at third this offseason.

Astros

• The team is backing off from previous comments about Yordan Alvarez playing more outfield. The manager now wants him to DH as much as possible.

The Astros’ latest solution, according to Espada, is for Alvarez to “spend most of his season” at designated hitter. The manager did not divulge a specific division of playing time, but it stands to reason that Alvarez won’t match the 57 games he started in left field in 2022 or the 53 games he played there in 2024.
…
Last month, general manager Dana Brown attempted to squash any idea of trading Walker or Paredes, saying that both would “hit somewhere between one and six” in Houston’s lineup. Brown added that Alvarez could “get a lot more games in left field” to free the DH spot for either of the two infielders to occupy.

Monday’s about-face makes this setup impossible. Declarations made in December aren’t final, but if Alvarez is indeed the Astros’ full-time designated hitter, the flexibility to juggle Paredes and Walker will decrease. It also means Jose Altuve will be asked to play defense full-time during his age-36 season, making it even more difficult to find regular at-bats for both Paredes and Walker.

Blue Jays

• Shane Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue to end the season, and he might not be ready for Opening Day.

Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue at the end of the season, a person briefed on the matter said, but has since begun offseason recovery and rehab work. It’s not entirely clear if the forearm ailment entirely caused Bieber to pick up his player option and avoid the unknowns of free agency, but it likely factored into his decision.

When asked about Bieber’s status at the Winter Meetings, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said “he’s in a strong position,” though he noted the Jays are taking things week to week with Bieber and could stagger his workload in early spring. Atkins said Bieber being ready for Opening Day is “a very realistic outcome,” but reiterated the team is taking things week to week.

Though Atkins didn’t explicitly state Bieber’s injury in Orlando, his answers didn’t indicate the righty was entirely healthy after a return from surgery and long postseason push.

• Anthony Santander is back to normal.

Anthony Santander is “finally feeling normal,” Schneider said, after back and shoulder injuries sidetracked his first season with the Blue Jays.

Guardians

• Brayan Rocchio will play shortstop while Gabriel Arias will maintain more of a utility role.

One potential nugget of interest on the position player side: Vogt mentioned Brayan Rocchio will patrol shortstop with regularity this spring, while Gabriel Arias will bounce around defensively, “just to be ready for it.” What is “it,” you ask? Well, it’s the eventual presence of Brito and, especially, Bazzana, or even an external addition, a placeholder at the position until the 2024 No. 1 draft pick is ready for the big leagues.

• Since the end of the season, Kyle Manzardo added 14 pounds of muscle.

Kyle Manzardo has gained 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the season. The Guardians want him to hold up better physically and be a candidate for more reps at first base.

Rangers

• The team might move Wyatt Langford to center field in the hope that Evan Carter will stay healthier playing in a corner spot.

Carter has struggled with back issues throughout his professional career, and he missed the last month of the 2025 season with a broken right wrist. Langford, on the other hand, has experienced a number of soft tissue injuries over his two years in the big leagues, including three oblique strains this past season.

“Trying to get these guys healthy, on the field and productive for 150-plus is the most ideal situation for us,” Schumaker added. “Trying to figure out how we can do that with Carter is a big thing for us. I don’t know if everyone has the answers right now to keep him healthy the entire year, but I know he’s absolutely trying to do everything he can this offseason to prove that he [can get] back to where he was in 2023.”

Rays

• MLB.com reporter said that Cedric Mullins will be the team’s primary center fielder.

Mullins will be their primary center fielder.

Tigers

• Max Anderson lines up to be part of a third base platoon.

Anderson could get a chance to compete for a platoon role at third base, complementing Colt Keith or Zach McKinstry.

Yankees

• Cam Schlittler is working on adding a splitter or changeup.

The right-hander isn’t satisfied. After showcasing triple-digit heat and emerging as a second-half force in the Bronx, Schlittler is working to add a sixth pitch to his repertoire this winter — either a changeup or a splitter, as he said during an appearance Wednesday on the YES Network.

“I’m probably more leaning toward a changeup, which might be easier for me,” Schlittler said on Yankees Hot Stove. “I think that’s an important pitch to include, just because I didn’t have that option down to lefties, or even to righties as well.”

National League

Braves

• Reynaldo López will be stretched out as a starter in Spring Training.

Is Weiss tempted to move Reynaldo López back to a relief role?

“Not so much tempted, but it’s a nice fallback plan,” Weiss said. “I get these same questions about Grant Holmes. These guys will be built up as starters in Spring Training. But it’s really nice to know that whatever – because of acquisitions, because of health or somebody all of a sudden steps up and opens your eyes – it’s nice to know those guys can [be relievers]. They’ve done it before, and they’ve been really good at it. But sitting here today, we’re looking at them as starters.”
…
Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are targeted to fill the rotation’s first three spots. López is currently slotted into the fourth spot. Holmes, Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz and Hurston Waldrep are fifth starter candidates. Holmes, Elder and Wentz are out of options. So if there’s a need to preserve depth, Waldrep could begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.

• Ronald Acuña Jr. could go back to leading off, according to the guy who writes the lineup cards.

Now that Ronald Acuña Jr. is further distanced from his latest knee surgery, Braves manager Walt Weiss is open to the possibility of moving the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player back to the leadoff spot.

“It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order,” Weiss said. “I really like when a lineup turns over and there’s teeth right away. If you’re a pitcher, you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as the lineup turns over.”

…

But the six stolen bases he has recorded through his first eight games in the Venezuelan Winter League are an indication he’s feeling more confident about his two surgically repaired knees.

• Joe Jiménez might not be healthy by Opening Day.

With Anthopoulos saying Joe Jiménez’s left knee issue prevents the team from relying on him to be a setup man next year, adding a high-leverage reliever now seems to possibly be an even greater necessity.

Cubs

• The organization sees Ben Brown as a starter.

Brown had 121 strikeouts overall last season, including 40 against nine walks in 30 2/3 innings as a reliever.

“For me, I 100% see him as a starter,” Hottovy said. “He’s got the upside to be a really good power pitcher in the back end of the bullpen, but you don’t want to just crown that. You want that to kind of happen. Sometimes it happens, because it’s what the team needs. Sometimes it happens because the player shows you that’s his best role.”

Giants

• Casey Schmitt might not be healed for the season’s start after having wrist surgery.

The Giants announced that infielder Casey Schmitt underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove the carpal boss in his left wrist. The procedure was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles and will require an eight-to-10-week recovery process.
…
The 26-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation after he was drilled by a 95 mph sinker from the Marlins’ Calvin Faucher on June 25, which made it difficult for him to swing without pain.

Schmitt batted .276 with a .799 OPS and four homers over his first 34 games of the year, but his production dipped after he returned from the IL on July 7. He hit .220 with a .663 OPS and eight homers over his final 61 games, though he still ended the season as the Giants’ primary second baseman after Tyler Fitzgerald lost his grip on the starting spot at the position.

Padres

• The GM guy sees Miguel Mendez as a rookie who will contribute to the major league team.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old righty Miguel Mendez was recently added to the team’s 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. At the GM Meetings, Preller named him as a prospect who could make an impact with the big league club this season. That won’t stop the Padres from adding multiple starting pitchers. But after the season Mendez had in 2025 — a 3.22 ERA with 118 strikeouts over 95 innings — he’s a name to watch.

Phillies

• Gabriel Rincones Jr. could contribute this year, but only as a platoon bat.

Dombrowski has mentioned outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. as a potential 2026 contributor. But he’s a strict platoon player, struggling mightily in the Minor Leagues against left-handed pitching.

Reds

• The manager plans on giving Elly De La Cruz more off days.

Manager Terry Francona wants to give De La Cruz more days off next season after the All-Star shortstop played all 162 regular-season games.

“I need to find ways to get him off his feet from time to time, and I didn’t do a very good job of that, and I own up to that,” Francona said.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Note: I didn’t get through all the notes around the GM meetings, so their are a few notes coming out a few weeks late.

Free Agents

• Tommy Pham dealt with plantar fasciitis last year.

As far as the stolen bases go, Pham is confident he can make up ground quickly — now that he addressed a foot issue that he said had been plaguing him.

Pham played last season with plantar fasciitis, he said, and the issue worsened as the season went on. So earlier in the offseason, Pham said, he handled the problem through stem cell therapy.

Read the rest of this entry »

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

• Ryan Helsley would like to add a two-seamer or a changeup to his arsenal so he can be a starter.

Helsley is contemplating adding another pitch to his arsenal, possibly a two-seamer or a changeup, to help prevent that predictability next year. He currently has four pitches, though he rarely uses his curveball and cutter. In 2025, Helsley essentially utilized a two-pitch mix. He threw his slider 47 percent of the time, with his four-seamer next at 45 percent. He turned to his curveball just 6 percent of the time and threw his cutter only 13 times (1.3 percent).

Expanding his arsenal is something Helsley will need to do if he signs with a team that views him as a starter. Though other teams have inquired about the transition, the Tigers are the most serious suitors at this time. Helsley came up through the Cardinals’ system as a starting pitching prospect, and he did not throw in relief until debuting in the majors. However, Helsley has been a reliever for his entire MLB career. He is not opposed to starting but is more comfortable in a closer’s role.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Free Agents

• Dustin May’s elbow feels great.

Free agent right-hander Dustin May says that he is “fully back to normal” and that his elbow feels great, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. May went on the injured list on September 9 with right elbow neuritis and did not pitch for the rest of the regular season or during the Wild Card Series.

• Enrique Hernández needed elbow surgery after playing through the injury for most of last season.

Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernández had surgery on Friday to repair a torn muscle in his elbow. The veteran announced the procedure in an Instagram post. Hernández said he suffered the injury in May and played through it the rest of the season, which led to the elbow tendon detaching from the bone.

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• Tatsuya Imai (link) and Munetaka Murakami (link) have officially been posted.

• Free agent Lucas Giolito is no longer injured.

Adding to Giolito’s frustration was the fact that after getting the diagnosis and beginning some rehab work, “within three days, my elbow felt 100 percent fine again,” the right-hander told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford on the latest edition of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast (partial transcript here). With no UCL damage discovered and the inflammation subsided, Giolito planned to quickly start a throwing program with the intention of returning later in the playoffs, except Boston’s run was cut short early.

As the offseason and Giolito’s free agency now begins, he said that is now “fully healthy,” even though he understands the complications that bought on by his late flexor issue. He said he is “happy to prove that I’m fully healthy in any way possible” to any skeptical front offices, and that the injury is completely behind him.

“There’s no injury, or whatever injury there was is gone. It was a weird, freak thing that popped up at the worst possible time, not only for the Red Sox but for myself and in general,” Giolito said. “Just the worst possible time. It makes my free agency harder. It prevented me from pitching in the playoffs where I had been a part of the rotation pretty much the entire year. It was just a very, very tough one to swallow. I still don’t like thinking about it.”

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Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

• Hiroto Saiki will NOT be posted after all.

RHP Hiroto Saiki is not expected to have his posting to MLB approved by the Hanshin Tigers following the team’s loss in the Japan Series.https://t.co/2yeooFhzSV

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) October 31, 2025

American League

Blue Jays

• Bo Bichette will not have offseason knee surgery.

Bo Bichette says he’s not anticipating needing off-season surgery on his knee.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 31, 2025

Guardians

Mariners

• Bryce Miller will not have surgery to remove a bone spur that bothered him last season.

Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller is not expected to need elbow surgery this offseason, reports Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. Miller had multiple stints on the injured list this past season due to elbow inflammation. He returned for the final six weeks of the regular season and made three starts in the playoffs. “I finished the year the best I felt all year — three good starts, I felt like,” Miller told Jude. “My body and my arm feel good, so just get better, get fully healthy and be ready to go from Day 1 next year.”

Miller was diagnosed with a bone spur in his elbow and received a PRP injection in early June. He relayed to Jude that he has an upcoming appointment to determine the next steps in treatment. Miller said the likely route is a gel cortisone injection early this offseason, and potentially another one at the start of spring training. “Now that we know how to deal with the bone spur, we can figure out what we need to do exactly with it and go from there,” Miller told Jude. He added that he’d be “surprised” if the appointment led to an invasive procedure.

Red Sox

• Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic thinks Connelly Early will be in the rotation before Payton Tolle.

That said, I think Early is a bit ahead of Tolle, both in development because he’s a year further along and in terms of his major league readiness. I could see a scenario where he’s the No. 5 starter on Opening Day, but of course, there are a lot of moving parts this winter. We’ve also seen that the rotation the team thinks it has at the start of spring inevitably gets shuffled because of a pitcher injury or setback in the spring.

Tigers

• Gleyber Torres had hernia surgery.

Torres’ representatives announced the successful surgery on social media Friday morning. He is expected to be healthy for the start of Spring Training in a few months.

• Top prospect, Max Anderson, is working on playing third base and hitting the ball in the air in the Arizona Fall League.

Anderson is seeking something similar. He made 21 appearances at the hot corner – a spot he had never appeared professionally – between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo during the regular season, and he has made each of his first seven defensive starts there with Scottsdale.
…
Even beyond the raw statistics, there were things that Anderson would have to improve upon in his second full pro year – his 55.4 percent ground-ball rate at Double-A among them. He dropped that mark by more than 10 percent during his time with Erie in ‘25 (44.8 percent).

“As simple as it sounds, really just trying to hit the bottom of the ball,” said Anderson. “Nothing crazy, no swing changes or anything, just trying to get under it, as simple as it sounds – it’s almost more of a mentality than a swing change.”

White Sox

• Tim Elko just had knee surgery and expects to miss eight months.

1B Tim Elko
Injury: Torn ACL in right knee
Expected return: June-July 2026
Status: Elko underwent successful surgery to repair the torn ACL on Oct. 28, performed by Dr. Lyle Cain at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center in Birmingham, Ala. His estimated recovery time is eight months, per the team.

National League

Diamondbacks

• Jordan Lawlar is getting center field reps.

Los azules en La Romana para esta noche… 😎👑#ElgLorioso 💙 pic.twitter.com/hx7IXHTV63

— Tigres del Licey (@TigresdelLicey) October 28, 2025

Padres

• The team plans on Luis Campusano contributing next season.

The majority of the Padres’ arbitration-eligible players are expected back in 2026. Luis Campusano, who made $1 million in ‘25, is an interesting case, but Preller, speaking during his end-of-season press conference, noted that Campusano would be part of the team’s plans this winter.

Reds

• There are no plans to move Elly De La Cruz to the outfield.

As for the common question of whether De La Cruz should be moved off shortstop to center field to get more production from him offensively, that’s not in the club’s plans.

“As of right now, no,” Krall said.

Rockies

• Kris Bryant’s back is all jacked up and getting worse.

Kris Bryant has played in only 170 games over his four seasons with the Rockies, and the 2025 campaign saw Bryant appear in just 10 games before his recurring back issues brought his season to an early close. Lumbar degenerative disc disease has left Bryant feeling pain while performing basically every baseball activity not related to swinging, and the former NL MVP told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders, and this discomfort has now extended to his day-to-day life.

“It’s exhausting for me waking up and hoping to feel [better],” Bryant said. “I can’t tell you the last time I woke up feeling I’m in a good spot….If you asked me two or three months ago, I would say [my back pain] was not affecting my everyday life. But now it is, which is really annoying to me because usually when you kind of just rest, it’s supposed to get better. So maybe I’m at a point where I should just do a bunch of stuff to see if that helps me.”

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

• Anthony Kay will return to the majors after pitching in Japan

Lefty Anthony Kay, the Mets' 2016 first-round pick, is expected to return to MLB after two years in Japan. He led NPB this year in groundball rate (57.8%) while setting Yokohama's single season ERA record (1.74) and pitching 155 innings. His fastball averaged 94.6 MPH.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) October 22, 2025

Here are the MLB results for his comps. His 7.6 K/9 with a “high” 2.4 BB/9 limits his upside.

• And now Kazuma Okamoto will be posted at some point.

The Yomiuri Giants will allow Kazuma Okamoto to move to MLB via the posting system. https://t.co/BG3jqp7LHY

— Jason Coskrey (@JCoskrey) October 22, 2025

American League

Red Sox

• Kristian Campbell plans on “adding weight and gaining strength”.

Campbell is expected to head to Fort Myers, Fla. soon. The Red Sox are hosting their offseason training program there for minor leaguers, which began in early October and runs through mid November. Once there he’ll get back into baseball activities, but the main goals there will be on adding weight and gaining strength.

“A big focus for him this offseason, he lost some weight during the year, adding some of that weight back and it’ll be getting back the strength that allowed him to impact the baseball the way he could,” Abraham said. “That allowed him to have the range in both the infield and outfield and that will be a focus.”
…
But a lack of strength and mass likely led to Campbell’s dip in exit velocity and his ability to impact the ball. His ferocious swing and hard-hit rates had been his calling card. In the spring, he made it to the final four of a hitting tournament the team held for its minor leaguers. That hard-hit ability was part of the reason he was added to the team at the start of the season.

Here are his 2025 MLB avgEV per month and his AAA average.

Month: avgEV
Apr: 89.5
May: 89.0
Jun: 85.9
MiLB: 84.0

He suffered a rib injury May 1st, but his exit velocities stayed up in May, but everything else fell apart. He posted a .902 OPS in April and just a .355 OPS in May (.799 OPS in AAA).

Tigers

• According to his manager, Troy Melton will be a starter.

Melton will not have to handle another move next year. And as the Tigers revisit questions about their rotation for next season, Melton — who totaled 129 1/3 innings in the Minors, regular season and playoffs — is a potentially big part.

“He’s a starter,” Hinch said.

• The team expects to have some help from players in AA …

“I expect the players that posted dominant years in Double-A to factor into our big league team next year,” Harris said. “They’ve earned it. They posted incredible years as 20-year-olds, very young for the level. I expect their progress to continue, and I expect them to be in Detroit at some point next year.”

… and here are the players listed on options.

Kevin McGonigle, IF (Tigers No. 1, MLB No. 2)
…
Max Clark, CF (Tigers No. 2, MLB No. 8)
…
Max Anderson, IF (Tigers No. 9)
…
Josue Briceño, C/1B (Tigers No. 3, MLB No. 33)

Yankees

• Ben Rice started the 2025 season with a new batting stance and added weight.

So Rice spent last offseason teaching himself to begin with his right foot nearly at the edge of the batter’s box — or in an open stance. It made all the difference. With a new stance — and with approximately 10 pounds of added strength — Rice turned in a stellar second big-league season at the plate, hitting .255 with 26 home runs, 65 RBIs and an .836 OPS. His 131 OPS+ meant that he produced at a rate 31 percent better than the league-average hitter.

National League

Brewers

• William Contreras may have surgery on his finger and Caleb Durbin did have elbow surgery.

End of season injury news from the Brewers:

– William Contreras will see a hand specialist next week for a “potential correction” of his fractured left middle finger.

– Caleb Durbin will have arthroscopic elbow surgery on Oct. 30. Expected healthy in time for ‘26.

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) October 23, 2025

• Sal Frelick will not have surgery on his bothersome knee.

Frelick battled knee soreness over the final months of the regular season. He missed a handful of games in early August, but never went to the IL. Offseason imaging on the knee came back clean, with the team describing the findings as “unremarkable.” Frelick is expected to have a normal offseason.

Cardinals

• There is a chance Lars Nootbaar misses the start of the season.

This morning during “Sports on a Sunday Morning” on @KMOXSports, #STLCards POBO Chaim Bloom told me that Opening Day is not off-the-table but not guaranteed for Lars Nootbaar following his heel surgery. They will not hurry the rehab process but if he does miss time at the start…

— Matt Pauley 🎙️ (@MattPauleyOnAir) October 26, 2025

Dodgers

• Tommy Edman might need offseason surgery on his ankle.

However, while Edman stated before Game Two that his ankle is “healthy,” he said that potential offseason surgery could be an option.

“Ankle’s feeling really good,” Edman said. “I haven’t really talked that through with Doc. I think the plan is just second base for now. Maybe that will be a conversation. I’m not really sure. But for now, just second base.”

Edman was unable to give a clear answer when asked if he would need surgery on his right ankle during the offseason.

Mets

• Francisco Lindor had minor surgery on his elbow.

Francisco Lindor underwent a right elbow operation after the completion of the 2025 regular season, the Mets announced Wednesday, but the shortstop is expected to make a full recovery before the start of Spring Training.

The surgery, a right elbow debridement, came two years after Lindor underwent a procedure to remove bone spurs from the same elbow.

• Christian Scott expects to be a “full participant in spring training” …

With the season over, however, Scott said the plan is to move on to a “de-load” period before ramping things back up in January. The Mets’ top pitching prospect in 2024, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, Scott hopes to be a full participant in spring training.

“It’s going really smoothly,” Scott said over the phone from Port St. Lucie, Fla., which he has essentially called home since Jan. 4. “I haven’t really had any setbacks or had anything that’s really come up at all. I’ve looked back at the nine games I’ve pitched in the big leagues and I know what I’ve needed to work on to improve my game.

… with a new changeup and similar fastball velocity.

Notably, Scott has tinkered with his changeup, a pitch he hopes can help him against left-handed batters (Scott held right-handed batters to a .532 OPS, but lefties produced a .942 OPS against him). Previously, Scott utilized more of a split-finger grip with his changeup. Now, he is using more of a traditional grip, he said.

“The in-zone percentage just wasn’t good enough with the split-finger before I got hurt,” Scott said. “Just being able to have a pitch that’s in the zone a little bit more and also moves a little bit better, in theory, is going to help me get more outs against left-handed hitters.

During his bullpen sessions, Scott’s fastball velocity has checked in around 94 mph, his average speed in 2024. At times, he said, he has recently flashed 96 mph.

Phillies

• Zack Wheeler could be rotation ready by Opening Day.

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Foul Territory on Thursday that right-hander Zack Wheeler (shoulder) could have a chance to be ready for Opening Day in 2026, and that they aren’t expecting Wheeler to have any setbacks during his recovery this offseason from thoracic outlet surgery. “We’re hopeful it’ll [his return] be on the front end, which would even get him ready for Opening Day, but right now he’s doing very good,” Dombrowski said.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

• After releasing my comps for players hoping to move from a foreign league to the MLB, here are two more guys looking to make the move. The first is Foster Griffin (link) …

… and the other is Sung-moon Song 송성문 (link).

• There is a chance Kazuma Okamoto will not get posted after all.

Several industry sources believe that the Yomiuri Giants will not post 3B/1B Kazuma Okamoto after the season.

Okamoto, 29, is one of the best hitters in Japanese baseball, with 248 career home runs.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) October 20, 2025

• And finally, our boy Lance Brozdowski created his own projections for some of the players making the move. He’s even more dismissive of anyone making a major impact.

American League

Rays

• The team thinks Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson can “co-exist,” but believe Jonny DeLuca will play centerfield.

Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson are coming off impressive rookie seasons. They’re similar players, built to thrive with contact and speed, with Simpson stealing more bases (44 in 109 games) and Mangum the more polished defender. But Neander said they can co-exist in the same lineup, and he noted that moving from George M. Steinbrenner Field back to Tropicana Field could help both, as their skill sets make them “built for bigger parks.”
…
“Having a lockdown defender in center field is probably as much as our identity that we’ve had as a team for as long as I’ve been here,” Neander said. “[DeLuca’s] greatest strength was to be that type of defender in center field, and not having him, we felt it.

“A healthy Jonny DeLuca will be a huge add to wherever we come out going into camp.”

I think some team will trade for one of these three centerfielders.

Royals

• Bobby Witt Jr. saw a drop in stolen bases because of a lower on-base rate and injuries.

There’s so much that goes into baserunning that it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. Witt stole more bases this year, but he still felt like he could have had more and pointed to several reasons why he didn’t, including that his on-base percentage dipped (.389 last year to .351 this year) and that he was limited by injuries at times.

I looked into the injury angle. At RotoWire, they marked three instances of a Witt getting hurt (no IL stint):

Injury date (location)

• July 23rd (knee)
• Aug 11th (back)
• Sept 5th (back)

Before the first injury, he was 27 for 34 in stolen base attempts over 102 games. An attempt once every 3.0 games. After the first injury, he was 11 for 13 in stolen base attempts over 55 games, or an attempt once every 4.2 games. A change, but not a major one.

He started running fewer times before the first reported injury. Here are his Stolen Base attempts by month.

Month: SB Attempts

• Apr: 13
• May: 12
• Jun: 2
• Jul: 8
• Aug: 6
• Sep: 6

He was on pace for 70 SB, but then June hit, and he slowed down to 33 SB pace. I could not find a reason for the June decline.

Tigers

• Kevin McGonigle, who only played shortstop this minor-league season, is working at third base in the Arizona Fall League.

And with McGonigle, Clark and Josue Briceño (Tigers’ No. 3 prospect, No. 33 overall) likely knocking on Detroit’s door next year, Monday was no different. McGonigle is working at third base in the Arizona Fall League precisely to help his fit for a Detroit debut next season.

“I expect the players that posted dominant years in Double-A to factor into our big league team next year. They’ve earned it,” Harris said. “They posted incredible years as 20-year-olds, very young for the level. I expect their progress to continue, and I expect them to be in Detroit at some point next year.

Twins

• Top prospect, Kaelen Culpepper, added about 3 mph of bat speed.

Following his professional debut in 2024, Culpepper set out to get better. He worked to add bat speed, and according to a club official, he did just that — ticking his swing speed up by about three miles per hour. Then he maintained that throughout the season, and it showed in his results.

National League

Brewers

• Garrett Mitchell expects a normal Spring Training.

OF Garrett Mitchell
Injury: Left oblique, left shoulder
IL date: April 26 (transferred to 60-day IL on July 6)
Expected return: 2026
Status: Underwent surgery on July 1 and expects a relatively normal ramp-up to the start of Spring Training.

• Shelby Miller will miss all of the 2026 season.

RHP Shelby Miller
Injury: Right UCL sprain
IL date: Sept. 3 (60-day IL; retroactive to Sept. 2)
Expected return: Late 2026 or start of ’27
Status: Underwent surgery to repair the UCL and flexor tendon on Oct. 13 with Dr. Keith Meister and is likely to miss most or all of 2026. Will be a free agent after the World Series.

Diamondbacks

• Tyler Locklear will need surgery and will miss part of the 2026 season.

Locklear needs elbow and shoulder surgery this offseason after a collision at first base in September, and his recovery will likely force him to miss the start of next season.

Marlins

• Joe Mack made it to AAA and will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason.

Mack, who turns 23 on Dec. 27, appears to be the catcher-in-waiting.

In 2025, Mack received an early-season promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville and helped the Jumbo Shrimp to their first national championship. In 99 games, he slashed .250/.320/.459 with 18 doubles, two triples, 18 homers and 53 RBIs.
…
Mack will need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. As a result, he will receive an automatic invitation to big league camp this spring — his second straight appearance there. This time around, Mack should receive more reps than he got this year.

Nationals

• Josiah Gray will be healthy and ready for a full Spring Training after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Nationals decided to end Josiah Gray’s rehab and shut him down for the remainder of the season. The right-hander recovering from last year’s Tommy John surgery will now begin his offseason program in preparation for next season instead of making one major league start before the season ends Sunday.

“I think the decision was made because he did his rehab, he was in good spirits, he was feeling good, he’s healthy. And now we want him to go home, relax and start (getting) ready for next season,” Cairo said. “Finally, he’s going to have a whole winter working to be prepared to show that he can pitch in the big leagues, that he can be with us. But he’s going to have a whole winter working out to get stronger and be healthy.”

In three rehab starts across three levels of the minor leagues, Gray allowed no runs over 6 ⅔ innings, with four hits, five walks and five strikeouts. He threw 45 pitches over 2⅔ scoreless and hitless innings while walking three and striking out two in his last start Friday night for Triple-A Rochester.

During Gray’s rehab process, the Nats were more focused on him staying healthy than his mechanics and results.

Hopefully, he found a way to throw strikes (career 4.3 BB/9 and 1.42 WHIP).

Padres

• The team may consider stretching out Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller as starters.

Preller didn’t commit to roles for either pitcher but left open the possibility of stretching one or both back out. “We’ll definitely get Mason’s thoughts and hear what he thinks is best. We’ll see how the offseason plays out, roster-wise. Then we’ll have some clear direction for him of what that looks like,” he said regarding Miller. Preller expressed a similar sentiment on Morejon. “(He’s) a lefty that’s throwing three plus pitches with command and the ability to use him in different places in the game. I think that’ll be a conversation as we get into it, similar to Mason, about what that looks like here for next year.”

Pirates

• MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf thinks Konnor Griffin will start the 2026 season in AAA and quickly work his way to the majors.

Based on conversations I had at the end of the season, I will hazard a guess that Griffin will start next year with Triple-A Indianapolis. If he performs well there, I don’t know how long he can be kept from Pittsburgh. The left side of the infield needs an upgrade. If the Pirates pick up a third baseman and have Jared Triolo start the year as the shortstop, there would be a very clear path for Griffin to reach the Majors.

Reds

• Late in the season was the first time Matt McLain started feeling 100% after having shoulder surgery.

McLain, 26, batted .220 with a .643 OPS in 147 games. He was often dropped to ninth in the lineup by the second half after opening the season batting second.

“Sometimes with shoulders and a year of development [lost], it’s just not as easy as you want,” Francona said.
….
“I do believe he’s just now starting to feel and be 100 percent. I think it’s a year-and-a-half-plus surgery to get back to full strength,” general manager Brad Meador said. “But he should have a full offseason. He should be able to have a good offseason. He knows he needs to have a good offseason. I think he’ll bounce back in a good way next year.”

First off, shoulder injuries can put a damper on a player’s season. Also, McLain didn’t show much improvement with a 76 wRC+ in the first half and 79 wRC+ in the second half. His power metric stayed the same from the first half to the second, while his contact rate dropped. I don’t buy that McLain is back in any way.