Mining the News (11/12/25)

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

• 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.”

• The writers at MLB.com came out with a list of potential Rookie of the Year candidates for next season. It’s a nice list of the best minor league players with major league proximity taken into account. For example, here is the write-up for Nelson Rada of the Angels.

Angels: Nelson Rada, OF (No. 7)

The Angels pushed Rada aggressively to Double-A in 2024 at age 18, then sent him back to Rocket City to repeat the level this season. He performed better (.713 OPS vs. .600 in 2024) over 93 games and he really responded to the challenge of heading to Triple-A. There’s not a ton of impact, but he did post an OPS of .849 over 42 games with Triple-A and he finished the year with a combined 122 wRC+ and 54 steals.

American League

Angels

• Anthony Rendon will be healthy by Spring Training.

3B Anthony Rendon
Injury: Left hip surgery
Expected return: 2026
Status: Underwent left hip surgery after attempting to rehab in the offseason and missed the 2025 season. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2026.

Blue Jays

• Louis Varland could be a starter next season.

“I think he has the arsenal, the durability, the athleticism and mindset to start, but that’s something that we would want to talk to him about more. It could be something that, if he were open to it, we would want to dig into a bit further.”
Atkins, on Louis Varland’s potential as a starter

• Ricky Tiedemann will be ready by Spring Training.

“[Ricky Tiedemann] is going to have a normal spring.”
Atkins, on the Blue Jays’ No. 4 prospect

Tiedemann, if he’s healthy coming off a long Tommy John rehab, is the biggest story no one is talking about (yet). The 23-year-old is gifted, and while building up as a starter will take time again, he could make a near-immediate impact in a shorter role.

• Jeff Hoffman is not guaranteed the closer’s job.

Atkins was directly asked whether Jeff Hoffman will be the closer next year. It’s the position they signed Hoffman to fill last offseason and a role he held from Opening Day through Game 7 of the World Series. Hoffman finished the regular season with a 4.37 ERA and allowed just two runs in 10 postseason appearances. However, home runs were a through line during his first year in Toronto. Atkins declined to unequivocally hand Hoffman the keys to the ninth for 2026.

“The great thing about Jeff is he’s not married to (closing),” Atkins said. “Talking about that cohesion and that team approach, he epitomizes it. I think he would be open to anything that makes us better.”

Later, when asked if the Jays had other closing candidates in-house, Atkins mentioned Yimi García and Louis Varland as options “depending on other acquisitions and decisions.”

• José Berríos is “in a good position physically.”

After finishing the season on the injured list, Toronto Blue Jays starter José Berríos is primed for a full return in 2026.

Berríos “should have a completely normal off-season and be ready for spring training,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters on Thursday.

“He’s in a good position physically,” Atkins added.

Red Sox

• Marcelo Mayer plans on bulking up.

On a related note, Breslow discussed Marcelo Mayer’s role heading into next season, and though he praised the rookie for his elite defense and ability to play across the infield, he pointed to Mayer’s physical development as an area of need.

“I think he can play above-average defense, probably anywhere on the infield, but he needs to get bigger and stronger and be able to shoulder the workload of a full season,” Breslow said. “That’s what the conversations have centered around. And to his credit, he’s committed to it, and so we’re really excited about what he’s going to become and what he’ll bring to spring training. But in terms of identifying right now what his role might be, I think it’s probably a bit premature.”

Breslow suggested adding strength will help Mayer hit the ball harder and more consistently. The rookie finished the season with a .664 OPS in 49 games. But more so, he suggested the added weight will help him stay on the field and handle a bigger workload.

• Triston Casas continues his rehab at the team’s Spring Training facility.

Casas, who lives in Miami in the offseason, has moved across the state to Fort Myers to continue his rehab under team supervision at the team’s JetBlue Park facilities.

“Triston is anticipating being ready for spring training, exactly what that looks like, we’ll find out,” Breslow said. “But he’s moving around really well. He’s committed to living in Fort Myers for the offseason to make sure he gets the treatment and support that he needs.”

Royals

• Michael Massey will “revamp his swing” this offseason.

Massey already had a comprehensive offseason plan to help revamp his swing, including flattening out his swing path and “launching” from his backside better, he said. He might be young in his career still, but Massey has hit before, both in the Minor Leagues (.842 OPS in six seasons) and in Kansas City in 2024, when he hit .259 with a .743 OPS as the club’s everyday second baseman.

• Alec Marsh will miss most of 2026.

RHP Alec Marsh
Injury: Right shoulder surgery
Expected return: Late 2026 at best
Status: Did not pitch in 2025 due to recurring shoulder pain. Underwent a right labral repair in October and is looking at around a year-long recovery.

• Kris Bubic has been cleared to begin throwing.

LHP Kris Bubic
Injury: Left rotator cuff strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Injury ended his season in late July, but he did not require surgery. Cleared to begin throwing program in November.

Tigers

• Reese Olson should be ready by Spring Training.

RHP Reese Olson
Injury: Right shoulder strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Working on throwing progression, should be ready for Spring Training.

Twins

• Pablo López and David Festa are improving and should be ready to contribute by spring.

Falvey said that Pablo López and David Festa, both of whom missed the end of the season due to injuries, are coming along well.

“Pablo was good, obviously, by the end of the year,” he said. “He had that dive and awkwardness; we got nervous, obviously, but we went through the process and got an MRI and everything was good. He’s in full offseason mode at this point.

“And then same for David. Everything’s tracking the way we expected this offseason. I don’t think we’ve shared a specific timetable of his throwing schedule; I don’t have that for you today. But it should track well towards Spring Training.”

White Sox

• Noah Schultz is “progressing” in his rehab.

LHP Noah Schultz (White Sox No. 2 prospect, MLB No. 40)
Injury: Right knee patellar tendinitis
Expected return: 2026
Status: No longer taking part in the Arizona Fall League, as a precautionary measure. General manager Chris Getz said Schultz is progressing well but has not yet thrown off a mound.

• Luis Robert Jr. is trying to get better this offseason.

Luis Robert Jr. is using this offseason to get better in any way possible as the center fielder prepares for a seventh season with the White Sox.

“I’ve been working on everything. I want to improve on everything in my game,” said Robert through interpreter Billy Russo during a Wednesday afternoon Zoom. “I’ve been working on my body and my mind. My hitting.

“I’m just trying to improve and to be better and to be able to display all I can do on the field. The main goal for me is to stay on the field, stay healthy.”

Should he try to improve every offseason? Just saying.

Yankees

• Jasson Domínguez will get some at-bats in the Dominican Winter League. Also, he will be in the mix for a 2026 outfield job.

“The Martian” will look to build on that when his next at-bats come in winter ball, providing the switch-hitter with a potential launching pad toward a starting role in the Yankees outfield in 2026.

Domínguez has begun workouts with Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League, confirming what the Yankees had hinted toward since their playoff exit: that the 22-year-old “Martian” would spend part of the offseason playing in his home country.

Asked if he views Domínguez as a starting outfielder in 2026, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in October that he “would expect him to be right in that mix.”

National League

Braves

• Grant Holmes hopes to avoid elbow surgery.

RHP Grant Holmes
Injury: Right elbow inflammation
Expected return: 2026
Status: Still hoping to avoid elbow surgery. The Braves became more encouraged when he threw a live batting practice session at their Spring Training facility in October.

Brewers

• William Contreras should be healthy by Spring Training after having finger surgery.

C William Contreras
Injury: Left middle finger surgery
Expected return: 2026
Status: Underwent a procedure the week of Halloween to address a longstanding fracture in the middle finger of his glove hand. GM Matt Arnold characterized it as “minor,” and he said Contreras would be sidelined from baseball activities for 5-6 weeks but is expected to be healthy in plenty of time for Spring Training.

Cardinals

• The team expects Iván Herrera to catch some next season.

The plan is for Iván Herrera to return behind the plate next year, though not in a full capacity. He could split time with rookie catcher Jimmy Crooks, with Leonardo Bernal, who won a minor-league Gold Glove for Double-A Springfield, likely to make the jump to Triple A. That leaves Pedro Pagés as the odd man out and another potential trade candidate.
…
The team did not release timetables for potential return-to-play windows, though Winn, Donovan and Herrera are expected to be ready for spring training.

• Masyn Winn wants to improve his offense …

Winn, who often displays the maturity of someone well beyond his years, was downright blunt with his need for improvement when he hits the field in 2026 if he wants to move into the upper echelon of MLB shortstops.

“The biggest thing is I’ve got to improve offensively,” Winn said after winning the first of what he thinks will be many Gold Gloves. “Defensively, I hope I can stay where I’m at because you can’t really get too much better. But hitting-wise, there’s a lot to improve on.

“Pretty much every offensive aspect I regressed. So going forward, hopefully I’ve got a full, healthy season and I can put a good year under my belt.”

… even though he had offseason surgery.

A late September surgery alleviated the pain almost immediately, and he started jogging again this week. Next week, he hopes to be cleared to swing a bat, take ground balls and strengthen himself for the season ahead.

Cubs

• Justin Steele expects to return in the early part of next season.

LHP Justin Steele
Injury: Left elbow
Expected return: 2026
Status: Underwent season-ending surgery (left ulnar collateral ligament revision repair) on April 18. Steele resumed a throwing program in October with an eye toward an early-season return in ’26.

Dodgers

• As the roster is currently constructed, Ryan Ward and Alex Call would form an outfield platoon.

[Ward’s] defense has raised some concerns, and this was his third time performing at the level, which raised skepticism about his big-league fit. That skepticism was further fueled in 2025, when the Dodgers’ paltry corner outfield production — led by Conforto, with an array of different options mixing in at left field — was not enough for Ward to warrant a call-up.

With Ward now on the 40-man roster, at least one potential configuration could be a platoon with a left-handed hitting Ward and the right-handed hitting Alex Call, who the Dodgers acquired at the trade deadline and is entering his first year of arbitration. Call logged just 15 plate appearances during the Dodgers’ World Series run and just 85 plate appearances after the trade during the regular season.

Mets

• After having Tommy John surgery, Christian Scott expects to be ready for the start of next season.

RHP Christian Scott
Injury: Sprained UCL in right elbow
Expected return: 2026
Status: Underwent a hybrid Tommy John surgery in September 2024 and missed the entire 2025 campaign. Began throwing for the first time again on March 11 and graduated to bullpen sessions in August, with an eye toward being ready for the start of 2026.

Padres

• Joe Musgrove should be ready for the season’s start after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

RHP Joe Musgrove
Injury: Tommy John surgery (torn right UCL)
Expected return: Spring Training 2026
Status: Was targeting a late-season return in the bullpen but never made an appearance in 2025. Expected to be ready for Spring Training, though his progression will be closely monitored.

• After having surgery on his finger, Ramón Laureano will be ready for Spring Training.

OF Ramón Laureano
Injury: Right index finger fracture
Expected return: Spring Training 2026
Status: Sustained the fracture taking a swing on Sept. 24 and missed the Wild Card Series, but the Padres anticipate he will be fully healthy by the start of camp.

Phillies

• The team expects Justin Crawford to be on the Opening Day roster.

Dombrowski strongly suggested last month that Crawford will have an inside track to make the Opening Day roster.

Rockies

• Chase Dollander will be able to begin his throwing program in December.

RHP Chase Dollander
Injury: Left patellar tendon strain
Expected return: 2026
Status: Being shut down in early September has given him a chance to heal. He is building strength, will begin running in a few weeks, and should begin his normal throwing program in December.