Earlier this week, utilityman Luke Williams signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves. 29-year-old Williams joined the Braves in 2023, and since then, he’s appeared in 89 games. In 2025, he logged most of his innings at shortstop, but he’s also been known to be on the mound when necessary.
The move was finalized the same day that the club announced shortstop Ha-Seong Kim’s hand injury, so will Williams take over at shortstop for the time being? Possibly. Hopefully, though, the front office will continue to make notable moves before the start of the season and Williams will just provide depth.
More Braves News: Cam Caminiti and JR Ritchie each made Baseball America’s Top 100 prospect list. Caminiti came in at 53 overall, and Ritchie was ranked 84 overall.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees’ re-signing of Cody Bellinger fills a hole in left field and the heart of the batting order. But, with GM Brian Cashman slated to run back a remarkably similar roster to the one that folded in the ALDS last season, will they do more? Pitching seems the clearest area of need, but top targets like MacKenzie Gore and Freddy Peralta are now off the table, and acquisitions Tarik Skubal and Sandy Alcantara seem increasingly unlikely.
One option would be to move either Jasson Domínguez or Spencer Jones — two outfielders without a clear path to playing time on the current roster — for bullpen help. With Bellinger and center fielder Trent Grisham both batting from the left side, New York has also been linked to right-handed free agent outfielders Austin Hays and Harrison Bader, though the limited potential playing time would admittedly be a drawback. And, with the team’s three top catching options (Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, and Ben Rice) all lefties as well, a righty catcher could be in play, though Cashman calls this possibility “probably less of a realistic option” due to the dearth of options on the market.
ESPN: ESPN reporter Jorge Castillo agrees with Hoch’s take on Domínguez, projecting him to be traded before spring training. While the Martian’s speed and bat from the left side of the plate make him a viable bench option, his defensive struggles and inability to hit lefties could make him expendable. Castillo posits bullpen help or a right-handed hitter at catcher or outfield as areas the club could look to upgrade by flipping the former top prospect. The most likely outcome still probably has Domínguez still sticking around as depth unless the Yankees find the right deal, as they might be glad to have a legitimate outfield starter in house if anyone pops a hamstring or worse in spring training.
MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: The Yankees have claimed center fielder Michael Siani off waivers from the Dodgers, the team announced Friday. Call it a darkly amusing twist, as the Dodgers had to drop Siani upon signing Kyle Tucker to his megadeal. In 383 plate appearances with the Reds and Cardinals over the past four seasons, the 26-year-old Siani has posted an OPS of just .547 but flashed stellar defense, including registering 16 Defensive Runs Saved in 2024, second in MLB among center fielders. Look for him at Triple-A Scranton as depth if he sticks with the organization through April.
To make room for Siani on their 40-man roster, the Yankees designated reliever Kaleb Ort for assignment. Claimed by the Yankees in January (five years after being lost by New York to Boston in the Rule 5 Draft), Ort posted a 4.89 ERA in 46 innings with Houston last season.
After a wildly disappointing 2025, David Stearns vowed to make significant changes to the team, and the players and coaches who show up to Port St. Lucie in a few weeks will look a lot different than last year.
As Stearns said this week, “There’s gonna be a lot of guys in our clubhouse who really have no affiliation at all with what happened to us in ’25. And I think that’s healthy and I think that’s good for us.”
Here’s a look at who’s here — and who’s not.
In
Bo Bichette
After losing Pete Alonso, the Mets waited to add another big right-handed bat. They got Bichette, one of the best ball-to-bat hitters in the game and considered an excellent clubhouse presence. Can the longtime shortstop play third base? We’re about to find out, but he only turns 28 in March and is an excellent athlete — although he’s had some injuries.
Freddy Peralta
Arrived in a trade from Stearns’ old Brewers team, along with right-hander Tobias Myers. Expected to pitch near or at the top of the rotation, the 29-year-old is due to be a free agent following this season, so the pressure will be on both Peralta and the Mets, who gave up a pair of top prospects in Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams for one year of the starter.
New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette speaks at his introductory press conference at Citi Field, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Luis Robert Jr.
The Mets took a chance the center fielder will be able to recapture what he showed in 2023, when he was among the best players in the game with the White Sox. He’s battled injuries and had too many strikeouts the past two years.
Jorge Polanco
This one had plenty of people scratching their heads when it first happened, since Polanco has primarily played in the middle of the diamond and the Mets are set there with Francisco Lindor at shortstop and newly arrived Marcus Semien at second. But the Mets think the 32-year-old switch-hitter, coming off perhaps his best season at the plate, can make the move to first base.
Devin Williams
When the Mets signed Williams, Edwin Díaz was still on the market and there was a chance Williams would be setting up for him. Instead, Díaz went to the Dodgers, leaving Williams to try to bounce back as a closer in New York after failing in the role with the Yankees last season.
Marcus Semien
Semien’s arrival to play second base gave the Mets a significant upgrade in their infield defense, which was one of Stearns’ stated goals. At 35 and coming off back-to-back subpar years at the plate, there are certainly questions about other parts of his game.
Luke Weaver #30 of the New York Yankees reacts after giving up a run during the 7th inning. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Luke Weaver
The right-hander has proven he can pitch in big spots in New York, having done so with the Yankees when they reached the World Series in 2024. The 32-year-old was inconsistent last season, but still effective.
Tobias Myers
Not just a throw-in as part of the Peralta deal, the right-hander has the ability to start and pitch out of the bullpen. He also blanked the Mets for five innings in a postseason start in 2024.
Luis García
The 38-year-old journeyman gives the Mets another right-hander in the bullpen.
Coaching staff
Justin Willard was hired as the new pitching coach after serving as the director of pitching with the Red Sox, and Troy Snitker, the former Houston hitting coach and son of former Braves manager Brian Snitker, was brought in as hitting coach. Kai Correa (bench coach), Gilbert Gomez (first base), Tim Leiper (third base) and J.P. Arencibia (catchers) are among the other new faces on the coaching staff.
Out
Pete Alonso
Just a few months after breaking Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record for home runs, Alonso (right) signed a five-year, $155 million contract to go to Baltimore. The Polar Bear will see how many homers he can hit in Camden Yards, as the Mets let him go without a fight.
Edwin Díaz
After seeing their closer return to elite form, the Mets tried to retain Díaz (left), but he took a slightly bigger deal to go to the Dodgers, leaving a hole in the bullpen.
Brandon Nimmo
The organization’s 2011 first-round pick is all over the top-10 lists in franchise history, from runs scored to plate appearances, but the Mets decided to move on from the 32-year-old with five years and just over $100 million remaining on his contract, trading him to Texas.
Brandon Nimmo #9 of the New York Mets reacts after the final out of the 9th inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Jeff McNeil
Like Nimmo, McNeil spent his entire professional career with the Mets until they traded him to the A’s, as his production at the plate and defensive versatility dwindled.
Luisangel Acuña
The former top prospect likely didn’t have much of a role on this Mets team, with their infielder-heavy roster, and was sent to Chicago in exchange for Robert.
Coaching staff
Perhaps the biggest surprise surrounding the shake-up of Carlos Mendoza’s staff, highly respected pitching coach Jeremy Hefner was let go and quickly picked up in the same role by the Mets’ divisional rivals in Atlanta. Hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes were also fired and bench coach John Gibbons, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and catching coordinator Glenn Sherlock also won’t be back.
Rockies Fest is always great, but it’s especially notable in 2026 given the significant front office and coaching changes the Colorado Rockies have made.
Still, it’s great to be at Coors Field (even though it’s extraordinarily cold out!), eat some ballpark food, and hang out with other fans and players.
Just to get everyone in the mood, here’s a video from 9News.
This link will take you to the official program if you’d like to plan ahead.
Me, I really enjoy the panels with prospects discussing their MLB experience, and I also like roaming around those parts of Coors Field that generally are not available to the public. (Last year, I learned where the visiting team’s weight room was located, which, really, I had no idea!)
I suspect there will be lots of folks at the front office panels, too.
Tomorrow’s “This Week in Purple” will be a discussion thread for the day’s activities. If you’ll be there, perhaps we can arrange a meet-up. If you’re not, we’ll try to give you a sense of what’s going on.
But for tonight, what are you looking forward to tomorrow if you’re attending? And if you’re not, what do you want us to try to learn about?
Maybe we’ll get an announcement on that fifth starter . . . .
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ signing of Kyle Tucker for four years, $240 million caused an uproar in baseball last week. The outrageous overpay triggered many around the game to say enough is enough. With the coming end to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLBPA, negotiations for a new agreement will probably begin this spring. It has already been a volatile and public debate between all the parties with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA head Tony Clark both dropping test balloons in the media.
The outrage regarding the Dodgers’ ability to spend unlimited amounts of money on payroll has been on the rise since the Shohei Ohtani deal. But the Tucker contract appears to have been the final straw for many. Although almost all quarters of the game agree that a lockout is inevitable on Dec. 1 of this year, how long that lasts and what the new contract looks like almost no one agrees on.
With the offseason winding down and Spring Training around the corner, baseball execs and players will start meeting soon to lay the groundwork for what their demands and strategies will entail. With baseball enjoying a huge uptick in popularity over the past few years, it remains to be seen if the two sides can look past their differences and find common ground in order to keep their game on the field.
Sports journalist Joon Lee took this opportunity to once again address a common theme being discussed in the lead up to the negotiations. Are the Dodgers responsible for breaking baseball?
Here is the video of his report regarding the unique advantage he believes the Dodgers have in just their media revenue and how that has taken them from being bankrupt and sold in 2012 to being the organization that can have whatever payroll they want in present day.
When this story first broke in 2012, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times posted an article (taken from a Bloomberg piece) outlining the deal as he understood it (requires subscription). There were multiple other outlets that reported on the story with the synopsis being that the bankruptcy settlement negotiated with team for sale allowed the organization to pay less in revenue-sharing for their media deal than the 29 other teams. The goal was to allow them more money to be able to recover from the bankruptcy. It was negotiated before the media deal and went for the length of whatever deal they signed.
According to an article just published in EssentiallySports by Disita Sikdar, the deal meant that the team would never have to report more than $84 million in media revenue, with a four percent yearly escalator. With the deal the team eventually signed with Spectrum, the Dodgers deal is worth $8.35 billion over the 25 years of the contract. It works out to $334 million per year.
The Vice President of MLB at the time was Manfred. He stated that the information was incorrect and the Dodgers would be paying the same amount in revenue-sharing as all the other teams. The direct contradiction was partially addressed by Maury Brown in his article for Baseball Prospectus in October of 2012.
Focus on this out of the Bloomberg piece: the Dodgers are going to pay revenue-sharing on every penny that comes into their coffers through media rights. They wouldn’t, however, have to pay revenue-sharing on any equity should they start an RSN with a partner such as FOX or TWC. Consider this “proliferation” — another big-market, storied franchise being able to move money from one hand to the other. After all, the Yankees and Red Sox have been doing it for years.
The Dodgers formed a partnership with Spectrum and are co-owners of their regional sports network. This makes the situation more complicated than I can figure out with my limited understanding of partnerships and finance. Brown acknowledges that the Dodgers likely have an unfair advantage. This article was written before the media deal was set.
If any of Lee’s report is true, it just adds more flame to the fire that many in baseball already have raging. The system is definitely broken, with the Dodgers having more resources than any other team, and flaunting it. Can the league and the players find common ground to begin fixing what needs to be addressed?
Will there be a salary cap and a salary floor? Does revenue-sharing need to be revamped to reflect the disparity in media rights and revenue from the media contracts or lack thereof?
The future of the Padres rests not just with these issues but also with the sale of the team. It seems reasonable that we might not have a new owner until some of these questions are answered.
The big brother to the north doesn’t seem to care about the penalties they have to pay for breaking the rules regarding their spending and payroll. They forfeit money, draft picks and international signing bonus pool cash because of their payroll. The current estimate for 2026 sits at $413-$429 million. No one else even comes close.
The bigger picture is about the health of the sport. Something has to be done.
While it's still unclear when Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. will make his anticipated debut in pinstripes, league scouts and analysts are still holding high hopes for him.
MLB Pipeline released its first Top 100 prospects list for 2026 on Friday, and the 20-year-old infielder ranked No. 32 overall, a seven-spot drop from his final placing (No. 25) last season.
Lombard is joined by three other Yankees farmhands -- right-handers Carlos Lagrange (No. 79) and Elmer Rodríguez-Cruz (No. 82), and infielder Dax Kilby (No. 94).
The four youngsters were also ranked on Baseball America's latest prospects list, and notably, outfielder Spencer Jones -- MiLB's home runs leader in 2025 -- was excluded by both outlets.
Lombard, the Yankees' consensus top prospect, is projected to reach the majors in 2027 but still has plenty to prove as a reliable bat and defender.
The former first-round pick reached Double-A Somerset last season, but hit a measly .215 with 124 strikeouts in 108 games. He did produce 36 extra-base hits for a .695 OPS, however, in 391 at-bats.
Rodríguez-Cruz, named the Yankees' Minor League Player of the Year in 2025 by Baseball America, registered a 2.58 ERA with 176 strikeouts across three levels, finishing the season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Lagrange, standing 6-foot-7 with a fastball touching triple-digits, logged a 3.22 ERA with 104 punchouts over 78.1 innings in Double-A last season. MLB Pipeline estimates his big league debut sometime this season.
Dilby, the Yankees' first-round pick in the 2025 draft, has several boxes to check in his development. The lefty-hitting, righty-hitting teen saw some time with Single-A Tampa last season, hitting .353 with nine RBI in just 18 games (68 at-bats).
As players get ready to report to spring training camp, it's the perfect time for prospects from all MLB teams to show their respective organizations what they have, and the Mets have plenty this year.
MLB Pipeline updated its Top 100 prospects list for the preseason on Friday, and it includes four Mets. Here are the Mets prospects who made MLB Pipeline's Top 100:
No. 6 - Nolan McLean
No. 16 - Carson Benge
No. 48 - Jonah Tong
No. 98 - A.J. Ewing
The Mets are one of four teams to have two prospects in the Top 25 on MLB Pipeline's preseason list, with McLean being the only pitcher in the Top 10. The right-hander is also the highest Mets prospect on the MLB's rankings since Francisco Alvarez was ranked No. 3 back in the preseason 2023 list.
McLean's place on the list is not surprising after bursting onto the scene and becoming one of the Mets' best pitchers. Across 48.0 innings over eight starts during his big league debut last season, McLean posted a 2.06 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 57 batters.
Benge, who ended the 2025 season with Triple-A Syracuse, will compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster and, according to president of baseball operations David Stearns, the young outfielder has a legit chance to capture a place on the 2026 Mets.
Tong was called up to the big leagues not long after McLean and showed moments with the club, striking out 22 batters across 18.2 innings (five starts).
And then there's Ewing, who enjoyed a breakout 2025 season. He slashed .315/.401/.429 (.830 OPS) across three levels, ending with Double-A Binghamton.
McLean and the others were also on Baseball America's updated list of prospects, along with Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. However, Sproat and Williams were recently traded to the Brewers for Freddy Peralta; otherwise, the Mets would have six prospects on MLB Pipeline's Top 100.
Williams (No. 51) and Sproat (No. 100) now give Milwaukee four prospects this preseason.
Similar to the rest of the franchise, Carlos Mendoza has had himself a rollercoaster of an offseason thus far.
During an appearance on the “Foul Territory” podcast on Friday, Mendoza opened up on his eventful past few months, which started with the skipper firing a large chunk of his coaching staff following the Mets’ disappointing 2025 season.
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Under Mendoza, the organization let go of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes, bench coach John Gibbons and third base coach Mike Sarbaugh, moves that the manager said were the “toughest days” of his career.
“I’m not going to lie they were probably some of the toughest days of my professional career,” Mendoza said.
In the weeks following the mass firing, the Mets hired Tony Snitker as its hitting coach and Justin Willard as pitching coach, along with promoting director of hitting Jeff Albert to oversee the hitting program in Queens.
New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza looks on with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner at Spring Training, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, in Port St. Lucie, FL. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“You develop these relationships with these coaches — we worked together for a couple of years — and then you know you are going to have to make some tough decisions,” he added. “You spend more time with them than you do your own family that they become your family, and when you’re making those phone calls, it just breaks your heart.”
Despite the rough start to the offseason, Mendoza has seen an upturn with the Mets going on a massive free agency spree in January, signing Bo Bichette and trading for Luis Robert and Freddy Peralta all within days of each other.
Mendoza insisted that Bichette’s signing was not a “panic pivot” because the Mets failed to land Kyle Tucker, saying that the organization was “prepared” to give the two-time All-Star a deal.
“I don’t see it as a panic because we laid down that foundation,” Mendoza said of Bichette’s signing. “We were prepared, we had two calls with him. …This wasn’t like ‘oh, Tucker went somewhere else and the very next day here we are signing Bo.’ We had meetings with him.”
The New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette poses with manager Carlos Mendoza at his introductory press conference at Citi Field, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Just days after Bichette signed a three-year, $126 million deal with the Mets, David Stearns made a trade with the White Sox for Robert, giving up Luisangel Acuna and minor league arm Truman Pauley in return.
Mendoza liked the deal, but acknowledged that Robert — who has missed 114 games over the past two seasons — needs to stay on the field, and that the Mets’ medical staff has already been in contact with the outfielder.
“When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza also said that immediately after the Mets traded for Peralta — and reliever Tobias Myers — on Wednesday, he got on the phone and had a “very good conversation” with the 29-year-old righty.
Despite the huge splash the Mets have made over the past week, Mendoza claimed that they are not done building the 2026 roster.
“As a manager you appreciate having an owner like Steve and Alex [Cohen] who are willing to put in all the resources — that’s a really good feeling,” Mendoza said.
“We feel really good where we’re headed as an organization,” he added.
Although a smaller deal compared to the Mets’ flurry of acquisitions over the past week, the Mets sent pitcher Cooper Criswell to the Mariners in exchange for cash considerations, Seattle announced Friday.
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To make room on their roster, Seattle designated left-handed pitcher Jhonathan Diaz for assignment, who made just one appearance for the Mariners this past season.
Criswell spent his 2025 season both in Boston and as a member of Triple-A Worcester, where he pitched to a 3.70 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 65⅔ innings.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Cooper Criswell delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Boston. AP
He also saw success during his brief stint in the big leagues last year, holding a 3.57 ERA through seven appearances with the Red Sox.
After being selected in the 13th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Criswell has spent five seasons in the majors, posting a career 4.48 ERA in 154⅔ innings.
Along with spending the 2024 and ’25 seasons in Boston, Criswell has also pitched for the Rays and Angels during his career.
Criswell was then DFA’d by the Mets to clear up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster following the trade for Freddy Peralta from the Brewers.
Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns — who previously served as general manager of the Brewers — said that he trusts Peralta to be a consistent starter next season.
“Freddy has clearly established himself as one of the top starters in baseball, one of the most consistent starters in baseball, over the past few years,” Stearns said on a video call Thursday from Citi Field. “He’s a player I know well.
“A player I trust. A player I think will mesh very well with the organization and the team and our city.”
CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals throws the ball to first base against the Chicago White Sox at Nationals Park on September 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Trade talks centered around CJ Abrams between the Giants and Nationals recently stalled out.
The Giants had reportedly “signaled their openness to include” top prospect Josuar Gonzalez.
Fellow Giants prospects, including left-handers Carson Whisenhunt and Jacob Bresnahan, outfielder Bo Davidson and shortstop Jhonny Level were also discussed as part of talks, per Baggarly.
Abrams, 25, hit 19 home runs with 31 stolen bases last season for Washington.
CJ Abrams of the Washington Nationals throws the ball to first base against the Chicago White Sox at Nationals Park on September 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Getty Images
With Willy Adames holding down shortstop in San Francisco, Abrams would have shifted over to second base if a deal with the Giants had gone through.
Earlier this month, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Giants were “aggressively pursuing” a second baseman, with the Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and Cubs’ Nico Hoerner as possible fits.
Baggarly added that the franchise might shift their focus to the open market, citing free agents like outfielder Harrison Bader and infielder Luis Arraez as potential targets.
Washington is apparently undergoing another fire sale despite finishing with a losing record in each of the past six seasons.
The Giants, on the other hand, are looking to get over the hump, having finished at or just below .500 in each of the past four seasons.
San Francisco’s offseason has been relatively quiet after finishing 80-82 last season, with the signings of Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle to add to the back of their rotation as their biggest moves thus far.
As spring training draws ever nearer, the Mariners have again fortified the group of arms they’ll bring to camp (known around here as The Pitching Pile), acquiring RHP Cooper Criswell from the Mets for cash. Long-tenured sixth (or seventh or eighth) starter Jhonthan Díaz was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Criswell, 29, was originally drafted in the 13th round by the Angels in 2018 (obligatory Mariners tie-in: the Angels’ last pick of that draft was Isaiah Campbell from Arkansas, who would return to school and be drafted by the Mariners in the second round the following year). He then spent two years with the Rays and two years with the Red Sox. The Angels brought Criswell up as a starter, but he spent most of his first year with the Rays relieving. The Red Sox moved Criswell back into a starter role, slotting him into the fifth starter role.
Criswell is in an unusual situation: he’s out of options but pre-arbitration, meaning he makes the league minimum. Boston, facing a roster crunch this off-season but not wanting to lose the versatile Criswell, hatched a plan to try to sneak him through waivers: they signed him to a 2026 deal for slightly above league minimum, at $800K, meaning any team that tried to pick him up off waivers would have to pay above the minimum. That plan was foiled, however, first by the Mets, and then by the Mariners, who picked up Criswell when the Mets DFA’d him to make room for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Meyers.
It’s unclear how the Mariners plan to use Criswell, who isn’t exactly the minor-league castoff who usually shows up on the pitching pile. As a starter, Criswell fits the mold of a typical back-end starter. He has four solid pitches: a changeup, cutter, sinker, and a sweeper. He throws the first three pitches about equally, around 30% of the time each. Criswell has an extremely low arm slot, and his changeup has plus drop, as does the sinker; the two, along with the cutter, combine for a wealth of ground-ball outs rather than strikeouts. It’s a familiar profile: the groundball-getting contact manager back-end starter.
The real interest with Criswell is his sweeper, which he doesn’t throw often: only about 10% of the time. That’s curious, because on paper it looks like it should be his best pitch, with a hellacious 20” of glove-side break. FanGraphs’s Stuff+ model has the pitch well into “elite” territory. However, the few times he threw it last season, batters didn’t miss it. In a small sample size, hitters slugged a gaudy .875 on the pitch.
But why not knockout pitch if knockout pitch-shaped?
Criswell offers a host of possible avenues, but “wipeout sweeper reliever” sounds a bit more interesting than “depth starter contact manager.” We will see how the Mariners choose to deploy him this spring.
In a corresponding move, lefty Jhonathan Díaz, spot starter/stalwart of Tacoma’s rotation and winner of the Casey Lawrence Memorial Bacon-Saver Award, was designated for assignment. It’s not a glamorous role, but Díaz filled it capably for the Mariners for several years. We wish him well.
The Mets have traded right-hander Cooper Criswell to the Mariners for cash considerations, Seattle announced Friday.
Criswell, who was designated for assignment by the Mets earlier this week, was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in December.
He joined the Red Sox in 2024, logging a 4.08 ERA with 73 strikeouts across 26 appearances (99.1 innings) as both a rotation and long-relief option.
Last season was far less kind to Criswell, however. The 29-year-old spent ample time in Triple-A Worcester, appearing in just seven MLB games before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in August.
Since making his big league debut in 2021, Criswell owns a 4.48 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 113 punchouts over 45 appearances (145.1 innings). He didn't have any minor league options remaining.
Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Max Scherzer is ready to wait.
The future Hall of Famer told The Athletic Thursday that he’s “healthy and ready to sign at any moment if certain teams call.”
That last part is key.
Scherzer, the outlet reported, is willing to let Opening Day pass for a starting spot to open up on one of those unnamed preferred teams.
Scherzer, who turns 42 in July, spent last season with the American League champion Blue Jays, posting a 5.19 ERA over 17 starts.
Max Scherzer of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
In the postseason, Scherzer was much better, registering a 3.77 ERA in three outings.
Scherzer got the ball for Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers and looked about as good as he had all season, tossing 4 ⅓ innings while allowing just one run.
In Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Scherzer got the win after going 5 ⅔ innings, holding the Mariners to two runs in an 8-2 Blue Jays victory.
After the World Series, Scherzer made it clear that 2025 wasn’t it for him.
“The only thing I can say is,” Scherzer told reporters after the Blue Jays’ Game 7 loss. “It’s going to take some time to give a full answer to that, but there is no way that was my last pitch.”
Max Scherzer pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning in game seven of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on November 01, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Getty Images
Scherzer is one of many big-name free agent starting pitchers, including Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen and Justin Verlander, left on the market with spring training fast approaching.
After Clayton Kershaw’s retirement, Scherzer, the three-time Cy Young winner, now ranks No. 2 among active pitchers with 221 career wins, behind only Verlander’s 266 wins.
Welcome to the White Sox, and welcome back to closing, Seranthony Domínguez! | (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
For the first time since 2022, the White Sox have an official closer. Chicago agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with reliever Seranthony Domínguez two days after trading Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for a pair of prospects.
No one expected Jerry Reinsdorf to actually use the extra change on a solid free agent, but this pleasant surprise is more than welcome.
Domínguez is coming off a strong 2025 season, split between the Orioles and Blue Jays: As a setup man, he accumulated a 3.16 ERA and an 11.9 K/9 rate in 67 games. Domínguez has also proven to be durable, pitching at least 50 innings in four consecutive seasons. His ability to stay healthy since missing 2020 and 2021 to Tommy John surgery will help take the load off of a bullpen that was often expected to carry games after the fifth inning.
Beyond stat lines, Domínguez fits in perfectly with a club that has an affinity for hard-throwing relievers with swagger. Domínguez’s fastball, which he used 43% of the time in 2025 and up to 60% in the beginning of his career, averaged 97.7 mph, ranking in the 94th percentile among MLB pitchers. To offset his four-seamer’s velocity, he swapped his slider and changeup for a splitter and sweeper this year. Although these pitches alone induced nearly a 50% whiff rate and helping Domínguez’s tally a 33.3 whiff percentage and 30.3 strikeout percentage overall, his new pitch arsenal also led to a 5.6% walk rate increase. Like many high velocity hurlers, Domínguez misses bats, but gets rocked when hitters make contact.
Domínguez is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition that elevates the Sox’s bullpen. The veteran reliever brings tenured success with playoff teams and a history of dominating in high-leverage situations. With very little to lose and a lot to gain, Chicago’s pitching staff looks more ready to hold its own against decent teams this season.
Some are concerned about how new Mets infielder Bo Bichette will handle the transition to the third base this season.
David Wright, though, is not one of them.
Wright certainly knows a thing or two about getting it done at the hot corner.
“If I could do it, anybody could do it; it shouldn’t be that hard,” the former Mets captain joked. “But he can pick it and is such a great athlete -- I see it being a seamless transition.”
Bichette hasn’t played the position since travel ball as a teenager.
He spent some time at second during the World Series last year with the Blue Jays, but had only appeared as a shortstop or DH prior to that at the big league level.
Still, Wright doesn’t think it’ll present an issue for the Mets.
In fact, after watching Bichette in those playoffs, Wright feels he's going to be a huge piece for this club with the abilities he brings on the other side of the ball.
“The energy, the electricity, that confident swagger that he brings to a team,” Wright said. “And on top of that, he’s a heckuva player -- so I think it’s a welcome addition.”
Bichette rebounded nicely after a bit of a down 2024 campaign, finishing 16th in AL MVP voting after hitting .311 with 94 RBI and a .840 OPS over 139 games with the Jays.
He’ll look to carryover that production hitting behind Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.
