Just hours after trading Matt Strahm to the Royals, Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies front office made another move.
The club announced it acquired left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Minor League outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu.
Calling the 27-year-old a direct replacement for Strahm would overstate expectations, but Backhus did show flashes during his rookie season in 2025. Across 32 appearances, he posted a 4.62 ERA over 25 1/3 innings while recording 10 holds.
What stands out most is the look. Backhus throws from an unorthodox three-quarter arm slot, giving the Phillies bullpen a different angle from the left side. His extension is particularly notable.
Defined by Baseball Savant as “the distance, in feet, a pitcher releases the ball from the mound,” Backhus’ 7.2-foot release ranks in the top four percent of the league, paired with a 9-degree arm angle.
He is not a power arm. His sinker averaged 91 mph in 2025, placing it in the bottom nine percent of the league. Still, he limited hard contact, grading well above average in both barrel rate and hard-hit percentage.
He was also effective against left-handed hitters. He held them to a .139 average and a .503 OPS, and according to the Phillies’ press release, that opponents batting average ranked fifth among the 91 left-handed relievers who faced at least 40 left-handed batters.
Backhus now becomes the 38th player on the Phillies’ 40-man roster and carries three Minor League options.
Owusu-Asiedu, 22, was Philadelphia’s ninth-round pick in 2023 and is coming off his best professional season. Between Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore in 2025, he posted a .752 OPS.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound outfielder showed improved plate discipline with a .366 on-base percentage, and his speed is one of his tools — he stole 33 bases in 38 attempts.
A second trade Friday adds another bullpen option to the mix as the Phillies continue adding relief depth and competition heading into Spring Training.
SAN FRANCISCO — A decade ago, the newest Giant was a small part of one of the more interesting trades in recent baseball history.
The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers thought they had a deal centered around outfielder Carlos Gomez at the deadline in 2015, and it was so far along that word got to Wilmer Flores, then a young Mets infielder who shed tears as he tried to get through a game with rumors swirling. When that trade fell apart, Gomez was sent to Houston in a deal that brought future All-Star closer Josh Hader and three others to Milwaukee.
Giants general manager Zack Minasian was in the middle of it all. He ran pro scouting for the Brewers at the time, and as they scrambled to get a second Gomez deal done, Minasian wrote the name “Adrian Houser” on a white board, just in case. At the time, the right-hander was struggling in Double-A.
“He was the player that we were able to get thrown in at the end, and he’s turned it into a nice career,” Minasian said on a Zoom call with beat writers Friday.
They finalized a two-year deal with Houser on Friday that includes a club option for 2028, filling a hole in their rotation. This was the busiest week of their offseason, with Houser being joined by right-hander Jason Foley, who signed a one-year deal as he rehabs from shoulder surgery. Minasian said the Giants targeted both pitchers early in the offseason.
“They are pitchers we think can be impactful,” he said.
Houser will be in the rotation from the start of the year, but there will be a wait for Foley, who missed all of last season. The Giants dug deep into his medical files and talked to his physical therapist and came away feeling comfortable that he could be an option in June or July, giving them a former closer for some high-leverage innings.
Houser and Foley fill holes on the roster, but more help is needed. Minasian said they will continue to search the free agent and trade markets for additional starters and right-handed relievers, but on the latter front, it continues to sound like the preference is to avoid big-ticket items. Most are off the market by this point, anyway, so in addition to Foley, they completed a minor league deal this week with hard-throwing right-hander Gregory Santos.
When it comes to the rotation, the Giants continue to feel good about their young starting depth, but they also were saying the same things last year and saw how that turned out.
“If we can’t develop a couple of those, several of those, shame on us. I believe in our developing system and our pitching group,” Minasian said. “But also there’s something to be said for these pitchers being allowed to go through this natural maturation. If you look at Logan Webb combined in 2019 and 2020, I think it was 20 starts of a plus-five ERA and now we have a true ace of the staff.
“You understand some pitchers have to go through that and I think from that aspect building the depth and getting another starter would be great, but, is it a total necessity? I don’t think it’s a failure if we don’t get another starter, but we’ll continue to look.”
While the reliever market has been picked clean, there are still several high-end starters on the market, including Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai and Ranger Suarez. The Giants have thus far committed only about $15 million to their 2026 payroll through offseason moves, and there’s plenty of space left under the first tax line if they want to go big at some point.
They have been more heavily connected to second basemen in recent days, and Minasian said they will continue to explore options, but Casey Schmitt is the favorite to start on Opening Day right now.
The holiday week is generally a quiet one around MLB, but Giants officials do not plan to be far from their cell phones. The roster still needs plenty of work, but they were happy to add to the rotation this week with Houser, a player they were in on at the trade deadline before becoming sellers.
“We really believed in the mechanical changes that (Houser) made. He talked about getting more into his backside and it freeing up his arm path and that led to a two mph velocity increase,” Minasian said. “I think he commanded the ball better, he spun the ball better. He was able to maybe widen his mix of useable pitches. He’s a very athletic pitcher to begin with and I think when things finally got synced up for him last year that’s when we really saw him take off.”
The Phillies are making another tweak to their bullpen.
Philadelphia has traded left-hander Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan. The club confirmed the deal.
The move comes one day after ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the Phillies were “likely” to trade Strahm as they evaluated bullpen depth following the signing of Brad Keller.
Bowlan, 29, has appeared in parts of three Major League seasons, primarily out of the bullpen. In 2025, he made 34 appearances, posting a 3.86 ERA while striking out 46 batters over 44 1/3 innings.
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound right-hander features a five-pitch mix — similar to the recently acquired Brad Keller — and leans heavily on his fastball-slider combination. While he did not qualify for full Baseball Savant leaderboards, Bowlan’s average fastball (95.7 mph) ranked in the 72nd percentile, and he graded above average in whiff rate, chase rate, hard-hit rate and average exit velocity allowed.
The Tennessee-native was once a well-regarded prospect in Kansas City’s system, ranking inside the Royals’ Top 10 prospects from 2020 through 2022, per MLB.com.
Bowlan — who is not arbitration-eligible until 2029 — is out of Minor League options and remains under team control through 2032.
For Strahm, the deal closes a strong three-year run in Philadelphia. The left-hander was entering the final year of his contract and set to earn $7.5 million in 2026. He posted a 2.74 ERA across 66 appearances in 2025 and had become one of the most-reliable southpaw relievers across baseball.
The trade leaves the Phillies with two left-handed bullpen options in Tanner Banks and José Alvarado.
The Mets and Yankees were among the interested teams, but right-hander Michael King is re-signing with the San Diego Padres, according to multiple reports.
King will stay with the NL West club, despite the New York team's reported pursuit, on a three-year, $75 million deal that has opt-outs after the first and second season, as first reported by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
King, who turns 31 in March, elected free agency at the end of the 2025 season after an injury-riddled second year with the Padres, which was a shame considering how King pitched the season prior and the start he got off to this past year.
The righty, who began his career in The Bronx before the Yanks dealt him to San Diego in the Juan Soto deal, spent two stints on the injured list in 2025, the first due to right shoulder inflammation before knee inflammation sent him back to the training room. But when King was on the mound, he was decently effective, pitching to a 3.44 ERA and 1.200 WHIP across 73.1 innings and 15 starts. He struck out 76 batters to 26 walks, good for 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
But those numbers represent a drop off from his fine first season in Southern California, when he had a terrific year, his first as a full-time starter. That year, King posted a 2.95 ERA and 1.192 WHIP in 173.2 innings over 30 starts, with 201 strikeouts to 63 walks, a 10.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That saw him finish seventh in NL Cy Young voting.
As a starter, his sinker (29.5 percent), four-seamer (24.4 percent), changeup (21.4 percent, thrown mostly to lefties), and sweeper (18.9 percent) comprise the majority of his arsenal, with a slider that he throws to righties added in the past two seasons, rounding things out. San Diego will hope he returns to his 2024 form, when he was great at getting soft contact – 97th percentile in hard-hit percentage and 99th percentile in average exit velocity.
During his time with the Yanks, he made 115 appearances (19 starts) and posted a 3.38 ERA over 247.2 innings.
The Mets are reuniting with a depth arm from last season.
According to The Athletic's Will Sammon, Herget and the Mets agreed on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
Herget, 34, made six appearances for the Mets this season, allowing five runs (four earned) across 12 innings pitched. The New Jersey native started the 2025 season with the Braves, but Atlanta DFA'd him in July before the Mets picked him up.
In his four-year major league career, Herget has only appeared in 31 games, pitching to a 4.20 ERA (55.2 IP) and a 1.20 WHIP.
The Mets are making a splash in the international market.
According to multiple reports, including Francys Romero of beisbolfr.com, Dominican shortstop Wandy Asigen intends to sign with the Mets for around $3.8 million when the new international signing period opens on Jan. 15, 2026.
Asigen, 16, had originally signed with the Yankees but opted out of his contract to make a deal with the Mets.
It seems like a boon for the Mets as Asigen is ranked as the No. 2 international prospect by MLB Pipeline.
"The excitement around Asigen’s prospect profile stems primarily from his special left-handed swing," MLB Pipeline writes. "He has ripped off 110+ mph exit velocities and is repeatedly able to find the barrel during in-game action. Asigen has a knack for creating loft from his frame, something that should allow him to continue to tap into his above-average power as he continues to fill out. The quickness of his hands has evaluators excited about the future potential impact he can have with the bat."
MLB Pipeline has rated the left-handed hitting shortstop with 60 power and a 55 fielding rating. And while his arm strength is "average" at this stage of his development, Asigen's reaction time and speed are touted by evaluators.
Almost a year ago, the Mets signed shortstop and No. 3 international prospect Elian Peña for a franchise-record $5 million bonuswhen the signing period opened in January 2025. Peña is currently the Mets' No. 9 prospect according to SNY's Joe DeMayo's latest rankings after a solid first year in the Dominican Summer League.
Weaver is the latest Bombers closer to be jumping to the other side of town.
While other additions can be made, he’ll help bridge the gap to Devin Williams for the second consecutive season.
Weaver will also now have the opportunity to reunite with Clay Holmes, who he set things up for in the later innings with the Yankees two seasons ago.
The two grew close during their time together in the Bronx, and Weaver actually reached out to Holmes a few times this winter before he ultimately decided to come to Queens.
“We exchanged some texts,” Holmes said at the Mets Holiday Party. “They had one of those zoom meetings scheduled, and then he texted me saying that he verbally agreed -- things moved fast, but I think there was a lot that he really liked.
“I’m happy to have a friend here and happy how things worked out for him.”
Things certainly worked out nicely for Weaver, as he took advantage of his opportunity after being claimed off waivers by the Yanks and turned it into a $22-million deal with the Mets.
While he hit a rough patch after returning from a hamstring injury last season, the 32-year-old has been one of the more reliable late-inning relievers in baseball the past two years.
He’ll look to get back to that dominant form now in Queens.
“He’s a special pitcher,” Holmes said. “He’s got some spunk, got some character, and just really good energy to him -- Luke has had a lot of success, so I’m happy to see him rewarded for it, and happy to play with him again.”
The Mets hosted their annual Kids Holiday Party at Citi Field on Thursday, with Clay Holmes, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong all in attendance.
And while the focus of the day was to spread some holiday cheer to some local children, it also provided a chance for the players to weigh in on the offseason, particularly as it relates to trade rumors.
While McLean is widely considered untouchable in any trade talks, both Sproat and Tong have had their names floated around in many a trade rumor, but the pair of top prospects both said they aren’t focused on any of the outside noise.
“I really don’t look at it, if I’m being honest,” said Sproat, who made four starts at the big-league level last season while pitching to a 4.79 ERA.
“I love being a Met. It’s truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Tong told SNY. “I also understand that it’s a business, so honestly [I] don’t look at anything, and my focus is to get down to spring training every season, and I’m really excited for next year.”
While Tong’s minor league numbers in 2025 were staggering (1.43 ERA with 179 strikeouts in 113.2 innings), his brief appearance in the majors was largely uneven. The right-hander pitched to a 7.71 ERA and averaged less than 4.0 innings per start.
And despite being mentioned in just about every theoretical Mets trade, the 22-year-old is locked in on continuing his improvement as a player.
“Same focus: one foot in front of the other. I’m not too worried about results, and just more worried about the process,” Tong said. “When I’ve done that in the past, everything else has taken care of itself, and honestly, I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. So, I think doing that with the group of guys that we have is going to be really exciting.”
New York Mets starting pitcher Brandon Sproat (40) prepares to pitch in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park / Katie Stratman - Imagn Images
Sproat is taking a similar approach to his offseason as well, learning from his time in the majors as he heads into the 2026 season with a legitimate chance to break camp in the major league rotation.
“Obviously, I was super blessed to be able to debut last year. It’s been my lifelong dream,” Sproat said. “Just going out there and soaking it all in, and then just taking cues away from it and going into the offseason and working on those. There’s always something that you can work on, whether it’s the mental side or the physicality, pitches. I think there’s always something that you can take away from it.”
Once he did, though, the decision was a no-brainer.
"They called me up and I was passionate about it from the start," McLean told SNY's Michelle Margaux. "I wasn't really expecting to get that nod that early in my career, but it was something I couldn't turn down."
McLean was spectacular for the Mets after cruising his way through the minors.
He pitched to a 2.06 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while striking out 57 batters over 48.0 innings, which was good enough for him to finish 11th in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The 23-year-old is expected to be leaned on heavily again during his first full season.
While much can change over the next few months, McLean is currently the meat on the top of the bone for a Mets rotation that struggled mightily during the second-half last season.
No matter what additions they make, he is expected to remain one of their top arms.
"I mean I know it's cliche, but pressure is a privilege," he said. "Just to be able to go out there and compete on the highest level, in front of an awesome fanbase, it just means the world to me."
Before that though, he will team up with some of the best arms in the game, including potential Mets trade targets Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, and closer Mason Miller.
Mets right-hander Clay Holmes will also be part of the roster, coming off a strong season transitioning to a starter.
He happily accepted after having discussions with Team USA pitching coach Andy Pettitte.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," Holmes told Margaux. "When I saw that some of the build-up and workload stuff would be similar, it was an easy yes. I'm super excited to put the red, white, and blue on and compete with those guys."
The Phillies could keep adjusting their bullpen, after adding a veteran arm.
During Tuesday’s media availability, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the club could continue to “look for arms in the bullpen.” By Wednesday, they acted on it, agreeing to a two-year, $22 million deal with right-hander Brad Keller.
This morning, ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote that the “best available” left-handed reliever is Matt Strahm, “who is likely to be traded by Philadelphia.”
Strahm is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make $7.5 million in 2026. He’s coming off yet another strong season, posting a 2.74 ERA in 66 appearances.
This is not the first time the southpaw has been mentioned this offseason. In November, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that the Phillies generated interest in multiple left-handed relievers at the General Manager Meetings, including Strahm, as clubs surveyed bullpen options across the league.
That reporting followed the Phillies’ end-of-season press conference. During that availability, Dombrowski was asked about a reported comment Strahm made after the team’s Game 4 loss in the NLDS, when the series-clinching run scored on an error by reliever Orion Kerkering.
Per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the comment referenced a perceived lack of focus on pitcher-fielding practice. Dombrowski responded by saying the club did “plenty” of pitcher-fielding work leading into the series and added that Strahm himself “didn’t do them, but we did them.”
Neither side suggested the exchange impacted any evaluation, but it added context to an offseason in which Philadelphia has remained open to bullpen adjustments.
In addition to Strahm, the Phillies have left-handed options in Tanner Banks and José Alvarado, and Keller’s arrival further deepens the bullpen in terms of matchups.
Strahm’s value lies in his durability and that he’s a lefty who can get righties out. In 2025, right-handed hitters batted .196 with a .585 OPS against the 34-year-old. Keller’s standout year makes the idea of moving the Strahm easier to entertain — right-handed hitters produced just a .466 OPS against Keller.
Their group of left-handers also look stable if Strahm were to be dealt.
Among left-handed relievers who faced at least 110 left-handed batters last season, Banks allowed the fewest earned runs in the majors (five) and posted a 1.47 ERA — a mark topped league-wide only by back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.
And in Alvarado’s career, he’s held left-handed hitters to a .565 OPS.
If the Phillies are comfortable with a group headlined by Banks, Alvarado, Kerkering, Keller and closer Jhoan Duran, Strahm becomes a trade chip. Effective left-handed relief remains one of the scarcest commodities in the sport, and Strahm’s salary is reasonable for a team looking to add late-inning help.
What it could mean
A move could tie back to the club’s biggest unresolved roster question. The Phillies have made an offer to J.T. Realmuto — according to Zolecki — and Dombrowski said Tuesday they “haven’t been able to get it done so far.”
If the talks stall, the trade market could become the cleaner path to filling catcher than a thin free-agent class.
Chicago’s Carson Kelly is one possible fit. The 31-year-old hit 17 homers in just 369 at-bats in 2025 and posted a .761 OPS along with a 3.6 WAR. Statcast placed him in at least the 90th percentile in blocks and caught stealing above average.
Kelly is entering the final year of his two-year, $11.5 million contract and has a mutual option for 2027 that is unlikely to be exercised. The Cubs also have catching depth, with the organization’s No. 2 prospect Moisés Ballesteros posting an .868 OPS in his first 20 big-league games.
Carson Kelly — Credit: David Banks (Imagn Images)
A more expensive, higher-profile option would be St. Louis’ Willson Contreras, who has two years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract. Contreras moved to first base full time last season, but he was a slightly above-average defensive catcher prior to the shift, and the bat remains productive — a .257/.344/.447 line with 20 homers and 80 RBIs in 2025.
With the Cardinals holding depth at both catcher and first base, a deal could help them clear payroll, while the Phillies would be betting on Contreras’ ability to handle catching duties again.
Willson Contreras — Credit: Joe Puetz (Imagn Images)
The organization could also explore a younger solution behind the plate. A recent trade between Seattle and Washington involving catching prospect Harry Ford and left-handed reliever José A. Ferrer provides a framework for how teams may value controllable catchers. Kansas City’s Carter Jensen, the Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing and Milwaukee’s Jefferson Quero are among the young backstops currently blocked at the big-league level.
Trading Strahm would only happen if the Phillies believe their bullpen can absorb the loss. The return would need to address a bigger need elsewhere, and catcher is the most obvious one at the moment.
Re-signing Alex Bregman was a priority for the Boston Red Sox heading into the offseason. But if recent reports on the third baseman’s market are accurate, don’t count on a reunion.
Signing Bregman to that kind of contract would be out of character for the Red Sox, who are notoriously reluctant to offer long-term deals to players in their 30s. It’s still a possibility — they signed then-29-year-old shortstop Trevor Story to a six-year pact in 2022 — but it’s hard to picture them outbidding clubs that are willing to get aggressive for Bregman’s services.
The Arizona Diamondbacks have surprisingly emerged as one of those clubs. Multiple MLB insiders have named the D’backs as a legitimate threat to sign Bregman, who hails from nearby New Mexico and works out in Phoenix. Jared Carrabis of the popular “Section 10” Red Sox podcast, who has a personal relationship with Bregman, believes Arizona is willing to go up to six years for the three-time All-Star.
Five or six years for Bregman is risky, but the Red Sox put themselves in a position where they lack a better alternative. They essentially signed Bregman to replace slugger Rafael Devers, who they shipped to the San Francisco Giants in June. It would be a terrible look for Boston’s front office to watch Bregman sign elsewhere while holding onto the roughly $250 million it saved in the Devers deal.
If Bregman leaves, Bo Bichette is the next best option on the free-agent market. The 27-year-old has almost exclusively played shortstop throughout his career, but due to his defensive shortcomings, he’ll likely move to second or third base wherever he signs. He’s coming off a bounce-back season with Toronto in which he hit .311 with 18 homers and 94 RBI in 139 games.
Boston has also been linked to 34-year-old slugger Eugenio Suarez. While he’d add much-needed right-handed pop to the Red Sox’ lineup, he’s a defensive liability. Signing him as a Bregman replacement at third would be a head-scratcher.
If chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Co. stand pat, former top prospect Marcelo Mayer is the best internal option to take over at the hot corner. Mayer’s debut season was cut short due to a wrist injury, but he played exceptional defense while replacing an injured Bregman at third. His bat still has a ways to go, especially against left-handed pitching.
The Red Sox, who still haven’t made a big-league free-agent signing this winter, can still save themselves an even bigger headache by simply paying Bregman. The likelihood of a reunion seems to be rapidly decreasing, however, and fans should be hovering over the panic button if they haven’t hit it already.
SAN FRANCISCO — After leading the league in strikeouts and winning a Gold Glove Award, there’s one individual goal still out there for Logan Webb. He wants to win a Cy Young Award, and his preparation to win one in 2026 will begin alongside the two men who took the award home in 2025.
USA Baseball announced on Thursday that the Giants ace will pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, joining a rotation that includes Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. Webb was hopeful that he would be part of Team USA next spring, and after some back and forth between the Giants and USA Baseball, an agreement was reached.
Webb has been the most reliable ace in baseball since breaking through in 2021, and he now will get a chance to help Team USA try to get back on top after finishing second in 2023. Skenes was one of the first to sign up for the team and Skubal was added Thursday morning, along with hard-throwing San Diego Padres right-hander Mason Miller.
The announcement comes a week after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said that his preference was for older pitchers to make up the WBC pitching staffs. The Giants have some concerns about their most important player ramping up too early in the spring and risking injury, and Posey had a conversation with Team USA Mark DeRosa recently about Webb’s spot on the team.
“Look, I got to play in it. It’s a great event,” Posey said at the Winter Meetings. “The way I see it, there’s definitely more risk for a pitcher than a position player.”
The Giants didn’t have much of an argument to keep Webb out of the event. Posey and Brandon Crawford are among the Giants stars who have played over the years, and while there’s a greater risk of injury for pitchers, plenty of other aces will participate. The selection of Skubal, who has about $400 million on the line when he hits free agency, made it particularly hard for anyone to argue against Webb participating.
Webb has received notoriously bad run support as a Giant, but he’ll have plenty of help when he takes the mound in red, white and blue. Team USA’s lineup includes Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr., with more big-time selections coming. The team’s first game will be March 6 in Houston against Brazil.
While rosters still are being finalized, the Giants expect both Jung Hoo Lee (South Korea) and Heliot Ramos (Puerto Rico) to participate. Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and others are also under consideration for roster spots.
WASHINGTON — Ani Kilambi is joining the Nationals as their new general manager, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Wednesday, making the 31-year-old who had been with the Philadelphia Phillies the latest young face to join president of baseball operations Paul Toboni in Washington.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Kilambi’s hiring had not been announced yet.
The news was first reported by ESPN.
Kilambi has been an assistant general manager for the Phillies, working with that club since 2021.
Before that, he was with the Tampa Bay Rays for more than five years.
Kilambi takes over a job that was held for more than a decade and a half by Mike Rizzo, who became the GM in Washington in 2009 and added the title of president of baseball operations in 2013. Rizzo was fired in July during the Nationals’ sixth consecutive losing season. Manager Dave Martinez also was fired then.
Rizzo and Martinez were in charge in 2019 when the Nationals won the World Series, but the team hasn’t had a winning year since. Washington went 66-96 in 2025, putting it 14th out of 15 clubs in the National League.
Mike DeBartolo took over as interim GM after Rizzo was let go and oversaw the selection of 17-year-old high school shortstop Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft in July.
Toboni, 35, then was hired in late September to run the Nationals; he had been an assistant GM with the Boston Red Sox. He brought in manager Blake Butera, who at 33 became the youngest skipper in the majors since the 1970s.
There is plenty of work to be done to turn around the Nationals, who are in need of plenty of talent and depth as they try to replenish their major league roster and minor league supply of prospects.
Toboni’s first move in free agency came Monday, when Washington agreed to terms with left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin on a $5.5 million, one-year contract, pending the successful completion of a physical exam. Griffin played in Japan the past three seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO — Before heading to his first Winter Meetings, Tony Vitello called a half-dozen people around the game and asked about what to expect from the event. As he prepares for his first spring training, his main concern is similar.
What keeps him up at night?
“What is it like,” Vitello replied on a recent “Giants Talk” podcast.
There is a lot being thrown at the new Giants manager, but he at least is supported with a tremendously experienced group of coaches and advisors. His staff will include former big-league managers Ron Washington and Jayce Tingler, and the front office now includes Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker, both of whom should get inducted into the Hall of Fame at next year’s Winter Meetings.
Vitello’s cell phone is filled with the likes of Peyton Manning and Jelly Roll, and when he has a question about managing an MLB game, there will be no shortage of people he can call. The guidance started even before he got hired, though. Baker and Bochy were part of the interview process and both are confident the first-year manager will succeed.
Bochy had dinner with Vitello and his parents earlier this offseason, and on Thursday’s “Giants Talk,” he said that meeting started with a funny question.
“First I asked him if he was nuts,” Bochy said, smiling. “Because I live in Tennessee now and of course I know how big he was there and how popular and what a great program they had there in Tennessee. But he’s ready for a new challenge and he couldn’t find a better spot than San Francisco and I told him that.
“I think the fans are going to love him. He’s smart, understands the game. You talk to him and you get it. I think he’s going to have a nice career.”
Bochy’s run in San Francisco included three titles, and they were won in large part because of his postseason bullpen management. It can be difficult from the outside to determine just how much a manager is impacting the clubhouse day to day, but Vitello’s in-game management will be heavily scrutinized given his lack of experience. When it comes to late-game moves, he can lean on perhaps the best to ever do it.
“There’s no easy answer on that because every year you’re probably going to have a different bullpen, especially in today’s game,” Bochy said of managing late in games. “You have to adjust every year with what you have, who is your closer — we had to change closers when I was there — and how you work your bullpen. You get to know them and you just get better with it as the year goes.
“Hopefully after a month you have a good feel of what you have and you trust your instincts, because you’re going to get a lot of information. He’s been doing this for a while. Just go with your gut when you think you need to make a change.”
Vitello and Bochy spoke on the phone a couple of times before meeting up in person, but he had a bit more experience with Baker because the two met at this year’s All-Star Game. Baker said earlier this month that he has “been urging people to give (Vitello) a chance.”
“He’s one of ours now,” he said.
As for any advice, the man who spent 26 years on the top step of the dugout said it’s important to avoid outside noise.
“Don’t read the tweets and the blogs,” Baker said, “Because now you’re judged every day versus just on the weekends.”
That shouldn’t be too big a problem for a young manager who included the phrase “Twitter is not life” in his introductory press conference at Oracle Park in October.
Both Baker and Bochy were at the Winter Meetings and got a chance to catch up with Vitello, who also held a big dinner for his entire staff. He has a busy couple of months ahead, with trips to the Dominican Republic and South Korea on the schedule, along with endless Zoom calls to make sure he’s fully prepared for his first spring. It’s been 30 years since Bochy had to run a camp for the first time, and he’ll be there with guidance if Vitello needs it. But he said he’s confident the new manager will hit the ground running.
“I think you look at what he’s done up to this point and he started out wearing a lot of different hats, being a pitching coach, being an assistant and grinded his way to being the head coach there at Tennessee. He changed that program around and became a winner,” Bochy said. “He’s a motivator and you get that feeling when you talk to him. I know he’s excited and wants to do well and I think you’re talking about a guy that loves baseball. You can see the passion.
“I’ve already called him a baseball rat and he’s not that old, but that’s his life and I know he’s excited about this opportunity.”
The Mets announced a pair of roster moves on Wednesday afternoon, claiming catcher Drew Romo off waivers from Baltimore and designating left-handed pitcher Brandon Waddell for assignment.
Romo, 24, is a former first-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2020 MLB Draft. He was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on December 5 but was DFA’d just five days later.
Romo has spent the majority of his pro career in the minors, though he played 16 games with 2024 and three games in 2025. He has a career .760 OPS as a minor leaguer, hitting 45 home runs and driving in 240 runs over the course of 426 games.
Waddell, 31, was a depth piece for the Mets last season, appearing in 11 big league games, including one start, while pitching to a 3.45 ERA. He allowed 29 hits and struck out 22 hitters over 31.1 innings of work.
