The White Sox have traded Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets in exchange for IF Luisangel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Robert had been in the middle of trade rumors dating back to last season. He now lands a fresh start with the Mets where he'll likely slide next to Juan Soto in the outfield. The Mets had been interested in Cody Bellinger. This could open up the door for the Yankees to bring him back.
J.T. Realmuto has signed a three-year deal to return to the Philadelphia Phillies. The contract is worth $45 million with $5 million in incentives each season. (Source: Bob Nightengale on X)
Fantasy Impact: After losing out on Bo Bichette earlier in the day, the Phillies pivoted to a familiar face and re-signed their catcher of the past seven seasons. Realmuto, who will turn 35 in March, may not quite be the offensive threat he once was, but he is still in the upper tier of backstops across the majors. Realmuto batted .257 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI in 550 plate appearances with the Phillies last season. He also threw out an NL high 30 baserunners attempting to steal a season ago. Realmuto will slide back in as the Phillies' starting catcher in 2026.
The Mets signed Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million contract. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Mets respond quickly after just missing out on Kyle Tucker. He figures to likely slide in at third base for them. It is another big contract handed out by Steve Cohen as the Mets look to remain competitive.
Kyle Tucker is reportedly signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports. The deal is worth $240 million over four years and includes opt-outs after both the 2027 and 2028 seasons. (Source: Jeff Passan on X)
Fantasy Impact: The coveted free agent outfielder heads to the Dodgers despite the Mets being extremely aggressive in their pursuit of Tucker over the last couple of days. The star outfielder played for the Cubs last season after spending his first seven years with Houston. Tucker batted .266 with 22 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 136 with Chicago last year. The four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner is a career .273 hitter with 147 home runs and 119 stolen bases in 769 games over his eight-year career. Tucker joins an already stacked Dodgers' lineup and should be the everyday right fielder in Los Angeles.
Ranger Suarez has agreed to a five-year, $130 million deal with the Boston Red Sox. (Source: Bob Nightengale on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Suarez, one of the top free-agent starting pitchers on the market, has found a new home after spending the past eight seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He made his first All-Star appearance in 2024 after posting a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP across 150.2 innings, then followed it up with a similar 2025 campaign, recording a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 157.1 frames. He’s expected to slot in as the Boston Red Sox’s No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet.
The Cardinals are trading Nolan Arenado and cash to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Jack Martinez. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Arenado had been in the middle of trade rumors dating back to last season. It is unclear how much of Arenado's contract Arizona will take on as that's a big reason why it took so long for him to be traded. Cardinals top prospect J.J. Wetherholt has a chance to work his way up to the majors at some point this upcoming season.
The Cubs have signed free agent 3B Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million deal. (Source: Jeff Passan )
Fantasy Impact: The deal includes no opt-outs and a full no trade clause. The veteran third baseman hit .273, with 18 home runs, and 62 RBI with Boston last season. Bregman will immediately slot in as the Cubs’ long term answer at third base.
An Edward Cabrera deal is nearly in place that would send the righthander to the Chicago Cubs. There has not been any news on what package would go back to Miami. Ken Rosenthal has confirmed the news that was originally reported by Michael Cerami. (Source: Ken Rosenthal on X)
Fantasy Impact: Cabrera, still only 27, has pitched for the Marlins in each of his five seasons. The righthander enjoyed his best year last season when he went 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 137.2 innings. His career strikeout rate of 25.9% is well above league average, but his career walk rate of 11.7% is also well above league average. However, he did post a career-best 8.3% walk rate last season. This would obviously be a big acquisition for the Cubs as he would slot into a front-of-the-rotation role for Chicago and with three years of control remaining.
Kazuma Okamoto has signed a contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, as first reported by Jeff Passan. The deal comes just before Okamoto's 45-day posting window closed, which was set to occur tomorrow at 4:00 pm (CT). The four-year deal is worth $60 million with a $5 million signing bonus. (Source: Jeff Passan on X)
Fantasy Impact: Okamoto played just 69 games for the Yomiuri Giants last season and slashed .327/.416/.598 in 293 plate appearances. Prior to last year when he hit 15 home runs in just 69 games, since making his NPB debut in 2018, Okamoto never hit fewer than 27 home runs in a season. He has hit 277 career home runs since his professional debut in 2015. The 29-year-old now projects to be Toronto's starting third baseman and will provide another big bat in the middle of an already very good Blue Jays' lineup. He can also back up Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. at first base and has also seen time in the outfield. Even with the Okamoto signing, Toronto is still in the mix to bring back Bo Bichette and has been linked to Kyle Tucker.
Wed, Dec 31st, 2025 2:54pm EST
By David Leisering
Tyler Mahle has agreed to a one-year deal to join the San Francisco Giants' rotation in 2026. The physical has been completed and the deal is done according to Mark Feinsand. (Source: Mark Feinsand on X)
Fantasy Impact: Mahle is coming off of an injury-plagued 2025 season with the Rangers, but pitched quite well when he was healthy. He pitched to a 1.64 ERA over the first two months of the season and finished the year with a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts (86.2 innings). Mahle was a 13-game winner for the Reds in 2021 and struck out 210 batters in 180 innings that season. His strikeout rate has been on a steady decline since 2020, but his career percentage of 24.1% over his nine seasons is still well above league average. Mahle is expected to fill out a back-of-the-rotation spot for the Giants.
Willson Contreras has been acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the St. Louis Cardinals according to Jeff Passan. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact:
Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves have agreed on a three-year, $45 million contract. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Suarez finished with a career-high 40 saves in 2025 while posting an impressive 2.97 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. He has compiled 76 saves over the past two seasons, leading all of MLB. Despite that success, he’ll serve as the primary setup man and backup closer for the Braves with Raisel Iglesias locked in as the closer. Suarez’s fantasy value takes a hit in standard formats, but he remains extremely valuable in leagues that reward holds.
Pete Alonso has agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles according to Jeff Passan. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: Alonso’s deal includes no opt-out clauses and will boost a Baltimore lineup looking for more production this upcoming season, filling a gaping hole at first base for the club. The slugger finished the 2025 season batting .272 with 38 home runs and 125 RBI for the New York Mets. Alonso will fortify a Baltimore middle of the order in need of more power in 2026.
The Mets have signed Devin Williams to a three-year contract with more than $50 million in guarantees. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter )
Fantasy Impact: Williams will head to the crosstown rivals, leaving the Yankees after a rough 2024 season in which posted a 4.79 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 62 innings last year. If Edwin Diaz does not return to the Mets, Williams will likely get the first opportunity to operate as the closer entering the 2025 season.
Emmanuel Clase reportedly may never pitch in the MLB again following his gambling scandal. (Source: Hector Gomez on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This is not official yet, but it remains a situation to monitor. Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in July and did not pitch again the rest of the season following a sports betting scandal. There should be a further update at some point in the offseason.
Tue, Sep 16th, 2025 5:46pm EDT
By Nicholas Rodriguez
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday that Yordan Alvarez has a "pretty significant" left ankle sprain that will keep him out for a while. (Source: Chandler Rome on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Alvarez suffered the ankle sprain while scoring in the first inning of Monday's game against the Texas Rangers. On Tuesday, Espada declined to provide a timeline for his return or confirm if he is going on the injured list. While Alvarez is sidelined, Zach Cole will take his spot in the outfield.
Fri, Aug 22nd, 2025 9:36am EDT
By Vince DiSilvio
Samuel Basallo has agreed to an eight-year, $67 million contract extension with the Baltimore Orioles. (Source: Jeff Passan on X)
Fantasy Impact: The Orioles' #1 prospect made his big league debut earlier this week and has already signed the largest pre-arbitration contract for a catcher in history. The deal can max out at $88.5 million and will lock in Basallo as a core piece of the Orioles for years to come. He will get a chance to catch every day with Adley Rutschman on the IL, but can also play first base and DH in the long term.
Mon, Aug 18th, 2025 4:10pm EDT
By Nicholas Rodriguez
Zack Wheeler underwent a successful thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his right upper extremity on Monday. (Source: Philadelphia Phillies on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Philadelphia Phillies announced that further treatment and a subsequent timeline of recovery is to be determined. Taijuan Walker will remain in the rotation with Wheeler sidelined indefinitely.
The Marlins placed Kyle Stowers on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 left side strain. (Source: Daniel Alvarez-Montes on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Stowers is expected to miss the next several weeks. It is unclear if he'll play again this season.
The Rays are acquiring right-handed reliever Griffin Jax from the Twins. (Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Rays were thought to potentially be sellers, but they are instead buying last minute as they remain in the wild card race. The Twins move another player as sellers.
