Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Yamamoto's time with the Dodgers has been extremely successful, and he has propelled himself into Cy Young conversations after just two years in MLB. Despite missing some time due to injury in 2024, Yamamoto still posted a solid 3.00 ERA through 18 starts, striking out 105 batters through 90 innings pitched. He held together a hobbled rotation in the postseason, making four starts and posting a 3.86 ERA as the Dodgers went on to win the World Series.

I remember very clearly within the first month of us having Shohei, there was a play where he was running the bases and he didn't necessarily get as good of a secondary lead and he wasn't able to score on a certain play. After the game, it was Freddie, Mookie, our first base coach Clayton, several of us grabbed him and just said,

When a team designates a player for assignment, he is removed from that club's 40-man roster. The team then has a period of time with some ability to impact what is next for that player. This is colloquially referred to as "DFA limbo". The team can trade the player to another club, unless the trade deadline has passed and the new offseason has not yet begun. The team can also place the player on outright or release waivers.

"They love it. They've dedicated their lives to it, and they recognize the window for them to play it is remarkably small. So they want the game to be the best version of itself. "When you represent that as a part of the committee, even if you have less votes, and it's either considered ... it tells players that their value, their voice, isn't being valued.

The A's added to their infield with this week's acquisition of Jeff McNeil from the Mets. The A's sent a lottery ticket pitching prospect (Yordan Rodriguez) while taking on $10MM of the $17.75MM remaining on the veteran's contract. Adding help at one of second or third base had been on the A's checklist since the beginning of the offseason. It seems they're content with one outside pickup.

The Reds have overlooked that small-sample disappointment and brought him aboard via a non-roster pact. Chavis was once a notable prospect, getting selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2014 draft. He had a breakout season in 2017 when he launched 31 home runs in the minors. Baseball America ranked him as the #85 prospect in the league going into the 2018 season.

The 31-year-old made one appearance for the Dodgers in MLB, logging a single at-bat in September. Robinson came up to the roster during the Dodgers' minor injury crisis at catcher last season, during which Will Smith and Dalton Rushing both landed on the injured list within a week of each other. He served as Ben Rortvedt's backup during that time.

Kershaw shared a post with his new daughter, Chloe Peach Kershaw, alongside his wife and four children -- Cali Ann, Charley, Cooper and Chance. Noted Dodgers fan and tennis legend Billie Jean King was among those to congratulate Kershaw in the post's comments. "She's perfect and her brothers and sister are obsessed with her. We are grateful for the gift of her life!" Kershaw wrote in the Instagram post.

The Dodgers originally acquired Gary Sheffield, along with Manuel Barrios, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Charles Johnson, in the blockbuster trade that sent Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Florida Marlins on May 14, 1998. Sheffield helped mitigate some of the sting that came with the Dodgers trading a fan-favorite in Piazza as he immediately became one of the team's most productive bats.

As someone with tantalizing potential, but a limited track record and the uncertainty that comes after Tommy John surgery, Ryan could be an interesting trade chip for the Dodgers,

Heuer resurfaced in the majors this year for the first time since 2021. The righty was on a minor league deal with Texas that got selected onto the MLB roster in June. He pitched once before being optioned back to Triple-A. That was his only appearance with the Rangers, but they managed to find a taker for him at the trade deadline. They flipped him to the Tigers for cash. Heuer made two appearances with Detroit before being released in September.

Another star player is joining an already stacked American League East division. On Sunday evening (Dec. 21) the Boston Red Sox reportedly acquired Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals. The 33-year-old right hander is the latest in a series of moves by Blue Jays division rivals over the weekend that have strengthened a couple of teams heading into 2026.

As Brown put it, " it's not easy to part ways with successful pieces that you have that are high-end prospects. But when there are a lot of teams that need starters, that's where the market is. A lot of teams need starters, and so you don't want to lose out. So you have to get creative and pull from your depth and maybe fill that spot."

At the time, Sale's most recent innings total of 102 2/3 innings was his highest in three seasons, as he had barely pitched in 2021-2022, and missed 2020 entirely. His ailments included rib and pinkie injuries, along with Tommy John Surgery. The Braves made a gamble that Sale would be his dominant pitching self without the issues that would keep him off the field, and boy, did it pay off.

Of the Mariners' three primary position-player free agents, Josh Naylor returned to the team on a five-year, $92.5MM contract, and Jorge Polanco headed to the Mets on a two-year, $40MM deal. This leaves Eugenio Suarez on the open market, and in an interview with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said there's "certainly a chance" Suarez could join Naylor for another stint in the Pacific Northwest.

(Strahm is) a year away from free agency. We were able to get a guy that we liked who has six years of (club control) and we think can help us right away. So you have to give to get. And we still feel good with our left-handers in the bullpen.

To clear a 40-man roster spot for reliever Kyle Finnegan, the Tigers have designated outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy for assignment. It's the first DFA in Malloy's young career. He appeared in 52 games with Detroit last season. Detroit acquired Malloy and lefty Jake Higginbotham from Atlanta in a December 2022 trade that sent right-hander Joe Jimenez to the Braves. Jimenez has dealt with injury issues, but has provided strong work in the Atlanta bullpen when healthy.

Drake Baldwin had nothing short of a phenomenal start to his MLB career. Of course, you probably knew that, since he won the NL Rookie of the Year award. While the team struggled a bunch offensively for various reasons, none of it seemed to deter Drake Baldwin from making the most of his rookie campaign, earning a permanent stint in the big leagues. Here's how his season panned out in 2025.

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that right-hander Ian Hamilton was added on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. The 30-year-old spent the 2025 season with the New York Yankees, where he appeared in 36 games and managed a 4.28 ERA through 40 frames. In the same season, he logged 19 games in the minors and put together an unimpressive ERA of 6.00. However, the deal does give the Braves some added depth and will hopefully be a good move in the long run.

Nomo was originally signed by the Dodgers on February 13, 1995, thanks to a loophole in the Japanese Uniform Players Contract that allowed him to voluntarily retire and play for whomever he desired after returning to active status. Nomo had spent the previous five seasons with Nippon Professional Baseball's Kintetsu Buffaloes before getting into a contract dispute with team management, which led to pursuing a Major League career. Nomo signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers that included a $2 million bonus.