The Cardinals and Donovan avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.8 million contract Thursday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Donovan finished the 2025 season with a .287/.353/.422 batting line, 10 home runs and 32 doubles over 118 contests. He's a strong candidate to be traded before Opening Day, but if that doesn't happen, Donovan will open 2026 as the Cardinals' primary second baseman. He underwent abdominal surgery in October but is fully recovered.

Atlanta designated Brujan for assignment Thursday.

The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Ken Waldichuk, who was claimed off waivers. Brujan has a lackluster .199/.267/.276 career batting line across parts of five big-league seasons, but he could draw interest on waivers due to his defensive versatility.

The Brewers and Turang avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.15 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Turang had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time, so he's getting a massive raise. The second baseman slashed .288/.359/.435 with a career-high 18 home runs and 24 stolen bases over 156 regular-season contests for the Brewers this past season.

The Phillies and Stott avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.9 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Stott slashed .257/.328/.391 with 13 homers and 24 steals across 147 regular-season contests in 2025. He'll open the 2026 campaign as the Phillies' primary second baseman and will have one more year of arbitration eligibility next offseason.

Massey agreed to a one-year, $1.57 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

It's the first season of arbitration eligibility for Massey, who missed nearly three months during the 2025 season due to wrist, ankle and back issues. The 27-year-old struggled when available last year with a .244/.268/.313 slash line in 77 games, which was a significant decline from his .743 OPS during the 2024 regular season.

The Giants signed Kennedy to a minor-league contract Dec. 15.

Kennedy spent a little time in the majors with three different teams in 2025, going just 2-for-29 at the plate. The 27-year-old will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he'll give the Giants some experienced infield depth.

Chavis signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Wednesday that includes an invitation to big-league spring training, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Chavis spent the entirety of 2025 with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, slashing .291/.350/.547 with 13 homers, 45 RBI and 45 runs scored across 283 plate appearances. The 30-year-old infielder will get a chance to compete for a roster spot during spring camp, but he'll most likely return to the minors to begin the '26 campaign.

The Athletics acquired McNeil (shoulder) and cash considerations from the Mets on Monday in exchange for Yordan Rodriguez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

McNeil finished the 2025 season with a .243/.335/.411 batting line and 12 home runs over 462 plate appearances, which was his best offensive season since he made the All-Star team and won the National League batting title in 2022. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery after this past season but is expected to be ready for spring training. Slated to turn 34 just after Opening Day, McNeil will take over as the Athletics' starting second baseman and will get a boost with a move from Citi Field to Sutter Health Park.

Vargas signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Vargas spent most of his time at Triple-A Reno this past season but still managed to appear in 38 games for the D-backs, during which he slashed .270/.292/.383 with 19 RBI and 12 runs scored. He'll officially return to the organization to begin the 2026 campaign, although he's expected to remain an organizational depth piece.

The Pirates acquired Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from the Rays on Friday in a three-team trade that sent Mike Burrows to the Astros and Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito to Tampa Bay, Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.

The Rays picked up Lowe's $11.5 million option for 2026 last month but will now ship him to another team. Lowe slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs over 134 games with the Rays during the 2025 season. The 31-year-old will give the Pirates some much-needed thump to their lineup and also take over at a position of need in second base.