MLB Player News
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Drake Baldwin C | ATL
Braves' Drake Baldwin: Takes home NL ROY Award
Baldwin was named the Jackie Robinson National League Rookie of the Year on Monday.
Baldwin won the award comfortably, receiving 21 of 30 first-place votes to beat out Cade Horton, who got nine first-place votes. Baldwin was a valuable bat for Atlanta throughout the 2025 campaign, slashing .274/.341/.469 with 19 home runs, 80 RBI and 56 runs scored in 124 games. He becomes the first catcher to win Rookie of the Year since 2010 when Buster Posey took home the hardware, per Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal.
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Brian Navarreto C | MIA
Brian Navarreto: Enters free agency
Navarreto elected free agency Saturday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Navarreto spent the majority of the 2025 season at Triple-A Jacksonville, where he slashed .224/.300/.385 with 27 RBI and 22 runs scored across 180 plate appearances. The 30-year-old backstop will most likely sign another minor-league contract during the offseason.
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Austin Wynns C | ATH
Athletics' Austin Wynns: Lands deal with A's
Wynns (abdomen) signed a one-year contract worth $1.1 million with the A's on Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Wynns was traded to the A's in early June, and he had a solid year in a reserve role by maintaining an .865 OPS across 110 plate appearances prior to suffering an abdominal strain. He's also a solid defender, so he should be a suitable No. 2 backstop behind Shea Langeliers in 2026.
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Dom Nunez C | CLE
Dom Nunez: Hits open market
Nunez was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus by the Guardians and elected free agency Thursday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Nunez had a very brief stint in the majors in early June, but he otherwise spent his season in Columbus. He could get a minor-league deal elsewhere this winter.
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Chuckie Robinson C | LAD
Braves' Chuckie Robinson: Scrubbed from 40-man roster
Atlanta outrighted Robinson to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
He'll have the opportunity to elect free agency if he wants. Robinson holds a career .131/.169/.192 slash line over 138 plate appearances in parts of three seasons in the majors.
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Brandon Valenzuela C | TOR
Blue Jays' Brandon Valenzuela: Added to 40-man roster
The Blue Jays selected Valenzuela's contract from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday.
Valenzuela is now protected from next month's Rule 5 Draft. Acquired at the trade deadline from the Padres in exchange for Will Wagner, Valenzuela slashed .224/.309/.383 with 15 home runs over 113 games between the Double- and Triple-A levels in 2025. The 25-year-old will likely begin the 2026 campaign back at Buffalo.
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Willie MacIver C | TEX
Rangers' Willie MacIver: Claimed by Rangers
The Rangers claimed MacIver off waivers from the Athletics on Wednesday.
MacIver got his feet wet at the big-league level in 2025, slashing .186/.252/.324 over 32 games for the Athletics. The Rangers have Jonah Heim and Kyle Higashioka slated to handle catching duties in 2026, so MacIver is merely a depth addition.
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Tom Murphy C | SF
Tom Murphy: Time in San Francisco ends
The Giants declined Murphy's (back) $4 million team option for 2026 on Monday, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Murphy received a $250,000 buyout and will take home $8.25 million over his two-year stay with the Giants, during which he appeared in just 13 games. He didn't play after early May of the 2024 season after suffering a knee sprain, then missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a mid-back disc herniation that cropped up during spring training. The Giants didn't provide a clear indication on where Murphy stood in his rehab program before the end of this past season, making it uncertain if he'll be healthy in advance of spring training. If the 34-year-old backstop elects to continue his playing career in 2026, he'll likely have to settle for a minor-league deal.
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Elias Diaz C | KC
Elias Diaz: Club option declined
The Padres declined Diaz's (oblique) $7 million club option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Diaz posted a .607 OPS across 283 regular-season plate appearances in 2025 -- his worst mark since 2019. Rather than pay him $7 million to likely act as a backup in 2026, the Friars will instead give the 34-year-old a $2 million buyout and send him into free agency. His defense should still be enough for him to draw interest from other clubs, but he doesn't offer much fantasy upside at this stage in his career.