Ohtani was named the National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Ohtani won the award unanimously for the third straight season and for the fourth time overall, with two wins in both the NL and AL. Though he wasn't as active on the basepaths with 20 stolen bases after stealing 59 bags in 2024, Ohtani still hit an exceptional 55 home runs with a 1.014 OPS across 725 plate appearances. He also returned to the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgery and recorded a 2.87 ERA across 47 innings.

General manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Alvarez (ankle) has begun jogging at roughly 70 percent intensity, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Alvarez suffered a severe left ankle sprain during the final weeks of the regular season. Brown's comments indicate that the 28-year-old is coming along nicely in his recovery, and the GM added that he expects Alvarez to be ready to go by the start of spring training. The righty-hitting slugger also missed significant time in 2025 due to a fracture in his right hand and finished the season with just a .797 OPS across 199 plate appearances.

The Phillies extended Schwarber a one-year, $22.05 million qualifying offer Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Schwarber will most likely decline the qualifying offer and look for a multi-year deal in free agency, but by extending the offer to the 32-year-old slugger, Philadelphia ensures it will at least receive draft compensation if Schwarber signs elsewhere. Schwarber was one of the Phillies' most dynamic hitters in 2025 with a .240/.365/.563 slash line and set career highs with 56 home runs, 132 RBI and 111 runs scored over 724 plate appearances.

Polanco declined a $6 million player option with the Mariners for 2026 on Wednesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

It was an expected decision after Polanco bounced back in 2025 with a .265/.326/.495 batting line and 26 home runs over 138 regular-season contests. Polanco clubbed an additional three long balls during the Mariners' postseason run, and Seattle is likely to make an effort to retain the 32-year-old switch hitter.

Herrera (elbow) will return to catcher next season but is not expected to do so in a full-time capacity, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Herrera was the Cardinals' everyday designated hitter during the second half, but the plan is for him to return to catcher next season. However, while catcher is slated to be his primary position, it sounds like Herrera will still see lots of playing time in the DH slot. Jimmy Crooks is the favorite to pick up starts at catcher on days Herrera serves as the DH. Herrera underwent surgery last month to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, but he is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Bryant said Saturday in an interview with Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that he continues to experience daily pain and discomfort while recovering from lumbar degenerative disc disease, but the 33-year-old said that he's not yet considering retirement. "[The back is] not in the best shape, and that's pretty disheartening for me," Bryant said. "It's exhausting for me waking up and hoping to feel [better]. I can't tell you the last time I woke up feeling I'm in a good spot."

Bryant spent nearly all of the 2025 campaign on the shelf after he underwent an ablation operation in May to address his back condition, but the procedure hasn't yielded the desired effect. Though Bryant noted that he hasn't felt any pain while swinging a bat, straight-line running as well as quick, unorthodox movements such as diving for a grounder or retreating to first base on a pickoff attempt are still presenting discomfort. Bryant said that he's continuing to treat his injury during the offseason by doing Pilates three times a week with the hope of strengthening his core and providing some relief for his lower back, but if he's still dealing with substantial pain by the time spring training arrives, it's possible that Bryant and the Rockies more seriously discuss a financial arrangement that would allow him to medically retire. Since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract in March of 2022, Bryant has played in 170 games over his four seasons with the Rockies and has struggled to a .244/.324/.370 slash line (82 wRC+) with 17 home runs and 61 RBI across 712 plate appearances.

Ohtani didn't factor into the decision against the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 2.1 innings. He also went 2-for-5 with a walk as a batter.

Ohtani struggled throughout his time on the mound, but he managed to get through two scoreless innings despite allowing four baserunners over that span. He wasn't able to escape in the third, however, as Bo Bichette tagged him for a three-run homer in that frame, leading to his exit. Ohtani did manage to reach base three times as a hitter, and over the seven-game series he batted .333 with three home runs, three doubles, five RBI, six runs and nine walks. As a pitcher, he was less effective, yielding seven earned runs while posting a 9:3 K:BB across 8.1 frames.

Ohtani will start Game 7 of the World Series against the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Ohtani will be pitching on short rest after making it through six innings during a loss in Game 4 on Tuesday. The 31-year-old owns a 3.50 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 25 strikeouts through 18 innings so far in the postseason and will be opposed by Max Scherzer in Saturday's winner-take-all contest.

Springer (side) will bat leadoff and serve as the designated hitter in Friday's World Series Game 6 against the Dodgers.

Springer did not play in Games 4 or 5 after exiting Game 3 with discomfort in his right side, but he's improved enough to give it a go as the Fall Classic moves back to Toronto. The 36-year-old Springer has an .884 OPS with four home runs over 14 contest this postseason.

Manager John Schneider said Thursday that there's a strong chance Springer (side) returns to the starting lineup in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Toronto's skipper added that Springer has "checked every box physically so far" and nearly returned to the lineup in Game 5, but the Jays instead opted to give the outfielder another day to recover. His return to the lineup after a two-game absence would provide Toronto's offense with a significant power boost, as the 36-year-old has posted a .561 slugging percentage across 65 plate appearances in the postseason.