Sandlin (elbow) elected to become a free agent Monday.

Sandlin cleared waivers after being removed from the Blue Jays' 40-man roster and has opted for free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. The 28-year-old missed much of the 2025 season with a right elbow injury and it's unclear what his current health status is. With a career 3.19 ERA and 27.3 percent strikeout rate over parts of five major-league seasons, Sandlin will draw plenty of free-agent interest as long as his medicals come back clean.

Ortiz was traded from the Dodgers to the Mariners in exchange for minor-league pitcher Tyler Gough (elbow) on Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ortiz was just added to Los Angeles' 40-man roster Nov. 6, but he will now head to the Mariners organization. The left-hander began the 2025 campaign with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, but he was able to work his way all the way up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, posting a 2.76 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 15 appearances, including one start, with OKC. Ortiz will look to compete for a spot in the major-league bullpen when Seattle regroups at spring training in February.

Sandlin (elbow) cleared waivers Saturday and was sent outright to Triple-A Buffalo, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Sandlin was effective in the big leagues in 2025, turning in a 2.20 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 16.1 regular-season innings with the Jays. However, right elbow inflammation sent him to the injured list in early July, and multiple setbacks in his recovery prevented him from returning. The 28-year-old righty will likely elect free agency and could attract significant attention after posting a 3.19 ERA through his first five MLB seasons.

Contreras signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball on Thursday.

Contreras spent the 2025 season split between the Orioles and Rockies organizations, working both as a starter and reliever. He was released by Colorado on Wednesday, likely to allow him to sign the deal overseas.

Atlanta claimed Ragsdale off waivers from Baltimore on Thursday.

Ragsdale was DFA'd by the Orioles last Thursday after making two appearances with the O's, during which he gave up eight earned runs in only five innings. His fortunes were a bit better in Triple-A, as he finished the season with a 4.87 ERA and 1.47 WHIP across 88.2 frames. He'll have a chance to win a spot in Atlanta's Opening Day bullpen during spring training, but he's more likely to begin 2026 at Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Rays outrighted Van Belle (elbow) to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.

Van Belle was diagnosed with a UCL sprain in September, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the righty had surgery and will miss all of the 2026 season. It's unclear what specific procedure he had, but if it was Tommy John, it would be the second of his career. Van Belle will remain in the organization while he rehabs.

The Red Sox outrighted Guerrero to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Guerrero had been designated for assignment last week, and he will remain in the organization after somewhat surprisingly clearing waivers. The hard-throwing reliever has posted a 2.63 ERA but a problematic 19:16 K:BB across 27.1 frames covering parts of two major-league seasons.

The Rockies released Contreras on Wednesday.

It's the first official transaction by new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. Contreras was a late-season waiver claim of the Rockies, allowing eight runs over 8.1 innings before his season ended in late September due to a hand contusion.

General manager Chris Getz said Wednesday that Taylor will likely work as a multi-inning reliever in 2026, Kyle Williams of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Taylor posted a 4.91 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 36.2 innings with the White Sox in 2025, although just five of his 36 big-league appearances lasted longer than one inning. It's possible Taylor's new role may be the next step in a plan to introduce him to the rotation down the line, but for now, the 23-year-old holds minimal fantasy value since he's out of the rotation and unlikely to receive late-inning work.

Lavender (elbow) cleared outright waivers Wednesday and was returned to the Mets.

The Rays acquired Lavender via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, so now that he's been outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster, he'll return to the Mets' farm system. The 25-year-old lefty missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he underwent another procedure in August to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. His availability for the start of spring training remains unclear.