MLB Player News

Imanaga accepted a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Cubs on Tuesday, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

The Cubs declined Imanaga's three-year, $57.75 million option earlier this month, but the left-hander will remain in Chicago after taking the team's qualifying offer. Imanaga held a 4.70 second-half ERA and 8.10 ERA in two postseason starts, but he boasts a 3.28 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 291:54 K:BB over 318 regular-season innings since the beginning of the 2024 campaign.

The Nationals selected Bennett's contract from Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday.

After missing the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Bennett held a 2.27 ERA and 64:19 K:BB over 75.1 innings covering three levels in 2025. The left-hander is now protected from next month's Rule 5 Draft.

The Twins selected Rojas' contract from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Acquired from the Blue Jays in the Louis Varland trade, Rojas struggled in eight starts for St. Paul down the stretch, holding a 6.59 ERA and 28:23 K:BB over 27.1 innings. However, the 22-year-old southpaw has swing-and-miss stuff, having fanned 90 in 69 frames between his various minor-league stops in 2025. Rojas is now on the 40-man roster and protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

The Mets designated Montas (elbow) for assignment Tuesday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.

The club needed to free up a spot on its 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday's Rule 5 protection deadline. Montas posted a 6.28 ERA in seven starts and two relief appearances in 2025 and is slated to miss the entire 2026 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He will become a free agent after clearing waivers and the Mets will be responsible for his $17 million salary for next season.

Arrighetti (elbow) is expected to be 100 percent for the beginning of spring training, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Arrighetti missed the final month of the season with a right elbow injury, but he's considered healthy now and is "having a very productive offseason," per Astros general manager Dana Brown. The 25-year-old was limited to only seven starts at the major-league level in 2025, as he was sidelined four months with a right thumb fracture in addition to the elbow issue. Brown indicated that Arrighetti has a rotation spot for 2026 locked up.

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

Gough missed the entirety of the 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in September of 2024. The right-hander is still working his way back, and he'll look to be ready to go for spring training in February. Gough posted a 4.04 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 92 strikeouts over 23 appearances, including 22 starts, with Single-A Modesto in 2024 before suffering the elbow injury.

Fitts (arm) heads into the winter with no limitations, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Fitts, who missed the final 30 games of the season due to right arm neuritis, is throwing again and should have a normal offseason, per Boston chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Injuries to projected rotation members during the spring opened a spot for Fitts early on before he landed on the IL with a pectoral strain. Pending the team's offseason moves -- re-sign Lucas Giolito or add a viable free agent -- Fitts will be part of a group competing for a spot at the back end of the rotation or the bullpen.

Yean signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Saturday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Yean was traded from Washington to Pittsburgh back in 2020 as part of the return for Josh Bell, and the former will now return to the organization with which he began his professional career. The 24-year-old righty turned in a 2.86 ERA and 1.55 WHIP across 69.1 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2025 and will likely report to Triple-A Rochester to begin 2026.

May said Thursday that he's "fully back to normal" after his 2025 season ended due to right elbow neuritis, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

May made his last appearance Sept. 3, but he resumed throwing later that month and said he would have been available to pitch in the ALDS had the Red Sox advanced. The right-hander's free-agent market could be volatile. May had easily his heathiest season in 2025, throwing 132.1 innings, but his velocity was down and the results (4.96 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 21.1 percent strikeout rate) were mostly underwhelming. That said, he's a young free agent at 28 and has flashed frontline starter ability before, which could make him an interesting flier for teams shopping below the top of the market.

Skenes won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Skenes received all 30 first-place votes after finishing the year with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP alongside a 216:42 K:BB across 187.2 innings. He joins Vern Law and Doug Drabek on the list of Pirates to take home the award after the latter two did so in 1960 and 1990, respectively.