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  • Brandon Lowe 2B | TB

    Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Goes to Pirates in three-team deal

    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.

  • Matt Koperniak RF | STL

    Cardinals' Matt Koperniak: Remains in organization

    The Cardinals outrighted Koperniak to Triple-A Memphis on Friday.

    While no longer on the 40-man roster, Koperniak will remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 27-year-old outfielder is coming off a poor 2025 season at Memphis, slashing .249/.322/.387 across 537 plate appearances.

  • Jose Miranda 3B | MIN

    Padres' Jose Miranda: Inks minors deal with Padres

    The Padres signed Miranda to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

    Miranda showed promise at times while with the Twins, but he crashed out in 2025, going 6-for-36 with the big club and hitting only .195/.272/.296 across 371 plate appearances at Triple-A St. Paul. Still, the 27-year-old is a solid get on a minor-league contract, and there's a non-zero chance he pushes for playing time at first base in San Diego.

  • Nationals' Warming Bernabel: Signs with Nationals as NRI

    The Nationals signed Bernabel to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

    Bernabel elected free agency earlier this month after being removed from the Rockies' 40-man roster, and he's quickly latched on in a new organization. The 23-year-old slashed .252/.288/.410 with four homers in 40 games with the big club in 2025 and had a .301/.356/.450 batting line with eight long balls at Triple-A Albuquerque. Bernabel plays both corner infield spots and the Nationals don't have much at those positions, so he could find his way onto the Opening Day roster.

  • Diamondbacks' Avery Owusu-Asiedu: Dealt to Diamondbacks

    The Diamondbacks acquired Owusu-Asiedu from the Phillies on Friday in exchange for Kyle Backhus, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

    Owusu-Asiedu slashed .258/.366/.385 with seven home runs and 33 stolen bases over 107 contests between Single-A Clearwater and High-A Jersey Shore in 2025. The 22-year-old could move up to the Double-A level in 2026.

  • Kyle Backhus RP | ARI

    Phillies' Kyle Backhus: Traded to Phillies

    The Phillies acquired Backhus from the Diamondbacks on Friday in exchange for Avery Owusu-Asiedu, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

    Backhus is a sidearming lefty reliever who held left-handed hitters to just a .139/.225/.278 batting line in 2025. Righty bats slashed .365/.417/.571 off the 27-year-old, so manager Rob Thomson will have to be judicious with his usage of Backhus.

  • Phillies' Jonathan Bowlan: Dealt to Philadelphia

    The Phillies acquired Bowlan from the Royals on Friday in exchange for Matt Strahm, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

    Bowlan had a mini-breakout in 2025 in his first full season as a reliever, posting a 3.86 ERA and 46:17 K:BB over 44.1 innings with the Royals. The 29-year-old righty had significant splits, as he held right-handed bats to a .182/.255/.250 batting line but was torched by lefties to the tune of a .288/.358/.575 line. Bowlan is not yet eligible for salary arbitration and will be under team control through 2031.

  • Michael King RP | SD

    Padres' Michael King: Returns to San Diego

    King agreed to a one-year contract with the Padres on Thursday that includes player options for 2027 and 2028, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

    King had two excellent seasons with the Padres in 2024 and 2025 and passed on a qualifying offer with the team earlier in the offseason, but he'll ultimately remain with San Diego. According to Feinsand, King will make $17 million in 2025 and will net at least another $5 million in the form of a buyout for the 2027 option. His player options for 2027 and 2028 are worth $28 million and $30 million, respectively. Assuming King can avoid any lingering issues with his shoulder -- which cost him much of the 2025 season -- he should headline the Padres' rotation in 2026.

  • Tyler Austin RF | CHC

    Cubs' Tyler Austin: Returning to MLB

    Austin signed a one-year, major-league contract with the Cubs on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

    Since taking his last MLB at-bat in 2019, Austin has spent the past six seasons playing in Japan for the Yokohama Bay Stars of Nippon Professional Baseball. After posting a .945 OPS during his time overseas, the 34-year-old will now return stateside to join the Cubs and could work as a platoon partner with Moises Ballesteros at designated hitter.

  • John Curtiss RP | ARI

    Diamondbacks' John Curtiss: Re-ups with Diamondbacks

    The Diamondbacks re-signed Curtiss to a minor-league contract Tuesday.

    Curtiss had chosen free agency after being booted off Arizona's 40-man roster last month, but he's now back in the organization on a new deal. The 32-year-old pitched well in 30 relief outings for the Diamondbacks in 2025, collecting a 3.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB over 36.2 innings. Curtiss is likely headed to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2026 season.

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