MLB Player News

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Saggese could factor into the team's outfield mix this season, Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN St. Louis reports.

Saggese has only played the infield to this point in his professional career. Adding to his versatility would give Saggese more avenues to playing time, particularly since the Cardinals are light on right-handed-hitting outfielders. Saggese has slashed a disappointing .250/.292/.336 with a 28 percent strikeout rate in his first 100 games at the big-league level, but he'll turn just 24 in April and was a .288/.358/.485 hitter in the minors.

The Reds designated Rortvedt for assignment Tuesday.

Booting Rortvedt off the 40-man roster clears a spot for Eugenio Suarez, who was officially signed Tuesday. Rortvedt was a waiver claim by the Reds earlier this offseason and is now likely to be on the move again. The defensive-minded catcher is a career .190/.279/.270 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that Gorman "should have plenty of opportunity this year," Brandon Kiley of 101 ESPN St. Louis reports.

Bloom didn't explicitly say it, but the expectation is that Gorman will take over as the team's primary third baseman in 2026 for the departed Nolan Arenado. After a mini-breakout in 2023 that saw him crank 27 home runs, Gorman has slashed just .204/.284/.385 with a 35.7 percent strikeout rate over the last two seasons. He's still just 25, however, and the rebuilding Cardinals aren't ready to give up on his power potential.

Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said Tuesday that the team has not made a decision as to whether Cijntje will be a switch-pitcher moving forward or focus on throwing right-handed, Brenden Schaeffer of STL Sports Central reports.

The Mariners had said prior to trading Cijntje to the Cardinals on Monday that the hurler would throw only right-handed in spring training games. Bloom noted that while he thinks the course the Mariners were going to take with Cijntje was "a good one," he wants to get to know the pitcher first before making any determinations. Cijntje collected a 3.99 ERA and 120:51 K:BB over 108.1 innings between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas in 2025 and will likely begin his stint in the Cardinals organization at Double-A Springfield.

Salazar signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The 27-year-old hit free agency after being removed from the Nationals' 40-man roster in October. Salazar made 30 relief appearances for Washington last season and struggled to an 8.38 ERA, 2.17 WHIP and 23:16 K:BB over 29 innings. His deal with the Twins includes a foreign-team inquiry clause.

The Phillies re-signed Robert (forearm) to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Robert was non-tendered by the Phillies earlier in the offseason even though he is not yet eligible for salary arbitration. Ultimately, he's found his way back into the organization and will compete for a spot in the bullpen. Robert missed the final month of the 2025 season with a forearm strain, and it's unclear whether he will have any limitations at the start of camp.

Arnold expanded his repertoire at Driveline this winter, adding a cutter and a kick changeup, Jesus Cano of Baseball America reports.

The No. 11 pick in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft, Arnold slipped to the Athletics and they swooped in and added the 6-foot-1 southpaw. Arnold already had an excellent track record and pitch mix, and now he boasts a pair of changeups, as he already had a strong splitter. His mid-90s fastball and monster mid-80s slider are Arnold's go-to offerings, but now he has even more weapons at his disposal. Arnold said "this is the best I've ever felt," which is hyperbole, but at least it's good to know he's heading to spring training at the peak of his powers. He will likely be assigned to High-A or Double-A, and Arnold could join the big-league rotation sometime this summer if he pitches to expectations.

Wetherholt has a clear path to the Cardinals' second-base job following the trade of Brendan Donovan, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Wetherholt had been slated to compete for the Cardinals' third-base job after they traded Nolan Arenado, but the top prospect should now focus mostly on second base. The 23-year-old will need to perform well during spring training, but the Cardinals have been signaling their intention to carry Wetherholt on their Opening Day roster. Wetherholt put together a .306/.421/.510 batting line with 17 home runs, 23 stolen bases and a 72:73 BB:K over 109 games between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis in 2025.

Cantillo will compete for a spot in the rotation this spring, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.

Cantillo spent the second half of the 2025 season in the Guardians' rotation but apparently will have to win a spot this spring. The left-hander had a 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 72:28 K:BB over 13 starts (67.0 innings). He and prospect Parker Messick are the frontrunners for a spot on the back end of the rotation. If Cantillo loses out, he could break camp with a bullpen role. In 21 appearances as a reliever in 2025, the 26-year-old posted a 3.81 ERA and 1.38 WHIP while limiting batters to a .229 batting average.

The Angels signed Candelario to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Candelario was released by the Reds last season after slashing just .113/.198/.213 over his first 22 games. He signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees after that but never got back to the majors. The Angels are lacking in third-base depth, giving Candelario a chance to see action with the big club at some point.