MLB Player News

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.

Acuna has received permission from Atlanta to play in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Acuna was limited to 412 plate appearances in 2025 while recovering from a torn ACL while also dealing with a calf issue later in the campaign. Coming off the shortened campaign, he'll play for Tiburones de La Guaira this winter to get in some extra reps. Reports suggest he aims to report to the team in the last week of November or early December.

Judge was named the American League's Most Valuable Player by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.

He narrowly beat out Cal Raleigh to win the third MVP award of his career. Judge hit a career-best .331 across 679 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season while also topping 50 home runs for the third time in his last four campaigns. The 33-year-old played through an elbow injury during the second half of the season but won't require offseason surgery and should be fully healthy for spring training.

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.

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.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Wednesday that Smith could begin next season at Triple-A Sugar Land "if he hasn't turned the corner," Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Brown remains high on Smith's potential, saying he "could be a star one day," but added that "we're going to need him to be more consistent." Smith forced his way onto the Astros' Opening Day roster with a huge showing in spring training, but he went on to slash just .236/.312/.358 with nine home runs and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate across 134 contests. The rookie started only six of the Astros' final 20 games, including just two of their final 16 tilts versus right-handed pitching. Smith did play a surprisingly solid right field, a position he had never manned before. Slated to turn 23 in February, Smith should enter spring training with a chance to win a starting job, but some seasoning in the minors might not be the worst thing for him and the Astros. The 2024 first-round pick has logged just 32 games and 134 plate appearances at the minor-league level.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday that he has yet to discuss a contract extension with Chisholm and his representation, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Cashman did note he is open to having "a legitimate conversation about value" with Chisholm, who is currently slated to reach free agency following the 2026 season. Chisholm, who turns 28 in February, has said previously that he wants to remain with the Yankees over the long haul. The second baseman put up the fourth 30-30 season in franchise history in 2025, slashing .242/.332/.481 across 130 regular-season contests.

McNeil's agent, Garrett Parcell, has revealed that his client underwent thoracic outlet surgery shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Parcell said that McNeil already has good range of motion and is expected to participate fully in spring training. Thoracic outlet surgery is a much more serious operation for pitchers, but Parcell did note that the issue caused McNeil discomfort with his swing late in the season. McNeil had a .514 OPS in September after posting an OPS no lower than .742 in any other month. The 33-year-old is tentatively projected to open the 2026 season as the Mets' second baseman, though he offers the versatility to play other positions, if needed.