Mets Re-Sign Kevin Herget To Minor League Deal
The Mets are in agreement with reliever Kevin Herget on a minor league contract, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Paragon Sports International client will be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Herget returns to the organization after electing minor league free agency at the start of the offseason. The New Jersey native was on and off the roster a few times throughout the season. Herget pitched in six games as a Met and made one appearance for the Braves. He tossed 12 innings of five-run ball (four earned) with six strikeouts and three walks. The 34-year-old righty has worked 55 2/3 frames of 4.20 ERA ball over parts of four seasons.
A former 39th-round draftee, Herget has spent eight seasons in Triple-A. He turned in a 3.09 earned run average across 46 2/3 innings there between the New York and Atlanta affiliates in 2025. He struck out an above-average 26.1% of opponents with a sub-6% walk rate. He’s a sensible depth pickup who can compete for a long relief role in camp.
Herget has exhausted his minor league option years. If the Mets call him up at any point, they’d need to keep him on the MLB roster or designate him for assignment.
Pirates Finalize Coaching Staff
The Pirates officially announced their coaching staff this morning. Most of the hirings had been previously reported, but the Bucs announced a few new additions. Most notable is the hiring of Thomas Whitsett as an assistant pitching coach under Bill Murphy.
Whitsett has ties to Murphy from the Houston organization. He had coached in the Astros system as a pitching coordinator and was most recently their Triple-A pitching coach in 2024. Whitsett had come through the college ranks after working at the University of Arizona. This is his first job on a big league staff.
Murphy and Whitsett are two of five new hires as Don Kelly enters his first full season as manager. The additions of bench coach Kristopher Negrón and third base coach Tony Beasley were reported last month. Pittsburgh also promoted Triple-A manager Shawn Bowman to the title of MLB field coordinator.
Chris Truby gets the title of infield coach after working with the generic title of major league coach for most of the 2025 season. Matt Hague (hitting coach), Christian Marrera and Jonny Tucker (assistant hitting coaches), Tarrik Brock (first base coach) and Miguel Perez (bullpen coach) are all back in their previous roles.
John Means Suffers Achilles Rupture
Free agent left-hander John Means suffered an Achilles rupture while working out this week, he announced on social media. He underwent successful surgery yesterday. Means didn’t specify a recovery timeline but seems likely to miss the entire 2026 season.
It’s another devastating injury for a former All-Star whose career has been sidetracked by health issues. Means has made a total of 10 MLB appearances since the end of the 2021 season. He required Tommy John surgery early in ’22 and was sidelined until the following September. Means made it back for four regular season starts but missed the postseason because of renewed elbow soreness. That was an unfortunate precursor to a second elbow surgery, which he underwent after four starts in 2024.
Means has not appeared in the big leagues since then. He signed a $1MM contract with the Guardians last offseason. That came with a $6MM club option that gave Cleveland some upside if Means progressed well late in the season. He did make it onto the mound as part of a minor league rehab assignment but showed some understandable rust. Cleveland passed on the option and sent him back to free agency.
Making matters worse, Means said in his announcement that he was closing in on a contract with an unnamed team. That’s not going to go through now, though it’s possible his camp could look for a two-year minor league deal with an eye towards battling for a roster spot in Spring Training 2027. He’ll be approaching his 34th birthday by then and six years removed from his last mostly healthy season — a ’21 campaign in which he pitched to a 3.62 ERA across 26 starts for the Orioles.
Rockies, Brett Sullivan Agree To Minor League Contract
The Rockies are in agreement with catcher Brett Sullivan on a minor league deal, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He’ll be in camp as a non-roster invitee.
Sullivan is a depth option behind the plate. He has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past three seasons. He made it into 33 games for the Padres in 2023 but has been limited to 10 combined appearances in the last two years. The 31-year-old (32 in February) has hit .204 with a .250 on-base percentage and two home runs in 112 career plate appearances.
San Diego ran Sullivan through waivers at the end of Spring Training. They traded him to the Pirates a couple weeks later. Pittsburgh briefly called him up in June while Joey Bart and Endy Rodríguez were each on the injured list. He was designated for assignment once Bart made it back a week later. Sullivan spent the rest of the season in Triple-A, where he slumped to a .203/.265/.328 slash in 253 plate appearances.
While this wasn’t a good year, Sullivan has a more serviceable .261/.332/.432 mark in five Triple-A seasons. Colorado only has two catchers on the 40-man roster: Hunter Goodman and Braxton Fulford. Goodman is the clear starter after a 31-homer campaign, but the 27-year-old Fulford hit .213/.267/.324 over his first 38 career games. He still has minor league options if the Rox wanted him to get more playing time in Triple-A. Sullivan is the only catcher in the organization who has any MLB experience. Colorado could add a veteran depth option, either on a cheap big league contract or another non-roster invite.
Braves Reportedly Made Five-Year Offer To Edwin Diaz
The Dodgers landed free agency’s top reliever on a three-year, $69MM contract last week. It wasn’t the reported five-year, $100MM deal which Edwin Díaz had sought going into the offseason, but the $23MM average annual value allowed him to break his own record for tops among relief pitchers.
The incumbent Mets reportedly weren’t keen on going beyond three years either. However, Díaz evidently had at least one team that was willing to pay him for his ages 32-36 seasons. ESPN’s Jorge Castillo reported this week that the Braves made a five-year proposal. Salary details and the contract structure aren’t known. In any case, whatever the Braves offered wasn’t enough for Díaz to prefer it to the (presumably much higher) annual value that the Dodgers put on the table.
Details on a team’s unsuccessful free agent pursuit can sometimes provide a hint for where they’ll go next. This one is probably little more than a footnote, as the Braves moved quickly once Díaz came off the board. They signed Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45MM contract two days later. Atlanta spent another $20MM to bring back Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year deal this week. They’re now projected above the $244MM luxury tax threshold, with RosterResource estimating their CBT commitments around $256MM. The Braves paid the luxury tax in 2023 and ’24 but dipped below the line this year.
The Díaz offer at least confirms that the Braves aren’t opposed to giving up draft capital. The three-time All-Star had rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets. Atlanta would forfeit the 26th overall pick in next year’s draft to sign a qualified free agent. That’s the bonus selection they received from the Prospect Promotion Incentive thanks to Drake Baldwin winning Rookie of the Year. The Braves would have also surrendered $500K from their international amateur bonus pool in 2027. They did not lose a pick for Suarez, who did not receive a QO from the Padres.
That may also be a moot point if the Suarez and Kim signings took up the remainder of the budget. If they’re willing to continue spending, there are still six qualified free agents. The Braves aren’t signing Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, but any of the four starting pitchers — Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Zac Gallen or Michael King — would be a sensible fit on paper.
The Braves have made four big free agent signings and one notable trade but have yet to do anything to solidify a rotation that was wrecked by injuries. They can’t assume that their top five of Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep and Reynaldo López are going to stay healthy. A depth group led by Bryce Elder and Didier Fuentes isn’t sufficient. Adding a mid-rotation arm should be the priority now that they’ve addressed the bullpen and shortstop.
Rays Trade Tristan Peters To White Sox
The Rays traded outfielder Tristan Peters to the White Sox for cash or a player to be named later, according to announcements from both clubs. Tampa Bay had designated Peters for assignment on Tuesday when they finalized their two-year deal with Steven Matz. Chicago had a couple openings on the 40-man roster and didn’t need to make another move.
Peters, 26, entered the professional ranks as a seventh-round pick by Milwaukee in 2021. The lefty-hitting outfielder was traded twice as a prospect — first to the Giants for reliever Trevor Rosenthal, then to Tampa Bay for infielder Brett Wisely. Peters got his first major league call this past August. He spent a week on the active roster and got into four games, going 0-12 with seven strikeouts. He otherwise spent his second straight full season with Triple-A Durham, batting .266/.355/.429 with 15 home runs across 555 plate appearances.
That was an improvement over Peters’ first season at the top minor league level. He’d hit .238/.344/.402 and connected on 12 homers in 2024. Peters has posted subpar exit velocities but shown solid strike zone awareness while making a decent amount of contact. He’s capable of playing anywhere in the outfield and has a couple minor league options remaining. The Sox can keep him in Triple-A without exposing him to waivers so long as they continue carrying him on the 40-man roster.
Barring a surprise trade of either player, the White Sox will open 2026 with Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. as their respective left and center fielder. The out-of-options Everson Pereira, himself an offseason trade pickup from Tampa Bay, probably enters Spring Training as the favorite in right field. Chicago has journeyman speedster Derek Hill penciled in for a bench role, while utilityman Brooks Baldwin could factor into either corner spot. It’s one of the weakest outfield groups in MLB and would be especially barren if the Sox finally line up a Robert trade by next summer’s deadline.
Reds Sign Caleb Ferguson
December 18th: The Reds officially announced Ferguson’s signing today. He’ll make $4.5MM, per Wittenmyer.
December 16th: The Reds are reportedly in agreement with reliever Caleb Ferguson on a one-year contract, pending a physical. Salary terms for the Excel Sports Management client have not been reported. Cincinnati has an opening on the 40-man roster.
Ferguson adds a needed left-handed option to Terry Francona’s bullpen. The Reds bought out Brent Suter at the beginning of the offseason. That left them with Sam Moll as their only lefty reliever. He had been up-and-down from Triple-A this year and gave up 16 runs across 18 1/3 MLB innings. Moll gets a decent number of whiffs and ground-balls and was a solid middle reliever between 2022-24, but the Reds couldn’t enter the season relying on him as their best option.
The 29-year-old Ferguson is coming off a solid season split between the Pirates and Mariners. He made a career-high 70 appearances and posted a 3.58 earned run average through 65 1/3 innings. He recorded 14 holds while relinquishing five leads. Ferguson got a lot of weak contact, but he benefitted from an unsustainably low home run rate and batting average on balls in play. That will probably tick back up in 2026, though it’s possible he compensates by missing more bats than he did this past season.
Ferguson is coming off an 18.9% strikeout rate that is by far the worst mark of his career. He had punched out at least a quarter of opposing hitters in each of his first six seasons. That’d be greater cause for concern if it were accompanied by a drop in his raw stuff. Ferguson’s 94 MPH average fastball speed was in line with that of prior years. He cut back on the four-seam fastball to more frequently use a sinker against left-handed batters. The result, as one might expect, was a drop in whiffs but a spike in ground-balls. Ferguson also did a much better job throwing strikes against southpaws, whom he held to a .184/.261/.204 line with zero home runs in 115 plate appearances.
Against left-handed opposition, Ferguson used his sinker roughly half the time and threw his four-seam fastball and cutter at a near-25% clip. He only sporadically mixed in a slurve. That was a much more frequent pitch for him without the platoon advantage. Ferguson almost never threw the sinker to righties, against whom the pitch’s arm-side run could leak back out over the heart of the plate. He instead mixed the four-seam, slurve and cutter versus opposite-handed opponents.
Ferguson is the second addition to Cincinnati’s bullpen this offseason. They also brought in out-of-options swingman Keegan Thompson on a split deal to compete for a long relief role. Their biggest move was to re-sign closer Emilio Pagán to a two-year, $20MM contract. He’ll be joined in the late innings by Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Ferguson. Power righties Connor Phillips and Zach Maxwell have the stuff to pitch their way into leverage roles as well, though it’s questionable whether either pitcher will throw enough strikes to earn that level of responsibility.
An already thin free agent lefty relief class is dwindling. The Pirates finalized their contract with Gregory Soto this morning, while Caleb Thielbar agreed to a new deal with the Cubs. Sean Newcomb, Danny Coulombe, Drew Pomeranz, Justin Wilson and Taylor Rogers are among those who remain unsigned.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the sides had an agreement, which Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer specified was for one year. Image courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images.
Brewers Sign Gerson Garabito, Drew Rom To Minor League Deals
The Brewers announced the signings of righty Gerson Garabito and left-hander Drew Rom to minor league contracts. Both players receive non-roster invitations to big league camp, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.
Garabito, 30, returns to affiliated ball after a brief stint in Korea. The 6’0″ righty made 15 starts for the Samsung Lions after signing in June. Garabito pitched well, turning in a 2.64 earned run average with a 26% strikeout rate. That makes it a bit surprising that the sides didn’t work out an agreement for the 2026 season. Garabito instead will try to pitch his way back to the big leagues in Spring Training. He has a bit of major league experience, working 34 1/3 frames of 5.77 ERA ball for the Rangers between 2024-25.
The new landing spot is a nice birthday gift for Rom, who turned 26 on Monday. He’s a former fourth-round pick by Baltimore who was traded to the Cardinals in the 2023 Jack Flaherty deadline deal. Rom started eight games for St. Louis down the stretch but was bombed for an 8.02 ERA. He required shoulder surgery the following spring, leading the Cardinals to outright him off the 40-man roster at the end of the ’24 season.
Rom remained in the St. Louis system but suffered through another injury-riddled year. He began the season on the injured list as he rehabbed from the operation. Rom returned to Triple-A Memphis in the middle of May. He made four starts, giving up nine runs in 14 1/3 innings, before going back on the injured list for the remainder of the season.
Angels Open To Giving Mike Trout Center Field Reps
Last offseason, the Angels moved Mike Trout out of center field. They hoped that he’s stay healthier as an everyday right fielder after he’d been limited to 82 games or fewer in three of the previous four seasons. Things didn’t go as planned, as Trout suffered a bone bruise in his left knee that cost him almost all of May. He avoided the injured list the rest of the way but was a full-time designated hitter.
Trout didn’t log a single inning in center field. He made 22 starts in right, none after the end of April. Nevertheless, general manager Perry Minasian told reporters this week that the Halos could bounce Trout around the outfield next season. That might include some playing time back up the middle.
“I’m not ruling anything out,” the GM said (link via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). “We’ll see where the team looks like when we get to Spring Training and what’s in place and what gives us the best chance to win games. (He) might be playing center. One day might be playing left. One day might be DHing.”
As Minasian noted, a lot could depend on what the remainder of the offseason looks like. The Angels entered the winter with a logjam in the corners. That’s not so much the case after they traded Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez. It’d still be ideal to have Trout playing regularly in the outfield again, especially if they want to give Jorge Soler a rebound opportunity.
Soler should be a DH but was forced to start 39 games in right field (with predictably poor results) by Trout’s injury. The Angels gave Jo Adell 724 innings in center field. He was arguably the worst defensive center fielder in MLB and found himself back in right field for the final two months of the season. The best defensive alignment has Trout in left, Adell in right, and Soler at DH.
That requires someone else to step up as the regular center fielder. Bryce Teodosio is an excellent defender, but he’s coming off a .203/.248/.304 showing in 50 games. Kyren Paris and Matthew Lugo picked up a handful of center field starts but didn’t hit well either. They presumably don’t want Trout playing there on an everyday basis.
The Angels are so aggressive with their prospect promotions that it’s probably not out of the question that 20-year-old Nelson Rada gets a chance to break camp. He’s a speedster and potential plus defender who split his age-19 season between Double-A and Triple-A. Rada stole 54 bases and reached base at fantastic .398 clip behind a 12.7% walk rate. He’s a gifted pure hitter but has essentially no power upside in his 5’9″ frame. He hit just two home runs this year and has six longballs in his professional career. Baseball America ranks him the #4 prospect and the top position player talent in a weak Halos’ farm system.
Even if Rada begins the season at Triple-A Salt Lake, it’s likely he’ll be in the majors at some point next season. That could give them enough confidence to patch things together at the position internally. “Do we have to go get a center fielder? Not necessarily,” Minasian said. “We have some players that we believe can fill the position and obviously, Teodosio can play defense at a very high level. It’s more player-specific. … I wouldn’t say it’s a must, but is it an area we’re looking at? Absolutely.”
As is often the case, the center field supply is limited. Harrison Bader is the only regular available in free agency, unless a team feels Cody Bellinger could move back to the position in an everyday capacity. Luis Robert Jr. is a long shot trade possibility. The Astros are shopping Jake Meyers but want MLB starting pitching, which the Angels don’t have in abundance. A role player like Nathan Lukes or Jacob Young come could available but may not move the needle enough for the Halos to prioritize them.
The Angels have various other needs to weigh against their center field situation. They should add a multi-positional infielder who can handle both second and third base. They need at least one starting pitcher and one or two high-leverage relievers, ideally ones who throw from the right side. Minasian confirmed this afternoon that they’re still in the bullpen market after signing Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano last night (via Bollinger). An outside addition could push Robert Stephenson and Ben Joyce to succeed Kenley Jansen in the ninth. “There’s no set closer right now. We’re still looking at the bullpen. It’s not an area where we’re done,” Minasian said.
Rockies Hire Jeff Pickler As Bench Coach
The Rockies announced the hiring of Jeff Pickler as bench coach. Thomas Harding of MLB.com reported the move before the club announcement.
Pickler, who turns 50 in January, worked as game-planning/outfield coach with the Reds from 2019-24. He’d worked under skipper David Bell during that time but was not retained when Cincinnati hired Terry Francona. Before his time in Cincinnati, Pickler spent two seasons on the Minnesota coaching staff. Harding points out that Pickler had also worked in scouting with the Diamondbacks and Padres when Josh Byrnes was general manager of those clubs. Colorado hired Byrnes as GM underneath baseball operations president Paul DePodesta a couple weeks ago.
Before entering the scouting ranks, Pickler played eight minor league seasons as an infielder. That included one season in the Rox system. Pickler finished his playing days with their Triple-A club in 2005.
The Rockies have made a handful of hirings as Warren Schaeffer enters his first full season in the managerial role. Brett Pill (hitting coach), Alon Leichman (pitching coach), Gabe Ribas (assistant pitching coach), and Matt Buschmann (bullpen coach) are also in place. Colorado had used Clint Hurdle as interim bench coach after firing skipper Bud Black in May. It’s unclear whether Hurdle will remain in the organization in 2026.