The Month That Was in Baseball: January 2026

Thursday, January 1

The Houston Astros begin the new year with a potential ace in Japanese standout Tatsuya Imai, who signs for three years and a guaranteed $54 million. Imai’s tenure in Houston may not end up being long, with opt-outs included after each of the first two seasons. Over nine seasons with Japan’s Seibu Tigers, the 27-year-old Imai has logged a 66-49 record and 3.07 ERA; this past season, he went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA over 163.2 innings, striking out 178.

The Imai signing likely means that the Astros will not pursue Framber Valdez, currently a free agent after eight years in Houston. 

Lenny Dykstra is back in the news—and as usual, it’s for the wrong reasons. The 62-year-old former All-Star, who’s had numerous run-ins with the law since his playing days, is pulled over and arrested by a Pennsylvania state trooper, who discovers drugs and devices to use them in his car. Specific charges have yet to be issued but will certainly be forthcoming.

Saturday, January 3

A day before his window to sign with an MLB team is set to close, Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto agrees with the Toronto Blue Jays on a five-year deal totaling $60 million. The 29-year-old Okamoto has been a steady force at the plate for the Yomiuri Giants since 2018, averaging roughly 30 home runs and 90 RBIs during his tenure. This past year, an elbow injury limited his playing time to half a season, though when available he batted .327 with 15 homers and 49 RBIs.

Sunday, January 4

Kona Takahashi is headed back to Japan after failing to sign with an MLB team before today, the expiration date for his signing period. It’s not known if the 28-year-old pitcher simply wanted more money than MLB teams were willing to offer, and/or if those teams were unimpressed with a career 85-91 record with the Seibu Lions—a record which, unfairly, includes an 1-13 mark (despite a 3.54 ERA) in 2024. Regardless, Takahashi is expected to return to Seibu for 2026.

Kansas City manager Matt Quataro is extended for three years through 2029 with a team option for 2030. In three seasons with the Royals, Quataro has twice led the team to winning records and a playoff appearance in 2024.

Tuesday, January 6

The Athletics are denied trademark ownership of their name—even with “Las Vegas” placed in front of it, referencing the city where the team will move in 2028—by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In being denied, the A’s are told that the name is too “generic” to be trademarked; the team will appeal, but if this decision sticks, it will allow anyone to create and sell merchandise with “Athletics” and even “Las Vegas Athletics” without seeking permission from the ballclub, thus threatening its revenue potential. While playing in Oakland and Kansas City before that, the Athletics were able to trademark the name with the city designation included. But the USPTO waives off the precedent, saying that the “claim of ownership of an active prior registration” is not grounds for automatic renewal.

If the appeal fails, one wonders if the A’s will look into a new team name.

Guess where Jose Altuve, Salvador Perez, Jackson Chourio, Willson Contreras, Maikel Garcia, and a whole bunch of other active ballplayers were last weekend? In Venezuela, which happened to be attacked by U.S. military forces as they apprehended President Nicolas Maduro and brought him to America on drugs and weapons charges. The military action was not widespread, so no players currently playing ball in the Venezuelan Winter League were harmed. But MLB teams were certainly wary of their players’ close proximity to the violence and contacted each of them to make sure they were safe. Baseball in Venezuela shut down once the U.S. entered the country; the Winter League is scheduled to start back up today. Looking down the road, there will be some question as to whether Venezuela will be allowed to participate in the upcoming World Baseball Classic; rich in MLB talent, the nation is considered one of the tournament’s prime contenders.

Wednesday, January 7

The one-time gold mine of revenue from regional sports networks continues to be dwindling away. The Athletic is reporting that Main Street Sports Group, which operates the RSNs for nine MLB teams under the FanDuel Sports Network, has lost $200 million in the past year alone and is attempting to renegotiate smaller annual payouts to stay financially solvent. The nine teams are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and the Los Angeles Angels. Those teams must now decide whether to accept less payouts, or stay firm and increase the risk of their RSNs going bankrupt, as happened with Diamond Sports Group in 2023. Should the latter scenario take place, the nine teams can lean on MLB to provide broadcast coverage, as it has done with several other teams in the aftermath of the Diamond fiasco. Either way, it’s certainly going to make the nine teams at risk think twice about whether to spend on available free agents in what has already been a slow-moving offseason market.

The Chicago Cubs trade for Miami pitcher Edward Cabrera, sending three minor leaguers including the team’s #2 prospect (outfielder Owen Caissie) to the Marlins. The 27-year-old Cabrera is a wary proposition, albeit with some upside; he’s never started more than 26 games in any of five seasons, never won 10-plus games, and holds a career 4.09 ERA. But he should provide mid-rotation strength to a Cubs starting corps that has sought to improve this offseason. The Marlins, meanwhile, become thinner on the starting depth chart, especially after veteran Sandy Alcantara and promising, injury-prone youngster Eury Perez.

The Colorado Rockies sign free-agent starter Michael Lorezen to a one-year deal worth $8 million, with a 2027 club option for another $9 million. A reliever through the first half of his 11-year career, the 34-year Lorenzen had a blasé 2025 campaign with Kansas City, finishing 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA. But he has been known to hit; with the Reds during the late 2010s, Lorenzen hit seven home runs. So, he could be a mile-high, pinch-hit option for the Rockies on his days off.

Thursday, January 8

MLB isn’t waiting around to see what becomes of the financially-troubled Main Street Sports Group, advising nine teams to terminate their contracts with the regional sports network rather than be forced to renegotiate. Should a legitimate buyer emerge to rescue Main Street, the nine teams will be allowed to retain FanDuel Sports as their RSN. But MLB wants the teams to seek alternative deals with other potential broadcasters. Those options include mlb.tv, which already is responsible for TV coverage with Arizona, Colorado, Cleveland, Minnesota, San Diego and Seattle—with Washington soon to join as well.

Friday, January 9

One of our earlier and most enduring entries in our Lists section is our rundown of the 10 most influential people in baseball history. That list remains unchanged over 10 years after we first posted it, but Rob Manfred is threatening to crash it—and not in a good way. Baseball’s current commissioner has already affected the game with time-saving quotas, the miserable automatic (gift) runner in extra innings and, yikes, more wild cards. Manfred even once toyed with the idea of installing the mercy rule, the Little League-centric creation in which a game is ended when a lopsided score reaches, seemingly, irreversible mode. (MLB actually already has an informal mercy rule. It’s called emergency pitchers.) But Manfred isn’t done, if you believe some of the stuff he slings during a radio interview on New York sports talk radio station WFAN. He discusses a seismic realignment in which the National and American Leagues would cease to exist, replaced by divisions based purely on geography and local rivalries. A split season schedule, the pros and (mostly) cons of which were exposed when forcibly used during the 1981 strike-ridden season, is also brought up by Manfred—adding that it would be separated by an in-season tournament, not unlike the NBA Cup or the numerous sidebar tourneys in European soccer.

Manfred’s latest out-there ideas are met on social media with mostly hostile reaction, showing that the majority of baseball fans like the game just the way it is. Judging from the recent groundswell of interest in MLB—with increased attendance, TV ratings and attention from the younger demographic—it may not be wise to tamper with such a good thing at this moment. The fear is that Manfred may try to offer some of his ideas as methods of compromise during next year’s labor negotiations, which are expected to lead to a work stoppage. Manfred reconfirms that he will step down as commissioner in 2029; that moment couldn’t come soon enough.

Free-agent slugger Max Kepler is suspended for the first 80 games of the upcoming season after testing positive for one of those words (epitrenbolone) that would be a challenge for anyone participating in a spelling bee. The German-born slugger, who turns 33 in February, batted .216 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs with the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2025 season. Any team that signs Kepler likely won’t do so until midway through the year, as the ban will cover such a team’s first 80 games of 2026 regardless of when he signs. But he would not be eligible for postseason play.

Saturday, January 10

All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman has landed with the Cubs on a five-year, $175 million contract, adding one more Gold Glove-worthy asset to an infield already blessed with second baseman Nico Hoerner and shortstop Dansby Swanson. The Cubs believe that the total package of talent brought by Bregman—despite recent less-than-stellar offensive numbers as he moves toward his mid-30s—is worth the value of the pact.

The deal should give prognosticators pause before knee-jerking toward picking rival Milwaukee as the 2026 NL Central winner.

Sunday, January 11

Dave Giusti, a starter in his early years with the Houston Astros before being converted to a closer with Pittsburgh, passes away at the age of 86. The right-hander from Seneca Falls, New York debuted with Houston during its inaugural 1962 season, when the team was known as the Colt .45s; he became a regular member of the rotation when the ballclub moved to the Astrodome and became the Astros, winning 37 games from 1966-68. After a forgettable year with St. Louis in 1969, Giusti latched on with the Pirates and found immediate success as their closer; he saved a NL-high 30 games in 1971, adding three more during the postseason while not allowing a run over 10.2 innings to help the Bucs win it all. Giusti continued with the Pirates through 1976, and currently ranks fourth in franchise history with 133 saves. With career totals of 100 wins and 145 saves, Giusti is one of only 14 major league pitchers with at least 100 wins and saves each.

Tuesday, January 13

Nolan Arenado is returning to the NL West, as the St. Louis Cardinals trade the eight-time All-Star third baseman to Arizona for pitching prospect Jack Martinez. Generously, the Cardinals will also pay $31 million of the $42 million still owed to Arenado over the remaining two years of his contract. In his five years spent at St. Louis, Arenado saw his productivity slide downward on a yearly basis; in 2025, he set career lows with a .237 batting average and .666 OPS, clubbing just 12 home runs with 52 RBIs over 107 games. As he turns 35 in April, Arenado hopes to spark a comeback within his game.

The Yankees take a minor gamble on Ryan Weathers, trading for the injury-prone, thus-far unimpressive starting pitcher from Miami. Going to the Marlins are four minor leaguers, all position players currently situated in the lower levels who are not highly ranked on the Yankees’ list of top prospects. Weathers made just eight starts this past year with the Marlins, finishing 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA; over five MLB seasons, he’s 12-23 with a 4.93 figure. The Yankees are looking to have him fill out the rotation’s back end.

The Kansas City Royals are shortening the distance to the gaps at Kauffman Stadium for 2026, reducing one of baseball’s more expansive fields by square area. Fences will be moved in 10 feet to 379 in both left-center and right-center, while center field will remain at a still-distant 410. It’s not the smallest Kauffman Stadium has ever been; from 1995-2003, the gaps were at 375 feet, with center at an even 400. The goal is to yield more power numbers for the Royals’ hitters, including All-Star Bobby Witt Jr., slugger Vinnie Pasquantino, and rising star Maikel Garcia; all three hit slightly fewer homers at home last year than on the road.

Wednesday, January 14

Ranger Suarez is the newest member of the Boston Red Sox, signing a five-year contract worth $130 million. The 30-year-old southpaw has never been a workhorse, failing to throw enough innings to qualify for an ERA title over the past four years as a starter for Philadelphia, but he has been quite effective—posting 12-8 records over each of the past two years with ERAs just above 3.00. He joins a rebuilt Red Sox rotation that includes Cy Young Award-worthy Garrett Crochet, veteran Sonny Gray, and young Brayan Bello.

Thursday, January 15

The two-time defending world champion Dodgers show that they are not standing pat, signing highly sought-after outfielder Kyle Tucker. The years (four) involved in the contract are low, but the money ($240 million) is high; there are opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, but when you’re set to make more dough per year than anyone in baseball outside of Shohei Ohtani, you might want to think twice about an early departure. The annual $60 million salary to be earned by Tucker is an eye-opener; he’s obviously a top talent, but many believe he’s not in the ultra-elite category reserved for the likes of Ohtani, Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. But on a team full of stars, Tucker will likely not feel the burden of being the guy, as the projected 2026 Dodgers lineup looks stunning from leadoff to #9.

The Tucker signing reportedly sparks the ire of other MLB owners, hardening their resolve for a salary cap in the upcoming labor negotiations. The Dodgers’ open-checkbook policy is simply something a majority of MLB teams cannot (or will not) compete against—and they will make their case loudly heard at the bargaining table.    

Clayton Kershaw has decided that he is not done pitching. No, he’s not returning to the Dodgers or any other MLB team, but he has signed up to be a member of Team USA in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The 37-year-old left-hander says he’ll participate as “insurance policy” in the bullpen, and wants to be part of the fun. “I just wanna be part of this group,” he tells the MLB Network. “I learned a long time ago, you just wanna be part of great things.”

The 2026 international signing period begins for players aged 16 or 17, and the Giants waste no time snapping up the top-rated prospect by giving Venezuelan-born shortstop Luis Hernandez a $5 million bonus. Hernandez, who just turned 17 in December, hopes to bypass the Dominican Summer League and begin minor league play in the States this year.

In a three-team deal, the Cincinnati Reds send infielder Gavin Lux and minor leaguer Chris Clark to Tampa Bay, which in turn sends outfielder Josh Lowe to the Angels; from Anaheim, southpaw reliever Brock Burke is going to the Reds. Lowe hasn’t quite evolved as the Rays had hoped—batting just .220 in 2025 with 11 homers over 108 games—while Lux, once a top prospect for the Dodgers, hit .269 with five homers and 53 RBIs for the Reds.

Colorado continues to make small moves back toward hoped-for respectability, signing 28-year-old utility player Willi Castro to a two-year deal worth $12.8 million. Castro hopes to bump up a career .244 batting average, accumulated over seven big-league seasons in the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field, the Rockies’ home. This past year, Castro batted .226 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs split between the Twins and Cubs.

Friday, January 16

A day after losing out on Kyle Tucker, the New York Mets rein in Bo Bichette for a cool $126 million over three years, with opt-outs after each of the first two years. After rebounding back to form from a miserable 2024 season with a .311 batting average, 44 doubles, 18 home runs and 94 RBIs for Toronto in 2025, Bichette is expected to replace the departed Pete Alonso as the #3 guy in the Mets’ batting order. Defensively, Bichette is average at best—and the Mets are hoping he can make a switch from shortstop to third, a position he’s never played at the professional level. (Interestingly, another recent Mets pick-up—long-time middle infielder Jorge Polanco—will be asked to play at first base; he’s only played that position once at the pro level.)

The Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets’ divisional rival, reportedly offered Bichette a seven-year deal worth $200 million just a day earlier. Snubbed, the Phillies move on and bring back veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto on a three-year deal worth $45 million. Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, has seen his productivity wane over the past three years; his .700 OPS in 2025 was his lowest since his 2015 rookie campaign. But he remains defensively superior, leading all major leaguers last with 30 baserunners caught attempting to steal on him. Plus, his sage will fit in well within a Phillies roster that’s loaded with it.

Saturday, January 17

Wilbur Wood was doing Deadball Era things, five decades after the end of the Deadball Era. Throwing nearly 400 innings. Starting both ends of a doubleheader. Winning and losing 20 games in the same season. One of the game’s more peculiar—and briefly astonishing—pitchers of recent times passes away at the age of 84. Take a look at the leaderboards on our page devoted to the Chicago White Sox’ top 10 pitchers and you’ll find Wood is here, there and everywhere—listing among the franchise’s leaders in wins, shoutouts, appearances, strikeouts and even saves. That latter category refers to Wood’s early career as a reliever; unsuccessful with both the Red Sox and Pirates, Wood was traded to the White Sox in 1967 and learned the knuckleball from teammate and future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm. Wood’s career took off; he led the American League three straight years in appearances, saving 52 games during that stretch. But in 1971, Wood was converted to a starter—and became Ed Walsh reincarnated. Often working on just three days’ rest, Wood over the next five years averaged 45 starts, 330 innings and 21 wins; he topped out in 1973 by throwing a remarkable 376.2 innings. A year later, he faced a career-high 1,531 batters—nearly double the number of both league leaders (Garrett Crochet, Logan Webb) in 2025. Ironically, Wood’s career was cut short not by overuse of his arm, but by a line drive striking his kneecap, breaking it, early in the 1976 season. He never recovered from the injury; after struggling over the next two seasons, Wood called it quits at age 36.

Ryan Pressly announces his retirement from the game after 13 seasons, having accumulated 667 appearances, 117 saves and a 3.33 ERA. A two-time All-Star, the 37-year old Pressly pitched his final season with the Cubs, appearing in 44 games with a 4.35 ERA and five saves; he did not appear with the team during the postseason to follow. Perhaps that’s a shame, because Pressly earned an 11-6 record, 2.78 ERA and 14 saves over 47 career playoff outings, winning one ring as a member of the 2022 Astros.

Sunday, January 18

The Atlanta Braves thought highly enough of Ha-Seong Kim’s fairly productive past that, in the present, they gave the speedy, defensively gifted infielder a $20 million contract for 2026 despite languishing at the plate over the past two seasons. Now, Kim’s short-term future is in doubt; back in his native Korea, Kim slipped on ice and tore a tendon in his middle finger. He has undergone surgery and will not be available for the Braves until at least May. After being let go by San Diego following a subpar (.233 batting average) 2024 campaign, Kim regressed further in 2025, batting a combined .234 with five home runs and six stolen bases in just 48 games between Tampa Bay and Atlanta; injuries had much to do with his inactivity. This latest setback is going to put any comeback plans on hold.

In response, the Braves the next day will sign infielder Jorge Mateo, who led the AL in 2022 with 35 steals but, like Kim, has also seen his productivity decline.

Tuesday, January 20

A relatively unimpressive Hall of Fame ballot nevertheless yields two new members to Cooperstown, as voters pick Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran gets in on his fourth ballot, while Jones enters on his ninth; their elections show the continuing trend of “very good” players making the Hall with increased ease.

Never a dominant player yet an occasional All-Star, Beltran did manage impressive numbers in power (435 home runs), speed (312 steals) and a particular knack for RBIs, driving home 100 or more in eight different seasons. (Also: He batted .307 with 16 homers over 65 postseason games.) Jones largely gets his nod for his exceptional, seemingly effortless defense in center field, which earned him 10 Gold Gloves; he also powered out 434 homers, just one less than Beltran. But both Beltran and Jones get elected with just as much criticism as praise on social media, with a horde of angry commenters going off in all directions. Many show disgust at the election of Beltran, who was said to be highly involved in the Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal during his last season as a player; it did cost him a chance to manage the Mets in 2020. As for Jones, many within cyberspace point out his 2012 domestic violence arrest, a career .254 batting average that’s the second lowest among Hall-of-Fame members (barely ahead of the .253 produced by catcher Ray Schalk)—while others wonder why he made the Hall while Jim Edmonds, another center fielder of lore showing highly comparable career numbers, failed to earn 5% of the vote on his first (and thus only) ballot.

Among those not making the 75% threshold for enshrinement, Chase Utley earns the highest percentage at 59.1% on this, his third ballot. Cole Hamels, at 23.8%, is the only first-year entrant to surpass the 5% minimum to remain on future ballots; those ending up one and done include Ryan Braun (3.5%), whose tempered, post-steroid numbers following his role in the Biogenesis scandal ruined any chances of earning his way into Cooperstown. Speaking of steroids, two former stars with Hall-worthy numbers—but also multiple PED positives—once again fall well short. On his 10th and final ballot, Manny Ramirez earns 38.8% of the vote; Alex Rodriguez, on his fifth ballot, reaches 40%.

The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which includes This Great Game and actual Hall-of-Fame voters, releases its own results from its 800-member group voting on its own, alternate HOF—and no player gets in with the required 75% vote. Beltran gets the highest percentage at 73.6%.

Beltran will enter the Hall as a Met, while Jones, who played the bulk of his career with Atlanta, goes in as a Braves player. Jeff Kent, selected to the Hall the previous month in the Veterans Committee vote, will represent the San Francisco Giants. Per current rules, the Hall makes the choices.

Luis Robert Jr. will get a chance to jumpstart his career with a new team, as the Mets pick him up from the Chicago White Sox for Luisangel Acuna (Ronald’s younger brother) and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley. Just two years after belting 38 homers, Robert struggled on the power front with just 14 jacks in 2025, while batting a career-low .223; he did, however, steal a personal-best 33 bases.

Wednesday, January 21

Cody Bellinger is returning to the New York Yankees, signing a five-year, $162 million deal with the team he batted .272 with 29 home runs and 98 RBIs for in his previous and only year with the Bronx Bombers. The former Rookie of the Year and NL MVP gets opt-outs after the second and third years of the contract, but batting behind Aaron Judge every day will likely discourage him from leaving early.

Across town in Flushing Meadows, the Mets continue their aggressive offseason roster makeover—trading for 2025 NL wins leader Freddy Peralta, along with pitcher Tobias Myers, from the Milwaukee Brewers. Headed to Wisconsin are pitcher Brandon Sproat and top prospect shortstop Jett Williams, the Mets’ first-round draft choice from 2022. The 29-year-old Peralta finished the 2025 season with a 17-6 record and 2.70 ERA, earning his second All-Star roster spot. He leaves Milwaukee third on the all-time franchise list in both strikeouts and winning percentage.

Thursday, January 22

The Texas Rangers acquire Mackenzie Gore, the closest thing to an ace that the Washington Nationals have had over the past couple of seasons, in a trade in which five Texas minor leaguers will head to D.C. in exchange. That batch includes 18-year-old Gavin Fien, the Rangers’ top draft pick from this past year. Gore, who turns 27 before Opening Day, is himself a former first-rounder (San Diego, 2017) who’s struggled to reach A-list status over four seasons. He had promising moments early on in 2025, earning an All-Star spot—but faltered in the season’s second half, finishing the year with a 5-15 record and 4.17 ERA.

The departure of Gore leaves the Nationals without a reliable anchor in their rotation—not great news for a team whose 5.18 starting ERA was second only to the awful Colorado Rockies for MLB’s worst.

Friday, January 23

Reliever Seranthony Dominguez signs a two-year, $20 million contract with the White Sox, as Chicago looks to strengthen a not-too-awful bullpen from 2025 and escape the 100-loss misery of the past three years. Over seven major league seasons, the 31-year-old Dominguez has appeared in 322 games with 40 saves and a respectable 3.50 ERA. He also has considerable (and solid) postseason experience, posting a 4-0 record and 1.86 ERA over 29 appearances.

Saturday, January 24

All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez gets yet another contract extension from the Cleveland Guardians, adding four more years and $104 million to an existing deal that will now last through 2032. Barring a trade or catastrophic, career-ending injury, the extension all but ensures that Ramirez will finish his tenure as the franchise’s all-time leader in virtually every offensive category except batting average and (maybe) stolen bases.

Ramirez will turn 40 years of age just before the contract is set to expire. 

Craig Kimbrel is getting another shot at the major league level, signing a minor league contract with the Mets. As such deals go, the nine-time All-Star closer will only be ensured of a roster spot if he impresses in Spring Training. This will be Kimbrel’s 10th team, and his eighth since 2021. His 440 saves currently rank fifth on the all-time list.

Sunday, January 25

The Minnesota Twins have joined the state’s five other pro sports teams and numerous Minneapolis-based corporations in calling on federal officials to better coordinate and work with their local and state counterparts. This follows the deaths of two U.S. citizens—the second occurring just one day earlier—committed by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The statement is released as ICE has virtually swarmed Minneapolis in search of undocumented immigrants, often with brute force, resulting in understandably intense pushback from the community.

No strangers to making statements on social injustice, the Twins postponed several games at Target Field over police killings in the wake of the 2020 death of George Floyd. One certainly hopes that this latest, more concerning situation in Minneapolis will be long in the past by the time the Twins play their home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 3.

Monday, January 26

The Giants bring on center fielder Harrison Bader for two years and $20.5 million, with the former Gold Glover (2018) hoping to help improve a San Francisco outfield which was one of the majors’ worst last season. Offensively, the 31-year-old Bader had his most productive year in 2025, setting career highs in batting average (.277), home runs (17) and RBIs (54) over 146 games split between the Twins and Phillies.

Tuesday, January 27

The Houston Astros are letting it be known that they don’t fancy their best players performing in the World Baseball Classic. Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa, who’ve been looking forward to representing (respectively) Venezuela and Puerto Rico, have been told by the Astros that they have to buy their own insurance in case either one gets hurt during the tournament—as happened to Altuve in 2023, when he broke his finger and missed the first eight weeks of the Astros’ season. Both Altuve and Correa haven’t been able to come up with such insurance, so they’ll have to stick around at Astros camp.

The response to the news reveals, on social media at least, the divide among baseball fans on whether the WBC is worth it. There’s plenty of pride for players performing for their home nation, but also plenty of risk—as we found out in 2023 with Altuve and Edwin Diaz, who tore a knee muscle celebrating a win for his native Puerto Rico and missed the entire regular season to follow with the Mets. Diaz’s new team, the Dodgers, have yet to publicly state whether they’d prefer him to skip the WBC.

Wednesday, January 28

Baseball America has released its annual preseason list of the 100 top major league prospects, with the #1 spot reserved for 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, just one year after his debut in the Pirates’ minor league organization. The ninth pick overall from the 2024 amateur draft, Griffin dazzled at the A, A+ and AA levels in 2025, batting .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, 65 stolen bases and 117 runs scored. The Jackson, Mississippi native will be at Pirates spring camp in Florida next month; some believe he has a shot to make his major league debut with the parent team sometime this summer, if not sooner.

Griffin’s arrival could, along with ace Paul Skenes, spark a dynamic 1-2 punch of youth for the Bucs, as it did for Washington over 15 years ago when wunderkinds Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper boosted the Nationals from the depths of the standings to highly-respected contenders.

Thursday, January 29

Two veteran players named Austin receive minor-league contracts in a bid to jumpstart their careers. The Mets bring on board catcher Austin Barnes, who’s spent all 11 of his major league seasons with the Dodgers mostly via back-up duty. The 36-year-old Barnes played only 13 games for Los Angeles last season, before being released and picked up by the Giants, who limited his play to the minors. Meanwhile, pitcher Austin Gomber, who was the key player headed to Colorado in the deal that sent Nolan Arenado to St. Louis in 2021, is signed by the Texas Rangers. Gomber never really flourished with the Rockies—few pitchers in Colorado rarely ever do—and he collapsed this past year, going winless in 12 starts with seven losses and a 7.49 ERA.

/comebacker-february-2021/

Friday, January 30

Jacob Wilson becomes the latest pre-arbitration member of the Athletics to receive a long-term extension, signing a seven-year, $70 million contract with a team option for an eighth season. Last year’s runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year award (won by teammate Nick Kurtz), the 23-year-old Wilson put together an impressive set of numbers worthy of an All-Star veteran. His .311 batting average was the majors’ third best, he stroked 13 home runs with 63 RBIs in 125 games, and struck out just 39 times; only Luis Arraez had a higher percentage of balls put in play.

Along with Brent Rooker, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler, Wilson joins a core of A’s players who are under contract through at least 2030—two years after their targeted debut in Las Vegas. It will be curious to see if these players will have evolved, devolved, or be traded by that time.

Saturday, January 31

Three-time batting champ Luis Arraez is hooking on to his fourth team in five seasons, signing a one-year deal with San Francisco. The 32-year-old Arraez batted .292 last year with San Diego, leading the NL with 181 hits; he’s currently the best contact hitter in all of baseball, rarely striking out (21 times over 675 plate appearances in 2025) while collecting few walks as well. With the move, the Giants fill a big hole in their infield; last season, San Francisco second basemen batted a collective .217 with a .616 OPS—the latter figure being the fourth lowest in MLB.

Speaking at DodgerFest in Los Angeles, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says that Shohei Ohtani will play for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic—but he will not pitch. The decision is made by Ohtani himself, reportedly without any pressure from the two-time defending world champions. After not pitching at all during the 2024 regular season, Ohtani returned to the mound halfway through the 2025 campaign, gradually building up his innings; he finished 1-1 in 14 starts with a 2.87 ERA, before winning two of four starts in the postseason.