After almost two years of rehab, Patrick Sandoval is back. The idea of paying someone fresh off of Tommy John surgery $18 million to rehab has been met with plenty of criticism, but Sandoval's 529 strikeouts in 536 career innings with an ERA just over 4 can provide some stability if healthy.
Brennan, 28, has played 269 games over four major-league seasons with the Cleveland Guardians, posting a career .267/.307/.373 slash line (90 OPS+) with 14 home runs and 19 stolen bases. We've liked him for some time, said general manager Zack Minasian. Plays the game really hard. Gritty, grindy type. Controls the strike zone, moves around the outfield mostly the corner outfield spots.
In 2024, Lively tossed 151 innings with a 3.81 earned run average, an 18.7% strikeout rate and a 7.8% walk rate over the life of 29 starts. He entered the 2025 season locked into a rotation spot for manager Stephen Vogt and posted a sharp-looking 3.22 ERA in nine starts, but the under-the-hood numbers were less encouraging. Lively's strikeout rate dipped to 16.3% while his walk rate rose to 8.4%. His chase rate, swinging-strike rate and opponents' contact rate all went in the wrong direction.
Bieber missed most of the 2023-24 seasons rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He felt a bit of elbow soreness last summer but was otherwise healthy enough to pitch the stretch run and throughout the playoffs. Bieber combined for 59 innings between the regular season and postseason. The Jays declined to provide any kind of timetable for his season debut, though both Schneider and GM Ross Atkins suggested they expect him to get plenty of work this season. Bieber has been throwing off flat ground up to 90 feet.
A third-round pick by the Padres in 2016, Thompson has pitched in parts of four big league seasons between the Friars and the Nationals. The 6'6″, 240-pound righty been tagged for a 5.21 ERA in 114 innings, with a gruesome 11.81 ERA (16 runs in 10 2/3 innings) this past season skewing that mark a bit. Though Thompson's 2025 performance was rocky to say the least - he also posted an ERA over 6.00 in 16 minor league frames -
The Rays announced they've designated left-hander Ken Waldichuk for assignment. That's the corresponding 40-man roster move for infielder Ben Williamson, acquired from Seattle in tonight's three-team trade that sent All-Star utility player Brendan Donovan to the Mariners. Tampa Bay picked up Waldichuk in a DFA trade with Atlanta a few weeks ago. They're his third organization of the offseason. The Braves had claimed him off waivers from the A's, who had themselves designated him for assignment after trading for Jeff McNeil.
It wasn't until the 10th round that the Ohioan team selected the 6'4", 218 lbs righty. Unfortunately, Zibin's professional career got off to a rocky start, needing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, keeping him from pitching that season. The 2024 season was much of the same, as Zibin underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery, keeping him from making his professional debut until 2025.
Gott returns to the District for the second time in his career, as he posted a 7.39 ERA over 28 innings with the Nats from 2016-18. This disappointing performance came on the heels of Gott's strong 2015 rookie season with the Angels, but after the Nationals acquired the righty in a trade for Yunel Escobar during the 2015-16 offseason, Gott battled injuries and ineffectiveness while being shuttled up and down from the majors and Triple-A.