The Orioles designated Romo for assignment Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

The move frees a spot on the 40-man roster for Josh Walker, who was claimed off waivers. Romo was a waiver claim himself just last week, and he'll now go through the waivers process again. The switch-hitting catcher is 9-for-54 at the plate during his brief time in the majors.

The White Sox selected Paez with the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

A skinny 6-foot-1 righty from the Red Sox's farm system, Paez only logged 19.1 innings at Double-A in 2025 due to a calf injury. Long known for his stingy control, Paez's walk rates have been below four percent at ever stop since the start of the 2023 season. He lacks impact stuff, but if the White Sox can coax a bit more velocity out of his 91-92 mph fastball, Paez could make it as a back-end starter. He'll likely work as a low-leverage reliever for as long as he sticks on Chicago's active roster in 2026.

Bieber dealt with right forearm fatigue toward the end of this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

It's not clear exactly when the issue popped up for Bieber, who was the last Blue Jays hurler to throw a pitch in Game 7 of the World Series against the Dodgers, serving up a go-ahead home run to Will Smith in the top of the 11th inning. General manager Ross Atkins said Monday that Bieber is "in a strong position" and the righty being ready for Opening Day is "a very realistic outcome." While the concern for Bieber doesn't currently seem to be high, the forearm issue and past Tommy John surgery surely weighed into the pitcher's decision to exercise a $16 million player option rather than test the open market. More should be known about Bieber's health status during spring training.

The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After losing their closer earlier this week, the Mets now watch their slugging first baseman walk out the door. The $31 million average annual value is a record for a first baseman. Alonso -- who just turned 31 over the weekend -- put together one of his better seasons in 2025 with the Mets, slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 long balls and 126 RBI. The Orioles are now overloaded with first baseman/designated hitter types and seem likely to deal from that surplus for pitching help.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he expects Rice to play "a lot" against left-handed pitchers in 2026, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

The left-handed-hitting Rice's playing time against southpaws in 2025 was limited, though that was due in large part to Paul Goldschmidt's effectiveness versus lefties. Rice hit only .208 over 119 regular-season plate appearances against left-handers this past season, but he slugged seven home runs while boasting a .481 slugging percentage in those matchups. Heading into his age-27 season, Rice will be the Yankees' primary first baseman in 2026, and he could get an opportunity to be an everyday player.

Finnegan signed a two-year, $19 million contract with the Tigers on Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

After turning in a 4.38 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 39 innings with the Nationals, Finnegan became dominant on the mound once he moved from Washington to Detroit at the trade deadline, posting a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP with a 23:4 K:BB in 18 regular-season innings with the Tigers. He'll now officially stay put in the Motor City for the 2026 campaign and figures to remain in the mix for saves along with Will Vest.

The Red Sox plan to challenge Abreu to face more left-handers this coming season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Abreu has mostly been limited to facing right-handers since his MLB arrival in 2023, but the Red Sox are ready to give him a shot against all starters. "With Willy and some of the lefties, we have to see if they can do it," manager Alex Cora said. "It's about that time, especially with Abreu. If he can hit lefties and hit for power and play defense the way he's done the last few years, he can be the guy." Abreu's made just 15 starts against lefties and has 145 total plate appearances against southpaws since 2023, struggling to a .205 average and .589 OPS.

Casas (knee) has been at Boston's training facility in Fort Myers since the end of the regular season, Lauren Campbell of MassLive.com reports.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora continues to have faith in the young first baseman, who was limited to 29 games last season. "That's great for a young guy to know what he needs to do to compete," the manager said. "He's done that. Hopefully we can get him heathy." The shortened 2025 season was the second consecutive abbreviated campaign for Casas, who was limited to 63 games in 2024 due to a fractured rib. Casas is not a lock to return as the starting first baseman, and the Red Sox are rumored to have interest in free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso.

The Angels acquired Grissom from the Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for Isaiah Jackson, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Grissom had a forgettable tenure in Boston after being sent there from Atlanta in the Chris Sale trade. He slashed only .190/.246/.219 with zero home runs over 31 games during the 2024 season before spending all of 2025 at Triple-A Worcester, where he slashed .270/.342/.441 with 13 home runs. Grissom -- who will turn just 25 in January -- is out of minor-league options and will get a fresh start with the Angels. Most of Grissom's experience has come in the middle infield, but he's also handled third base, first base and left field.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday that Santander's left shoulder and back "finally feel normal" again, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.

Santander was limited to only 54 games in 2025 due to a shoulder subluxation and also a nagging lower-back issue. He slashed just .175/.271/.294 in those contests and saw his strikeout rate spike to 27.6 percent. It appears Santander is healthy now, though, and Schneider believes the 31-year-old "is going to be huge for us." Santander split his time between the outfield and designated hitter in 2025 and could do the same in 2026.