Lavender (elbow) cleared outright waivers Wednesday and was returned to the Mets.

The Rays acquired Lavender via the Rule 5 Draft last winter, so now that he's been outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster, he'll return to the Mets' farm system. The 25-year-old lefty missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, and he underwent another procedure in August to remove a bone spur in his left elbow. His availability for the start of spring training remains unclear.

Skenes won the 2025 National League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Skenes received all 30 first-place votes after finishing the year with a 1.97 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP alongside a 216:42 K:BB across 187.2 innings. He joins Vern Law and Doug Drabek on the list of Pirates to take home the award after the latter two did so in 1960 and 1990, respectively.

The Reds claimed Rortvedt off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Rortvedt split 2025 between the Rays and Dodgers, collecting a .152/.240/.205 batting line over 44 regular-season contests. Per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Rortvedt had avoided arbitration with the Dodgers with a one-year, $1.25 million contract prior to being placed on waivers, and that salary will now be the Reds' responsibility. He does not have minor-league options remaining and the Reds already have Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino pegged as their catching duo in 2026, so it's unclear how Rortvedt fits into the picture for Cincinnati.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski indicated Tuesday that Crawford has a strong chance to open the season in the majors, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies lost Max Kepler and Harrison Bader to free agency and are expected to trade or release Nick Castellanos, which would leave Brandon Marsh as the team's only returning outfielder. Even if they sign an outfielder in free agency, that would still leave a spot open for Crawford. The 21-year-old makes good contact, striking out 18.0 percent of the time in 112 Triple-A games last season en route to a .334 batting average, and he's stolen 40-plus bags for three straight years. He pounds the ball into the ground, however, and has topped out at nine home runs in a season.

The Brewers signed Leonard to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Wednesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Leonard spent the 2025 season at Triple-A Gwinnett in the Atlanta organization, slashing .239/.304/.435 with 20 homers and 11 steals. The 25-year-old infielder has yet to play in the majors and will likely begin the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Nashville.

Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Wednesday that the team will have a better idea by January as to how far along Murphy (hip) is in his rehab, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Murphy had surgery in September to repair a right hip labral tear, an injury he admitted to dealing with off-and-on for the past three years. Atlanta is hopeful that Murphy will be ready to go for the start of next season, and if that's the case, it expects him to split catching and designated hitter duties with Drake Baldwin. Murphy has slashed a disappointing .197/.293/.384 while averaging only 83 games over the last two regular seasons, but he could bounce back in 2026, if healthy.

The Padres are considering moving Morgan into their rotation next season, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.

Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon are the more high-profile names being mulled for a shift from the bullpen to the rotation, but Morgan is also under consideration. A former infielder and undrafted free agent who didn't begin pitching until 2022, Morgan posted a 2.66 ERA and 50:23 K:BB over 47.1 regular-season innings for the Padres in 2025. The 26-year-old had two opener assignments for the Padres, but the last time he made a traditional start came in 2022 at Hope International, an NAIA school.

President of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday that Benge will have an opportunity to make the Mets' Opening Day roster during spring training, Laura Albanese of Newsday reports.

Benge began 2025 at High-A Brooklyn but made it to Triple-A Syracuse by the end of the season, slashing .282/.389/.467 with 14 homers, 69 RBI, 85 runs scored and 24 steals between three affiliates. However, his progress noticeably stalled at Syracuse, where he posted just a .583 OPS over 103 Triple-A plate appearances. Although the 22-year-old's rapid ascent through New York's farm system will give him a chance to win the center field job in Queens, the club may want to see Benge perform better at Triple-A before calling him up to the bigs.

Edman will undergo surgery on his right ankle sometime next week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Edman has dealt with ankle trouble multiple times within the past couple of years, and he'll now elect to go under the knife in order to properly address the issue. General manager Brandon Gomes said the team expects Edman to be ready for the start of spring training, so the 30-year-old's availability for Opening Day likely won't be affected.

Darrell-Hicks was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Darrell-Hicks lost his spot on the 40-man roster Thursday. He'll remain in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed.