MLB Player News

Brown has yet to be cleared to resume throwing, and surgery to repair his neck injury has not been ruled out, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Brown was shelved for the final three-plus months of the 2026 season due to a stress reaction in his neck, which is an injury that also forced him to miss substantial action in 2024. The Cubs and Brown are still determining the best course of action to treat the chronic injury, and it has the right-hander's status for 2027 unclear. Brown was terrific this season when on the mound, logging a 1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB over 68 frames covering eight starts and 12 relief outings.

Carroll underwent surgery Thursday to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

Carroll dealt with a bit of elbow discomfort during the regular season, but the issue was never serious enough to warrant a trip to the IL. His symptoms began to worsen shortly after the regular season ended, so he chose to treat the issue with surgery. The 26-year-old is hopeful to resume swinging a bat sometime in early December.

The Mets re-signed Stock to a one-year contract Friday.

Stock underwent surgery in March for thoracic outlet syndrome but made a rapid recovery, returning to pitch in June and earning a call-up to the majors in August. He made seven starts and one relief appearance for the Mets, logging a 5.93 ERA and 29:15 K:BB over 30.1 innings. Stock will turn 37 later this month.

The Nationals designated Nicolas for assignment Friday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The club needed to free up a spot on its 40-man roster for the addition of Reiver Sanmartin, who was acquired via trade Friday. Nicolas is a hard thrower with a fastball velocity in the 85th percentile in 2026, but he's bounced around over the past year, spending time in four different organizations.

The Nationals acquired Sanmartin from the Giants on Friday in exchange for Robert Cranz, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Sanmartin was removed from the Giants' 40-man roster earlier this week, and now he's headed to a new organization. The 30-year-old holds a career 5.37 ERA, 18.8 percent strikeout rate and 10.3 percent walk rate over parts of five major-league seasons, but he has induced grounders at a 55.1 percent clip over that span.

The Nationals and Young avoided arbitration by agreeing to a four-year, $23 million contract extension Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. The deal includes an $8 million club option for 2031.

Young had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time, but his new deal buys out all of his arbitration years and at least one year of free agency. The 27-year-old Young is regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in the game, and he had the best offensive season of his career in 2026, slashing .252/.318/.390 with 10 home runs and 18 stolen bases.

The Cubs declined Assad's $3.3 million club option for 2027 on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Assad remains in the organization and is arbitration eligible, so the Cubs will simply look to bring him back at a lesser salary. The 29-year-old swingman gave the Cubs solid work again this season, posting a 3.63 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 63:27 K:BB over 94.1 innings covering 11 starts and 17 relief outings.

The Cardinals acquired Rivera from the Red Sox on Tuesday in exchange for Juan Garcia, Andrew Parker of SoxProspects.com reports.

Rivera had been designated for assignment Monday as the Red Sox did some 40-man roster housekeeping. The big lefty allowed seven runs over 10 innings during his brief time in the majors in 2026, and he posted a 2.96 ERA and 55:27 K:BB across 45.2 frames with Triple-A Worcester. Rivera will compete for a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen in 2027, but he has minor-league options remaining.

San Francisco declined Wick's (elbow) club option for the 2027 season Monday.

Wick will remain with the organization and is arbitration eligible. He was unable to pitch during the 2026 while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

Austin (knee) was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Monday.

Austin underwent right knee surgery in March, though it's currently unclear where he's at in his rehab. He'll remain with the organization but is no longer a member of the 40-man roster following Monday's transaction.