4+ hour, 2+ min ago (455+ words) The Atlanta Braves have plenty of important decisions to make this offseason. Earlier in the offseason, they had to decide if they wanted to protect any of their prospects from the Rule 5 Draft. Atlanta didn't add any of their Rule 5 players to the 40-man roster to protect them. The Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other teams. Players signed at 18 or younger need to be added to the 40-man roster within five seasons, and players who signed at 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons. The 2025 Rule 5 Draft takes place on December 10th, and teams will hope they can find a diamond in the rough. There is one Braves prospect who is likely to be taken in the draft (or things are at least trending in that direction)....

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (300+ words) There are a number of ways the Toronto Blue Jays can try to clear the final hurdle. They lost in extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series to the Dodgers. You can't be closer to a championship than that. They've already made moves this offseason, signing free agent pitchers Dylan Cease (7/$210M) and Cody Ponce (3/$30M). They are expected to be in the market for at least one of Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, if not both. And there's also some thought they could be active in the trade market, seeking to move prospects for more MLB talent. MORE:Inside the kind of college basketball win that only happens in Syracuse, N.Y. Trey Yesavage is off limits, writes MLB.com's Jim Callis, but he lays out the rest of the plan in a new article on Wednesday. MORE:Famous rapper Toosii commits…...

2+ day, 4+ hour ago (625+ words) In 2025, the Chicago Cubs reaped the benefits of several savvy waiver claims and minor-league deals from the previous offseason. Players like Chris Flexen and Reese McGuire were among those who made a significant impact on the Cubs" season after being acquired on a minor league contract. The organization"s pro scouting department has done an impressive job recently of identifying undervalued talent and bringing it to Chicago on low-risk, high-reward transactions. As the calendar flipped to December, the Cubs had yet to find one of those value deals this winter. But on Tuesday, Chicago agreed to terms with infielder Scott Kingery on a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. And while this move will most likely be inconsequential in a few months, the Cubs" recent track record should give fans an open mind to the possibility that Chicago…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

2+ day, 8+ hour ago (474+ words) With the calendar turned to December, the Rule 5 Draft -- which takes place Dec. 10 during the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. -- is officially near. Two weeks ago, the Phillies kicked off what should be a busy offseason by adding three prospects to the 40-man roster: top prospect Andrew Painter (MLB No. 16), outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI No. 9) and right-hander Alex McFarlane (PHI No. 20). Those moves protected all three from being selected, but they also left a handful of interesting names unprotected. Three of them -- all unranked, all coming off breakout 2025 seasons -- stand out as Rule 5 candidates that other clubs could have their eyes on. One of the biggest surprises in the system this year was the 6-foot-4 outfielder. In his first four professional seasons, Reyes never posted an OPS of .715 or better. A strong offseason changed the trajectory heading into 2025: he…...

2+ day, 11+ hour ago (268+ words) CHICAGO -- The Cubs added some veteran experience to their depth chart on Tuesday, signing utility man Scott Kingery to a Minor League contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training with the big league club. While the bulk of Chicago's position-player group is set at the Major League level, the ballclub has a need for depth behind the main infield group. One of the Cubs' tasks this offseason is to fortify the bench options, including the potential reinforcements one level down with Triple-A Iowa. In Kingery, the Cubs are adding a 31-year-old utility man who has played in parts of six seasons in the Majors with the Phillies (2018-22) and Angels (2025). Kingery can offer a backup option for second base, shortstop and third base, while also providing experience in the outfield as well. Last season, Kingery appeared in just 19 games for…...