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11:15 AM ET, January 27, 2026

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 Top News: 
Keith Law / The Athletic:
2026 Top 100 MLB prospects from Keith Law: Pirates' Konnor Griffin tops the list  —  Welcome to this year's ranking of the top 100 prospects in baseball.  I've been compiling and writing such rankings for 19 (!) years now, and those of you who've read them before will find the format here similar to those from the recent past.
Kevin Acee / San Diego Union-Tribune:
Padres pitcher Yu Darvish poised to walk away from his contract  —  Yu Darvish does not plan to pitch again in the major leagues.  —  The 39-year-old right-hander, who has been one of the best starting pitchers of his era, has told the Padres he intends to walk away with three years and $43 million remaining on his contract.
RELATED:
Sonja Chen / MLB.com:
Darvish ‘leaning towards’ voiding contract, but report of retirement premature  —  While Yu Darvish said he is “leaning towards” voiding his current contract with the Padres, both he and his agent refuted a report on Saturday that indicated the Japanese right-hander is retiring from baseball.
Discussion: Yahoo Sports
AJ Eustace / MLB Trade Rumors:
Padres Sign Samad Taylor To Minors Contract
Discussion: Lookout Landing
Steve Adams / MLB Trade Rumors:
Giants To Sign Harrison Bader  —  The Giants have a notable upgrade to their outfield defense in place, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $20.5MM contract with free agent outfielder Harrison Bader.  The Vayner Sports client can earn an additional $500K via incentives, bringing the deal's maximum value to $21MM.
Kiley McDaniel / ESPN:
Top 100 MLB prospects for 2026: Griffin, McGonigle, more  —  With spring training just a few weeks away, it's time to rank the top prospects in Major League Baseball for the 2026 season, with some who will be in the majors to begin the year and others primed to rise through the minors in the years ahead.
Discussion: Metsmerized Online
Dylan Hernandez / New York Post:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts makes his case to lead Team USA at 2028 Olympics  —  There's a very real chance that major league players could participate in the Olympics for the first time.  If they do, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has strong feelings about who should lead Team USA at the 2028 Summer Games.
Discussion: Yahoo Sports and The Athletic
Kennedi Landry / MLB.com:
Breaking down the prospect cost to land All-Star pitcher Gore  —  This story was excerpted from Kennedi Landry's Rangers Beat newsletter.  To read the full newsletter, click here.  And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.  —  ARLINGTON — Before an ice storm swept through North Texas this weekend …
Discussion: Yahoo Sports
Scott Lauber / The Philadelphia Inquirer:
‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Rob Thomson on managing the Bo Bichette aftermath, Nick Castellanos, and more  —  Later this week, Rob Thomson will gas up his truck near his home in Ontario and begin the drive to Clearwater, Fla., for spring training.  —  “As you go further south, it gets warmer and warmer …
Discussion: NBC Sports Philadelphia and Forbes
Charlie Wright / MLB Trade Rumors:
Tomoyuki Sugano Intends To Stay In MLB  —  Free agent Tomoyuki Sugano is not planning to return to Nippon Professional Baseball, per a report from Yahoo Japan (hat tip here for the translation).  The report cited a recent television interview from Sugano in which he said he's “not considering” coming back to NPB.
Discussion: Yahoo Sports
Manny Randhawa / MLB.com:
Can Yankees take AL East back in '26?  Here's what they need  —  The American League East, already a tough division from which three clubs reached the postseason last year, has gotten better even with the departures of Bo Bichette (Blue Jays to Mets) and Alex Bregman (Red Sox to Cubs) in free agency.
Nick Deeds / MLB Trade Rumors:
Hanser Alberto Announces Retirement  —  Veteran infielder Hanser Alberto announced his retirement via Instagram earlier this week, bringing a career that saw him spend parts of eight seasons in the majors to a close.  He played for the Rangers, Orioles, Dodgers, Royals, and White Sox throughout his time in the big leagues.
Discussion: Forbes
Nick Piecoro / Arizona Republic:
Why the Diamondbacks haven't added a late-inning reliever this winter … Not having added a back-end reliever so far this winter has been a choice, of sorts, for the Diamondbacks and general manager Mike Hazen.  —  He would have liked to have signed one off the free-agent market.
 
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 More News: 
USA Today:
José Ramírez contract extension being finalized with Cleveland Guardians
Shawn McFarland / Dallas Morning News:
Rangers' Jacob Latz has sights set on rotation, but MacKenzie Gore deal complicates things
Discussion: MLB.com
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