The St. Louis Cardinals have traded third baseman Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In exchange, the Cardinals received right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez. Arenado has had his name on the trade block throughout the winter and finally agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join the Diamondbacks. The 34-year-old is coming off a quiet season, posting a low .237/.289/.377 slash line with just 12 home runs and three stolen bases. Under the hood, the former second round of pitch generated a .289 xwOBA, placing him in the ninth percentile among qualified hitters. However, Arenado remains one of the top defenders in the sport as he placed in the 83rd percentile in Range and has been awarded 10 Gold Gloves and six Platinum Gloves. Managers should expect Arenado to see an everyday role at the hot corner, which would likely shift Jordan Lawlar to the outfield or a super-utility role. In St. Louis, Thomas Saggese and Nolan Gorman figure to compete for daily opportunities at third base.

Free agent shortstop Jax Biggers has signed a minor-league contract with the Houston Astros after spending the first seven seasons of his career in the Rangers' system. Biggers hit only .214 in 79 games in Double-A and Triple-A last season with one home run and 11 stolen bases. He showed more upside in 2024, posting a solid .275/.390/.382 slash with 22 doubles, three home runs, 12 stolen bases, and a 71:87 BB:K ratio. He has never reached the MLB level, but with a change of scenery, he could be an interesting defense-first, contact-heavy middle infield option for the Astros. The team initially assigned him to Triple-A, but his position in the organization could change as major and minor league Spring Training unfolds.

Free agent pitcher Bryan Sammons is coming back to the United States after spending last year in Japan. The 30-year-old lefty went 5-5 in 16 games (15 starts) for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball last year, posting a 3.78 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 7.7 K/9. He made six appearances out of the bullpen for the Tigers in 2024, posting a 3.62 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. The tall southpaw will likely serve as organizational depth this season but will get an invitation to Spring Training, so he'll have his chance to earn a larger role. He will likely start the year in Triple-A but could have a chance to earn some starts if injuries strike the Tigers' rotation this season. He's someone to monitor in Spring Training and be aware of for streaming purposes in AL-only leagues.

Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw could lose playing time after the signing of Alex Bregman, or the team could look to move him in a trade. There was initial speculation that the team could move the top prospect to 2B and look to trade Nico Hoerner, but The Athletic's Keith Law reported that Shaw has shown "resistance to help from the Cubs' staff" and could be a trade candidate as a result. Shaw hit .226 in his 126 games last season with 13 home runs, a .300 wOBA, and an elevated 21.5% striekout rate. The 24-year-old Shaw would be an interesting acquisition for any team looking for young infield help since he has shown so much promise, but struggled to put it together in the majors. In 2024, he hit .284 between Double-A and Triple-A with 21 homers and 31 stolen bases. He has great upside but comes with some coachability questions, which makes him an intriguing but risky potential addition this offseason.