Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler's (shoulder) 2025 season was cut short when he was put on the injured list in August with a blood clot in his right upper extremity. He had a successful thrombolysis removal surgery a day later. It was a disappointing end to another strong season, as Wheeler had a 10-5 record, 2.71 ERA, an elite 195:33 K:BB ratio, and a 0.94 WHIP in 24 starts. On Sept. 23, he had vascular thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. The type of surgery Wheeler had has produced stronger outcomes than the neuronic version that derailed Stephen Strasburg's career. Wheeler is unlikely to be ready by Opening Day next year, but president of baseball operations David Dombrowski said last month that Wheeler is likely to return near the end of May. Wheeler has been a constant at the top of Philly's starting rotation since 2020, but fantasy managers will be skeptical of a pitcher who will turn 36 on May 30 and who is coming off a major surgery.

Free-agent right-hander Ryan Helsley agreed to a two-year, $28 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, a source told Katie Woo of The Athletic. Helsely will have the ability to opt out of the deal after his first season in Baltimore. Reports suggested that interested MLB teams were looking at making the 31-year-old veteran into a starting pitcher for next season, but the O's will keep him as a reliever. A dreadful two-month period with the New York Mets in 2025 did little to deter interest in him around the league, as around 15 teams checked in on him this offseason, including the Detroit Tigers. Helsley was an All-Star in 2024 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he led baseball with 49 saves. He converted 21 of 26 save chances for St. Louis this past season, but he had a 7.20 ERA in 22 outings after being traded to the Mets. He was struggling with predictability issues and pitch tipping. Felix Bautista (shoulder) isn't expected to be ready until late next season, so Helsley should be Baltimore's primary closer for most of 2026.

The New York Mets' trade of long-time outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers might have cleared a lane for outfield prospect Carson Benge to become the team's starting center fielder on Opening Day in 2026, according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com. Benge, the team's No. 2 prospect and the No. 21 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, climbed three levels in the minors in his first full season in 2025. He has a real shot to not only make the big-league roster out of spring training, but also win starting center-field duties now that Nimmo is gone. The 22-year-old was drafted 19th overall in 2024 as a two-way player out of Oklahoma State. Benge has since become a full-time outfielder and hit .281/.385/.472 with 15 homers and 22 steals in 116 games over three minor-league levels. Benge has great bat-to-ball skills, developing power, and above-average speed. His primary competition in center field in spring training will be with Tyrone Taylor.

Free-agent right-hander Nick Anderson agreed to an undisclosed one-year deal with the Athletics earlier this month that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Anderson's MLB salary is $1 million if he's added to the 40-man roster. The 35-year-old has pitched in six big-league seasons with five different teams. He appeared in 12 games out of the bullpen in 2025 for the Colorado Rockies, posting a career-worst 6.14 ERA (10 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings) while striking out 10 and walking two. In his career, Anderson holds a 3.43 ERA (3.38 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, 10 saves, 212 strikeouts, and 49 walks in 173 innings pitched over 177 relief appearances. Anderson will be far from the fantasy radar in all formats and will most likely start the 2026 season at Triple-A Las Vegas.