The Toronto Blue Jays acquired right-hander Nick Sandlin and second baseman Andres Gimenez from the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Nick Mitchell and infielder Spencer Horwitz, who was later flipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates for three pitchers. Sandlin, 27, has posted a decent 3.27 ERA (4.41 FIP), a 1.15 WHIP, one save and a 223:92 K:BB in 195 1/3 innings over 209 appearances (one start) in his first four years in the big leagues, all with the Guardians. For the second straight season in 2024, the reliever had a 3.75 ERA while also sporting a 1.27 WHIP, a career-high 68 strikeouts and 27 walks in 57 2/3 frames. The former second-round selection by Cleveland in the 2018 draft out of the University of Mississippi will serve in a middle-relief role for the Jays in 2025 and won't carry much fantasy value.

The Texas Rangers are acquiring third baseman/first baseman Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night in exchange for third baseman Echedry Vargas, shortstop Max Acosta and left-hander Brayan Mendoza, according to a source. The move to add Burger adds thump to Texas' lineup after he hit 29 home runs and drove in 76 for the Marlins in 2024. He hit a career-high 34 long balls with the Chicago White Sox and Marlins in 2023 while also posting a nice .828 OPS. The former first-round selection by the White Sox in 2017 out of Missouri State University will move to a much better situation for his fantasy prospects in Texas and will be surrounded by much better hitters. Between third base, first base and designated hitter, Burger should play regularly and give fantasy managers a solid power floor with around a .250 average.

The Miami Marlins are acquiring shortstop/second base prospect Echedry Vargas, shortstop Max Acosta and left-hander Brayan Mendoza from the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night in exchange for third baseman/first baseman Jake Burger, according to a source. The Marlins continue their full-on rebuild this offseason. The top name in the deal coming back to Miami is Vargas, who was ranked as the Rangers' No. 17 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Vargas is only 19 years old, so he's unlikely to be a realistic option for a big-league promotion for at least a couple years. The Dominican infielder spent all of 2024 at Single-A Down East, slashing .276/.321/.454 with a .775 OPS, 14 homers, 48 RBI, 29 steals and 65 runs in 97 games. Vargas has surprising power for a 5-foot-11, 170-pounder but may need to cut his swing down as he advances up the minors. For now, he's just one to watch in dynasty/keeper formats.

The Cleveland Guardians acquired pitchers Luis L. Ortiz, Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night in exchange for infielder Spencer Horwitz, according to sources. Ortiz is the biggest name in the swap for the Guardians as they look to add pitching depth to their system. The 25-year-old Dominican right-hander had his best year in the big leagues in his third year with Pittsburgh in 2024, going 7-6 with a 3.32 ERA (4.25 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, a career-high 107 strikeouts and 42 walks in 135 2/3 innings over 37 appearances (15 starts). Even though the Guardians re-signed Shane Bieber already this offseason, Ortiz could be primed for a spot near the back end of Cleveland's starting rotation to open the 2025 regular season. Ortiz was slightly better as a starter in 2024 but had a strikeout rate under 20%, limiting his overall upside as a matchup-based streamer in deeper leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak recently acknowledged that the team was interested in trading third baseman Nolan Arenado, but with Arenado's full no-trade clause in his contract, the 10-tim Gold Glover would have to approve of any trade. The 33-year-old already has said he would be willing to switch to first base if needed, but now the veteran has reportedly whittled down the list of teams he would rubber-stamp a trade to down to six -- the Dodgers, Padres, Angels, Phillies, Mets, and Red Sox. Perhaps the Phillies and Red Sox make the most sense on that list, but only time will tell. The eight-time All-Star can still play terrific defense, but his offensive numbers have been heading south in St. Louis over the last couple of years. Last season, he hit just 16 home runs and posted a 102 wRC+, both the lowest outputs since his rookie season in 2013 (excluding 2020). If there is some optimism on the offensive side of things, the likely future Hall of Famer's contact rate was near a career-high (84.4%), and his strikeout rate fell two percentage points over the prior season to a well-below-average 14.5%, so he can still put the bat on the ball.