We’ve now reached February, which means it won’t be long until the first spring games start. The last day of January saw movement, as former batting champion Luis Arraez agreed to join the Giants. And in other news, the White Sox brought in former AL All-Star Austin Hays for 2026.

Hays signs with White Sox

Per multiple reports, the White Sox have reportedly agreed to sign Austin Hays to a one-year deal.

The 30-year-old had a much better year with the Reds, despite a career-worst 31.4% and seeing more breaking balls than ever before. Across 103 games, Hays slashed .266/.315/.453 with 15 home runs and 36 extra-base hits.

Hays has been traditionally a very good bat against left-handed pitching. The former All-Star slashed .319/.400/.549 last season against opposite-sided pitchers. But he didn’t do too badly against righties, either. He sported a .708 OPS and, unsurprisingly, 13 of his 15 home runs came off right-handers.

Chicago traded outfielder Luis Robert Jr., a power-hitting center fielder, to the Mets in January. Hays is a corner outfielder but could slot in as a de facto replacement for Robert Jr. in the lineup, adding another righty to balance it out.

Extensions

For those who missed the news on January 30th:

• The Athletics agreed to sign Jacob Wilson to a seven-year extension, per ESPN. That deal buys out Wilson’s final pre-free agency years, including two years afterwards. The 23-year-old posted a .800 OPS last season and was an AL All-Star.
• Vinnie Pasquantino, an arbitration-eligible player, signed a two-year deal worth $11.1MM. That deal will take care of two of his three remaining arbitration-eligible years.

Minor League signings

Here’s a look at other reported and confirmed Minor League signings from the last week:

• Tyler Beede (Cubs)
• Matt Bowman (Twins)
• Chas McCormick (Cubs)
• Dylan Moore (Phillies)
• Alexander Ramirez (Cubs)
• Samad Taylor (Padres)
• Andrew Thurman (Padres)

The New York Times reported that Moore will join the Phillies on a Minor League deal, which comes with an invite to Spring Training.

The 33-year-old Moore can get on base, play many different positions, and hit for some power. He had multi-home run seasons in 2021, 2024, and 2025.

Chas McCormick, once an everyday player in Houston and a World Series champion, took a Minor League deal with the Cubs. Tyler Beede, a former first-rounder a decade ago, did the same.

Perhaps the most interesting name in the list above, though, may be Andrew Thurman. Thurman was a second-round pick by the Astros back in 2023 out of UC Irvine. The right-hander capped out at Double-A and didn’t pitch in affiliated baseball from 2018 through 2024.

The 34-year-old struck out 128 over 125.2 IP with Southern Maryland of the Atlantic League last year.

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