2026 Transactions: Athletics Sign Civale, Braves Add Heim

The first full day of 2026 Spring Training for many teams was a busy one. Not only did teams provide injury updates but several also finalized deals with free agents. The Athletics brought in pitcher Aaron Civale, while the Braves picked up more catching depth with Jonah Heim.

A’s sign Civale

The A’s announced several signings on February 10. Most notably, the Athletics added right-hander Aaron Civale.

Civale spent time with three teams last season: the Brewers, Cubs, and White Sox. A right-hander who has a deep pitch mix, Civale has been a starter for the vast majority of his career. But after Civale requested a trade out of Milwaukee thanks to a pending move to the bullpen, the Brewers traded him to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn.

He didn’t pitch badly after the trade, particularly in the second half. The right-hander, between the Cubs and White Sox, struck out 52 over 49.1 IP, and posted a 2.0 BB/9

Additionally, the Athletics signed reliever Scott Barlow. Grant Holman & Mitch Spence were designated for assignment.

Heim to Braves

With Sean Murphy recovering from hip surgery, the Braves added a backup plan by bringing in Jonah Heim on a one-year deal on February 10.

Heim was non-tendered by the Rangers this past November after the switch-hitting catcher had a down season. The 30-year-old slashed .213/.271/.332 (.602 OPS) with 11 home runs and 25 extra-base hits over 124 contests for Texas. His .266 wOBA ranked 237th out of the 242 batters who had at least 350 plate appearances last season.

The ex-Ranger was a very productive hitter three years ago during the Rangers’ championship season, as he hit 18 home runs that year for Texas.

The Braves cleared a 40-man roster spot by placing Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day IL, as noted earlier on the 10th.

Sugano to Rockies

Tomoyuki Sugano signed a contract with the Rockies, becoming the second notable starter to join the team this winter. Previously, the Rockies signed ex-Royal Michael Lorenzen.

Sugano had a weird 2025 season, his first in the Majors after a lengthy career in Japan. The 36-year-old regularly threw strikes and was able to effectively change speeds with the splitter off the fastball. However, not all was great, to say the least.

The new Rockie, who sits mainly in the low-90s with both his four-seam and two-seam, had one of the worst wOBA (.342) figures last season among starters. Part of that is thanks to the fact that Sugano conceded 33 home runs over 157 innings.

His 1.89 HR/9 was fourth-highest among starters who threw 100+ innings last season.

Other moves

St. Louis and Washington swapped relievers on February 10. Andre Granillo, who struck out 58 over 42 innings and tossed 21 MLB innings last season, was traded to the Nationals for George Soriano.

Chicago (AL) sent left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson to the Mets for cash.

The Blue Jays signed pitchers Phillipe Aumont and Jack Cushing to Minor League deals.