2026 Transactions: Mets Sign Melendez, Minor Moves

Now that the 2025 NFL season is over, it means the countdown to spring — and baseball season. The last weekend for 2026 Spring Training was quiet, although there was some action. Namely, the Mets, who signed former Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez to a contract for 2026.

Mets add Melendez

The Mets signed former Royals C/OF MJ Melendez to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM. Per the New York Post, he received an MLB contract.

Once a highly prized power-hitting prospect in the Royals’ system, Melendez received regular at-bats in 2023 and 2024 with Kansas City. Between those two seasons, Melendez hit a combined 33 home runs. However, strikeouts and swing-and-miss, coupled with defensive inefficiencies, bogged down this value.

This past season, Melendez hit 20 home runs with Triple-A Omaha.

Melendez has power and bat speed but as noted above, it’s about how much contact he can make. He sported a Whiff% above 33% last season in Triple-A. On top of that, Melendez will regularly expand; just on changeups alone, his Chase% on the pitch ranked in the bottom 20 of all Triple-A players (min. 100 pitches outside).

Blue Jays invite more to ST

The Blue Jays announced on February 7 that three more players will be going to Spring Training as non-roster players, in addition to the individuals previously selected. Pitchers Tanner Andrews, Josh Fleming, and Nate Garkow were the three.

Fleming should be familiar to Blue Jays fans, as he was once a member of the Tampa Bay Rays rotation. The left-hander, who last pitched in the Majors during the 2024 season, spent last year in the Mariners organization.

Garkow is perhaps the most interesting of the three. The relief pitching prospect struck out 54 batters over 37 innings and posted the best swing-and-miss rate in the Eastern League (48.9%) in 2025.

Minor League signings & other moves

Here’s a look at notable Minor League signings over the last week:

• Jordyn Adams (Brewers)
• Kolby Allard (Guardians)
• Austin Bergner (Rangers)
• Juan Centeno (Diamondbacks)
• Tom Cosgrove (Astros)
• Conner Capel (Rockies)
• Josh Hejka (Rangers)
• Jacob Hurtubise (Brewers)
• Cole Irvin (Dodgers)
• Kyle Keller (Red Sox)
• Gabe Klobosits (Cubs)
• Bligh Madris (Cardinals)
• Owen Miller (Cubs)
• Vinny Nitoli (Red Sox)
• Riley Pint (Padres)
• Eduardo Salazar (Twins)
• Matt Thaiss (Red Sox)
• Mason Thompson (Rangers)
• Vince Velasquez (Cubs)
• Patrick Weigel (Rockies)

Many of the names listed above have MLB experience, including Kolby Allard. Cleveland got the 28-year-old back after he posted a 2.63 ERA last season out of the Guardians’ bullpen. However, Allard only struck out 42 over 65 innings.

Also, on February 6, the White Sox sent Jairo Iriarte and Drew Romo outright to Triple-A.