RENNES, France (AP) — Marseille signed Netherlands midfielder Quinten Timber in a cut-price deal Friday with his contract at Feyenoord set to expire at the end of the season.
Marseille did not disclose the transfer fee for the 24-year-old Timber but it was reportedly 4.5 million euros ($5.3 million), well below his true market value.
Timber, whose twin brother Jurrien plays for Arsenal, played for the national team in three World Cup qualifying games last year.
He scored in a 3-2 win at Lithuania as the Dutch topped the group to advance. The Netherlands is in a World Cup group with Japan, Tunisia and the winner of a European playoff.
Also moving to France was Poland midfielder Sebastian Szymanski who transferred from Turkish club Fenerbahçe to Rennes bolster the club's push for a European spot.
Szymanski and Timber met in the Champions League qualifying rounds when Fenerbahçe eliminated Feyenoord in August.
Timber will be eligible for Marseille in the Champions League if the team advances to the knockout phase starting in February. Marseille is 19th in the 36-team standings ahead of playing at Club Brugge in the last round of league-phase games next Wednesday.
Marseille described Timber as a "modern midfielder par excellence. Comfortable on the ball, he knows how to break through the lines with his dribbling or passing, while also providing a real defensive presence.”
Rennes, in sixth place in Ligue 1 entering the weekend, said late Thursday it signed the 26-year-old Szymanski to a contract to 2029.
The left-footed attacking midfielder made 134 appearances in 2 1/2 seasons at the Istanbul club, scoring 22 goals and providing 30 assists.
Neither team specified the transfer fee, but it was widely reported to be around 10 million euros ($11.7 million).
Rennes hosts Lorient on Saturday. The team has also reached the French Cup round of 16.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Quinten Timber of the Netherlands, center, scores his side's second goal during the World Cup qualifying soccer match between Lithuania and Netherlands at Darius and Girenas stadium in Kaunas, Lithuania, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, file)
FILE - Fenerbahce's Sebastian Szymanski celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Europa League soccer match between GNK Dinamo Zagreb and Fenerbahce, at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb, Croatia, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, file)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins signed left-hander Taylor Rogers to a one-year, $2 million contract to bring the veteran reliever back to his original team as part of a bullpen revamp Friday, while also finalizing a two-year, $14 million deal with catcher Victor Caratini.
Rogers and Caratini were at Target Field for their physical exams to make their signings official, after recently agreeing to terms. Rogers had a 3.15 ERA in 319 appearances over his first six major league seasons with the Twins, accumulating 361 strikeouts in 314 2/3 innings. He became a closer in 2019 and made the All-Star team in 2021.
“The Taylor Rogers we knew in ’18 and ’19 is going to be different than this guy, but he’s still a really good reliever and I think he’s going to have a big impact in our bullpen not only pitching-wise but with the ability to lead our group,” said new manager Derek Shelton, who was the bench coach for the Twins during part of Rogers' first stint with the club.
Over the last four years, Rogers has pitched for five teams. He was traded to the San Diego Padres right before the 2022 season and then to the Milwaukee Brewers right before the deadline. Rogers signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2023 to join his twin brother, Tyler Rogers, and was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds in 2025. The Reds traded him to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline last summer.
The 35-year-old Rogers has a career 3.34 ERA in 566 relief appearances, with 626 strikeouts in 541 1/3 innings and 83 saves. Rogers, who was drafted by the Twins as a starter in the 11th round in 2012 out of Kentucky, was converted to relief just before his major league debut in 2016.
The Twins traded their top five relievers during the week leading up to the deadline last season: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe. Rogers will mix in with bullpen holdovers Cole Sands, Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk.
“It’s the most obvious area of need coming into the offseason, something we feel like ‘Rog’ is a step in that direction, but help in that regard is going to come in all shapes and sizes," general manager Jeremy Zoll said ahead of the team's annual fan festival.
The 32-year-old Caratini, who will also be in the mix at first base and designated hitter while backing up catcher Ryan Jeffers, hit .259 in 2025 in his second season with the Houston Astros and set career bests with 12 homers, 46 RBIs and 386 plate appearances.
The 32-year-old switch-hitter has a .244 batting average over nine major league seasons. The Twins will be his fifth different team. Among active catchers with a minimum of 3,500 innings behind the plate, Caratini's catcher ERA of 3.92 ranks eighth best in baseball.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Caratini and Rogers, the Twins designated right-handed reliever Pierson Ohl and catcher Jhonny Pereda for release or assignment.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Houston Astros' Victor Caratini sprints to third during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas., Sept. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
FILE - Chicago Cubs' Taylor Rogers throws during the eighth inning of Game 2 of a National League wild card baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley,File)
