MLB Player News

Bukauskas was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Tuesday.

The move clears a spot on the roster after the Mariners claimed Tayler Saucedo off waivers from the Mets. Bukauskas had a short stay on the Mariners' 40-man roster, as he was claimed by Seattle off waivers from Arizona on Jan. 17. The right-hander posted a 2.79 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP over 19.1 frames with Triple-A Reno in 2022. If unclaimed, he likely will report to Triple-A Tacoma to provide organizational depth for the 2023 season.

Saucedo was claimed off waivers by the Mariners on Tuesday.

Saucedo had been designated for assignment by the Mets last week following the completion of a free-agent agreement with outfielder Tommy Pham. The 29-year-old left-hander allowed four earned runs in just 2.2 major-league innings last season with the Blue Jays, who cut him loose in November.

Green (elbow) signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says the second year of the deal will be a player option should the Jays elect to decline a three-year team option. If both sides decline, Toronto would get a two-year club option. Green underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2022 and won't pitch again at least until late 2023, hence the unique structure of the deal. It's a contract that should pay off for the Jays if Green can come close to his pre-surgery form, as the 31-year-old boasts a career 3.17 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 494:96 K:BB over 383.2 innings of work.

German was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Monday.

It clears room on the 40-man roster for Richard Bleier after Bleier was acquired from Miami in the Matt Barnes trade. The right-hander allowed eight runs in four appearances with Boston in the 2022 campaign with a 4:4 K:BB over his four innings of work, but did pitch well with Triple-A Worcester in the second half of the season. There could be interest in German on the waiver wire.

The White Sox claimed Alexy off waivers from the Twins on Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Alexy was booted off the Twins' 40-man roster last week after Minnesota acquired outfielder Michael Taylor. The right-hander appeared in five games for the Rangers in 2022 while allowing nine runs in seven innings. The White Sox may look to continue developing the 24-year-old as a starter, but the bullpen likely represents his most realistic path to seeing big-league action in 2023.

Burke and the Rangers discussed a return to the rotation earlier in the offseason, and he's now being considered for the closer spot as well, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

While the Rangers seemingly aren't certain how they'll use Burke next season, it's clear they like him quite a bit. It's easy to see why, as he recorded a 1.97 ERA last season in 82.1 innings of relief, backing that number up with a 27.4 percent strikeout rate and 7.3 percent walk rate. He was a starter in the minors and regularly threw multiple innings last season, so it could make sense for the Rangers to stretch him out and have him ready as the top fill-in should any of their starters' long injury histories get even longer. Given his success in relief, however, it could make sense for the Rangers to keep him in the bullpen, where he'll compete with Jose Leclerc, Jonathan Hernandez and potentially others for saves.

Fairbanks signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Rays on Friday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan adds that the arbitration-covering deal includes a $7 million fourth-year club option, which could potentially secure what would have been Fairbanks' first year of free-agent eligibility. The 29-year-old right-hander again had to contend with injuries in 2022, but he dominated to the tune of a 1.13 ERA and 38:3 K:BB ratio in 24 innings when healthy. Fairbanks currently projects as the favorite for saves in Tampa Bay leading into the 2023 campaign, though history suggests the closer role will be a carousel as the season plays out. It's just how the Rays tend to operate.

Voth has avoided arbitration with the Orioles and signed a one-year contract Thursday, which includes a club option for 2024.

Voth will be guaranteed $1.85 million with this new deal, and the 2024 option is worth $2.45 million with escalators that could add another $500,000. The 30-year-old right-hander struggled out of the gate last season with Washinton before moving on to Baltimore and registering a sharp 3.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 17 starts and five relief appearances covering 83 innings. He projects to operate in a swingman role again for the O's in 2023, shuffling between long relief and emergency starting/opening duties.

King (elbow) expects to be ready for the start of the season, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

King missed the final two-plus months of the 2022 season after fracturing his right elbow. The 27-year-old was excellent before the injury with a 2.29 ERA over 51 innings and a 66:16 K:BB ratio over 34 appearances. Assuming good health, King should be a bridge to Clay Holmes in the late innings.

Sewald (heel/elbow) may miss the start of spring training, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

Sewald underwent a "minor clean-up of his heel and elbow" in the offseason. While there is not a specific timeline for when he'll be able to return, it does sound like the right-hander will be ready for the start of the season. If healthy, he should see a significant amount of save chances in 2023.