MLB Player News

Gibaut signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland on Thursday, according to Fusion Sports Agency.

Gibaut spent the majority of the 2021 season in the Twins organization at Triple-A St. Paul. He pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen but struggled to a 6.80 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. He'll have the opportunity to earn a role in Cleveland's bullpen during spring training, though he'll have to substantially improve his results to do so.

Alexander is set to start the Tigers' fifth game of spring training Tuesday against the Phillies, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Alexander is expected to begin the regular season as the team's fifth starter, but veteran Chase Anderson was also added to the mix Monday on a minor-league deal. Alexander has the ability to swing between the rotation and bullpen, though he'd certainly have more fantasy value as a starter. The lefty will be looking to make a good first impression Tuesday in an effort to secure the rotation spot.

Valdez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Angels on Thursday which includes an invite to big-league camp.

Valdez recorded eight saves for Baltimore last season but struggled overall with a 5.87 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 45:14 K:BB over 46 innings. He could earn a spot in the big-league bullpen but is unlikely to find himself in a high-leverage role for the Angels.

Iglesias will fill a conventional closer role this season and is not expected to be used for more than one inning, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Iglesias was the Angels' unquestioned closer last season, recording 34 of the team's 39 saves. That won't change this year, but what will apparently change is his usage. Iglesias recorded at least four outs in 16 of his 65 appearances last season, something which the Angels are now looking to avoid. That could slightly reduce the righty's overall workload, but his overall value shouldn't change significantly.

Lopez will be stretched out to potentially serve as a starter this season, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Lopez made 25 of his 33 appearances last season as a starter, but he finished in a bullpen role. The 29-year-old struggled to a 6.07 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP across 121.2 innings while posting a 3-14 record. He's posted an ERA north of 6.00 in each of the last three years, so he's unlikely to be more than a fifth starter should he land in the rotation, and it's very possible he ends up in a multi-inning relief role at some point.

Adam joined the Rays on a one-year, $900,000 deal Thursday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 30-year-old righty was non-tendered by the Cubs after posting a 5.91 ERA in a small sample of 10.2 innings last season, but the Rays evidently saw enough to offer him a major-league deal. His appeal is likely related to his ability to miss bats, as he owns a 37.0 percent strikeout rate in 24.1 innings across the last two seasons, which should theoretically be high enough to offset his 13.0 percent walk rate.

Fulmer got added competition for the Tigers' primary setup role with the addition of Andrew Chafin on Wednesday, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Gregory Soto is expected to be the team's closer heading into the season, which would leave Fulmer and Chafin in setup roles. Fulmer did have 14 saves and nine holds in 2021 to go with a 2.97 ERA, so he should definitely see high-leverage work moving forward. With Chafin a lefty and Fulmer a righty, manager A.J. Hinch could just play the matchups with his top bullpen options. Either would see a boost in value if they replaced Soto as the closer at any point.

Despite the addition of Andrew Chafin to the team's bullpen on Wednesday, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Soto is still slated to be the Tigers' closer in 2022.

Manager A.J. Hinch tabbed Soto as his 2022 closer back in October, so there's certainly a fair amount of conviction in his favor. Chafin had a strong 2021 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and five saves of his own, but he looks like a solid setup option at this point rather than a true challenger to Soto. The latter did record 18 saves in 19 chances last year, so he's probably earned at least a little job security heading into the season.

Pivetta will likely pitch the second game of the regular season against the Yankees on Saturday, April 9, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Chris Sale's rib injury, which removed him from an expected Opening Day start, sends a ripple through Boston's rotation. Nathan Eovaldi will start Opening Day and will most likely be followed by Pivetta, who is a certainty for the rotation. The final three spots of the rotation will likely be filled by some combination of Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock.

Rodriguez (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Rodriguez underwent capsule repair surgery in his right shoulder in November and is expected to miss most of the 2022 campaign, so it's not a surprise to see him headed to the 60-day IL. The 23-year-old has resumed throwing early on in spring training but still has significant rehab work ahead.