MLB Player News

Leone has signed a minor-league contract with the Indians. The deal includes an invitation to spring training.

Leone has found a new home after being let go by the Cardinals following the 2019 season, The reliever struggled during his two years in St. Louis, posting a combined 5.15 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 72:30 K:BB in 64.2 innings. Leone will look to break camp with the Indians in a middle-relief role.

Santiago agreed Wednesday with the Tigers on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

While he should get the token chance to compete for a spot in Detroit rotation that lacked dependable arms beyond Matthew Boyd and Spencer Turnbull in 2019, the 32-year-old is more realistically being evaluated for a spot on the Triple-A Toledo staff. Detroit added experienced starters in Ivan Nova and Zack Godley to the 40-man roster this offseason and also retained Jordan Zimmermann, Daniel Norris and Tyler Alexander, leaving Santiago on the outside looking in for the Opening Day roster. Santiago boasts experience in his own right with 139 career MLB starts, but he wasn't effective between stints with the White Sox and Mets in 2019, submitting a 6.68 ERA and 1.90 WHIP in 33.2 innings.

The Twins plan to use Graterol as a reliever in 2020, pitching coach Wes Johnson and general manager Thad Levine told MLB.com.

Twins management left open the door that Graterol could become a starter again in the future but said he may learn how to pitch at the MLB level better in the bullpen. Being used as a reliever would make it easier to manage his workload (he had Tommy John surgery in 2016). Armed with a 99-mph fastball, Graterol had a strong debut in the majors at just age 20 last year with a 4.66 ERA and 10:2 K:BB ratio in 9.2 innings. He also threw a scoreless inning in the playoffs. He'll need to win a spot in the big-league bullpen, but he could be an impact player in high-leverage situations this season.

Palumbo (blister) is expected to start the season at Triple-A Nasvhille, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Palumbo had five separate stints with Texas in 2019, making seven appearances (four starts). The development of a blister during the summer limited him and eventually prevented him from pitching in the Arizona Fall League. The 25-year-old left-hander spent the offseason adding weight (25 pounds) and working on a new changeup grip, which he apparently will hone while a member of the Sounds' starting rotation. Texas added three veteran starters during the offseason, filling out a rotation that already included Mike Minor and Lance Lynn. It means that, barring health issues, young starters like Palumbo will open the season in the minors.

Covey went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday, per MLB's official transaction log.

The 28-year-old was removed from the 40-man roster last week but will remain with the organization after going through the waiver wire unclaimed. Covey posted a 7.98 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 41:28 K:BB across 58.2 innings (12 starts) last year, and he has a cumulative 6.54 ERA over his three big-league seasons (63 games).

Stiever will join the White Sox for big-league camp this spring, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Stiever excelled as a starting pitcher for High-A Winston-Salem last season, featuring a 2.15 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 77 strikeouts across 12 starts. The 22-year-old and fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft will have the opportunity to spend a few weeks with the big-league coaching staff, but he is still a year or two away from actually contending for a roster spot.

Burke will be behind to start spring training due to continued shoulder issues, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Burke's shoulder issues date to at least the first half of the 2019 season. The discomfort popped back up in December, eventually requiring an injection. The injection helped get rid of the pain, but he'll nevertheless be behind his teammates to start the year.

Valdez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Orioles earlier in January, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The 34-year-old will return to affiliated ball for the first time since 2017 after spending the past two seasons in the Mexican League. Before heading south of the border, Valdez had logged 20 career appearances in the majors between the Diamondbacks, Athletics and Blue Jays, posting a collective 7.34 ERA. The Orioles likely plan to have Valdez serve as organizational depth at Triple-A Norfolk or Double-A Bowie.

Lakins was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Friday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Lakins turned in a solid 2019 season, finishing with a 3.86 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with an 18:10 K:BB over 23.1 frames in his first taste of big-league action. Matt Hall will take Lakins' place on the 40-man roster.

Andriese will come to camp as a starting pitcher following his trade to the Angels on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

The 30-year-old owns a career 4.64 ERA in 49 starts. In 2019 for the Diamondbacks, his first season spent entirely in the bullpen, he posted a mediocre 4.71 ERA. Moving to the rotation would give him a better shot at fantasy relevance than a middle-relief role would, though the fact that he'll enter camp as a starter doesn't guarantee that he'll enter the regular season as one.