MLB Player News

Pomeranz agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

This marks the final offseason that he is an arbitration-eligible player. Pomeranz posted a 3.32 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with a 174:69 K:BB over 32 starts in 2017. The southpaw basically put up similar numbers to his 2016 campaign when he was dealt to the Red Sox via San Diego in the summer, as he provided durability while cutting down on home-run rate and continuing to strike batters out. Expect more of the same from Pomeranz in 2018.

Diekman agreed to a one-year, $2,712,500 deal with the Rangers on Friday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

This was the final offseason as an arbitration-eligible player for Diekman. In 2017, the left-hander fought through three procedures to address ulcerative colitis, which only allowed him to pitch in 11 games toward the end of the year. Even so, Diekman provided a strong presence at the back of the bullpen, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 10.2 innings, positioning himself for a potential breakthrough as a setup man in 2018.

Colome agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Rays on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports.

This was the first year he was an arbitration-eligible player. Colome recorded 47 saves during the 2017 campaign, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 66.2 innings as Tampa Bay's ninth-inning man. He has been rumored to be on the trading block all offseason, as the typically frugal Rays have been adamant about trimming their payroll. Keep an eye on his situation, but regardless, Colome will have solid value heading into 2018.

May (elbow) agreed to a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, the Star Tribune reports.

May missed all of 2017 after suffering a torn UCL in spring training, resulting in Tommy John surgery. He resumed throwing last August and has been gradually increasing his intensity and throwing distance, advancing out to 105 feet in mid-November. The Twins could, theoretically, expedite May's return by preparing him for a bullpen role, but they are expected to stretch him out as a starter.

Pressly agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The right-hander will receive a $425,000 pay increase in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Pressly averages close to 96 mph with his fastball and gets good spin on his breaking pitches. He was roughed up early on in 2017, but finished with a 2.62 ERA and .247 wOBA in the second half, putting him in line for a more prominent role in the Twins' bullpen to begin 2018.

Loup signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Loup appeared in 70 games out of the Blue Jays' bullpen in 2017, posting a solid 3.75 ERA over 57.2 innings. He fanned roughly a quarter of the batters he faced but also issued free passes at a career-worst 10.9 percent clip. He'll see plenty of action out of the Toronto bullpen again in 2018.

Kahnle agreed to a one-year, $1.312,500 million deal with the Yankees on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Kahnle appeared in 69 games split between the Yankees and White Sox last year, posting a 2.59 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 96:17 K:BB over 62.2 innings of relief work. The 28-year-old finished off the season strong with the Bronx Bombers after coming over in July, and is set to serve in a high-leverage setup role in 2018.

Giles is expected to be the closer in 2018 despite his problems during the 2017 postseason, Brian McTaggart of the Astros' official site reports.

Giles was good throughout the regular season, successfully converting 34 of 38 save chances, but the postseason was a disaster. He allowed 10 runs on 12 hits and five walks over 7.2 innings in the playoffs and was completely ignored in the final three games of the World Series, when manager A.J. Hinch leaned on starters to finish games. The manager doesn't have that luxury in the regular season, so relievers will have to pitch the final three outs. If Giles wavers at all, Will Harris and Chris Devenski are first in line for opportunities. Of course, the Astros should be a postseason player for a second straight season, so they would likely explore the trade market for an established closer should Giles' postseason performance carry over to the 2018 regular season.

Castro will compete this spring for a spot in the Orioles' starting rotation, MASN's Roch Kubatko reports.

He hasn't thrown yet at the Orioles' pitching minicamp, but is preparing to make the transition from reliever to starter. Once a high-upside pitching prospect for the Blue Jays earlier this decade, Castro was moved to the bullpen to expedite his ascent to the majors, and was then shipped to Colorado in the Troy Tulowitzki deal. He joined the Orioles last season and logged a 3.53 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 38:28 K:BB in 66.1 innings, making 38 of his 39 appearances out of the bullpen. While he didn't record many strikeouts, his fastball and slider can be quality pitches, and his changeup is passable. The key for the 23-year-old righty will be holding up physically with an increased workload, as his 90.2 innings between Double-A and the majors last season marked a career high. The Orioles might have the worst starting pitching depth in the American League, so Castro has a good shot to win a rotation spot, making him a worthwhile target in deep formats.

Scott will continue to be developed as a starting pitcher and will open the year at Triple-A Norfolk, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The 23-year-old lefty has the stuff to be a dominant reliever (big fastball, power slider), but the Orioles have very few high-upside starting pitching prospects in their system, so they will shoot for the moon with Scott. He notched a 2.22 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 69 innings at Double-A last season, but he was held to three innings per start. Developing a quality third pitch and sufficient command will be imperative for him to make it as a starter.