MLB Player News

Harvey, who has added some muscle this offseason, won't be on a strict innings limit this season, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Manager Buck Showalter said the team will monitor how Harvey looks and feels throughout the season as a means of determining when to pull him from starts and when to possibly skip starts or eventually shut him down. A decision has not been made as to where the Orioles' top pitching prospect will start the season, but it will likely be High-A or Double-A. Showalter said it brought a smile to his face to watch Harvey throw a bullpen session this week, as it has been a long road back from Tommy John surgery. He has reportedly added 6.5 pounds of muscle this offseason. Harvey still has No. 2 or No. 3 starter upside, but his missed development due to arm injuries makes him an extremely risky proposition. He turned 23 in December but has not yet pitched above Low-A.

Smith signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Red Sox on Monday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

It turns out Smith and the Red Sox will avoid arbitration after settling on a one-year deal to bring the reliever back. The 28-year-old righty missed most of the 2017 season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, though he was able to make his season debut in September and finished the year with a 1.35 ERA and seven strikeouts across 6.2 innings of work. Smith has pitched just 9.1 innings over the past two seasons due to injuries, but if he's able to return to his pre-surgery form, he should easily work his way back into a setup role for the Red Sox in 2018.

Povse will enter camp as a starter, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The Mariners were hoping to convert the 6-foot-8 Povse into a multi-inning reliever last season, but he struggled significantly, giving up five runs over 3.2 innings in the major-league pen and stumbling to a 7.39 ERA in 31.2 innings at Triple-A Tacoma. There's no reason to believe that Povse is a favorite to win a rotation spot out of camp, but if he performs well in the Triple-A rotation he could be a candidate to earn some starts later in the summer for a Mariners team which lacks quality starting pitching depth.

Krook was traded to the Rays, alongside Denard Span, Christian Arroyo and Stephen Woods, in exchange for Evan Longoria on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

Krook spent the past season with the Giants' High-A affiliate, posting a 5.12 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, while sporting a 105:66 K:BB over 91.1 innings. During 25 appearances, the 23-year-old started 17 games, and will likely remain at the High-A level as a starter within the Rays' system at the beginning of the 2018 season.

Aumont agreed to a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

Aumont, who was once a top prospect for the Mariners and then the Phillies, is looking to return to the majors after pitching in Canada last season (4.51 ERA and 103:30 K:BB across 17 starts). He was never able to put it together at the highest level, posting a 6.80 ERA and 1.99 WHIP over 43.2 innings with the Phillies. The soon-to-be 29-year-old will likely serve as organizational pitching depth next season.

Scott (elbow) was able to throw the ball around for the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery in mid-October, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Scott reiterated that he was feeling good and on track for spring training, which aligns with the initial timetable concerning his recovery. During the 2017 season, Scott appeared in 57 games out of the bullpen for Boston, posting a 3.79 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with a 31:13 K:BB in 35.2 innings.

The Giants traded Moore to the Rangers on Friday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The Giants are expected to receive low-level prospects in return for the Rangers taking on the left-hander's full remaining contract. The deal will be finalized pending physicals for all players involved. Moore finished the 2017 season with a 6-15 record to go along with a 5.52 ERA. It remains to be seen how the Rangers plan on using the southpaw, but he figures to compete for a rotation spot next spring.

Murray agreed to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training with the Rays on Thursday, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports.

Murray tossed 40.2 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley within the Phillies' system in 2017, posting a 5.53 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with a 45:15 K:BB. The right-hander didn't see any time on a major-league mound last year, but appeared in 24 games out of the bullpen for Philadelphia in 2016, although he wasn't able to secure any sort of role and tallied just a 6.25 ERA during those outings. Looking ahead, Murray will provide organizational depth for Tampa Bay and could wind up starting the 2018 campaign in Triple-A Durham.

Rodney reached a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Twins on Thursday, Craig Mish of SiriusXM reports.

Rodney's deal offers incentives that could bring the value up to $6 million, as the 40-year-old will move on to his ninth different major-league team since breaking into the big leagues in 2005 with Detroit. During this past season with the Diamondbacks, Rodney posted a 4.23 ERA and collected 39 saves, which ranked in the top five In the majors, and were his most since recording 48 in 2014. Moving forward, he will open the year as Minnesota's closer, and could once again be a great source of saves while posting subpar ratios (by closer standards).

Kelly signed a major-league deal with the Orioles on Thursday, Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com reports. Per Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, Kelly will head to Triple-A to begin his tenure with the team.

Kelly saw some success at the Double-A level in 2017, owning a 2.98 ERA and striking out 9.7 batters per nine innings. The sledding got much tougher with the jump to Triple-A El Paso of the Pacific Coast League, as Kelly had a 6.64 ERA and surrendered six homers and 26 walks across 42 innings (seven starts). He'll be entering his age-25 season with the Orioles, and should be given a chance to make his MLB debut at some point.