MLB Player News

Venditte was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Wednesday.

The switch-pitcher was the odd man out following the team's trade that added three players Wednesday evening. Venditte has plenty of team control remaining, but serves generally as a middle reliever and is unlikely to find a high-leverage situation elsewhere. Still, it's possible another team will take a shot at him in the waivers. If not, it's possible he will be attend Mariners spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Curtis was traded to the Mariners on Wednesday along with Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger in exchange for Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte.

The left-hander struggled during his time in the major leagues in 2016, with same-handed hitters doing major damage against him (.310/.459/.586). He was optioned down in late July and was not among the Diamondbacks' September callups. Still, Curtis is just 24 and the M's are light on lefty relievers. He should compete for a job in spring training.

Rumbelow (elbow) was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Friday.

The right-hander was injured in his first appearance with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016 and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter. He presumably won't be ready for the start of 2017, but Rumbelow gave the Yankees some useful innings in 2015 (4.02 ERA, 1.34 WHIP) and should land on his feet.

Mantiply was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Friday.

He spent just 10 days on the Yankees' 40-man roster after being claimed off waivers from Detroit. The 25-year-old Mantiply will once again be subjected to waivers and will likely draw interest from a few teams, as he's a lefty who posted a 1.24 ERA and 39:2 K:BB against same-handed hitters at Double-A last season.

Stanek was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He reached the Triple-A level in 2016 but pitched exclusively out of the bullpen, suggesting his days as a starter are over. While that move may expedite the former first-round pick's arrival to the major leagues, it effectively does away with any remaining deep keeper league appeal Stanek may have had.

Hu was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The right-hander turned in a fine season in 2016, posting a 2.59 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 107:36 K:BB in 24 starts for Double-A Montgomery, showing enough to warrant protection from the Rule 5 draft. Hu may not have the upside of some of the other arms in the organization, but he has a chance to contribute late in 2017.

Leone was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays on Friday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Leone struggled out of Arizona's bullpen, but his minor league numbers are much better, and given his track record of good strikeout rates, the Blue Jays decided to take a chance on the right-hander. He's only 25, so he could develop a bit more and could become a bigger part of the bullpen if he can show more control.

Abreu was traded to the Yankees on Thursday.

The 21-year-old was included in a package with fellow right-hander Jorge Guzman that sent Brian McCann and cash to Houston. Abreu is one of the better pitching prospects in the Astros system, and he proved that by posting a 3.50 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 14 starts and seven relief appearances with Low-A Quad Cities. That being said, he still has a lot of control issues and needs to prove he can maintain his stuff over the course of a full season, but his ceiling still sits very high.

Kurcz has re-signed with the A's on a minor league contract, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The right-hander racked up nine wins in relief in 2016 between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Nashville, posting a 3.03 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 55:17 K:BB over a combined 68.1 innings. While the Chronicle report made no mention of a spring training invite, Kurcz may be among the top candidates for an in-season callup if the A's are forced to dip into the system for bullpen help.

Chavez agreed to a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Angels on Friday, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports.

According to the report, Chavez was signed to be a starter. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen in 2016, posting a 4.43 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 62 appearances between Toronto and Los Angeles. He was largely done in by the long ball, giving up 12 homers in 67 innings, but seven of those were surrendered in just 26.1 innings at Rogers Centre. The move to Anaheim should help some in that regard although Angel Stadium was more favorable for home runs than normal in 2016.