MLB Player News

Ort was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Wednesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He's being swapped out in favor of another reliever, Declan Cronin, who was claimed off waivers. Ort himself was a waiver claim by the Marlins earlier this offseason and now could be on the move again.

The Marlins claimed Cronin off waivers from the Astros on Wednesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It's the third organization Cronin has been in this offseason after he previously went from the White Sox to the Astros via waivers. The 26-year-old sinkerballer allowed 11 runs over 11 innings for Chicago in 2023 in his first go-round in the majors.

Bickford will make $900,000 in 2024 after winning his arbitration hearing against the Mets on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Bickford walks away with an extra $85,000 compared to the Mets' offer and a $160,000 salary increase from last year. The 28-year-old righty logged a 4.95 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 67.1 frames between the Dodgers and Mets in 2023, and he will likely be limited to low-leverage situations to begin the new season.

Adams (ankle) was designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Mets in November, but he was removed from the 40-man roster Tuesday to make room for the signing of Jake Diekman. Adams had a 5.71 ERA in 24 appearances for the Diamondbacks last season before he fractured his ankle in August.

Bellati was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Tuesday.

Bellati made 27 appearances for the Phillies last season and was unimpressive with a 5.11 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 25:12 K:BB over 24.2 innings. The right-hander has no remaining minor-league options, so Philadelphia opted to removed him from the 40-man roster to clear space for trade-acquisition Michael Rucker.

The Phillies acquired Rucker from the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Rucker had been designated for assignment and has now landed in a new organization. The 29-year-old reliever has collected a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB over 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen covering the last three seasons. He'll compete for a middle-relief gig.

Small was traded from the Brewers to the Giants on Monday in exchange for cash considerations, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Small put up solid numbers at Triple-A Nashville in 2023, posting a 3.18 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with a 61:24 K:BB across 51 innings, but it didn't translate to the big leagues in what was a small sample size. The southpaw surrendered five runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six across four frames. Small will compete for a low-leverage relief role during spring training.

Junis agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract with the Brewers on Monday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Junis has been used out of the bullpen for the majority of the last two seasons with San Francisco (four starts in 63 outings), but McDaniel notes that Milwaukee plans to see what he can do as a starting pitcher. He should have a good chance to claim a spot near the back end of the Milwaukee rotation, especially following the departure of Corbin Burnes to the Orioles less than a week ago.

Bender (elbow) said in a recent interview with Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he's fully recovered from his August 2022 Tommy John surgery and is prepared to enter spring training with no restrictions. "I'm ready to go in and help out anywhere I can," Bender said. "If there's a spot where my name is called, I'll go out there and do my job."

In addition to having Tommy John surgery, Bender underwent a hip procedure late in the 2022 season and wasn't available to pitch at any level in 2023. He had been cleared to face hitters in the final weeks of the 2023 season and looks as though he's had a relatively normal offseason now that he's well over a year removed from Tommy John surgery. Before suffering the elbow injury, Bender had been one of the Marlins' top relievers in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he may open the 2024 season in more of a lower-leverage role as he aims to regain his pre-surgery velocity and command. Miami is already bringing back most of its key relievers from this past season, when the bullpen ended up being a surprise strength for the team in the second half as the Marlins earned a spot in the postseason.

The Dodgers acquired Gage and right-hander Christian Zazueta from the Yankees on Monday in exchange for left-hander Caleb Ferguson, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Though Ferguson is a more established left-handed reliever at the big-league level, he's bound for free agency in 2025 and has no minor-league options remaining, while Gage is a pre-arbitration pitcher who still has an option. Gage isn't expected to be a vital part of the Los Angeles bullpen in 2024, but he'll at least help restore some left-handed depth to the relief ranks while also offering more maneuverability between the majors and Triple-A Oklahoma City. Over his 16 career big-league appearances over the past two seasons between Toronto and Houston, the 30-year-old Gage owns a 1.83 ERA (3.74 SIERA) over 19.2 innings.