MLB Player News

Ottavino signed a two-year contract to remain a Met on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Ottavino will make $14.5 million across two seasons, though he can opt out after one year, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. If he repeats his 2.06 ERA from last season, he may well do that, even if it would mean re-entering the market at age 38. The veteran righty appeared to be slowing down in 2020 and 2021, struggling to a 4.59 ERA while striking out 26.6 percent of opposing batters while walking 12.2 percent, but he was back in vintage form last year, backing up his pristine ERA with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 6.2 percent walk rate. He should be an excellent bridge to Edwin Diaz and could take over the ninth-inning role should Diaz miss time.

The Giants designated Santos (groin) for assignment Monday, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Santos made just two major-league appearances in 2022 and finished the season on the 60-day injured list with a groin strain. It wouldn't be shocking to see him stick with Triple-A Sacramento to begin 2023.

Mears was designated for assignment Sunday.

The Pirates acquired Connor Joe in a trade with Colorado and needed to clear a 40-man roster spot. A 26-year-old righty, Mears has a 97-mph fastball, but he also has a poor 14.9 percent walk rate in 30.1 MLB innings. He could get another shot in the majors if he can improve his control.

Scott was designated for assignment by the Phillies, the team announced Friday.

A 40-man roster move was needed to clear a spot for Taijuan Walker, and Scott is the casualty. The right-hander was a waiver claim by the Phillies back in September. He holds a career 11.12 ERA over 21 appearances at the major-league level.

Kolarek signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Kolarek spent the 2022 season with the Athletics, splitting time between the big-league club and Triple-A Las Vegas. He maintained a 4.58 ERA and 1.58 WHIP while pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in the majors, and he could get some low-leverage work for the Dodgers in 2023.

The Diamondbacks designated Gilbert (elbow) for assignment Thursday.

It's unclear whether Gilbert has made a full recovery from a left elbow strain that ended his 2022 season in early August. Having posted a 5.24 ERA in 34.1 innings before the injury, Gilbert appears unlikely to draw much interest on waivers. Then again, his 2021 no-hitter demonstrated his potential when healthy.

The Diamondbacks signed McGough to a two-year contract with a mutual option for 2025 on Thursday.

Playing in Japan, McGough had a 2.35 ERA in 53.2 innings this past season. He's posted a sub-fo4.00 ERA in each of his four seasons overseas and has shown enough for the Diamondbacks to offer a multi-year deal. McGough played at every level of the minors from 2011 to 2018 with stints in the Dodgers, Marlins, Orioles and Rockies organizations.

Boxberger signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The deal contains a $5 million mutual option or $800,000 buyout for 2024. The Brewers somewhat surprisingly declined Boxberger's $3 million option last month, but between the $750,000 buyout and his new deal the reliever comes out ahead. Boxberger held a 2.95 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 68:27 K:BB across 64 innings in 2022. It's possible he could be in the mix to close some games for a Cubs team which has a murky late-inning situation.

The Dodgers acquired Feyereisen (shoulder) from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for a minor-league reliever Jeff Belge, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Tampa Bay recently designated Feyereisen for assignment after the team announced its signing of free-agent pitcher Zach Eflin, but the 29-year-old right-hander will reclaim a 40-man roster spot as he joins his new organization. However, because Feyereisen underwent rotator cuff and labrum cleanup surgery earlier this month and isn't expected to start throwing for another four months, he'll likely be moved to the 60-day injured list before Opening Day with the expectation that he won't be ready to make his Dodgers debut until late August at the earliest. When healthy, the right-hander has been an effective reliever at the MLB level, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 11.8 K-BB% across 89.2 career innings.

Wong was acquired by the Reds on Tuesday to complete the trade that sent Blake Sabol to the Giants last week.

Wong was sidelined in 2021 while he recovered from Tommy John surgery, and he spent last season at the High-A level and had a 4.52 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 108:44 K:BB across 97.2 innings. The 26-year-old should move up to Double-A in 2023 and could see the majors within the next year or two.