MLB Player News

Graterol has added a new pitch to his repertoire for this season, though he hasn't yet disclosed the pitch type, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Graterol's primary weapon is a sinker he often throws at triple-digit velocity, with a high-80s slider featuring as his secondary offering. The right-hander added a cutter to his pitch mix last season, and it appears that he'll now have a fourth option at his disposal. It's unlikely that Graterol will feature the new pitch prominently -- he relied on the sinker or slider over 90 percent of the time last season -- but the push to broaden his arsenal is at least a positive sign that the 23-year-old is intent on furthering his development after a somewhat disappointing 2021 campaign.

Norris agreed to a major-league deal with the Cubs on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Norris was acquired by the Brewers ahead of the 2021 trade deadline but struggled during the second half with a 6.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 18:15 K:BB over 20.1 innings. Overall he had a 6.16 ERA last season and has yet to find consistent success since making the transition from starter to reliever.

With the Cubs adding Steven Brault (lat) on Wednesday, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Thompson may see added competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Thompson and Justin Steele were identified as the likely candidates to replace Adbert Alzolay (lat) in the rotation to begin the season, but Brault gives the team a veteran option if he's recovered from his own lat strain. Thompson made six starts for the Cubs last season and had some good moments, recording a 3.38 ERA and 55 strikeouts across 53.1 innings. He could stake his claim to the No. 5 role with a strong spring performance.

Morejon (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Morejon underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2021, so it's no surprise he'll open the 2022 campaign on the 60-day IL. The 23-year-old lefty is throwing bullpen sessions and hopes to be ready for game action before the All-Star break in July.

Medina was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Wednesday.

Medina was designated for assignment by the Phillies in early December just ahead of the lockout, and he's now been claimed off waivers over three months later. The 25-year-old allowed three earned runs over 7.2 big-league frames in 2021 and spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he had a 5.05 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 55:26 K:BB over 67.2 innings (17 starts).

Yates (elbow) was placed on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Yates joined Atlanta in late November on a two-year deal, but he'll begin the 2022 campaign on the injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in March 2021. The right-hander converted 53 of 57 save chances across his first two full seasons with the Padres and will attempt to return to full health late in the 2022 season.

The Padres officially announced Martinez's signing Wednesday, after he had previously reached a verbal agreement with the team on a four-year, $25.5 million deal in December, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Back on Dec. 1, San Diego was able to lure Martinez away from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball following his excellent four-year run overseas, but the two sides were unable to finalize the deal due to the MLB lockout going to effect shortly after the agreement was reached. Now that the lockout has ended, Martinez finally put pen to paper on a uniquely structured deal. He'll take home $6 million in 2021 through a $4 million salary and a $2 million signing bonus, and he'll hold a $6.5 million player option for each of the subsequent three years. His contract also contains a $1 million base-salary escalator in each year that he makes at least 20 starts.

Farmer agreed Wednesday with the Reds on a minor-league contract, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Farmer has spent parts of each of the past eight seasons in the majors with the Tigers, logging a collective 5.33 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 241 appearances (21 starts). He's working exclusively as a reliever at this stage of his career, and his limited success at the big-league level in 2021 resulted in the Tigers designating him for assignment on two occasions before releasing him last August. He then caught on with the Rangers on a minor-league deal, turning in a 3.60 ERA over 15 innings with Triple-A Round Rock before electing free agency earlier in the offseason. The Reds will likely give Farmer the chance to compete for a spot in their Opening Day bullpen, but the prevailing expectation is that he'll head to Triple-A Louisville to begin the season.

The Cubs placed Heuer (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs announced the signing of veteran reliever David Robertson, who will take Heuer's spot in the bullpen and on the 40-man roster. Heuer will miss the entire 2022 season and, likely, a large portion of the 2023 campaign after he underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month.

Robertson signed a one-year contract with the Cubs on Wednesday. The deal is worth $3.5 million and contains an additional $1.5 million in incentives, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Robertson spent the first seven years of his career with the Yankees, but he'll now join his fourth team in as many seasons. The right-hander made 12 appearances (one start) for the Rays last year and recorded a 4.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 12 innings. The Cubs don't have a particularly deep bullpen heading into 2022, so it's possible that Robertson could work his way into a late-inning relief role once the regular season gets underway.