MLB Player News

Alvarado was traded from the Rays to the Phillies on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal with the Dodgers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old lefty joins a team desperately in need of bullpen help, and the good version of Alvarado can certainly provide that, as his 2.39 ERA back in 2018 suggests. Over the last two injury-filled seasons, however, he's struggled to a 5.08 ERA in just 39 total frames, with a poor 17.3 percent walk rate offsetting a 27.2 percent strikeout rate. A full bounce-back could see Alvarado picking up saves at some point for his new team, with the inconsistent Hector Neris standing as the only real obstacle on the roster at the moment.

Crowe was traded from the Nationals to the Pirates on Thursday in exchange for first baseman Josh Bell, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Crowe was shuffled between the Nationals' active roster and the alternate training site in 2020, but he'll attempt to carve out more consistent time in the majors with the Pirates. The right-hander has struggled against upper-level talent, including an 11.88 ERA and 8:8 K:BB over 8.1 innings during three starts in his first taste of major-league action in 2020. Crowe could attempt to earn a spot as a back-end starter in Pittsburgh's rotation in 2021.

Kahnle (elbow) signed a two-year, $4.75 million contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Kahnle will be unavailable for most or all of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August, but he reached a two-year deal with Los Angeles after parting ways with the Yankees at the end of October. The right-hander made 73 relief appearances over the last two seasons, posting a 3.61 ERA and 91:21 K:BB over 62.1 innings. Once Kahnle returns to full health, he should operate as a late reliever for the Dodgers.

Burdi (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Burdi is clearly talented, but injuries have unfortunately been the story of his career thus far. He made just three appearances last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's expected to miss the entirety of the upcoming season, meaning this is a low-risk investment for 2022 and beyond for San Diego.

Ramirez joined the Padres on a minor-league contract Monday, as was announced on his Instagram account.

Ramirez spent the last two seasons in the Tigers' organization, throwing a total of 90.1 innings while surrendering 43 earned runs. He refused an outright assignment from the team this offseason but will have the chance to stick as organizational depth with the Padres.

Brebbia (elbow) signed a one-year, major-league contract with the Giants on Monday.

The 30-year-old righty missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent in early June. The timing of the surgery means he's unlikely to be ready to return until late in the upcoming campaign. He owns a career 3.14 ERA in 175 innings of relief at the big-league level, so there's a decent chance he's a useful piece of the Giants' bullpen when he eventually arrives.

Milner signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers on Thursday that includes and invitation to big-league spring training.

Milner was non-tendered by the Angels in early December after stumbling to a 8.10 ERA across 13.1 innings in 2020. He will now compete for a spot on Milwaukee's roster next spring.

Suarez is nearing a one-year deal with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, Daniel Kim of MBC Sports+ reports.

The Twins would need to work out a buyout with the Giants since the left-hander remains under contract, but it appears he intends to continue his career in Korea. Suarez covered only 9.2 innings during 2020 and had a 5.79 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 25:14 K:BB over 32.2 frames in 2019.

The Padres reinstated Castillo (lat) from the 45-day injured list Nov. 2.

According to Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres declared Castillo healthy heading into the winter after he was limited to just one appearance with the big club over the past two seasons while missing time with a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand and a strained left flexor tendon. When he was last healthy in 2018, Castillo was a key bullpen piece for San Diego, delivering a 3.29 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. If he can avoid any further setbacks this spring, Castillo could break camp as one of the Padres' top setup options.

Antone was mentioned as one of the internal alternatives at closer by manager David Bell following the trade of Raisel Iglesias to the Angels, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Antone split time between the rotation and the bullpen in his rookie season, starting four games while relieving in nine others, often pitching multiple innings. He proved to have quite a bit of success in relief and missed plenty of bats along the way. The one statistical red flag is that he gave up 16 walks in 35.1 innings.