MLB Player News

Abbott's contract was selected by the Cubs on Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The move shields the 25-year-old righty from selection in the Rule 5 draft. Abbott spent all of the 2020 season training at the Cubs' alternate camp. In 2019, he made 26 starts for Double-A Tennessee, cruising to a 3.01 ERA and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate.

Thompson's contract was purchased by the Cubs on Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

He missed most of 2019 with an undisclosed injury but spent this past summer at the Cubs' alternate training site. The 6-foot-1 righty turns 26 in March, so while he has only made one start at Double-A in his career, he could get some run in the majors as a depth bullpen arm now that he is on the 40-man roster.

Rondon's contract was selected by the Cardinals on Thursday.

Rondon spent the 2020 campaign at the Cardinals' alternate training site, but he failed to make his major-league debut during the shortened season. He'll now join the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 22-year-old posted a 3.21 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 115 innings at Double-A Springfield in 2019.

Williams was announced as the National League Rookie of the Year on Monday.

Williams faced just 100 batters to win the award, but he struck out a remarkable 53 of them. He gave up just one earned run all season in 27 innings of work, holding opposing hitters to a .089 batting average. The righty earned 14 out of 30 first-place votes and 27 top-three votes overall. Alec Bohm and Jake Cronenworth tied for second behind him.

Rodriguez signed a minor-league deal with the Rockies on Monday which includes an invitation to big-league camp, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Rodriguez broke into the league with a 2.81 ERA in 2018, though his 3.74 FIP and 4.56 xFIP that season suggested he'd overachieved by quite a bit. Over the last two seasons, he hasn't pitched at even the level suggested by those numbers, as he owns a 5.94 ERA in 103.0 innings. While he could earn opportunities with the Rockies at some point, adding Coors Field to an already unimpressive recent resume makes him a rather unappealing fantasy option.

Burdi (elbow) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Burdi was designated for assignment Sunday after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Although he'll miss the entire 2021 season due to the procedure, he'll remain in the Pirates' organization.

Vizcaino signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old has appeared in only four games since the start of the 2019 season due to shoulder surgery, and he'll now receive a chance to restart his career in New York. Vizcaino served as a high-leverage option from 2015 to 2018 in Atlanta, recording 49 saves and 21 holds with a 2.79 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 180 games. The right-hander will need a strong showing in spring training to have a chance of making the Mets' Opening Day roster.

Banda was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento and signed to a minor-league contract for the 2021 season Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

He gave up eight earned runs in seven innings over four appearances this season. Banda was once a somewhat prominent pitching prospect, but injuries and poor performance have led to his stock fading. He has logged fewer than 15 innings in the majors in each of the last three seasons.

Burdi (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in October and was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection in August to avoid surgery at the time, but the treatment apparently didn't have the intended impact. Burdi has now been removed from Pittsburgh's 40-man roster as he'll miss the entirety of the 2021 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.

Betances will exercise his $6.8 million player option for 2021 by Sunday's deadline, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old battled velocity issues from the spring until the summer and missed most of September with a lat injury, so it's not much of a surprise to see him exercise his option rather than head to an uncertain open market. Betances appeared in 15 games and surrendered 10 runs on 12 hits with an 11:12 K:BB across 11.2 innings during the shortened campaign. The right-hander did rediscover some of his velocity (93.6 mph average fastball) from the low-90s fastballs he was throwing earlier in the year, but the overall mark nonetheless ranks as a career low. Betances still has some have leverage potential but is unlikely to be guaranteed that type of role to begin the 2021 season.