MLB Player News

Yamamoto was traded from the Marlins to the Mets in exchange for Federico Polanco on Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Yamamoto moves to a division rival after being designated for assignment on Thursday. Through 90 career innings at the highest level, his 6.20 ERA doesn't look particularly promising, with his poor 11.0 percent walk rate and 35.3 percent groundball rate offsetting a decent 24.2 percent strikeout rate. He's still just 24 years old, though, so there's still time for him to develop into a backend starter.

Edwards (forearm) signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Edwards became a free agent in October after refusing an outright assignment from the Mariners, and he'll have to settle for a minor-league deal ahead of the 2021 campaign. The right-hander was shut down for most of the abbreviated 2020 season due to a flexor mass strain in his elbow, but he could compete for a spot in the major-league bullpen during spring training if he's healthy.

Hamilton was designated for assignment Friday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer repots.

Hamilton finds himself designated for assignment for the third time in just over four months, having been dropped by the White Sox in September and the Mariners in December. It remains to be seen whether or not he'll find his way to yet another organization. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the Phillies to add back J.T. Realmuto.

Moore signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Phillies on Friday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The veteran lefty cruised to a 3.53 ERA over his first four big-league seasons but went overseas to join the NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2020 after struggling to a 5.13 ERA over his next five campaigns. Moore was limited to just 13 starts for the Japanese champions due to a calf injury, but he was quite good when available, finishing with a 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate. Giving Moore a big-league deal suggests the Phillies think he has a real role to play this season, and that role could be as the team's fifth starter, as Vince Velasquez doesn't provide the stiffest competition for that job.

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

Yamamoto was the roster casualty to make room for Anthony Bass. The young righty showed some potential in his 15-start debut in 2019 with an above-average 25.2 percent strikeout rate, though his mediocre 4.46 ERA seemed rather deserved given his low 35.6 percent groundball rate and high 11.1 percent walk rate. He endured a rough 2020 season, giving up 23 earned runs in just 11.1 innings of work, but that's a small sample and he's still just 24 years old, so there's a decent chance he gets claimed on waivers.

The Reds are hopeful that De Leon can be a big contributor out of the bullpen after his dominant stretch in the Puerto Rican Winter League this winter, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De Leon is out of options this spring, but the team was already excited about his progress at its alternate training camp site last fall. He has former high prospect pedigree but hasn't been able to stay healthy long enough to fulfill his talent expectations.

Diaz, Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Winckowski were traded from the Blue Jays to the Mets in exchange for pitcher Steven Matz on Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 24-year-old made his big-league debut in 2020 and surrendered two runs while recording two outs during his lone appearance. Diaz is likely to begin the 2021 season in the minors, but he should have the chance to showcase himself for his new team at major-league spring training.

Loup signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Mets on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Mets were searching for a left-handed reliever to add to their bullpen, and the team was able to reach an agreement with Loup on Wednesday. The 33-year-old made 24 relief appearances for the Rays in 2020, posting a 2.52 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB over 25 innings. Loup should be the team's top southpaw option out of the bullpen in 2021.

Hand has spent a good part of the offseason working on his sinker, and trying to improve his velocity with both it and his four-seam fastball, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Hand's average fastball velocity has dropped two mph over the last two seasons, forcing him to dedicate this offseason to regaining some of that velocity. His results have still been excellent despite the velocity drop, but he's been working with less of a margin for error than he'd like.

Hand signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Hand drew heavy interest during free agency before reaching his short-term agreement with the Nationals. The deal is pending a physical, but the 30-year-old should take over as Washington's closer in 2021 after converting on all 16 of his save chances with Cleveland last year while posting a career-best 2.05 ERA and 0.77 WHIP over 22 innings.