MLB Player News

Avila (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Tuesday.

This move comes after Avila was non-tendered by the Padres earlier in the week. The righty made his big-league debut in 2019, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five across 5.1 innings. Avila is expected to miss most if not all of the 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

Peralta and the Giants agreed to terms on a one-year, $850,000 contract Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Giants scooped Peralta off waivers in early September. In 39.2 innings with Cincinnati and San Francisco, the lefty posted a 5.67 ERA.

Kelley was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Monday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Kelley made his big-league debut for Boston last season, struggling to an 8.64 ERA and a 6:5 K:BB in 8.1 innings. He doesn't have much left to prove at the Triple-A level, however, as he owns a career 1.73 ERA there over 88.2 frames.

Alexander (hand) agreed to a one-year, $875,000 contract Sunday to avoid arbitration with the Dodgers, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Alexander's tenure with the Dodgers has gone pretty well so far and so it makes sense that the ballclub decided to bring him back instead of making him a non-tendered player. His season was cut short in 2019 due to a season-ending forearm issue with his pitching arm, but he has put up a 3.67 ERA over 83.1 innings the last two seasons and remains one of the best ground-ball specialist relievers in the game. Arbitration contracts do not become completely guaranteed until the start of the regular season, so the Dodgers could decide to let Alexander go still if his recovery doesn't go well or if they simply don't have a spot for him on their 40-man roster.

Avila (elbow) was designated for assignment by the Padres on Wednesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Avila was added to the 40-man roster in November 2018 to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, but he suffered an elbow strain in April and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in August. The 22-year-old will most likely be sidelined for the entirety of the 2020 campaign.

Jerez was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Jerez's 4.34 ERA in 10.1 major-league innings for the Giants and Pirates last season looks decent enough, but it came with a 2.03 WHIP and a 9:9 K:BB. He doesn't look like much than an up-and-down reliever heading into his age-28 season.

Pomeranz has agreed to a deal with the Padres, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The deal, which is pending a physical, will be for four years and $34 million, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. Pomeranz was utterly dominant after moving to the bullpen last year, logging a 1.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 39.6 K-BB% in 28.2 innings. He should operate as the Padres' top setup man and has proven capable of getting more than three outs when needed.

Herget was designated for assignment by the Reds on Monday.

Herget will clear a space on the 40-man roster for Justin Shafer, acquired from the Blue Jays in a corresponding move. Herget posted a respectable 4.26 ERA in his 6.1 inning big-league debut last season, though he didn't strike out a single one of the 26 batters he faced.

Shafer was traded from Toronto to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations Monday, source reports.

Shafer's 3.86 ERA in 39.2 innings of relief last season looks good on the surface, but it came with a 5.18 FIP. He struck out a respectable 21.4 percent of opposing batters but walked 13.7 percent.

Romero was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster Wednesday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

This protects him from the Rule 5 draft. The 23-year-old southpaw logged a 6.88 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and 40:35 K:BB in 53.2 innings at Triple-A. He should return to that level to try to prove he can throw enough strikes to make it as a back-end starter.