MLB Player News

Melancon is expected to remain as the Braves' primary closer next season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta's bullpen became even more crowded Thursday when the team signed Will Smith, who recorded 34 saves last season with the Giants. However, the Braves still plan to use Melancon as their primary closer in 2020 after he recorded a 3.61 ERA with 12 saves last year. Melancon will likely have a shorter leash as a closer next season since the Braves have several other capable closers in Smith and Shane Greene.

Smith signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Braves on Thursday.

Despite receiving a qualifying offer from the Giants, Smith landed a three-year deal with Atlanta after recording 34 saves and a 96:21 K:BB in 2019. The contract includes a club option for 2023 worth $13 million. The 30-year-old will join Atlanta's crowded bullpen that includes arms such as Mark Melancon, Luke Jackson and Shane Greene, so it's unclear whether Smith will perform as a full-time closer in 2020.

Dominguez (elbow) will have a normal offseason and will be ready for the start of spring training, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Dominguez went down with the UCL injury in his right elbow in early June, but he was able to avoid any type of surgery and is now on track for the 2020 season. The 24-year-old hit mid-to-upper 90s with his fastball and was throwing breaking balls off the mound before shutting things down to prep for the offseason. The hard-throwing righty figures to be in the late-inning mix entering spring training for the Phillies.

Reyes (pectoral) has checked out healthy and is set for a normal offseason, David Solomon of 590 the Fan reports.

Reyes hasn't had much good news on the health front lately, throwing a total of 67.1 innings over his last three seasons combined. He hasn't pitched since late June this year due to a strained pectoral muscle, but the issue is apparently behind him. It's hard to be too confident in his health giong forward given his recent struggles, but the fact that he won't have to be rehabbing over the offseason is certainly good news.

Garcia was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Garcia made his debut in 2019, giving up seven runs in six innings at the big-league level while posting a 2:5 K:BB. The 25-year-old was also poor in 13 starts for Triple-A Albuquerque, recording a 6.90 ERA, though he posted an excellent 1.85 ERA in 13 starts for Double-A Hartford.

Wang was outrighted off the Pirates' 40-man roster Monday.

Wang threw 31 innings for the Athletics and Pirates in 2019, finishing with a fairly good 3.77 ERA. His underlying numbers don't support that figure, though, as he struck out just 14.0 percent of opposing batters while walking 10.9 percent.

Taylor's contract was purchased by the Mets on Monday.

The 24-year-old lefty will be protected from the Rule 5 draft despite his lack of big-league experience. He recorded a 2.16 ERA in 66.2 innings over the three highest levels of the minors last season, though just 0.1 of those innings came at the Triple-A level.

Gonsalves was claimed by the Mets off waivers from Minnesota.

Gonsalves battled elbow issues last season and made just one appearance at Triple-A Rochester where he threw two innings (he threw 11 innings in rehab outings in rookie ball and Double-A). Gonsalves was coming off his first taste of the majors in 2018 and looked set to compete for a big-league job before the injury. He'll now try to win a role with the Mets, but he likely will need to prove he's healthy at Triple-A.

Gsellman (triceps) is a candidate for the Mets' starting rotation in 2020, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The 26-year-old's ERA rose to 4.66 with a 60:23 K:BB over 63.2 innings in 2019, but general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said both Gsellman and Seth Lugo are candidates to start next season depending on who the Mets sign in free agency. Lugo would be the more likely candidate given his recent success out of the bullpen and past production as a starter. However, Gsellman also has experience as a starter, recording a 4.44 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP over 2016 and 2017, when he made 29 starts.

Perdomo's contract was selected by the Brewers on Saturday.

The 25-year-old had some struggles in limiting run production in the minors last season, recording a 4.28 ERA, but he also amassed a 107:46 K:BB over 69.1 innings in the minors. Perdomo's addition to the 40-man roster signals that he could make his major-league debut relatively soon, but he'd likely need to bring his ERA down prior to joining the Brewers' pitching staff.