MLB Player News

Paredes signed a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Paredes had been with the Dodgers for the last two seasons, throwing 16 major-league innings. His career 4.50 ERA is unremarkable, with his 29.7 percent strikeout rate and 3.1 percent walk rate so far not being enough to overcome a very low 23.8 percent groundball rate. It will likely take an injury or two for him to claim a place in the Phillies' bullpen.

Carasiti signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Thursday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Carasiti has returned stateside after pitching in Japan in 2018. The 27-year-old spent time as a starter and reliever for the Yakult Swallows, posting a 4.18 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 73:43 K:BB in 94.2 innings. Carasiti will likely serve as organizational pitching depth in 2019.

Robertson, who signed a two-year, $23 million deal with the Phillies on Thursday, is not expected to be used as a traditional closer in 2019, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Instead, it sounds like the Phillies will use the veteran reliever in a more versatile high-leverage relief role, which suggests manager Gabe Kapler could once again mix and match in the ninth-inning (rather than settle on one closer) in order to leverage matchups. While Robertson could still possibly emerge as the primary closer at some point in 2019, he's worth considering in mixed-leagues even without a full-time closer gig given his strong ratios and impressive strikeout rate (3.23 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across 69.2 innings in 2018).

Robertson signed to a two-year, $23 million contract with the Phillies on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. The deal also includes a third-year club option worth $12 million.

As expected, Robertson opted to stick in the northeast after ending the 2018 season in New York. The 33-year-old is coming off another solid season in which he posted a 3.23 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 across 69.2 innings. Given his proven track record in the ninth inning -- he recorded north of 30 saves in three straight seasons with the White Sox from 2014-2016 -- Robertson figures to be the favorite (over incumbent Seranthony Dominguez) to emerge as Philadelphia's closer in 2019. Even without a full-time closer role, however, Robertson is still rosterable in mixed-league formats thanks to his strong ratios and impressive strikeout rate, and the Phillies could opt to mix and match in order to leverage matchups in the late innings, rather than settle on one closer.

Bass signed a minor-league contract with Cincinnati on Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Bass became a free agent after struggling with injuries in 2018. He appeared in 16 games with the Cubs last season, posting a 2.93 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 14 strikeouts over 15.1 innings as a reliever. Bass figures to begin the 2019 campaign with Triple-A Louisville.

Scott was traded from the Reds to the Diamondbacks on Sunday for cash considerations.

Scott was designated for assignment just a few days earlier, so perhaps he'll have a better shot at making the 40-man roster in Arizona. He appeared in nine games for the Red Sox in 2018, allowing six runs on 10 hits and five walks while striking out eight over 6.2 frames as a reliever.

Callahan (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract Friday which includes an invitation to major-league spring training with the Giants, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Callahan threw 6.2 innings for the Mets back in 2017, allowing four runs (three earned). He managed just 8.1 innings in 2018, all with Triple-A Las Vegas, before being shut down for shoulder surgery. The righty's readiness for spring training is not yet clear.

Graveman (elbow) signed with the Cubs on Saturday, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Graveman underwent Tommy John surgery in late July. A typical recovery timeline will keep him sidelined for most if not all of 2019, and it's unlikely that he'll have time to build back up to being a starter if he does end up pitching any major-league innings. The 28-year-old had an ugly 7.60 ERA in seven starts prior to the injury last season, though he'd never posted an ERA worse than 4.19 in any of his four previous seasons.

Scott was designated for assignment by Cincinnati on Friday, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Scott was sent off the 40-man roster following the Reds' seven-player deal with the Dodgers earlier in the day. The southpaw was claimed off waivers by Cincinnati a couple weeks ago after spending the past few years in the Red Sox system. He will take another spin through waivers to see if another team elects to put in a claim.

Venditte agreed to a one-year, $585,000 contract with San Francisco on Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The Dodgers did not tender Venditte a contract for next season after he spent a majority of the 2018 campaign at the Triple-A level. He did appear in 15 big-league games, posting a solid 2.57 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 14 innings of relief. The switch-handed pitcher will provide some extra depth in the Giants' bullpen next year.