MLB Player News

Burdi (elbow) was selected by the Phillies with the third pick in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

The hard-throwing righty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in late May. He made 75 pitches from 80 feet earlier this week, so his rehab appears to be going well. Burdi can touch triple digits with his fastball and has a wipeout slider, but his command/control was an issue even before the surgery, so it may be a year or two before he can locate well enough to reliably handle high-leverage situations. This is a nice landing spot, however, as the Phillies don't have a long-term closer entrenched, so Burdi could earn that role at some point in the coming seasons. He will need to be kept on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Twins. Burdi could return to game action sometime this summer.

Shaw has agreed to sign with the Rockies, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

In seven seasons, Shaw has posted a 3.13 ERA, 2.64 K/BB and 8.0 K/9 across 446.1 innings. The 30-year-old has also impressed with his durability, as he has never seen the disabled list in his career. He worked mainly in a setup/middle-relief role with the Indians last season, and it would seem likely he will do the same in his new surroundings, unless the Rockies are unable to land another reliever.

Smith (elbow) is expected to be ready for Opening Day assuming he stays on schedule in his rehab, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Smith missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. He was able to resume throwing in September, and barring any setbacks, it seems like the left-handed reliever will be ready to go by the start of next season. Smith has proven to be a reliable bullpen option in years past, and should work as one of the Giants' top setup men in 2018, assuming he's healthy.

Melancon (forearm) played catch pain-free Monday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This is an encouraging sign, as it marks the first time Melancon is throwing pain-free since undergoing flexor pronator surgery in September. The procedure only carries a 6-to-8 week rehab timeline, so he appears to be progressing on schedule and should be ready to go well before spring training rolls around. While he struggled in his first season with the Giants, compiling a 4.50 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in just 30 innings, the veteran right-hander is still expected to enter 2018 as the team's closer. Assuming he's healthy, Melancon will be a popular rebound candidate for next season.

During his session with assembled media at the Winter Meetings on Monday morning, Brewers manager Craig Counsell said it's too early to project a return date for Nelson (shoulder) as he's approximately 10 weeks removed from surgery.

Counsell suggested spring training as a more realistic point for the Brewers to have a timetable for Nelson's expected return date, though he told reporters that he spoke to Nelson last week, and that the right-hander is encouraged by his recovery to this point. Even with the progress Nelson has made to this point, the Brewers are expected to bolster their rotation over the course of the offseason, as Nelson will miss a "meaningful" portion of the 2018 season.

GM David Stearns said Friday that the Brewers are still evaluating whether to use Hader as a starter or reliever in 2018, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

One thing Stearns is confident about is that Hader "is going to be put in a position to accumulate innings," whether that be as a starter or a multi-inning reliever, which is no surprise given Hader's talent. While the Brewers will be looking to maximize his innings, and he was a highly-regarded starting pitcher prospect just one offseason ago, he did throw only 99.2 total innings in 2017 across all levels, so he'd probably have a cap on his workload even if he heads into the season as a starter. With that in mind, the Brewers must weigh if it's worth even trying Hader in the rotation, especially when considering just how dominant (12.84 K/9, .156 BAA) he was working in relief last year. With Hader facing a theoretical innings limit as a starter and not in the mix for saves as a reliever, he will likely be only a fringe option in standard league formats. However, even as a full-time reliever he would stand a good chance to hit 100 strikeouts while providing quality ratios, so he can still provide some sort of value in any role for fantasy owners and the Brewers alike.

Crockett agreed to a minor-league contract with the Reds on Monday, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training. It's been a busy couple of weeks for Crockett, as he was non-tendered by the Reds last week just days after the team claimed him off waivers from the Indians. The 25-year-old southpaw spent most of his time with Triple-A Columbus last season but has made major-league appearances in each of the last four seasons, compiling a respectable 3.12 FIP over 65.1 major-league innings during that stretch. Look for him to compete for an Opening Day spot in the Reds' bullpen.

Garcia (elbow) signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers on Friday, avoiding arbitration, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

He missed all of 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery, but will rejoin the bullpen in 2018. Garcia hasn't pitched regularly in the majors since 2015, but he notched a 3.34 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 30.2 percent strikeout rate that season, so he has late-inning upside if he returns to form. The specifics of the one-year deal were not made immediately available.

Alvarez signed a major-league deal with the Cubs, Mets Minors' Jacob Resnick reports.

The Rangers designated him for assignment last season, despite the fact that his Triple-A numbers were excellent (2.33 ERA, 31.3 percent strikeout rate), and he limited runs (2.76 ERA) while striking out 17 over 16.1 MLB innings. Of course, his 14 walks over that stretch are concerning, but his stuff is pretty decent from the left side. He works strictly with a fastball (92.4 mph) and slider, which he threw a whopping 61.7 percent of the time in 2017. He should start the season in a low-leverage role.

Boxberger was traded to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Curtis Taylor on Thursday.

Boxberger will provide an immediate boost to Arizona's bullpen after accumulating a 3.38 ERA and 1.16 WHIP over 29.1 innings with the Rays last season. The right-hander missed the first half of this past year with an back injury, but didn't seem to be bothered by the ailment once he returned to the mound in late June. Looking ahead, it remains to be seen how the Diamondbacks will utilize Boxberger, but he's expected to appear in high-leverage situations for the club in 2018.