MLB Player News

Pivetta will leave camp in about a week to join Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pivetta made his spring debut Friday and looked good in two scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out three and walking one. He will return to Triple-A Lehigh Valley at the start of the season after going 1-2 with a 2.55 ERA in five starts with the IronPigs late last year following a promotion from Double-A Reading. He could be an option to join the Phillies' rotation later this season.

Strop signed an extension with the Cubs, earning $5.85 million in 2018, with a club option of $6.25 million or a $500,000 buyout for 2019, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports.

Strop hasn't delivered an ERA above 2.91 or a K/9 below 10.48 in the last three seasons, and he posted a career-best 2.85 BB/9 last year. The right-hander carries closer stuff but ranks third at best on the Cubs' depth chart for saves behind Wade Davis and Hector Rondon. However, the 31-year-old still carries fantasy value for occasional strikeout help, along with a significant boost in leagues that count holds.

Gsellman is not being considered for a bullpen spot to begin the season if he doesn't win the fifth starter job, as the Mets want to keep him stretched out, The New York Daily News reports.

If Gsellman isn't able to beat out Seth Lugo for the opening in the rotation to begin the season, he'll head back to Triple-A instead. That does make him a slightly riskier fantasy pick in leagues drafting early in the spring, but Gsellman's impressive 2016 performance makes him the favorite to win the battle with Lugo, and given the difficulty the rest of the Mets' rotation had staying healthy last season, any demotion might be very temporary.

Hudson will serve as Pittsburgh's closer on days Tony Watson is unable to close, CBS Pittsburgh reports.

Pirates GM Neal Huntington announced the team's pecking order for saves, listing Watson first and then Hudson and Felipe Rivero. Huntington typically doesn't permit his relievers to pitch three straight days, giving Hudson the chance to potentially close after Watson has thrown in back-to-back calendar days. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Pirates move Watson (who will become a free agent after 2017) at the trade deadline, freeing up Hudson to close in the second half of the season.

Montero has looked good so far in spring training, The New York Post reports. "The stuff is still there," Las Vegas pitching coach Frank Viola said. "It's just [a question of] confidence."

The 25-year-old's fastball/changeup combination is still capable of making a contribution, but after spending most of last season in the minors and posting some atrocious walk rates, Montero has a lot to prove to the Mets. If he looks sharp this spring he could win a spot in the bullpen, but more likely the organization will try to keep developing him as a starter at Triple-A.

Manager Bruce Bochy formed his rotation for spring training Wednesday, listing Moore as his third pitcher which is where he should land once the regular season begins, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Moore had an up-and-down season between Tampa Bay and San Francisco last season, finishing with a modest 4.08 ERA and a 2.5 K/BB ratio over 198.1 innings. A full season in San Francisco should help in terms of his home ballpark being favorable to pitchers and also having a better offense behind him for leagues that count wins. Moore isn't a safe pitcher by any means, but his ability to strike out batters (8.1 K/9) make him viable in most formats.

Manager Craig Counsell said that Suter's best chance to make the Opening Day roster is as a reliever, but he could still develop as a starter in the minors, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The left-hander appeared 12 times as a reliever and twice as a starter for the Brewers last year, so he could easily fill either role in Milwaukee's organization. Suter does have a leg up on a roster spot given he's one of the few lefties in camp, although his low strikeout potential leaves much to be desired if he becomes a full-time reliever.

Smith will be temporarily shut down with elbow inflammation, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area Sports reports.

The positive news is that the MRI came back clean and manager Bruce Bochy is confident his reliever will be ready for opening day. The Giants plan to have Smith make six appearances before the season opener, but will likely exercise caution with the lefty. The 27-year-old made 26 appearances with San Francisco after being acquired at the trade deadline, posting a 2.95 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP.

Melancon said that he feels where he wants to be physically heading into spring training, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Melancon threw a bullpen session Tuesday and reportedly felt great physically afterwards. He mentioned that he normally feels a "slowness" when beginning spring training but that was not the case this year. This is good news for both the Giants -- who recently signed their new closer to four-year deal this offseason -- and fantasy owners hoping for another solid season from one of the game's top closing options.

The Reds still want to go with a four-man closer committee, rather than committing to Iglesias as the closer.

Ultimately the Reds hope that their plan won't be decided in spring training. "I would really like to see this particular game plan we have in place work out," manager Bryan Price said on Sunday. "We want to look at the end of the year and we see Storen and Iglesias and Lorenzen, in particular, with some saves. That may mean Cingrani as well, if he's the best guy we have for that situation in the ninth inning.