MLB Player News

Wittgren will compete for a bullpen role with the Marlins in spring training.

He put together a strong major league debut in 2016 thanks to his plus control, but Miami signed Brad Ziegler and Junichi Tazawa in the offseason to bolster their bullpen, and Wittgren's somewhat pedestrian raw stuff leaves him with no guarantees that he'll break camp with a spot on the 25-man roster. He does have plenty of experience as a minor league closer, but Wittgren's role with the Marlins would be in much lower leverage situations if he does hang onto a job.

Garcia is expected to begin 2017 back in the minors.

Although he got a brief cup of coffee with the Marlins in 2016, he didn't see any game action and has yet to pitch above Double-A in his career. The team's offseason pitching acquisitions shut the door on any chance Garcia might have had of winning a rotation spot in spring training, so the 24-year-old lefty will have to head back to the minors, work on his craft and wait his turn.

Grace will compete for a spot in the Nationals' bullpen this spring.

He's spent the last two seasons bouncing between Washington and Triple-A Syracuse, and while the 28-year-old has shown the potential to be an effective LOOGY in the majors, the team already has Oliver Perez and Sammy Solis locked into two spots in their 'pen, leaving little room for a third lefty. Expect Grace to head back in the minors for now, but with Perez's contract up at the end of the season, he could become a regular bullpen member for the Nats in 2018.

Morris will compete for a spot in the Braves' bullpen this spring.

His major league resume is extremely thin, consisting of just two outs, three walks and five earned runs for the Mets in 2015, but Morris struck out 50 batters in 35.2 Triple-A innings last season. If he can improve his control just a little, he could fill a middle-inning role for the Braves in 2017.

Robles will head into 2017 as one of the Mets' top setup men alongside Addison Reed.

The 26-year-old is coming off a mostly outstanding 2016 campaign, although he did fade late -- 14 of his 28 earned runs on the season came during a nine-game stretch in August. He will likely see most of his action in the seventh inning, making him more valuable in formats that reward holds, but if Jeurys Familia gets suspended due to a domestic violence incident in October, Robles could see some save opportunities while Familia is out.

Gott will head into spring training competing for a bullpen spot with the Nationals.

He spent most of last season at Triple-A after coming over from the Angels, posting a lackluster 4.35 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB in 39.1 innings for Syracuse, but Gott was a little sharper in six big league frames. The Nats have a lot of arms competing for just a couple of openings in their 'pen this spring, but Gott's lively fastball gives him a strong chance of emerging with a 25-man roster spot.

Floro (arm) was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Wednesday.

The North-Siders made a move for former top prospect Eddie Butler which required a 40-man spot to be freed up. The Cal State Fullerton product found some success in the minor leagues last season, posting a 2.88 ERA and a 1.6 BB/9 in 50 innings in relief, so he could garner some interest during the waiver period even with the arm soreness he experienced at the back end of 2016.

The Rockies will look at using Hoffman in the bullpen in 2017, the Denver Post's Patrick Saunders reports.

This comes from manager Bud Black, but it is unclear whether the Rockies intend on using Hoffman in the bullpen for a brief stretch to manage his innings, or whether they might legitimately consider using him in relief all season. Hoffman struggled last season in the majors, but his pedigree and repertoire suggest he is still a better bet to succeed in the rotation than Chris Rusin, Jordan Lyles or Eddie Butler. This news is enough to warrant downgrading Hoffman slightly in drafts, as he is clearly not a lock to spend the entire season in the Rockies' rotation.

Ottavino is the "clear favorite" to open the season as the Rockies' closer, according to beat writer Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post.

This is strictly Saunders' opinion, but he is a legitimate authority on the matter as one of the Rockies' top beat writers. The Rockies signed Greg Holland on Wednesday, so that adds a right-handed reliever with a history of success in the ninth inning to the mix for saves, but it sounds like Ottavino should still be the top target in that bullpen in fantasy drafts.

Kolarek signed a minor league contract with the Braves on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

The 28-year-old pitched well between Double-A and Triple-A last season, posting a 3.13 ERA with 63 strikeouts across 60.1 innings. His numbers have improved steadily over the past few years as he has climbed through the minors, and he will look to finally make it to the next level with the Braves.