MLB Player News

Treinen could head into spring training as the favorite for the Nationals' closer job if they aren't able to bring in an established option this offseason, The Washington Post reports.

Experienced closers like Kenley Jansen and Greg Holland are still available as free agents, but if GM Mike Rizzo doesn't bring in anyone from outside the organization, Treinen would be among the top options for ninth-inning duties along with Koda Glover, Shawn Kelley and Sammy Solis. Treinen's never has a K/9 rate over 9.0 in his brief MLB career, so he wouldn't be a typical choice, but he posted a career-best ERA and WHIP in 2016 and his heavy mid-90s sinker can generate plenty of ground balls, much as Mark Melancon's cutter did for the Nats at the end of last season.

Bickford was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a drug of abuse for the second time, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Bickford also tested positive for marijuana prior to the 2015 draft, so the penalty increased to 50 games now that he committed his second offense. Formerly one of the Giants' top prospects, the right-hander wasn't nearly as dominant in five starts in the Brewers system as he was during his time in the Giants organization, and this situation only erodes his prospect shine a bit more. There's no denying his strong ability to strike batters out (10.1 K/9 last season), but his makeup will need to improve if he wants to remain in high standing with the Brewers.

Luetge signed a minor league contract with the Reds on Friday that includes an invite to spring training, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The left-hander spent last season with the Angels' Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City, but he struggled to the tune of a 4.85 ERA out of the Bees bullpen. He'll likely act as organizational depth given his lack of standout numbers.

Ramsey was selected by Milwaukee in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

Ramsey missed the entire 2015 season and almost all of 2016 with an undisclosed injury, but looked promising in the very small amount of time he was on the field last season. The 27-year-old veteran pitched in six games for Double-A Jacksonville during 2016, posting a 2.00 ERA and an encouraging 12.00 K/9 following a successful five-game rehab stint at the High-A level. When healthy, Ramsey has shown potential as an effective hard-thrower with a high-velocity fastball. If he can stay healthy in 2017, which is a big "if," Ramsey could eventually make his way to Milwaukee's major league bullpen.

The Rangers traded Jackson to the Braves on Thursday in exchange for Tyrell Jenkins and Brady Feigl, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Jackson, the 45th overall pick in 2010, transitioned to a full-time relief role in 2016. He was able to post a 3.69 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A despite issuing 32 free passes in just 46.1 innings, which speaks to his stuff -- he can dial up his fastball in the upper 90s with consistency. However, Jackson wasn't able to overpower major league hitters the same way, giving up 22 hits (including four homers) in 11.2 innings with Texas. He will try to earn a spot in the Atlanta bullpen in spring training.

Rodney agreed to a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, FanRag Sports reports.

He will have a chance to earn a lot more than the $2.75 million base salary while serving as the Diamondbacks' closer -- the deal is said to include many incentives. Rodney was excellent during the first half of 2016, posting a minuscule 0.31 ERA in 28 appearances with San Diego en route to an All-Star berth. It was a different story after his trade to Miami (5.89 ERA) as his walk rate skyrocketed, but Rodney, who turns 40 in March, has plenty of closing experience. He also has a reputation for making things interesting late in games, but Rodney keeps the ball on the ground with consistency and still misses bats at a good clip.

Stephenson will compete for the fifth spot in the Reds' rotation in spring training, the Cincinnati Enquirer's Zach Buchanan reports.

While he maintains his prospect eligibility entering his age-24 season, Stephenson's prospect star has crashed and burned, as he has been unable to fix his control issues at Triple-A or in the big leagues. He posted a 6.50 FIP and 31:19 K:BB in 37 innings (eight starts) with the Reds last year and has posted walk rates above 11 percent at every stop above High-A. His changeup and curveball were effective offerings, but hitters posted a 205 wRC+ against his 93 mph fastball. He will need to significantly improve his command of that pitch if he has any hope of making it as a starter. Stephenson will compete with Cody Reed and Amir Garrett for the fifth spot in the rotation, with Tim Adleman serving as a fall-back option if the three youngsters don't impress in spring training.

Gomez is one of three or four pitchers that will enter spring training in a competition to become the Phillies' closer, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Gomez will be competing with Joaquin Benoit, Hector Neris and possibly Edubray Ramos for the closing gig. Neris is likely the favorite for the job, but Gomez did save 37 games last season before struggling down the stretch and losing the job.

Neris is one of three or four pitchers that will enter spring training in a competition to become the Phillies' closer, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Neris will be competing with Joaquin Benoit, Jeanmar Gomez and possibly Edubray Ramos for the closing gig. Neris is likely the favorite for the job. He evolved into an elite reliever last season by throwing a nasty splitter nearly 50 percent of the time which lead to an impressive strikeout rate of over 11 batters per nine innings.

Melancon has agreed to a contract with the Giants, ESPN's Buster Olney reports.

The deal is still pending a physical, but barring any hiccups, Melancon is on the move from the East Coast to the West Coast. He is primed to take over as the Giants' closer, a role they had a difficult time filling effectively at the end of last season. Melancon is coming off arguably the best season of his career, one which saw him post a 1.64 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 65:12 K:BB over 75 appearances with the Pirates and Nationals.