MLB Player News

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.

Gearrin agreed to a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the Giants on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The right-hander battled shoulder issues in July and August but returned to San Francisco and finished strong, posting a 1.35 ERA and 13:1 K:BB in September. He racked up 16 holds and three saves in 56 total appearances. Health permitting, the sinkerballer should once again play a prominent role near the back end of the bullpen for the Giants in 2017.

Stoffel signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on Wednesday that includes an invite to spring training, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen Nesbitt reports.

Stoffel has never pitched in the majors, despite being 28 years old. His strikeout rate has ticked up in recent seasons, however, so he could have a chance of making the Pirates' bullpen and serving as a low-leverage reliever out of spring training.

Runzler signed a minor league contract with the Pirates on Wednesday that includes an invite to spring training, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Stephen Nesbitt reports.

The 31-year-old southpaw will have a chance at earning a spot in the Pirates' bullpen as a low-leverage specialist. Of course, the most likely scenario is that he offers depth at Triple-A.