MLB Player News

Gonzalez received an invitation to spring training Thursday.

The 25-year-old pitched in both Double-A and Triple-A last season, striking out a batter per inning while in Albuquerque. It will be tough to crack the Rockies bullpen, but a strong spring training could put him in the conversation to appear in the majors at some point of the season.

Moll received an invitation to spring training Thursday.

Moll reached Double-A last season and pitched well, posting a 1.23 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. That being said, he'll likely head back to the minors after spring training to face more upper-level hitters.

Torres received an invitation to spring training Thursday.

Torres signed a minor league contract with the Braves yesterday after becoming a free agent early this month, but it wasn't announced until today that he would receive an invitation to spring training. Torres' solid control and decent career strikeout rate should help him compete for a bullpen spot with Atlanta.

The Braves signed Torres to a minor league contract Wednesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

After the Mets inked him to a one-year deal on Jan. 15, the organization changed course with the signing of Antonio Bastardo just a few days later, waiving Torres in order to open up a spot on the 40-man roster. It's unclear if Torres has received an invite to spring training with the big club, but his career strikeout rate of 7.9 K/9 could serve him well in the competition for a roster spot with the Braves.

Johnson took advantage of his time off with injuries to work on his changeup in 2015, the Cubs' official site reports. "I was able to throw it for strikes, and that was huge," he said of the pitch. "Just having the confidence in that pitch made it that much better."

The Cubs have been trying to get Johnson to develop a third pitch ever since he was drafted in 2012, and he finally looks like he has one to go with fastball and slider. He's already one of the better pitching prospect in the system, but his rise to the majors has been stalled a bit. Don't be surprised to hear his name a bit more in 2016.

Rodney was taken out of a Caribbean Series game earlier this week as a precautionary measure after feeling some leg tightness, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports.

This came a day after the Padres agreed to terms with Rodney to presumably get the first crack at closing for them this year. In three games this month for the Dominican Republic he has allowed three runs (one earned) and struck out five. There is no reason to believe the injury is anything serious, but it's worth noting as spring training approaches.

Hoover won his arbitration case and signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Reds on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The Reds were hoping to only pay Hoover $1.225 million, but the arbitrators ruled in favor of the pitcher. Now that his case is over, Hoover can get back to focusing on locking down the closer job for the Reds.

Manager A.J. Preller indicated Thursday that Rodney continues to display velocity consistent with previous seasons, and appears to be the favorite for the closer job, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 38-year-old reliever struggled in the role with the Mariners last season, but was eventually moved to the Cubs and finished the season strong (0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings). Preller said there's been "nothing promised" to Rodney, indicating he'll still need to earn the job in spring training. However, it appears he'll enter camp in the driver's spot for the role, with Kevin Quackenbush considered the top alternate to serve in that capacity should Rodney fail to impress in spring training.

Biddle (elbow) was traded to the Pirates on Wednesday, CSN Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury reports.

He was designated for assignment last week, but considering his previous status as a highly-touted prospect, it is not surprising that the Phillies received interest in Biddle. Back in 2012 he was electric at times, flashing a beautiful curveball with great shape and depth, but poor command and a fringe fastball led to him getting hit hard in the upper levels of the minors, and he now serves as a cautionary tale for prospect hounds who fall in love with pitchers with incomplete repertoires in the lower levels. That said, the Pirates might be the best developmental organization for pitchers, so this is an ideal spot for Biddle to try to salvage his professional career. This has very little fantasy impact, however, as Biddle will miss all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the fall, so it won't be clear what the Pirates have in him until 2017. He will likely spend all of 2016 on the 60-day DL.

Hoover might be the front-runner to win the Reds' open closer job, but he's not a sure-thing, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I'm going to wait and see," manager Bryan Price said. "I think he's certainly a front-runner for this opportunity, but I don't think I'm quite ready to be assigning roles for on the team just quite yet. We'll see what the final roster looks like coming out of spring training. He's absolutely in contention for the position."

Hoover's component stats didn't track along with his improved ERA in 2015, and skill set doesn't scream out lock-solid closer. Opportunity is the most important factor in evaluating potential closers, but ultimately Hoover will have to perform well enough to hold the job. Bid cautiously when it comes to Hoover.