MLB Player News

The Padres have optioned pitchers Brandon Maurer and Kevin Quackenbush to Triple-A El Paso, the team announced Sunday.

Quackenbush was competing for a role in the bullpen, but San Diego acquired closer Craig Kimbrel Sunday, forcing an arm out of the selection. He posted a 3.72 ERA with nine strikeouts and two walks in 10 appearances this spring. Maurer posted a 3.86 ERA with five strikeouts and one walk in seven spring training appearances.

The Padres and Braves have an agreement in place for a trade that would send closer Craig Kimbrel and outfielder Melvin Upton to San Diego for Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck and the No. 41 overall pick in next year's draft, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. The teams later confirmed the report.

Kimbrel led the league in saves in 2014 with 47 and a 1.61 ERA in 61 2/3 innings pitched. Upton will join his brother, Justin, in San Diego. He hit .208 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI in 519 at-bats in 2014.

The Braves are also expected to designate Quentin for assignment after the trade, according to Heyman. Quentin hit .177 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 130 at-bats in 2014.

The Giants have included infielder Matt Duffy and pitchers Jean Machi and George Kontos on the Opening Day roster, the team announced Sunday.

Machi and Kontos could eventually be battling for the same bullpen spot, but the team has decided to carry 13 pitchers at the beginning of the season. Duffy earns a bench spot over Ehire Adrianza after hitting .361/.400/.639 with three home runs in 61 spring at-bats.

Adrianza was designated for assignment Sunday.

The Dodgers announced their final roster moves Saturday with Paco Rodriguez, Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez all earning spots in Los Angeles' bullpen, according to the L.A. Times.

Rodriguez did not allow a run in 10 2/3 innings pitched this spring with 13 strikeouts and zero walks. Garcia posted a 0.79 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 11 1/3 innings pitched while Baez posted a 5.40 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched.

The Diamondbacks have placed pitcher Patrick Corbin (elbow), pitcher David Hernandez (elbow), catcher Oscar Hernandez (wrist), pitcher Matt Stites (elbow) and pitcher Bronson Arroyo (elbow) on the disabled list, the team announced Saturday.

Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Chafin has earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster, Tony La Russa announced Saturday.

Chafin was competing for a spot in Arizona's bullpen and posted a 4.73 ERA with 14 strikeouts in nine appearances this spring.

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson will start the team's fifth game of the season against the Pirates and will not be skipped in the rotation because of the first off day, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Nelson struggled this spring, posting a 6.23 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in five starts.

The Phillies have selected pitchers Jeanmar Gomez and Cesar Jimenez's contracts for the upcoming season, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gomez posted a 0.71 ERA with nine strikeouts in 10 appearances this spring while posted a 4.35 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks in eight appearances.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg and pitcher Ken Giles said that the right-hander's back is fine and he'll be ready to go for Opening Day, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Giles faced four batters on Saturday, giving up two runs on two hits with one walk. The 23-year-old posted an ERA of 1.18 with 64 strikeouts and 11 walks in 45 innings pitched last year.

The Mets are expected to go with an eight-man bullpen and a four-man bench, snubbing Eric Campbell from an Opening Day roster spot, according to ESPN.

Campbell hit .255 (14 for 55) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI in 24 Grapefruit League games. The four-man bench will include Ruben Tejada, John Mayberry Jr., Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Anthony Recker.

Meanwhile, the eight-man bullpen will include Rafael Montero, Jeurys Familia, Jerry Blevins, Jenrry Mejia, Alex Torres, Carlos Torres, Sean Gilmartin, and Buddy Carlyle .