MLB Player News

German was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Monday.

It clears room on the 40-man roster for Richard Bleier after Bleier was acquired from Miami in the Matt Barnes trade. The right-hander allowed eight runs in four appearances with Boston in the 2022 campaign with a 4:4 K:BB over his four innings of work, but did pitch well with Triple-A Worcester in the second half of the season. There could be interest in German on the waiver wire.

The White Sox claimed Alexy off waivers from the Twins on Monday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Alexy was booted off the Twins' 40-man roster last week after Minnesota acquired outfielder Michael Taylor. The right-hander appeared in five games for the Rangers in 2022 while allowing nine runs in seven innings. The White Sox may look to continue developing the 24-year-old as a starter, but the bullpen likely represents his most realistic path to seeing big-league action in 2023.

Philadelphia designated Coonrod for assignment Monday.

The transaction clears room on the 40-man roster for infielder Josh Harrison, who was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal. Coonrod was ineffective in 12 appearances with Philadelphia in 2022, recording a 7.82 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 12.2 innings. If he clears waivers, the 30-year-old will be outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley if he opts not to elect free agency.

The Marlins acquired Barnes along with cash considerations from the Red Sox on Monday in exchange for left-handed reliever Richard Bleier, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Barnes will move on to a new organization after the Red Sox designated him for assignment last week to clear room on the 40-man roster for outfielder Adam Duvall. While the right-hander is coming off a rough season and is owed $8.38 million for 2023 with an $8 million club option or $2.25 million buyout for 2024, Miami will pay the majority of his salary. Barnes struggled to a 4.31 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 39.2 innings in 2022, but Miami's decision to take on his salary suggests he could be in line to fill a high-leverage role out of the bullpen, even if he doesn't enter the season as the team's preferred option to close games.

Roberts (elbow) has started a throwing program, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Roberts posted a video of him throwing at the Cubs' spring training complex in Mesa. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in July, and he's expected to miss most -- if not all -- of the 2023 season while recovering.

Koch signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Nov. 22 and received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Koch spent the 2022 season with the Mariners, and struggled to an 8.31 ERA over 4.1 innings of work in four appearances. The right-hander has an outside chance of making the Rockies out of spring training with a strong showing in the Cactus League.

Burke and the Rangers discussed a return to the rotation earlier in the offseason, and he's now being considered for the closer spot as well, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

While the Rangers seemingly aren't certain how they'll use Burke next season, it's clear they like him quite a bit. It's easy to see why, as he recorded a 1.97 ERA last season in 82.1 innings of relief, backing that number up with a 27.4 percent strikeout rate and 7.3 percent walk rate. He was a starter in the minors and regularly threw multiple innings last season, so it could make sense for the Rangers to stretch him out and have him ready as the top fill-in should any of their starters' long injury histories get even longer. Given his success in relief, however, it could make sense for the Rangers to keep him in the bullpen, where he'll compete with Jose Leclerc, Jonathan Hernandez and potentially others for saves.

Colome signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday and received an invite to major-league spring training, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The Nationals have had their eyes on Colome since 2019 when they attempted to trade for him ahead of the deadline. The right-hander has declined considerably since then, however, and holds a 4.82 ERA and 1.52 WHIP over the past two seasons. If the 34-year-old reliever can hold his own in spring training, he might crack a Nats bullpen with few proven arms, though he probably won't see much high-leverage usage.

Fairbanks signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Rays on Friday, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan adds that the arbitration-covering deal includes a $7 million fourth-year club option, which could potentially secure what would have been Fairbanks' first year of free-agent eligibility. The 29-year-old right-hander again had to contend with injuries in 2022, but he dominated to the tune of a 1.13 ERA and 38:3 K:BB ratio in 24 innings when healthy. Fairbanks currently projects as the favorite for saves in Tampa Bay leading into the 2023 campaign, though history suggests the closer role will be a carousel as the season plays out. It's just how the Rays tend to operate.

Suarez signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Friday.

The left-hander has been given an invitation to major-league spring training as part of the deal. Suarez played in Korea in 2021 and Japan in 2022. He saw action in part of three seasons in the majors with the Giants before that, holding a 4.66 ERA over 56 appearances (31 starts). The 30-year-old is likely pegged for Triple-A Memphis to begin 2023.