MLB Player News

Ortega was designated for assignment by the Twins on Tuesday.

The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for A.J. Alexy, who was acquired via trade. Ortega was just picked up off waivers a few days ago and now could be on the move again. He holds a 3.95 ERA over 35 relief appearances in the majors covering the last two seasons.

Alexy was acquired by the Twins from the Nationals on Tuesday in exchange for Cristian Jimenez.

Alexy has bounced around from the Rangers to the Nationals and now to the Twins over the last month. The right-hander struggled both at the minor- and major-league level in 2022, but he's just 24 and has some bat-missing ability. Alexy also has an option remaining, which surely appealed to the Twins.

The Angels designated Warren for assignment on Monday.

Warren serves as the Angels' roster casualty after the club signed Brett Phillips to a one-year deal Monday. The 26-year-old reliever gave up 10 earned runs over 16 innings in the majors last season. Warren had better luck in Triple-A, however, recording an impressive 2.12 ERA and 1.18 WHIP through 34 frames. He's likely to catch on with another team searching for some depth in the back-end of their bullpen.

Jackson (elbow) signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Giants on Monday.

Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackson will take home $9.5 million between the first two years of his contract, which also includes a $7 million club option or $2 million buyout for the 2025 season. After undergoing Tommy John surgery this past April, Jackson will be a candidate to open the upcoming season on the 60-day injured list, but he should be at close to full health by around the All-Star break, if not sooner. The 31-year-old handled a pivotal role out of the bullpen for Atlanta's World Series-winning club in 2021, turning in a 1.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 70:29 K:BB across 63.2 frames while notching a career-high 31 holds.

The Phillies acquired Marte from the Giants on Monday in exchange for left-hander Erik Miller.

Marte reached the majors for the first time in 2022 as a 27-year-old, logging a 5.44 ERA and 1.44 WHIP while striking out 44 over 48 innings. With the Giants bringing aboard Luke Jackson (elbow) on a two-year deal Monday, Marte would have been a candidate to lose his spot on the 40-man roster, so San Francisco made the decision to trade him away to get a younger asset in Miller in return. Marte will likely factor into the middle-relief picture for Philadelphia in 2023.

Hendriks announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Hendriks will begin treatment Monday and said in a statement he's "confident that I will make a full recovery and be back on the mound as soon as possible." It's obviously going to take time, though, with general manager Rick Hahn saying in his own statement that "we do not expect to have any updates on Liam's playing status prior to Opening Day at the very earliest." In much less important news, the White Sox will have an opening at closer while Hendriks is away. Kendall Graveman and perhaps Reynaldo Lopez loom as the most likely options to fill that void.

Scott signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Saturday.

The deal likely includes an invitation to major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee. Scott spent most of 2022 in the Padres organization at Triple-A El Paso and had a 3.76 ERA across 40.2 innings, though he also made eight appearances in the big leagues and allowed nine earned runs in 12 frames.

Topa was traded from the Brewers to the Mariners on Saturday in exchange for Joseph Hernandez.

The 31-year-old righty already has two Tommy John surgeries on his resume and has logged 18.1 innings over the past three MLB seasons. The high point of his value was after the 2020 season, when he was dominant across six appearances. He should work in low-leverage situations for the Mariners, as they try to help him recapture his form from a couple years ago.

Lange could have a path to the closer role in Detroit, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that Gregory Soto was traded to the Phillies on Saturday.

Lange has just one career save, and the Tigers have yet to announce their plans for the ninth inning, but the righty appears to be the logical choice with Soto, Joe Jimenez and Andrew Chafin all leaving this winter. Will Vest is the only Tiger remaining on the roster who saved any games last season, but his 4.00 ERA hardly turns heads. Lange managed a 3.41 ERA in his first full season and struck out 30.3 percent of opposing batters.

Soto and Kody Clemens were traded from the Tigers to the Phillies on Saturday in exchange for Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Soto saved 30 games for the Tigers last season, but he's unlikely to get anywhere close to that figure in a more crowded bullpen in Philadelphia. His underlying numbers didn't support his 3.28 ERA and didn't paint him as closer material, with his 4.21 SIERA coming in nearly a run higher. His 22.8 percent strikeout rate was merely average, while his 12.9 percent walk rate was worryingly high. He's likely to be merely one of a handful of late-inning options in Philadelphia this season, with his number of save chances likely to be determined in some part by whether or not his control takes a step forward.