MLB Player News

Mize was invited to the Tigers' major-league camp Monday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Mize, who was taken with the first overall pick in the 2018 first-year player draft, will get a chance to show off his skills in front of the big-league coaching staff, though he isn't a real candidate to earn a job right out of camp seeing as he hasn't appeared above High-A. The 21-year-old right-hander posted a combined 3.95 ERA and 14:3 K:BB across 13.2 innings between rookie ball and High-A in 2018.

The Reds are nearing a deal that would bring Gray to Cincinnati, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Per Heyman, the Reds are expected to give up infield prospect Shed Long and a draft pick, as well as potentially one other low-level prospect. Medical reports and 40-man roster considerations appear to be the main thing holding back any official announcement of the deal at this point. Neither Yankee Stadium nor Great American Ballpark is great for pitchers, but Gray would be a good bet to land a rotation spot in Cincinnati, boosting his fantasy value even after some rough innings in the Bronx.

Perez and the Twins agreed to a one-year contract Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Perez gets a major-league contract despite posting an ugly 6.22 ERA in 85.1 innings for the Rangers last season. That high number is a bit of an outlier in the context of the rest of his career, and an elbow injury is at least partly to blame, but his ERA had been at least 4.38 in each of the four previous seasons, so even a bounceback year won't make him a particularly enticing arm. Still, he'll be a useful back-end starter for the Twins should he win a job in camp and could be a fine deep-league option now that he's finally left the hitter's paradise in Texas behind.

Sale (shoulder) isn't expected to face any restrictions in spring training after returning to full health, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

As expected, Sale will be ready to roll for the start of spring training after receiving some much-needed rest. He battled with tendinitis in his shoulder during the 2018 campaign, limiting him to 27 starts. "I feel normal again," stated Sale. "I'm able to throw free and easy and feel loose and kind of have that whip back. It's obviously a nice feeling."

The Reds have yet to officially trade for Gray.

Reports earlier in the day suggested a deal was close. There was an erroneous report making the rounds on Twitter suggesting that the deal was finalized, but Gray remains a member of the Yankees for now. The right-hander could well end up on the Reds shortly, as the team is a logical destination, but a deal is not yet done.

The Reds are closing in on a deal for Gray, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

After a strong start to his career in Oakland, Gray sputtered with the Yankees, posting a 4.90 ERA last season and losing his place in the starting rotation. The underlying numbers suggest his step back was much smaller, as he posted a respectable 4.17 FIP, so the Reds would be banking on the fact that his skills are still there. The righty would trade one tough park for another and see his chances at wins go down, but a much firmer place in a starting rotation would nevertheless be a boost to his fantasy value.

Bridwell was designated for assignment by the Angels on Tuesday to make room for new acquisition John Curtiss, who was picked up in a trade from the Twins.

Bridwell had already been DFA'd once by the Angels this offseason back in November. That time, he was claimed by the Yankees, only to be DFA'd again less than a month later and reacquired by his old team. It remains to be seen whether he'll land with another team this time around.

Rodon signed a one-year, $4.2 million contract with the White Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Rodon received a $1.9 million pay increase from a season ago, as both sides managed to agree on a fair price prior to the arbitration deadline. The 26-year-old lefty should slot in near the front end of Chicago's starting rotation in 2019 following a year in which he posted a 4.18 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with a 90:55 K:BB across 120.2 frames.

Paxton signed a one-year contract with the Yankees on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Paxton is the newest addition to New York's starting rotation, coming to the Yankees from Seattle in a mid-November trade. He's expected to slot in near the front end of the rotation to begin the 2019 season after posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 208:42 K:BB over 160.1 frames last year with the Mariners.

Gray agreed to a one-year contract with the Yankees on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Gray struggled throughout the 2018 season, accruing a 4.90 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 123 strikeouts over 130.1 frames as both a starter and reliever. Despite trade talks earlier in the offseason, the Yankees haven't given up just yet on the 29-year-old right-hander, avoiding a hearing by coming to terms on a deal prior to the deadline.