MLB Player News

Morton agreed to a two-year, $30 million contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

Morton did not receive a qualifying offer from Houston after logging a 3.13 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 30 starts for the team in 2018. The 35-year-old has been a reliable pitcher the past two seasons after undergoing season-ending hamstring surgery in April of 2016, and he should slot in behind Blake Snell as the No. 2 arm on Tampa Bay's staff. In 313.2 innings of work dating back to that hamstring tear, he's recorded 364 strikeouts to just 114 walks and a 1.0 HR/9.

Whitley has been extended an invitation to major-league spring training, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Whitley was suspended for the first 50 games of 2018 for violating the minor-league drug program and was limited to eight starts for Double-A Corpus Christi as he battled oblique and lat injuries. The 21-year-old has only 31 career innings at the Double-A level and is unlikely to start the season in the majors given his inexperience. That said, Whitley, who is regarded by many as the top pitching prospect in the game, could very well reach the majors by the summer.

Sale has no structural damage to his shoulder and should be fully recovered after an offseason of rest, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Sale dealt with tendinitis, which caused him a lot of pain but isn't expected to have lasting effects. That pain was especially serious after he returned from the disabled list for one start in early August, which led to him being placed right back on the DL. The news is undoubtedly a positive for Sale, though it may take some time before confidence in his healthy is fully restored.

Blackburn (elbow) should be healthy for the start of spring training, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Blackburn was shut down from throwing in July due to tendinitis in his right elbow, although the Athletics believe he'll be good to go come February. The starting rotation is far from set, but he'll be a candidate to earn a spot near the back end during spring training.

Milone agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Saturday, Pete Kerzel of MASN Sports reports.

Milone appeared in five major-league games for the Nationals this past year (four starts), logging a 5.81 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with a 23:1 K:BB across 26.1 innings. He spent a majority of the year at the Triple-A level, which is where he will likely begin the 2019 campaign while adding some extra depth to Seattle's system.

The Indians signed Carrasco to a contract extension through 2022 on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Indians exercised Carrasco's $10.25 million club option for 2020 before inking him to a two-year extension, which includes a vesting option for 2023. The 31-year-old righty has been a crucial rotation member for the Indians over the past four seasons, posting a combined 3.40 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 10.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 over that stretch (722 innings).

Eovaldi inked a deal with the Red Sox on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the terms of his contract are four years and $67.5 million.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that Boston wanted Eovaldi back in town following his performance in the postseason, during which he logged a 1.61 ERA and 0.81 WHIP with a 16:3 K:BB across 22.1 innings. His most impressive performance arguably came against the Dodgers in Game 3 of the Fall Classic, where the right-hander threw six-plus frames in extra innings to keep the rest of the staff as fresh as possible for the remainder of the series. Eovaldi began the 2018 campaign in Tampa Bay before getting acquired by Boston before the non-waiver trade deadline and finished the year with a 3.81 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 22 appearances (21 starts). He will slide right back into the middle of the Red Sox's rotation behind Chris Sale and David Price.

Dunn was traded from the Mets to the Mariners on Monday along with Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Jarred Kelenic and Gerson Bautista in exchange for Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano and cash considerations, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Dunn has mid-rotation upside, with a fastball that can touch 97 mph, but it's possible his shaky command eventually prevents him from reaching that ceiling. His slider is a swing-and-miss offering and he made strides with his changeup in 2018. He reached Double-A Binghamton, making 15 starts and posting a 4.22 ERA while striking out 27.7 percent of batters and walking 9.8 percent. He has a shot to reach the majors in 2019 but is most likely tracking towards a 2020 debut.

Ramirez signed a one-year, $1 million deal with Cleveland on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Ramirez appeared in 47 games for the Indians in 2018, posting a 4.54 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 41.2 innings of relief. The 29-year-old will have a chance to crack the club's Opening Day roster this spring after starting the past year at the Triple-A level.

Meyer (shoulder) was granted his unconditional release by the Angels on Monday.

Meyer will hit the open market after a shoulder injury kept the 28-year-old from pitching competitively in 2018. He most recently pitched in the majors with the Angels in 2017, posting a 3.74 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 across 13 starts (67.1 innings).