MLB Player News

The Cubs and Steele avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

It's a substantial raise for Steele after he qualified for Super 2 status. The left-handed earned the salary bump after finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2023 following a 3.06 ERA and 176:36 K:BB across 173.1 innings covering 30 starts.

May (elbow) agreed to a one-year, $2.135 million deal with the Dodgers on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

May had UCL reconstruction surgery in July of 2023 that was expected to sideline him for a year, so he could potentially return in the second half this season. The 26-year-old righty has a career 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, but he has made just 34 starts in five seasons due to multiple arm injuries.

Keller signed a one-year, $5.4425 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Keller got off to a hot start last season, but he posted a 5.59 ERA in 77.1 innings after the All-Star break. Despite his late struggles, Keller remains a viable fantasy option after racking up 210 strikeouts in 194.1 frames and 13 wins in 2023.

The Mets and Lucchesi avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.65 million contract Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Lucchesi was arbitration-eligible for the second time. The southpaw posted a 2.89 ERA in nine starts for the Mets in 2023, although that came with a 32:17 K:BB over 46.2 frames. Lucchesi could be used as a swingman in 2024.

The Phillies and Suarez avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.05 million contract Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez gets a raise in what was his second year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander posted a 4.18 ERA and 119:48 K:BB across 125 innings covering 22 starts for Philadelphia in 2023. He'll be relied upon heavily by Philly again in 2024

Ferris was traded from the Cubs to the Dodgers along with Zyhir Hope on Thursday in exchange for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

This is a nice pickup for the Dodgers, as Almonte and Busch were spare parts and Ferris is a high-upside lefty whom they won't need to add to the 40-man roster for several seasons. Ferris, who turns 20 later this month, is 6-foot-4 and is extremely projectable. He had a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 77 strikeouts and a 53.4 percent groundball rate in 56 innings (18 starts) at Single-A in 2023. The Dodgers should be able to maximize his electric arsenal, and his top priority in 2024 will be building up his workload while showing he can turn a lineup over more than once.

Atlanta and Fried avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $15 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The was Fried's final year of arbitration eligibility, as he's currently slated for free agency next offseason. He was limited to 14 starts in 2023 because of injury but was terrific when healthy, holding a 2.55 ERA and 80:18 K:BB over 77.2 innings of work. Fried will enter spring training with no restrictions.

The Dodgers and Buehler avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $8.025 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

It's the same salary Buehler received in 2023 when he missed the entire season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old was eligible for arbitration for the final time, as he's currently slated to hit free agency next winter. Buehler did begin a rehab assignment in September and is slated to be ready to roll for Opening Day, although workload restrictions are likely.

The Pirates and Brubaker (elbow) avoided arbitration Wednesday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.275 million contract, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Brubaker will receive the same salary that he got in 2023 after missing the entire season following Tommy John surgery. The goal is for Brubaker to make it back sometime around the All-Star break. He holds a career 3.99 ERA and 324:109 K:BB over 315.2 innings over parts of three seasons at the major-league level.

The Rockies and Quantrill avoided arbitration Wednesday by agreeing to a one-year, $6.55 million contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Colorado acquired Quantrill from Cleveland back in November and it has now locked him into a contract for the 2024 campaign. The right-hander posted a disappointing 5.24 ERA and 58:35 K:BB over 99.2 innings in 2023 but held a career 3.54 ERA heading into the season. Quantrill will open 2024 in the Rockies' rotation but won't be a desirable fantasy option.