MLB Player News

Lodolo was invited to major-league spring training by the Reds on Wednesday.

General manager Nick Krall said in November that Lodolo would be in the mix for a rotation spot in 2022, so it's not a major surprise the left-hander will be in big-league camp. The 23-year-old posted a 1.84 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 68:9 K:BB over 44 innings at Double-A Chattanooga last year before a late-season promotion to Triple-A Louisville.

Lively signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Thursday.

Lively's deal with Cincinnati includes an invitation to major-league spring training this year. The right-hander has spent the last three seasons in the KBO, and he posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 202.1 innings across 36 starts with the Samsung Lions.

Stroman signed a contract with the Cubs on Wednesday, he confirmed on his personal Twitter account. It's a three-year, $71 million deal that includes an opt out after the second season, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.

The 30-year-old righty logged a 3.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 50.8 percent groundball rate in 179 innings last season. He didn't pitch in 2020, but he has logged 32 or more starts in four of the last five seasons he has pitched. Stroman has never struck out more than 166 batters in a season, as he thrives on generating weak contact, and he is generally good at logging bulk innings and preventing runs.

Cobb agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the Giants on Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

According to Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News, the deal includes a $10 million team option for 2024 with a $2 million buyout. Cobb spent 2021 with the Angels and was limited to 18 starts by a wrist injury, but he was effective when healthy with a 3.76 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 98:33 K:BB in 93.1 innings. He should slot into the middle of San Francisco's starting rotation in 2022.

Lucchesi (elbow) threw Tuesday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery back in June, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

The timing of Lucchesi's surgery means he's likely to miss most of the 2022 season, but he should still be able to pitch before the end of the year if all goes well. It's a good sign to see that he's already throwing, but he still has many hurdles to clear before he's ready for game action.

Eickhoff signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates on Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Eickhoff was a perfectly competent starter in the first three years of his career, posting a 3.87 ERA over 65 starts from 2015 through 2017. He missed most of 2018 with injuries and hasn't pitched at anything close to that level since then, struggling to a 6.48 ERA across 83.1 innings over the last four seasons. If he spends a meaningful portion of the season in the Pirates' rotation it should be considered a pleasant surprise.

Alcantara signed a five-year, $56 million contract extension with the Marlins on Sunday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Alcantara has spent the past four seasons in Miami, and he'll remain under team control for what would be his first two years of free agency. The right-hander tossed a career-high 205.2 innings across 33 starts last year and posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Matz agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Blue Jays declined to extend Matz the $18.4 million qualifying offer, and it didn't take long for him to find a new team on the open market. The 30-year-old lefty had a bounceback 2021 campaign with a 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 144:43 K:BB across 150.2 innings (29 starts), and he'll bring some stability to St. Louis' rotation behind Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright.

Wood and the Giants agreed to a two-year deal worth over $10 million per season Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Woods' deal came mere minutes after the Giants locked up Anthony DeSclafani for three more years, as the team is clearly interested in keeping its recent success stories in the fold. Injuries limited Wood to just 48.1 innings over the previous two years, but he was able to make 26 starts in 2021, cruising to a 3.83 ERA. He got to that number via a career-high 26.0 percent strikeout rate and a 50.8 percent groundball rate. Toss in his 6.7 percent walk rate and you get a uniquely well-rounded pitcher. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, only teammate Logan Webb matched or beat Wood in all three rate stats. That bodes well for the veteran lefty moving forward as long as he can stay healthy.

DeSclafani re-signed with the Giants for three years and $36 million Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

DeSclafani hasn't been remotely consistent from year to year, but he's had several strong seasons, including a career-best 3.17 ERA in 31 starts for the Giants in 2021. His 22.5 percent strikeout rate was slightly below average, but contact isn't punished as frequently in Oracle Park as it is elsewhere, and he avoided long rallies thanks to his 6.2 percent walk rate. The Giants evidently believe DeSclafani reached a new level last season and won't fall back to being the guy who posted a 7.22 ERA in 2020 or a 4.93 ERA in 2018. The ceiling may not be particularly high here, and his age (he'll turn 32 in April) as well as the likelihood of regression in his .265 BABIP both add risk, but the veteran righty still looks like a good bet to be a capable mid-rotation arm in 2022.