MLB Player News

Crosby signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers that includes an invitation to spring training, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

The 31-year-old last played in the minors in 2018, when he amassed a 2.95 ERA with a 25:23 K:BB over 21.1 innings across rookie ball, Double-A and Triple-A. Crosby spent last season playing independent baseball and performed well by posting a 1.74 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP over 46.2 innings. The southpaw will get a chance to develop in spring training, but it would be surprising to see him play a role in the majors in 2020.

Wheeler signed a five year, $118 million deal with the Phillies on Wednesday, Marc Carig of The Athletic reports.

Wheeler will remain in the NL East, where he spent the first five seasons of his big-league career for the Mets. After an injury-filled start to his career, Wheeler has emerged as a solid starter over the last two seasons, averaging 30 starts per season while posting a 3.65 ERA and a 3.37 WHIP. He'll slot in next to Aaron Nola at the top of the Phillies' rotation.

Hamels and the Braves agreed to a one-year, $18 million deal Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran lefty will be back in the division where he started his career for his age-36 season. He's not the pitcher he was at his peak, but he's remained a stable option, posting ERAs of 3.78 and 3.81 in the last two seasons while striking out 23.3 percent and 23.2 percent of batters. He'll settle in as a mid-rotation starter in a young Braves rotation.

Anderson (knee) signed a one-year contract with the Giants on Tuesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The two sides came to an agreement just one day after Anderson was non-tendered by the Giants. The southpaw dealt with knee issues for most of the 2019 season, making just five starts and finishing with an 11.76 ERA, 2.13 WHIP and 23:11 K:BB across 20.2 innings with the Rockies. Anderson likely won't be ready for the start of the 2020 season after undergoing knee surgery in June, though he should compete for a rotation spot once healthy.

Parsons was designated for assignment by the Rockies on Wednesday.

Parsons was claimed off waivers from the Braves in August and once again gets exposed to the waiver wire. The 27-year-old posted a 3.52 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in 17 outings for Atlanta, but he struggled even more in Colorado with a 6.98 ERA and 1.91 WHIP in 15 appearances.

The Brewers acquired Lauer and infielder Luis Urias from the Padres on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Trent Grisham and pitcher Zach Davies, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Grisham and Urias represent the principal pieces in the four-player deal, with the Lauer and Davies portion of the trade simply representing a swap of depth arms. Lauer was one of several young starting pitchers the Padres rolled out in 2019, with the 24-year-old delivering a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 138:51 K:BB across 149.2 innings. The southpaw will tentatively slot into the middle of the Milwaukee rotation, but it wouldn't be surprising if he gets pushed into long or middle relief as the team presumably adds more arms via free agency or trade as the offseason unfolds.

The Padres acquired Davies and outfielder Trent Grisham from the Brewers on Wednesday in exchange for infielder Luis Urias and pitcher Eric Lauer, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Grisham and Urias are the principal pieces in the deal, while Davies and Lauer amount to a swap of depth rotation arms. Davies delivered a career-best 3.55 ERA across 159.2 innings in 2019, but his weak 5.7 K/9 limited his appeal from a fantasy perspective. He'll at least benefit from a change in home field from hitter-friendly Miller Park to the more forgiving Petco Park, which should aid Davies' chances of delivering another sub-4.00 ERA in 2020.

Sanchez was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster Wednesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

This was an easy call for Miami on the final day to protect prospects from the Rule 5 draft, as Sanchez is their top pitching prospect and one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He will likely open the year at Triple-A but could reach the majors sometime this summer.

Cabrera was added to the Marlins' 40-man roster Wednesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.

One of the top pitching prospects in all the minors, Cabrera was excellent at High-A and Double-A last year. He has a chance to end up with three plus or better pitches and could reach the majors sometime this summer.

Seijas was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster Wednesday.

This protects him from the Rule 5 draft. The Cardinals must really like Seijas, as he has only made 10 starts at High-A and doesn't figure to reach the majors in 2020 unless he transitions to a relief role. He had a 2.65 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 43:26 K:BB in 54.1 innings in the pitcher-friendly Florida State league. Given his shaky command/control, the 6-foot-1 righty will likely end up in the bullpen long term.