MLB Player News

Darvish signed a six-year deal with the Cubs on Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 31-year-old ace will slot right into the top of the Cubs' rotation. Assuming he recovers from an apparent pitch-tipping issue which led to a pair of poor outings in the World Series, he should be a dominant pitcher in Chicago. While the move to Wrigley Field may add a few home runs to his total, joining a team as strong as the Cubs should give him the opportunity to earn a few extra wins.

Wheeler (arm) will make $1.9 million in 2018 after winning his arbitration case, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports.

The Mets came in at $1.5 million. Wheeler only pitched in 17 games in 2017, posting a 5.21 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with a 81:40 K:BB over 86.1 innings before hitting the DL in late July due to a stress reaction in his right arm. The 27-year-old appears to be at full health heading into spring training and figures to be the fourth starter in the Mets' stable during this upcoming season.

Nola has signed a $573,000 split contract with Philadelphia, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

Nola spent almost all of last season in the majors, pitching 168.0 innings and accumulating a 3.54 ERA. The 24-year-old threw an average of 9.86 strikeouts per nine innings -- for a total of 184 strikeouts on the year -- and he had an elite FIP of 3.31. This suggests that Nola could have an even better fantasy year on the bump should Philadelphia's offense provide him with more runs, after a 12-11 record in 27 starts in 2017.

Smoker was traded to the Pirates on Wednesday in exchange for Daniel Zamora and cash considerations.

Smoker was recently designated for assignment by the Mets, and will join a new organization for this upcoming season. In 2017, he appeared in 54 games, accruing a 5.11 ERA and 68:32 K:BB in 56.1 innings of relief. The 29-year-old right-hander may begin the year in Triple-A.

General manager Farhan Zaidi said he doesn't expect Buehler to be in the Dodgers' starting rotation to open the 2018 season, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

The Dodgers have an excess amount of starting pitchers, so they'll play it safe with their top prospect and keep him out of the big-league rotation to start the season in an attempt to limit his workload. "We have to find a way to maximize his impact over the full season," Zaidi said. While nothing has been confirmed, it sounds like Buehler will open the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and if he shows improved control, he could join the Dodgers' rotation early in the summer. Los Angeles will likely cap him around 135 innings this season.

Urias (shoulder), who underwent left anterior capsule surgery in June, said he's healthy and expects to resume throwing soon, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

While this is an encouraging step for Urias, he's still months away from being game ready. Barring any setbacks in his recovery, the southpaw is expected to return sometime during the second half of the 2018 season. Urias won't have much value in single-season formats given the time he's expected to miss, but the 21-year-old still holds long-term value.

Roth agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Roth spent the entirety of the 2017 season at the Triple-A level between the Giants' and Rays' organizations. He didn't fare particularly well and has only appeared in 23 major-league games in his career, with just one coming in the last three years. The 27-year-old will likely begin the upcoming campaign at Triple-A Iowa while serving as organizational depth.

Smoker was designated for assignment by the Mets on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Smoker wound up being the casualty after the club's recent re-signing of infielder Jose Reyes. During the 2017 season, the reliever posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 56.1 innings. He will serve as organizational depth moving forward as long as he passes through waivers, and could spend some time in a low-leverage role in 2018 if he makes it back to the majors.

The Braves invited Wright to spring training with the major-league club.

Wright pitched only 17 innings between Rookie ball and High-A Florida last season after being drafted fifth overall, and he had little difficulty with either level. He dazzles with a mid-90's fastball and also has a plus curveball and slider in his repertoire. Looking ahead, the right-hander could immediately take the next step and begin the year at Double-A Mississippi given that he turned 22 just after the end of the 2017 regular season, but that may very well depend on his performance this spring.

Soroka was invited to major-league spring training by the Braves on Friday.

Soroka excelled at Double-A in 2017, sporting a 2.75 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 26 starts with Mississippi. The 20-year-old only allowed 10 home runs in 153.2 innings, while holding a 125:34 K:BB. He will get his first opportunity to go up against major-league hitting come this spring, and should slide into Triple-A Gwinnett's staff to begin the 2018 season.