MLB Player News

The Braves invited Allard to spring training.

The 20-year-old spent the 2017 season with Double-A Mississippi, posting a 3.18 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with a 129:45 K:BB over 27 starts. Allard tossed an impressive 150 innings and found success using a variety of secondary pitches while showing the ability to get ahead of opposing batters with a well-located heater. Looking ahead, Allard will likely begin this upcoming season at the Triple-A level and should receive a good test against major-league hitting come spring.

Perez agreed to a minor-league deal with the Cubs on Thursday, which includes an invitation to spring training.

Perez started 23 games for Triple-A Iowa last season, posting a 5.01 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 120.1 innings. Although he's appeared in 31 big-leagues games dating back to 2015, it seems likely that he will be back at the Triple-A level this spring. He will provide organizational depth with the ability to make a spot start or add to the bullpen.

Eickhoff (hand) said last week that he has thrown off a mound three times this winter and has had a "fairly normal offseason," Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "A lot of it was," Eickhoff said, when asked if his physical limitations played a factor in his disappointing 2017 campaign. "I think, honestly, what kept it moving was my mentality. That was one of the hardest things I have had to do -- to pull myself out of the game. But it's going to make me a better pitcher because of it."

Following a strong first full season in the big leagues, Eickhoff saw his ERA jump from 3.65 in 2016 to 4.71 in 2017 through 24 starts before he was shut down in September due to nerve irritation in his pitching hand. Though the injury may have played a factor, Eickhoff's mechanics seemed to be out of whack throughout the campaign, finished with a 3.7 BB/9 rate, nearly double the mark from the previous season. Eickhoff indicated he has spent the offseason reviewing his mechanics with the Phillies' new pitching coach, Rick Kranitz, and is hopeful that an adjustment in hand placement will result in a more fluid delivery that generates better results. While it's reassuring that Eickhoff is being proactive in identifying the root of his struggles, he'll probably need to show improved performance during the spring before fantasy owners can invest in him with much confidence.

Lorenzen is expected to vie for the fifth spot in the Reds' rotation during spring training, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

With young righty Luis Castillo topping the Cincinnati rotation and Anthony DeSclafani, Homer Bailey and Brandon Finnegan entering the spring at full strength following injury-plagued seasons, it appears there's only one starting spot that's truly up for grabs. Along with Lorenzen, who made all 70 of his appearances in 2017 in relief, Sheldon mentions Sal Romano, Robert Stephenson and Tyler Mahle as the top candidates for the No. 5 role. Lorenzen first broke into the big leagues in 2015 as a starter and found little success in that capacity before blossoming into a dependable multi-inning reliever the past two seasons, so a return to the bullpen as the top setup man to closer Raisel Iglesias would still seem to be the most likely outcome heading into the 2018 campaign.

The Brewers extended an invitation to Burnes for spring training.

Burnes was the named the Brewers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2017, posting a 1.67 ERA in 26 starts between Double-A Biloxi and High-A Carolina. The 23-year-old earned the promotion to Biloxi in June and proceeded to excel at the higher level, compiling a 1.01 WHIP and a 84:20 K:BB in 85.2 innings. Although the strikeout numbers aren't spectacular, he only gave up three home runs all year, and could be in line to start the 2018 campaign with Triple-A Colorado Springs.

The Padres extended an invitation to Quantrill for spring training.

Quantrill split the 2017 season between the High A- and Double-A levels after earning a promotion to San Antonio in mid-July. Over eight starts with San Antonio -- his first opportunity in Double-A -- he posted a 4.04 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with a 34:16 K:BB in 42.1 innings. This marked his first full year as a professional after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015, which has hampered his projection as a front-end starter for the future. Spring training will be a good test to see how the 23-year-old fares against major-league hitting for the first time, and whether there's enough potential for him to possibly earn a late-season call-up during the 2018 campaign.

The Diamondbacks signed Pill (elbow) to a minor-league contract Monday.

Arizona has already assigned Pill to its Triple-A affiliate at Reno, so it doesn't sound like the 27-year-old will work out with the big club during spring training. Pill, who made seven appearances (three starts) with the Mets last season when a rash of injuries hit the team's pitching staff, finished with a 5.32 ERA and 1.45 WHIP across 22 innings. He'll likely function as starting depth in the upper minors for the Diamondbacks, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot puts him low in the organizational pecking order for a potential look in the big-league rotation.

Musgrove was traded to the Pirates along with Colin Moran and two undisclosed prospects in exchange for Gerrit Cole, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reports.

Just as Musgrove was becoming a trendy reliever to target late in drafts, he switches organizations and will likely return to being a starting pitcher. Musgrove has a career 5.37 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 135.2 MLB innings as a starter, but he has looked like a potential mid-rotation arm at times in the majors and high minors. If he is unable to find success in Pittsburgh as a starter, he has already established that he can be a dominant reliever (1.26 ERA in 35.2 innings), so the Pirates have a nice fallback option. His fantasy appeal for 2018 should increase slightly, but he already had an ADP of 440.5 in NFBC leagues as a reliever.

Ray agreed to a one-year, $3.95 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Ray broke out in his age-25 season, posting a 2.89 ERA and finishing fourth among qualified starters in strikeout percentage (32.8). He still walks too many batters and can be susceptible to the long ball, but even with those warts, Ray has a strong case as a fantasy SP1 heading into 2018.

Walker agreed to a one-year, $4.825 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Walker will earn more than twice as much as he did in 2017. The ERA estimators suggest Walker was pitching above his head last season with a 3.49 ERA, but there is still a fair amount to like heading into 2018 (48.9 percent groundball rate, 8.3 K/9) and the current cost is entirely reasonable (226 NFBC ADP).