MLB Player News

Hart signed Thursday with the Padres on a one-year, $1 million contract that includes a $5 million club option for 2026, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

After reaching a four-year deal with Nick Pivetta on Wednesday, the Padres have further bolstered their rotation depth with the addition of Hart, a 32-year-old lefty whose lone MLB action came back in 2020, when he tossed 11 innings for the Red Sox. Hart was able to secure an MLB deal on the back of his standout performance this past season in the Korea Baseball Organization with the NC Dinos, as he took home the league's equivalent of the Cy Young Award while turning in a 2.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 182:38 K:BB in 157 innings. The lower caliber of competition in the KBO certainly helped Hart achieve his lofty results, but it's been increasingly common in recent years for American pitchers to find MLB success upon returning stateside following impressive stints in Korea, with Erick Fedde and Merrill Kelly both standing out as notable examples. Hart will likely still have to impress in spring training to secure his spot in the San Diego rotation, with knuckleballer Matt Waldron representing Hart's top challenger for the No. 5 spot.

The Reds placed Aguiar (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Scott Barlow, whose signing was officially announced Thursday. Aguiar underwent Tommy John surgery last October and will miss the entire 2025 season.

Alcantara will be the Marlins' Opening Day starter on March 27 versus the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

He'll likely be opposed by Paul Skenes, although the Pirates have not officially announced their Opening Day starter yet. The Marlins are sure to limit Alcantara's workload to some degree in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, but he's more than 16 months removed from the operation and was the only real option to take the ball Opening Day.

Pivetta signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Padres on Wednesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Pivetta declined a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Red Sox earlier in the offseason, opting to pursue a multi-year deal with a lower AAV instead. That is exactly what he'll get from the Padres, who gain a much-needed boost to their rotation depth. The 31-year-old righty turned in a 4.14 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 145.2 innings last season alongside a 172:36 K:BB. He's developed a reputation for living in the strike zone and thus racking up high strikeout totals, but he has yet to finish a season with a sub-4.00 ERA over his eight-year career.

Waldron said Wednesday that he is planning to throw his knuckleball more frequently during the upcoming season, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

The knuckler was Waldron's most-used pitch last year, as he threw it 38.2 percent of the time, per Statcast. The right-hander registered a 27.5 percent whiff rate on the offering, and opponents had a .227 xBA against it, rendering it a relatively effective pitch, especially in comparison to his four-seamer (19.1 percent usage rate, 22.4 percent whiff rate, .247 xBA) and his sinker (14.3 percent usage rate, 6.7 percent whiff rate, .316 xBA). Waldron is battling for a spot at the back of San Diego's rotation, and how he -- and his knuckleball -- perform during Cactus League play could go a long way toward determining what his role will be at the start of the season.

Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Cavalli (elbow) is healthy, but the Nationals plan to manage the right-hander's workload this season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports. "He had a good winter," Martinez said of Cavalli. "He looks great. We know he's going to be limited in how many innings he pitches this year, so we want to make sure when he does get out there, we do have him the whole season."

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, Cavalli missed that entire season and was limited to just three minor-league rehab appearances in 2024, with none coming after June. He came down with a bout of the flu and then dealt with a dead-arm phase for a large chunk of the second half of last season, but he was at least able to ramp his throwing back up in September. Cavalli seems to have emerged from his offseason throwing program free of setbacks, so he should be facing relatively few restrictions this spring, aside from the Nationals managing how many live innings he throws. Martinez left the door open for Cavalli to compete for a roster spot with the big club, but given the extended time he missed in addition to his limited MLB experience (he made one start for the Nationals in 2022), the 26-year-old is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Rochester.

The Brewers placed Gasser (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

A 40-man roster spot needed to be freed up for Tyler Alexander, who inked a one-year deal Wednesday. Gasser had Tommy John surgery last July, and manager Pat Murphy said that the Brewers aren't anticipating the southpaw making his 2025 debut until late August or early September, per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Harrison said Wednesday that he's rediscovered his velocity this spring after fixing issues with his delivery, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Harrison averaged 92.5 mph with his four-seamer in 2024 and just 91.2 mph in his final start of the season before he was shut down with left shoulder inflammation. That's after the pitch came in at 93.5 mph on average in 2023. Harrison believes the shoulder injury and an earlier ankle problem contributed to his delivery getting out of whack, but he's healthy now and is throwing harder. The left-hander is competing for the final spot in the Giants' rotation this spring and has some bounce-back potential if his velocity holds.

The Marlins placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Cal Quantrill, who signed a one-year contract with the Marlins in a corresponding move. Garrett underwent UCL revision surgery with an internal brace on his left elbow in December and will be sidelined for the entire 2025 season.

The Marlins signed Quantrill to a one-year, $3.5 million contract Wednesday, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Quantrill was non-tendered by the Rockies earlier this offseason after posting a 4.98 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 110:69 K:BB over 148.1 innings covering 29 starts in 2024. The 30-year-old did have a solid stretch with the Guardians from 2021 to 2022, posting a 3.16 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 336 regular-season innings, although his 4.10 FIP during that span was more indicative of how he pitched. Quantrill should slide into a Marlins rotation that lacks established options at the back end.