MLB Player News

Brown (neck) has been cleared for a normal offseason throwing program, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic report.

Brown's final appearance of the 2024 season came in early June, as he was eventually shut down with a benign area of concern in his neck. However, after recently undergoing a scan on his neck he has been given the go-ahead to proceed with his regular offseason routine. Brown could be in the mix for an Opening Day rotation spot with the Cubs.

Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

After posting a 3.12 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 20 starts during his lone season with the Giants, Snell has now earned himself a long-term deal to stay in the NL West. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will be joining an already impressive Dodgers rotation that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow (elbow) and Shohei Ohtani (shoulder).

The Reds currently have at least six starters who could be on the Opening Day roster following the Brady Singer trade, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. In addition to Singer, there's Hunter Greene, Nick Martinez, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott and Lowder.

Greene, Singer and Martinez are shoo-ins for three rotation spots, and after that it's a little less certain. Both Abbott and Lodolo have health concerns, and Lodolo for that matter is coming off of a rough season. Lowder posted a 1.17 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over six late-season starts after roaring through the Reds' minor league system. It's plausible that they could decide he needs more time to develop, especially if Lodolo and Abbott are ready to go.

The Royals traded Singer to the Reds on Friday in exchange for Jonathan India (ankle) and Joey Wiemer.

After posting a 5.52 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 2023, Singer bounced back nicely with a 3.71 ERA and 1.27 WHIP to go along with a 170:54 K:BB in 2024. Now in Cincinnati, the 28-year-old shouldn't have much trouble securing a spot in the Reds' starting rotation, which is currently headlined by Hunter Greene.

Gonsolin agreed to a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Gonsolin missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2023. He managed to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in September, and across three outings he allowed two earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out 12 over 7.2 innings. The 30-year-old right-hander should be available for the start of spring training.

The Dodgers and May (elbow, throat) avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.135 million contract, the Associated Press reports.

May -- who had been arbitration-eligible for the final time -- missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from UCL and flexor surgery and later had another operation to repair an esophageal tear. The 27-year-old made a total of just 20 starts from 2021-23 due to injury. May should be healthy for the start of spring training, but it's not clear when he might be ready to make starts for the Dodgers given how much time he's missed.

Nunez is progressing well in his recovery from a right flexor strain and could pitch for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Nunez was shelved for much of the second half with the injury, but he has responded well to some rest and a platelet-rich plasma injection. If healthy, Nunez is in line for high-leverage work out of the Mets' bullpen in 2025 after he put up a 2.31 ERA and 48:8 K:BB over 35 innings in 2024.

Sale said Wednesday that he is fully recovered from the back spasms that kept him off Atlanta's roster for the National League Wild Card Series, Lindsay Crosby of AthlonSports.com reports.

Sale made his last appearance of the season Sept. 19 because of the injury, but he had progressed enough that he was scheduled to start Game 3 of the NLDS, had Atlanta advanced. The left-hander is expected to have a normal offseason. Sale was named the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner Wednesday after posting a 2.38 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 225:39 K:BB over 177.2 innings for Atlanta in 2024.

Sale was named the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner Wednesday.

Sale finished in the top three for Cy Young Award voting twice (2014, 2017) during his 13 seasons in the American League. Now, after posting a 2.38 ERA and 1.01 WHIP alongside a 225:39 K:BB over 177.2 innings, the 35-year-old southpaw has finally taken home the trophy in his first season since shifting to the National League. He received 26 out of a possible 30 first-place votes.

The Giants selected Ragsdale to the 40-man roster Tuesday.

Ragsdale appeared in 27 games between Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento in 2024, producing a 5.03 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 57 strikeouts over 53.2 innings in 13 appearances, including 12 starts. The right-hander will likely open the 2025 campaign with Sacramento in an attempt to refine his skills before a potential major-league debut during the season.