MLB Player News

Kopech (knee) agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the White Sox on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

He ended the year on the shelf with knee inflammation but will presumably be ready for spring training. Kopech, 27, logged a career-high 129.1 innings last year, but he also had a career-worst 5.43 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.

Soroka (forearm) agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the White Sox on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Soroka was traded from Atlanta to Chicago this offseason, which is a downgrade in overall team context but gives him a much better chance of being a regular member of a big-league rotation. Soroka dealt with forearm inflammation at the end of last season but it was reported in November that he had resumed throwing and felt great.

The Cubs and Steele avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

It's a substantial raise for Steele after he qualified for Super 2 status. The left-handed earned the salary bump after finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2023 following a 3.06 ERA and 176:36 K:BB across 173.1 innings covering 30 starts.

Blackburn agreed to a one-year, $3.45 million contract with Oakland on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.

Blackburn will remain Oakland's highest-paid pitcher. The 30-year-old righty has made 20-plus starts in back-to-back seasons and is useable in deeper leagues as a home streamer against teams like the Angels. He had a 3.57 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 53 innings at home last season.

The Astros and Garcia (elbow) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.875 million contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

It was the right-hander's first year of arbitration eligibility. Garcia underwent Tommy John surgery in May and will be on the shelf until at least around midseason.

Singer (back) agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

He finished last season on the shelf with a back strain after logging a 5.52 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 133 strikeouts in 159.2 innings. Singer's 2022 season looks like an outlier at this point, and he should be locked into a rotation role for Kansas City again in 2024.

Wright (shoulder) agreed to a one-year contract with the Royals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Wright, who will miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, was traded from Atlanta to Kansas City earlier this offseason for Jackson Kowar. If he can make a full recovery, Wright could pitch near the top of the Royals' rotation in 2025.

May (elbow) agreed to a one-year, $2.135 million deal with the Dodgers on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

May had UCL reconstruction surgery in July of 2023 that was expected to sideline him for a year, so he could potentially return in the second half this season. The 26-year-old righty has a career 3.10 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, but he has made just 34 starts in five seasons due to multiple arm injuries.

The Angels and Canning avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.6 million contract Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old was in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Canning managed to stay relatively healthy in 2023 and contributed a 4.32 ERA and 139:36 K:BB across 127 innings of work. He'll look to build upon that this season.

Keller signed a one-year, $5.4425 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Keller got off to a hot start last season, but he posted a 5.59 ERA in 77.1 innings after the All-Star break. Despite his late struggles, Keller remains a viable fantasy option after racking up 210 strikeouts in 194.1 frames and 13 wins in 2023.