MLB Player News

Lopez and Jose Ferrer are likely no longer Washington's leading closer candidates after Kyle Finnegan re-signed on a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Manager Dave Martinez labeled Lopez and Ferrer as the prime options to close early in camp, but the return of Finnegan, who recorded 38 saves with a 3.68 ERA last season before being non-tendered in November, significantly changes the situation. Lopez had a resurgent 2024 campaign between the Mets and Cubs, finishing with a 2.89 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 52 regular-season appearances, and he also had some closing experience with the Orioles in 2022. Still, Finnegan will likely have the upper hand after filling the role the past couple years.

Ferrer and Jorge Lopez are likely no longer the leading closer candidates for Washington after Kyle Finnegan re-signed Tuesday on a one-year, $6 million contract, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Finnegan recorded 38 saves as the Nationals closer last year but had a 3.68 ERA and 1.34 WHIP, leading to him being non-tendered in November. Ferrer had a 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 25:6 K:BB across 32 innings last season and was named a candidate to close -- along with Lopez -- by manager Dave Martinez early in spring training. The return of Finnegan could push Ferrer and Lopez down the pecking order for saves.

The Nationals re-signed Finnegan to a one-year, $6 million contract Tuesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The Nationals non-tendered Finnegan back in late November to avoid giving him a big raise in arbitration, but he has found his way back to the club three months later on a salary similar to the $5.1 million he made in 2024. Finnegan will probably need some time to get back up to speed, but he immediately becomes the favorite for saves in a Washington bullpen lacking established late-inning options. The 33-year-old notched 38 saves last season, although that came with a relatively uninspiring 3.68 ERA and 60:24 K:BB over 63.2 innings.

When asked Tuesday by Foul Territory TV whether Bednar was his closer, Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, "we're not ready to say that."

Shelton did add, however, that "we feel very good with the fact that we have a guy who was a two-time All-Star closer." Bednar looks to be the heavy favorite to emerge with the Pirates' closer job coming out of spring training, but Shelton isn't ready to hand him the responsibility yet after the reliever held a 5.77 ERA in 2024 and finished the season in a low-leverage role. If Bednar struggles this spring, guys like Dennis Santana, Colin Holderman and others could enter the saves mix for Pittsburgh.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Tuesday that Chourio will play some center field this season, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Chourio was primarily a center fielder in the minors, but the Brewers played him exclusively in the corner outfield spots in 2024 because, according to Murphy, Chourio "couldn't catch a flyball." The 20-year-old graded out with a plus-7 Outs Above Average in right field and a minus-1 OAA in left field last season. Murphy didn't reveal how much center field Chourio might play in 2025, but if he looks comfortable there, it would give the manager more potential lineup combinations.

Sweet was lifted from Tuesday's Grapefruit League appearance versus the Rays after being struck in the right triceps by a line drive, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

After retiring the first batter in the bottom of the fifth inning on a flyout, Sweet then faced Yandy Diaz, who hit one back up the box and off the pitcher's arm. The Phillies are calling the injury a right triceps contusion. Sweet should be considered day-to-day.

Senga is not ready to pitch in Grapefruit League games since he is due to make a couple more simulated outings in a controlled environment, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Given Senga logged just 10.1 innings last year, including the postseason, due to shoulder and calf issues, it's wise to be skeptical of his ability to be ready for a full starter's workload on Opening Day, at least until we see him in official Grapefruit League games. Healey reports feedback about Senga's health and buildup continues to be positive, and Senga certainly has a rotation spot if he's able to get ready in time.

Manager Craig Counsell said Brown has hit the ground running in camp and he's being evaluated as a starting pitcher, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

"Ultimately, you're trying to develop starters," Counsell said. "That's really valuable. The elite back-end guy, they're super-valuable, too. It's knowing that we got a good pitcher there and figuring out what to do. That's what we'll have to, at some point, make decisions on. But right now, it's a starter for Ben." It's looking more and more likely that Javier Assad (oblique) will have to start the year on the injured list, in which case it would be one of Brown, Colin Rea or Jordan Wicks opening the year as the Cubs' fifth starter. Brown obviously has the highest fantasy ceiling of that bunch, but he's still mostly a two-pitch guy, although his top two pitches (fastball, curveball) are easily plus and his curveball, which is also called a "death ball," is one of the best curveballs in all of baseball. He's been working on his changeup this spring, and if he's clearly the best option, it would be hard for the Cubs to exclude Brown and his strikeout stuff from a starting rotation that had the 25th-best strikeout rate (21.1 percent) in baseball last season.

Gore threw two innings against live hitters in the batting cage Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

The Nationals and Gore are saying all the right things about him building up on the side, rather than in games, so far. Manager Dave Martinez said Gore and Michael Soroka will make their spring debuts soon, and Zuckerman speculates the duo could start the Nationals' split-squad games Saturday.

Harrison is expected to pitch in Friday's game against the Brewers following starter Logan Webb, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Harrison said a couple weeks ago that he's rediscovered his fastball velocity after the pitch dipped below 93 mph on average last season, so it will be worth tracking his velocity in camp. It's also encouraging that he's getting into a spring game this week after ending the 2024 season with a shoulder injury. He is expected to open the year in the Giants rotation.