MLB Player News

The Cubs designated Festa for assignment Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Ryan Pressly. It's the second time this month that Festa has been designated for assignment, as he was acquired from the Rangers in early January after being booted from their 40-man roster. He posted a 5.70 ERA and 1.23 WHIP across 23.2 innings between the Mets and Rangers in 2024.

The Pirates signed Frazier to a one-year, $1.525 million contract Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Frazier's first five-and-a-half seasons in the majors were with the Pirates before he made stops with the Padres, Mariners, Orioles and Royals. The 33-year-old slashed only .202/.282/.294 this past season in Kansas City and has managed just a .632 OPS over the last three seasons. Frazier had thumb surgery in October but should be ready to roll for spring training. He'll likely serve in a utility role in Pittsburgh this season.

The Padres signed Wall to a minor-league contract Jan. 16.

Wall, 29, played 16 games at the big-league level between Atlanta and Miami in 2024, putting up a .564 OPS. The Padres don't have much outfield depth, but Wall is nonetheless likely to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A El Paso.

Borucki and the Pirates agreed on a minor-league contract Monday, which includes an invitation to major-league spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Borucki spent the 2024 season as a member of the Pirates organization, producing an inflated 7.36 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with 13 strikeouts over 11 innings in 14 appearances with Pittsburgh. Additionally, he compiled a 4.76 ERA with 21 punchouts over 11.1 innings in 12 appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis. The left-hander will get a shot to prove himself with the big-league club at spring training and if he is able to crack the team's 26-man roster, he'd earn a base salary of $1.15 million in 2025.

Mayza signed one-year, $1.15 million contract with the Pirates on Monday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Mayza, who struggled through one of the worst seasons of his big-league career a season ago across stops with the Blue Jays and Yankees, will have the luxury of a fresh start following Monday's agreement. He was brilliant for the Blue Jays during the 2023 campaign, posting a sparkling 1.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 53 strikeouts and one save across 53.1 innings, so he'll have his sights set on returning to form in Pittsburgh.

Gray (elbow) began a throwing program Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Gray did some casual tossing on flat ground in what was his first time throwing since he underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure in July. He's got a long road to recovery ahead of him but is hoping to be available to pitch for the Nationals by the end of the 2025 season.

Hence will enter spring training without limitations after he threw just 79.2 innings in 2024 due to back and right lat discomfort, Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Hence had to be pulled early from a couple starts in June and then missed nearly a month around midseason due to the injury. He also exited his final outing of the season with another injury, although it's unclear if the same back/lat issue was the culprit. Durability is the only real negative with Hence's outlook, as he also missed time in 2023 with tightness in his chest and neck area. The 22-year-old was superb in 2024 when on the mound, posting a 2.71 ERA and 109:26 K:BB over 79.2 frames with Double-A Springfield. Hence was added to the Cardinals' 40-man roster this offseason and should begin 2025 in the rotation at Triple-A Memphis.

Pressly will waive his no-trade clause and is set to be traded by the Astros to the Cubs in exchange for Juan Bello, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Astros will also be sending money to help cover some of Pressly's $14 million salary, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The trade is pending Pressly passing his physical, but the expectation is that the 36-year-old right-hander will be the Cubs' closer for the 2025 campaign. Bob Nightengale of USA Today relays that the move also opens the door for the Astros to bring Alex Bregman back. Pressly appeared in 59 regular-season games for Houston in 2024, registering 25 saves with a 3.49 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 58:18 K:BB across 56.2 innings.

The Diamondbacks activated Jarvis (elbow) off the 60-day injured list in November.

Jarvis sustained an elbow sprain in August that ended his 2024 season. He'll join the mix of pitchers this spring looking to land a spot in the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever. A former starter in the minors, Jarvis started last season as a reliever and pitched to a 3.19 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 44 appearances (59.1 innings). His 33 walks are a red flag.

Nimmo is still battling plantar fasciitis in his left foot but said Saturday that he plans on being ready for the start of the regular season, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports.

Nimmo dealt with plantar fasciitis for most of the 2024 campaign, which may have played a factor in him finishing with a career-worst .726 OPS across 663 plate appearances. He's been able to resume jogging and hasn't stopped working in the batting cages, but progress in his foot has been slow over the offseason. The Mets plan on holding him out of the first several Grapefruit League games -- which isn't unusual for the 31-year-old outfielder -- but both he and the team are optimistic about his chances of being ready to go by Opening Day.