MLB Player News

Manaea worked on his changeup this offseason and also plans to incorporate a cutter into his arsenal, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

After a disastrous 2022 campaign with the Padres, Manaea went to Driveline two winters ago and emerged with more velocity -- he posted a career-high 93.6 mph average fastball last year with the Giants -- and a sweeper he began using in games in late May to complement his slider and change. The 32-year-old southpaw didn't get complacent this offseason, heading back to Driveline to refine his pitch mix further. Manaea was a strong fantasy asset as recently as 2021 with the A's, posting a 3.91 ERA and striking out 194 batters in 179.1 innings, and he's at least put in the work to try and regain that form.

Grichuk signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Grichuk's new deal also includes a $6 million mutual option for 2025. Grichuk slashed .267/.321/.459 with 16 homers and 44 RBI in 471 plate appearances between the Rockies and Angels last season. He's been known to find consistent success against southpaws, making it likely he fills in for Alek Thomas or Corbin Carroll on days the Diamondbacks are matched up against a left-handed starter.

Sanchez is out of minor-league options, but the right-hander isn't guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

He's thrown only one inning since 2020 due to a pair of shoulder surgeries, and the upside he displayed prior to that is a distant memory. The Marlins have a vacancy in their rotation this season with Sandy Alcantara (elbow) out, but Sanchez might be a long shot just to win a low-leverage relief job. He threw a bullpen session Thursday and at least appears to be healthy to begin camp, but the 25-year-old has a lot to prove. "That's the reality," manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday. "He's in big-league camp. He's got a chance just like anybody else, but he's gonna have to show something."

Anderson signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Saturday and received an invitation to big-league spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Anderson logged a 5.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 86.1 innings between the Rays and Rockies last season. The 36-year-old right-hander hasn't turned in a season with an ERA below 5.00 since 2019 (4.21), making him an unreliable fantasy option even if he were to make the Pirates' roster out of spring training.

Meyer is fully recovered from his elbow injury, but the Marlins won't push him too hard to begin spring training, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

"It's probably more mental than the physical," manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday about a group of pitchers that also includes Trevor Rogers and Anthony Bender. "They are healthy physically and trying to get over that mental hurdle of what if they throw too hard or throw too much [or] it's just gonna happen again. It's more of a mental hurdle than anything." Meyer, the third overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2022 and didn't pitch at all last season after the Marlins elected not to send him to the Arizona Fall League. The 24-year-old right-hander displayed an ace-level arsenal prior to the surgery, and a strong showing in camp could land Meyer in the Opening Day rotation as the team looks to fill the hole left by Sandy Alcantara (elbow).

Rogers is healthy to begin spring training, but the Marlins intend to bring him along slowly during the early part of camp, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

"It's probably more mental than the physical," manager Skip Schumaker said Thursday about a group of pitchers that also includes Max Meyer and Anthony Bender. "They are healthy physically and trying to get over that mental hurdle of what if they throw too hard or throw too much [or] it's just gonna happen again. It's more of a mental hurdle than anything." Rogers made only four big-league starts last year, getting shut down in April with a bicep strain and then having his recovery derailed in June by a lat tear. With Sandy Alcantara (elbow) set to miss all of 2024, Miami's counting on Rogers to stay healthy and take a regular turn in the rotation, so getting the southpaw to Opening Day in one piece will be the priority.

Puk spent the offseason preparing to be a starting pitcher, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

All 142 of the southpaw's career appearances in the majors have come in relief, but Puk was drafted as a starter and was beginning to get stretched out by Oakland prior to the February 2023 trade that sent him to Miami. The Marlins have other lefty options in their bullpen, including Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi, while the team's rotation will be missing Sandy Alcantara (elbow) in 2024. Braxton Garrett (shoulder), Trevor Rogers (lat) and Max Meyer (elbow) could also be uncertain for Opening Day, so Puk might have an open path to a rotation spot if he looks good in the role during camp, but at this stage it still seems more likely he'll begin the season in the bullpen. The 28-year-old displayed control issues in the minors while starting, but he posted a 5.4 percent walk rate last year along with a 32.2 percent strikeout rate. If his stuff holds up while working longer outings, the 2016 first-round pick has the talent -- and potentially the opportunity -- to put together a breakout season.

Choi signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Choi slashed .163/.239/.385 with 13 RBI across 117 major-league plate appearances with the Pirates and Padres last season -- his worst numbers at the plate since 2016. Now with New York, Choi's best chance at making the Opening Day roster is as the team's designated hitter, but he will have to earn it with a strong showing in the Grapefruit League.

Frelick has been learning to play at second and third base, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

With the impending arrival of Jackson Chourio, the Brewers' outfield unit has begun to look crowded, with Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Christian Yelich and Joey Wiemer also vying for playing time. Frelick proved to be a great defender in center and right field last season, so the Brewers likely won't completely remove him from the outfield group, but further adding to Frelick's versatility could open up more opportunities for him to start while also allowing Milwaukee's other outfielders to play with more regularity.

Stephenson is preparing to be the Reds' primary catcher in 2024, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

That's essentially what Stephenson was in 2023, but a series of injuries in 2022 limited him to 50 games that season and had a cascading effect the following year. The most serious injury was to his collarbone, which may have contributed to Stephenson losing 150 points of OPS. The injuries also caused lost time behind the plate that he could have used to gain game-calling experience. That lost experience led to more starts during the Reds' postseason push for Luke Maile in 2023. The plan for 2024 is different than last spring, when manager David Bell tried creating a rotation of three catchers that had Stephenson working as a designated hitter -- he started 42 games at DH. The trick for the 27-year-old Stephenson is to maintain a middle-of-the-order bat while improving behind the plate and working with pitchers.