MLB Player News

Bethancourt agreed to a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the Marlins on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The Marlins acquired Bethancourt from the Guardians in exchange for cash in December and they will pay for his services again to avoid an arbiter. The 32-year-old backstop had a .225/.254/.381 slash line with 11 home runs in 104 games for the Rays last year. He will split time with Nick Fortes in Miami this season.

Williams agreed to a one-year contract with the Brewers on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Based on the reported figures the two sides were exchanging, the deal is likely for around $7 million, and it comes with a club option for 2025. Williams is the top closer in fantasy for 2024, according to early ADP. He had a 1.53 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 87 strikeouts in 58.2 innings last season while notching 36 saves.

Payamps agreed to a one-year deal with the Brewers on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Payamps, a 29-year-old righty, emerged as the Brewers' top setup man for stretches of last season. He logged a 2.55 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 70.2 innings while also chipping in seven wins and three saves.

Gallen agreed to a one-year, $10 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Gallen is coming off of a strong 2023 season during which he posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across a career-high 210 innings. He has one more year of arbitration eligibility and will remain a key member of the Arizona rotation in 2024.

Okert signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Marlins on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Okert threw a career-high 58.2 innings in 2023 and maintained a 4.45 ERA to go along with a 1.26 WHIP. His 73:24 K:BB was more impressive, and he should shoulder a heavy workload in the Marlins' bullpen once again in 2024.

Graterol signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract with the Dodgers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Graterol is in his second year of arbitration and doubled his salary from 2023. He posted a career-high 67.1 innings last season and maintained a 1.20 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with a 48:12 K:BB across 67.1 innings. Graterol could enter the closer picture in 2024, though Evan Phillips will open the year as the favorite for save chances.

Smith signed a one-year, $8.6 million deal with the Dodgers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith was in the second year of arbitration eligibility and will earn $3.3 million more than he did in 2023. He posted a career-low .797 OPS across 554 plate appearances last season, though he was still an above-average producer at catcher with 19 homers and 76 RBI.

Finnegan agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Finnegan served as the Nationals' primary closer in 2023, recording 28 saves. He had an uneven performance overall, however, posting a 3.76 ERA and 1.30 WHIP to go along with a 63:24 K:BB across 69.1 innings. He'll likely begin the 2024 campaign in the ninth-inning role, but Hunter Harvey could overtake him fairly quickly.

Harvey agreed to a contract with the Nationals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

The details of the deal were not disclosed. Harvey finished the 2023 season with 10 saves -- the first of his career -- and maintained a 2.82 ERA and 0.94 WHIP to go along with a 67:13 K:BB across 60.2 innings. That strong showing should keep him locked into a high-leverage role to begin 2024, potentially sharing saves with Kyle Finnegan.

Burnes signed a one-year, $15.6 million contract with the Brewers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Burnes and the Brewers failed to agree to terms last offseason, and he openly spoke about his displeasure with the arbitration process. After another strong year in 2023, Burnes was able to reach an agreement with the club and will see a $5.5 million increase in salary. Assuming no long-term agreement is reached in the coming months, he will hit free agency following the 2024 season.