MLB Player News

The Cubs designated Serven for assignment Thursday.

Serven will lose his spot on the Cubs' 40-man roster following the acquisition of Michael Busch and Yency Almonte from the Dodgers on Thursday. Serven managed just a .572 OPS through 162 plate appearances in Triple-A last season, making it possible he goes unclaimed off waivers.

The Cubs and Madrigal avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.8 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Madrigal receives a salary bump in what was his second year of arbitration eligibility. The infielder slashed .263/.311/.352 for the Cubs in 2023 and is in the mix for starts at third base again for the upcoming season.

Romero agreed to a one-year contact with the Cardinals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.

The 27-year-old southpaw is coming off his best big-league season, in which he registered a 3.68 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Romero should work as the Cardinals' top lefty reliever in 2024.

Sosa signed a one-year, $1.7 million contract with the Phillies on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Sosa hit .251 and managed a .720 OPS with 30 RBI through 299 plate appearances in 2023. While last season ended up being one of Sosa's best at the plate, his role remains limited due to the presence of Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner in Philadelphia's infield.

King agreed to a one-year contract with the Cardinals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration.

The 29-year-old lefty has seen his strikeout rate decline in three consecutive seasons, while his WHIP has gone up for three years in a row. He is a left-handed groundball specialist who has more real-life value than fantasy value.

Kittredge agreed to a one-year, $2.63 million deal with the Cardinals on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

He was just traded to St. Louis from Tampa Bay last week in exchange for Richie Palacios, so naturally the two sides came to an agreement. Kittredge, who has been limited to 31.2 innings over the last two seasons due to injury, should work in a setup capacity for the Cardinals. He has 15 saves in 96 appearances over the past four seasons.

Tauchman signed a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Tauchman slashed .252/.363/.377 with 48 RBI across 401 plate appearances during his first season with the Cubs, earning a $1.23 million raise in the process. He'll likely begin the season as Chicago's primary center fielder, though the impending arrival of Pete Crow-Armstrong could eventually put a dent into Tauchman's playing time.

The Rockies and Lambert avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.25 million contract Thursday, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Lambert receives a nice little raise in what was his first year of arbitration eligibility. The right-hander's 2023 season ended with a 5.36 ERA and biceps tendinitis, but he should be healthy for the start of spring training.

Helsley signed a one-year, $3.8 million contract with the Cardinals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

A forearm strain forced Helsley to miss roughly three months of the 2023 campaign, but he still managed to accumulate 14 saves while posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 36.2 innings. The 29-year-old righty surrendered just one run and struck out 19 batters in 11.2 innings after returning from his injury and should again close for the Cardinals in 2024.

The Rockies and Rodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.2 million contract Thursday, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Rodgers was in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The second baseman missed a large chunk of the 2023 season following shoulder surgery, but he finished strong and will be looking to build off that heading into the 2024 campaign.