MLB Player News

The Mets and Lucchesi avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.65 million contract Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Lucchesi was arbitration-eligible for the second time. The southpaw posted a 2.89 ERA in nine starts for the Mets in 2023, although that came with a 32:17 K:BB over 46.2 frames. Lucchesi could be used as a swingman in 2024.

The Phillies and Suarez avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.05 million contract Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Suarez gets a raise in what was his second year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander posted a 4.18 ERA and 119:48 K:BB across 125 innings covering 22 starts for Philadelphia in 2023. He'll be relied upon heavily by Philly again in 2024

The Pirates and Bednar avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.51 million contract Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

It's a sizable, well-earned raise for Bednar in what was his first year of arbitration eligibility. He's collected 61 saves while posting a 2.25 ERA and 226:56 K:BB over 179.2 innings during his time in Pittsburgh, blossoming into one of the best closers in baseball.

Ferris was traded from the Cubs to the Dodgers along with Zyhir Hope on Thursday in exchange for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

This is a nice pickup for the Dodgers, as Almonte and Busch were spare parts and Ferris is a high-upside lefty whom they won't need to add to the 40-man roster for several seasons. Ferris, who turns 20 later this month, is 6-foot-4 and is extremely projectable. He had a 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 77 strikeouts and a 53.4 percent groundball rate in 56 innings (18 starts) at Single-A in 2023. The Dodgers should be able to maximize his electric arsenal, and his top priority in 2024 will be building up his workload while showing he can turn a lineup over more than once.

The Brewers and Adames avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $12.25 million contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

It's a sizable raise for the shortstop in what was his final year of arbitration eligibility before he enters free agency next winter. Adames batted only .217 for the Brewers in 2023 but socked 24 home runs, giving him 75 over 387 games during his time in Milwaukee.

Almonte was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs along with Michael Busch in exchange for Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers wanted to open up some 40-man roster spots, so they'll turn Almonte and Busch into a pair of yet to be reported minor leaguers. Almonte, 29, has a 96-mph fastball and struck out 49 in 48 innings for the Dodgers last season, but his 5.06 ERA and 1.40 WHIP prevented him from turning in positive fantasy value. He should work in lower leverage situations.

The Dodgers and Yarbrough avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.9 million contract Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Yarbrough was in his final year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander held a 4.52 ERA and 67:14 K:BB over 89.2 frames for the Royals and Dodgers in 2023.

Busch was traded from the Dodgers to the Cubs along with Yency Almonte on Thursday in exchange for two unknown minor leaguers, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Busch, who fits best at first base or designated hitter, was never going to get an extended run at those positions in Los Angeles, so this boosts his fantasy value. He is currently the favorite to beat out Matt Mervis for the starting first base job, but the Cubs aren't necessarily done making moves -- they have been linked to free agent Rhys Hoskins. Busch is already 26 and needed to repeat Triple-A to master the level (102 wRC+ as a 24-year-old in 2022, 150 wRC+ as a 25-year-old in 2023), so he could still end up being a Quad-A bat when it's all said and done. The lefty-hitting slugger will be eligible at third base to start the year. With righties Patrick Wisdom, Christopher Morel and Alexander Canario all still on the roster, it's possible Busch will sit against lefties.

Atlanta and Minter avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.22 million contract, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

It's a well-earned raise for Minter in his final year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander's 3.76 ERA in 2023 was a tad elevated, but he boasted an 82:21 K:BB over 64.2 innings while notching 10 saves. Minter will be counted on in high-leverage spots again in 2024.

The Brewers and Wilson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

This was Wilson's first year of arbitration eligibility. The right-hander thrived in 2023 in his first year as a full-time reliever, posting a 2.58 ERA and 61:22 K:BB over 76.2 innings of work. He'll work in middle relief again in 2024.