Josh Hader, Brandon Woodruff Avoid Arbitration

Milwaukee Brewers relief ace Josh Hader and right-hander Brandon Woodruff avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to one-year deals. Hader will earn $6.675 million in 2020, while Woodruff's salary wasn't immediately known. Hader set an all-time record with 12 consecutive hitless innings to begin the 2020 season and ended with 31 strikeouts and 10 […]

Mets The Favorites For Brad Hand?

The New York Mets want to add a left-handed reliever and have been heavily involved with free-agent lefty Brad Hand. MLB Network's Jon Heyman said, "At this point, I think it's probably fair to say they are at least a favorite, if not the favorite [for Hand]." The Blue Jays are another team that has […]

Dodgers, Corey Knebel Avoid Arbitration

The Los Angeles Dodgers and relief pitcher Corey Knebel avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.25 million deal. Pitcher Dylan Floro did the same by agreeing to a $975,000 contract. The 29-year-old Knebel was acquired from the Brewers on Dec. 2. The hard-throwing right-hander was an All-Star in 2017 but missed […]

Archie Bradley Joins Phillies Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Archie Bradley to a one-year, $6 million deal on Thursday, according to sources. Bradley didn't get re-signed by the Reds after he was acquired from the Diamondbacks in a midseason deal in 2020. The right-hander allowed just one run in his 7 2/3 innings with Cincinnati in six regular […]

Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Mychal Givens

The Colorado Rockies signed right-handed reliever Mychal Givens to a one-year, $4.05 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration. The Rockies traded for Givens in a deal with the Orioles on Aug. 3, and he allowed at least one run in five of his 10 outings for Colorado. He allowed two runs in 13 […]

Alex Wood Signs With Giants

The San Francisco Giants signed left-hander Alex Wood to a one-year, $3 million deal on Friday. The 30-year-old can make an extra $3 million in performance bonuses for the number of games in which he gets 10 or more outs. Wood was an All-Star in 2017 and went 0-1 with a 6.39 ERA in two […]

Corey Kluber Could Find A Team By This Weekend

The bidding for free-agent starting pitcher Corey Kluber is moving quickly and will likely reach a conclusion by this weekend. The two-time Cy Young winner impressed scouts from 25 different teams on Wednesday during a throwing session, causing interested teams to move more quickly on the right-hander. Kluber is returning from a torn right teres […]

A's Acquire Reliever Nik Turley

The Oakland Athletics acquired left-hander Nik Turley from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in exchange for $60,000. Turley was 0-3 with a 4.98 ERA and one save in 25 relief appearances -- the most of any major league rookie in 2020 -- for the Pirates in 21 2/3 innings in the shortened season. The 31-year-old […]

Phillies Have Shown Interest In Alex Colome

The Philadelphia Phillies have expressed interest in free-agent relief pitcher Alex Colome, but the Phillies would likely need his price to drop in order to have a shot. It didn't help when Liam Hendriks agreed to a $54 million multi-year deal with the White Sox on Monday. Colome will not return to Chicago after the […]

Pedro Baez Reaches Deal With Astros

Right-handed reliever Pedro Baez agreed to a two-year deal with the Houston Astros on Wednesday, according to a source. The 32-year-old finished last season as the third-longest-tenured member of the Dodgers, behind just Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen. He has a 3.03 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 3.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 355 career relief appearances since […]

Mark Shapiro Receives Five-Year Extension

Toronto Blue Jays president and chief executive officer Mark Shapiro was given a five-year contract extension on Wednesday. Shapiro worked for the Cleveland Indians before joining the Blue Jays as their president on Oct. 31, 2015. His leadership and commitment over the last five years have been critical to Toronto's growth and development. The Blue […]

Liam Hendriks to White Sox - Fantasy Impact

After making a big splash last offseason the White Sox with the signing of Yasmani Grandal to a four-year deal, Chicago has done it again as they signed closer Liam Hendriks to a three-year deal. The top closer on the free agent market, Hendriks will head to the South Side after establishing himself as one […]

Alex Colome Won't Return To White Sox

Free-agent relief pitcher Alex Colome won't be returning to the Chicago White Sox after they signed reliever Liam Hendriks to a three-year deal on Monday night. The San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins appear to be those in the mix to add Colome, who is coming off two excellent seasons […]

Liam Hendriks Agrees To Deal With White Sox

Free-agent closer Liam Hendriks agreed to a three-year deal worth $54 million with the Chicago White Sox on Monday night, according to sources. The deal includes a fourth-year option. The 31-year-old will make $39 million in the first three years, and the buyout and fourth-year option are $15 million. Hendriks has been one of the […]

Yankees Sign Jhoulys Chacin, Tyler Lyons, Socrates Brito

The New York Yankees signed right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, left-hander Tyler Lyons and outfielder Socrates Brito to minor league deals on Sunday. Chacin has 12 major league seasons under his belt and has thrown 1,324 innings, including 226 starts. The 33-year-old has a 6.06 ERA (75 ERA+) in 108 1/3 innings with the Brewers, Red Sox […]

Seth Lugo Likely To Work Out Of The Bullpen In 2021

The New York Mets are reportedly planning to use pitcher Seth Lugo out of the bullpen in 2021. Lugo served as both a starter and reliever in 2021, making nine appearances out of the bullpen before moving to the starting rotation. Consistent with his pitching history, Lugo was much more effective out of the bullpen […]

Phillies Acquire Sam Coonrod From Giants

The Philadelphia Phillies acquired right-hander Sam Coonrod from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday in exchange for right-hander Carson Ragsdale, according to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The 28-year-old Coonrod has made 51 career appearances for the Giants after being a fifth-round pick in 2014 out of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Coonrod had a […]

Astros Targeting Brad Hand, Alex Colome, Others

The Houston Astros continue to search for bullpen help and are targeting some of the biggest free-agent relievers on the market, including Brad Hand, Alex Colome, Liam Hendriks and Trevor Rosenthal, according to sources. Houston saw veteran relievers Roberto Osuna, Chris Devenski and Brad Peacock to free agency. They signed Ryne Stanek on Thursday to […]

Astros Sign Ryne Stanek On Thursday

The Houston Astros signed veteran reliever Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal worth $1.1 million on Thursday, according to a source. The 29-year-old was used as an opener by the Rays in 2018-19 and made 56 starts, none of which lasted more than two innings. Stanek allowed eight runs in 10 relief innings for the […]

Mets Still In The Market For George Springer

The New York Mets Thursday blockbuster trade for shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco doesn't mean they are out on top free agents such as outfielder George Springer and relief pitcher Liam Hendriks. The Lindor/Carrasco trade could add more than $30 million to the team's 2021 payroll, and the Mets will likely try […]

White Sox Looking At Brad Hand, Liam Hendriks

The Chicago White Sox are among the teams interested in free-agent relief pitcher Brad Hand. They are seeking a top closer and are also interested in former A's closer Liam Hendriks. Alex Colome is a free agent this offseason after serving as Chicago's closer the last two years. Looking to shed payroll, Hand was waived […]

Valuable Long Relievers of 2020 and the Lingering Impact (Part 2)

In part one, we examined the bullpens in Toronto and Cincinnati. The circumstantial insanity of the 2020 MLB season necessitated some adjustments in strategy, both for big-league managers and fantasy baseball GMs. One of these adjustments, prompted by frequent doubleheaders and the three-batter minimum rule, was the greater use of long-relievers and a generally reduced […]

Dodgers Re-Sign Blake Treinen For Two Years

The Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen to a two-year, $17.5 million deal through the 2022 season on Tuesday. The deal includes a team option worth $8 million ($1 million buyout) for the 2023 season, according to a source. The 32-year-old went 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA (11 earned runs in 25 2/3 […]

Mets Showing Interest In Brad Hand

The New York Mets have interest in All-Star closer Brad Hand, who had a 2.05 ERA, 1.37 FIP and 0.77 WHIP while leading the American League with 16 saves in 2020 for the Indians. General manager Sandy Alderson said that the new front-office regime might have claimed Hand off waivers had it been their call […]

Phillies Sign Neftali Feliz, Others To Minor League Deals

The Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Neftali Feliz, catcher Christian Bethancourt, infielder Ronald Torreyes and right-hander Michael Ynoa to minor league deals on Monday. The 32-year-old Feliz won the American League Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star for the Rangers in 2010, but he hasn't pitched in the majors since 2017. Bethancourt, 29, […]

Liam Hendriks Visits With Blue Jays

Free-agent relief pitcher Liam Hendriks was scheduled to visit with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, according to a source. The Chicago White Sox are also believed to be interested in Hendriks, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. FanSided's Robert Murray reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers also have strong interest, although there are no signs […]

Valuable Long Relievers of 2020 and the Lingering Impact (Part 1)

The circumstantial insanity of the 2020 MLB season necessitated some adjustments in strategy, both for big-league managers and fantasy baseball GMs. One of these adjustments, prompted by frequent doubleheaders and the three-batter minimum rule, was the greater use of long-relievers and a generally reduced workload for rotation pitchers. That makes sense from the perspective of […]

Year-In-Review: Rafael Dolis and Jordan Romano

As I created my early 2021 Relief Pitcher rankings, I realized how wide open so many bullpens are right now due to free agency. One team that will surely add a late-inning arm this offseason is the Toronto Blue Jays, as Anthony Bass and Ken Giles are both now free agents. But are they in […]

Padres Could Re-Sign Kirby Yates

The San Diego Padres are still looking to bolster their bullpen after pulling off blockbuster trades this week for left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Yu Darvish, and the club could re-sign relief pitcher Kirby Yates (elbow), who missed most of the 2020 season with bone chips in his right elbow, according to sources. Yates was […]

Twins Reach Deal With Hansel Robles Tuesday

The Minnesota Twins signed former Los Angeles Angels closer Hansel Robles to a one-year deal worth $2 million on Tuesday. Robles saved 23 of his 27 chances with the Halos in 2019 and went 5-1 with a 2.48 ERA in 71 relief outings. However, he had a nightmarish 10.26 ERA in 18 relief appearances in […]