MLB Player News

Loup (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Monday as a non-roster invitee, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Loup was only able to appear in four games for the Padres last season as he dealt with a left elbow strain, but he'll find a home in the Rays' organization after his contract option was declined by San Diego at the end of October. The southpaw will work alongside the major-league coaching staff during the spring, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him appear in the major-league bullpen sometime in 2020.

Fulmer enters 2020 out of minor-league options, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Fulmer, a 2015 first-round pick, has failed to live up to expectations. As such, the 26-year-old right-hander's career is at crossroads, and the White Sox can't stash him at Triple-A Charlotte without exposing him to waivers. And it's not entirely clear if the White Sox are worried that he'll be snapped up by another team. Fulmer came up through the organization as a starter, but, barring injury, the White Sox's rotation is set. He'll need to win a job in what is a crowded bullpen. His work as a reliever is slightly better than as a starter, but that is faint praise. Fulmer has a career 6.00 ERA out of the 'pen and 7.01 as a starter.

Graterol will remain with the Twins after Minnesota elected to withdraw from the three-team deal that centered around sending Mookie Betts from the Red Sox to the Dodgers, Chris Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Twins' part of the deal involved them sending Graterol to Boston and receiving Kenta Maeda from Los Angeles. The Red Sox were unhappy with Graterol's medical situation, however, and demanded an additional prospect from the Twins. The Twins elected to simply keep Graterol and now will not be receiving Maeda from the Dodgers as a result.

Pearson received an invitation to big-league camp Friday.

The Blue Jays' chances of competing for a playoff spot this season appear to be fairly slim, so the team may not seriously consider Pearson for an Opening Day roster spot. Even so, the highly rated righty likely won't have to wait too long to make his debut. In 25 starts across the three highest levels of the minors last season (just three of which came at the Triple-A level), Pearson struck out 30.7 percent of opposing batters and walked 7.0 percent en route to a 2.30 ERA.

Smith (elbow) signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers on Friday, freelance baseball writer Robert Murray reports.

Smith is recovering from Tommy John surgery but could be ready to pitch as soon as late March. He signed with the Tigers last offseason as well but was released before throwing a pitch for the team due to the surgery. The 31-year-old has just five innings of big-league experience to his name.

The deal sending Graterol to the Red Sox from the Twins is on hold, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports, citing initial reporting by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

The Red Sox might demand additional compensation after reviewing Graterol's medical records. That review led Boston to project the right-hander "more as a reliever than a starter," leading the organization to try and rework the deal in order to secure a more valuable package. Graterol, who made his major-league debut last September, missed multiple months with a shoulder impingement. Rosenthal added the officials involved in the talks are confident the deal will eventually be finalized, but the final components of the deal may be different than originally reported.

Loaisiga is in contention for a temporary role as the Yankees' fifth starter, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The Yankees will need a fifth starter for a month or two with Domingo German (suspension) out until early June and James Paxton (back) out until at least early May. Loaisiga has yet to break out at the big-league level, posting a 4.79 ERA in 56.1 innings. However, scouts like his pitch arsenal and command. Loaisiga has struck out 23.2 percent of batters while walking just 4.7 percent in his minor-league career.

Gargia is a candidate to start the year in the Yankees' rotation following James Paxton's back surgery, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Paxton is expected to return in May or June. Domingo German also remains on the shelf until June due to a suspension. With the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation up for grabs, general manager Brian Cashman called the No. 5 rotation spot an open competition among Jordan Montgomery, Michael King, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa and Garcia. The 20-year-old prospect spent most of the 2019 season with Double-A Trenton, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 87:26 K:BB across 53.2 innings.

King is in contention for the Yankees' fifth starter spot to open the season, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

With Domingo German (suspension) out until early June and James Paxton (back) sidelined until at least early May, a temporary spot has opened up in the rotation at Yankee Stadium. King may not be the favorite to win it, as he has just two innings of big-league experience under his belt. However, he projects as a potential back-end starter and may get the chance to stake his claim for that spot this spring.

Leclerc enters spring training as the Rangers' leading candidate to close games, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Both manager Chris Woodward and general manager Jon Daniels prefer to have Leclerc close games, but they are not handing him the job without evaluation over the spring. "I'd like [Leclerc] to be the closer; that would be ideal," Woodward said. "I don't think he has anything to prove as a good, elite reliever, but finishing games is a different story. As long as he's executing pitches and has good command of his body and emotions, I'll be really comfortable." Woodward will want to see how Leclerc is executing his fastball. If he's commanding, Leclerc's split-finger change becomes more effective, particularly as a two-strike offering.