MLB Player News

General manager Rick Hahn said Covey is in the mix for the White Sox's final rotation spot, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Hahn mentioned Manny Banuelos as another option, while he also noted that the team could bring in another arm prior to spring training. Covey made 21 starts and six relief appearances for the White Sox in 2018, compiling a 5.18 ERA and 91:52 K:BB across 121.2 innings.

Gearrin (triceps) signed a one-year contract with the Mariners on Thursday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Gearrin spent time in three organizations in 2018, producing a 3.77 ERA and a 53:21 K:BB across 57.1 innings. He's not a flashy pitcher as his modest strikeout numbers suggest, but he figures to be a staple of the Mariners' bullpen as a middle reliever throughout the season.

Alvarez signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

The southpaw spent much of last season with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, producing a 1.98 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and a 28:14 K:BB in 27 frames. He was released in early August, though, allowing him to test the free agent market this offseason. Alvarez will join the Twins organization looking for a big-league bullpen spot, though there are already a few lefties at the major-league level who could force Alvarez to spend even more time in the minors.

Shawaryn received an invitation to major-league spring training Thursday.

The right-hander reached Triple-A for the first time last season, amassing a 3.93 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 36 innings at Pawtucket. The 2018 campaign marked the first time he failed to strike out a batter per inning, though he continued to exhibit good control, walking just 38 hitters in 149.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. There's not really a hole in Boston's pitching staff for Shawaryn to fill out of spring training, but given his proximity to the majors, there's a decent chance that he comes up to the majors at some point in 2019 to make a spot start or two.

Miller signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Rangers on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Miller spent most of the 2018 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, making just five appearances (four starts) and struggling to a 10.69 ERA and 2.00 WHIP across 16 innings before being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks in the offseason. Despite his struggles over the past three seasons (5-18 record, 6.35 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 109:62 K:BB across 139 innings), Miller figures to get a chance to start in Texas, which could make him worth a late-round flier.

Tonkin agreed to a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Tuesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Tonkin had previously spent parts of five seasons with the Twins, throwing 146.1 innings of relief with a 4.43 ERA. He pitched for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan last season, finishing with a 3.71 ERA in 51 innings.

Leclerc pitched a scoreless 6.2 innings for Gigantes del Cibao in winter-league ball in the Dominican Republic. He allowed one hit and walked three while striking out eight.

Leclerc had thrown nearly double those innings each of the last two years of winter ball, but his team did not qualify for the playoffs this year. He adds those 6.2 scoreless innings to the 21 scoreless he pitched over his final 21 outings in 2018, including while serving as Texas' closer. New manager Chris Woodward has talked about using Leclerc in a variety of high-leverage spots, not rigidly marrying him to the ninth inning, but the 25-year-old was excellent as closer. We believe Leclerc will get most of the save opportunities to start the season and, if he continues the improved command he showed last season, will be the primary closer all season.

Smith (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on Sunday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Smith elected to become a free agent at the beginning of November, although he'll return to Boston on this farm deal. He posted a 3.77 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with 18 strikeouts across 14.1 frames as a reliever in 2018 and could make his way back to the big leagues if he performs well in spring training.

McHugh will rejoin the rotation in 2019, Brian McTaggart of the Astros' official site reports.

The Astros will have some churn in their rotation next season, brought upon by the departure of Charlie Morton, the expected departure of Dallas Keuchel, and an injury to Lance McCullers (elbow). McHugh was a starter for the Astros from 2014 to 2017, winning 19 games in 2015, before putting together a strong season as a reliever in 2018.

Executive vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said Monday that Manaea (shoulder) could be ready to pitch around the All-Star break, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Though Manaea's timeline for a return remains fluid, it amounts to positive news that Beane isn't ruling the southpaw out for 2019, which was the initial expectation after he underwent surgery in September. The Athletics will probably consider any innings they get from Manaea during the upcoming campaign to be a bonus, so the 26-year-old likely won't warrant fantasy consideration outside of AL-only formats in early drafts.