MLB Player News

Rodney will serve as the Twins' closer at the start of the 2018 season, despite the fact that the team signed Addison Reed on Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Few would argue that Rodney is a better reliever than Reed, but Rodney thrives off taking the ball in the ninth inning, whereas Reed has worked as a setup man for the majority of his career. That said, Rodney's leash in the closer role will likely be a bit shorter now that the Twins have another highly-capable high-leverage arm on board.

Leone agreed to a one-year, $1.085 million deal with Toronto on Friday, MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm reports.

Leone posted a 2.56 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 70.1 relief innings during his first season as a Blue Jay. The ringer-hander also held a solid 10.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. Looking ahead, Leone will provide solid value in holds, and could challenge for some save opportunities if he's able to avoid regression.

Treinen (finger) agreed to a one-year, $2.15 million deal with Oakland on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

This marks the second offseason he was arbitration eligible. Treinen underwent minor surgery to remove a cyst from his middle finger in October, but should be completely healed and ready for the start of spring training. In 2017, the right-hander posted a 3.93 ERA and 1.39 WHIP over 75.2 innings split between Washington and Oakland.

Hendriks agreed to a one-year deal with the A's on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

This was the second year of arbitration eligibility for Hendriks, who posted a 4.22 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 78 strikeouts in 64 innings last season. The right-hander is a solid presence out of the bullpen for Oakland, as he's regularly capable of hitting the mid- to high 90's, and should be able to work in high-leverage situations during this upcoming campaign.

Betances agreed to a one-year, $5.1 million deal with the Yankees on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

This was his second year as an arbitration-eligible player, and he will receive a raise of $2.1 million from last season. Betances had trouble with command for most of the year, and especially down the stretch, but still posted a 2.87 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 100 strikeouts in 59.2 innings of work. Regardless of whether he's able to fix some of those problems, the right-hander will be a hot commodity in the fantasy realm, with top value in holds and his ability to make opponents miss.

Kelly agreed to a one-year, $3.825 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports.

This was the final offseason that he is an arbitration-eligible player, and the right-hander received a $1.025 million increase from last year. Kelly was able to have a bounce-back campaign in 2017, posting a 2.79 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with a 52:27 K:BB in 58 innings of relief. He should be in the mix to work high-leverage situations this upcoming season, but still leaves something to be desired with his strikeout and command issues.

Pomeranz agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

This marks the final offseason that he is an arbitration-eligible player. Pomeranz posted a 3.32 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with a 174:69 K:BB over 32 starts in 2017. The southpaw basically put up similar numbers to his 2016 campaign when he was dealt to the Red Sox via San Diego in the summer, as he provided durability while cutting down on home-run rate and continuing to strike batters out. Expect more of the same from Pomeranz in 2018.

Diekman agreed to a one-year, $2,712,500 deal with the Rangers on Friday, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

This was the final offseason as an arbitration-eligible player for Diekman. In 2017, the left-hander fought through three procedures to address ulcerative colitis, which only allowed him to pitch in 11 games toward the end of the year. Even so, Diekman provided a strong presence at the back of the bullpen, posting a 2.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP in 10.2 innings, positioning himself for a potential breakthrough as a setup man in 2018.

Colome agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Rays on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports reports.

This was the first year he was an arbitration-eligible player. Colome recorded 47 saves during the 2017 campaign, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 66.2 innings as Tampa Bay's ninth-inning man. He has been rumored to be on the trading block all offseason, as the typically frugal Rays have been adamant about trimming their payroll. Keep an eye on his situation, but regardless, Colome will have solid value heading into 2018.

May (elbow) agreed to a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, the Star Tribune reports.

May missed all of 2017 after suffering a torn UCL in spring training, resulting in Tommy John surgery. He resumed throwing last August and has been gradually increasing his intensity and throwing distance, advancing out to 105 feet in mid-November. The Twins could, theoretically, expedite May's return by preparing him for a bullpen role, but they are expected to stretch him out as a starter.