MLB Player News

Leiter was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Leiter was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week but will remain with the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. The right-hander made 35 appearances (four starts) in the majors last year and posted a 3.99 ERA, 73:25 K:BB and 1.14 WHIP in 67.2 innings.

Castano (shoulder) was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Castano appeared in 10 games (seven starts) for the Marlins in 2022 and had a 4.04 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 20:9 K:BB across 35.2 innings. He was sidelined for over a month by a concussion after being struck in the head by a comebacker last summer, and he was also diagnosed with a small labrum tear in his shoulder in September. It's unclear if the left-hander will be ready for the start of spring training in February.

The Cubs designated Rodriguez for assignment Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rodriguez was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Julian Merryweather, whom the Cubs claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays. The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.29 ERA in 14 appearances with the Cubs while registering a 8:9 K:BB over 13.2 innings.

The Cubs claimed Merryweather off waivers from the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

Merryweather lost his spot on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster last week, when the team required a spot for the newly signed Brandon Belt. The right-hander struggled to a 6.75 ERA over 26.2 innings in 26 appearances last season while missing time with an oblique strain. He should battle for a spot in the Cubs' bullpen this spring.

Young signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Tuesday.

The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training. Young appeared in 24 games with the Giants last year, and registered a 2.39 ERA with a 20:11 K:BB ratio over 26.1 innings pitched. He'll have a chance to win a spot in the Cincinnati bullpen with a good showing in the Cactus League, but he shouldn't be on a fantasy radar to begin 2023.

Machado cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Rochester by the Nationals on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

He's lost his spot on the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization. Machado collected a 3.34 ERA in 59.1 innings last season for the Nationals.

Sanchez agreed Monday with the Padres on a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to MLB spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 33-year-old right-hander will be making his return to affiliated ball in 2023 after spending the 2020 and 2021 seasons in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball with the Yomiuri Giants before sitting out the entire 2022 campaign. Sanchez, who previously received a cup of coffee in the big leagues with Pittsburgh in 2017, submitted a 4.68 ERA and 54:23 K:BB in 73 innings over his final season in Japan.

Tapia signed a minor-league contract with the Padres on Sunday.

Tapia elected free agency earlier this offseason after spending the 2022 season in the Royals and Athletics organizations. He made all 11 of his appearances at the big-league level with Oakland, logging an 8.47 ERA and 2.29 WHIP in 17 innings. The 31-year-old right-handed reliever will likely open the 2023 campaign at Triple-A El Paso.

Phillips signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Phillips was simply dominant in 2022, recording a minuscule 1.14 ERA and 0.76 WHIP through 63 innings out of the bullpen. Though recreating those numbers will be almost impossible for the 28-year-old righty, Phillips will certainly see plenty of action in high-leverage situations next season.

Sims (back) signed a one-year, $1.27 million contract with the Reds on Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Sims' season was cut short in 2022 after undergoing season-ending surgery on his back, and the 6.2 innings he managed to pitch early in the year weren't pretty (9.45 ERA, 1.65 WHIP). It's possible he'll work his way back into the closer role Cincinnati had planned for him going into 2022, though it may take a while before he gets there.