MLB Player News

Vizcaino signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Wednesday, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old has appeared in only four games since the start of the 2019 season due to shoulder surgery, and he'll now receive a chance to restart his career in New York. Vizcaino served as a high-leverage option from 2015 to 2018 in Atlanta, recording 49 saves and 21 holds with a 2.79 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 180 games. The right-hander will need a strong showing in spring training to have a chance of making the Mets' Opening Day roster.

Banda was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento and signed to a minor-league contract for the 2021 season Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

He gave up eight earned runs in seven innings over four appearances this season. Banda was once a somewhat prominent pitching prospect, but injuries and poor performance have led to his stock fading. He has logged fewer than 15 innings in the majors in each of the last three seasons.

Burdi (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in October and was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection in August to avoid surgery at the time, but the treatment apparently didn't have the intended impact. Burdi has now been removed from Pittsburgh's 40-man roster as he'll miss the entirety of the 2021 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.

Betances will exercise his $6.8 million player option for 2021 by Sunday's deadline, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old battled velocity issues from the spring until the summer and missed most of September with a lat injury, so it's not much of a surprise to see him exercise his option rather than head to an uncertain open market. Betances appeared in 15 games and surrendered 10 runs on 12 hits with an 11:12 K:BB across 11.2 innings during the shortened campaign. The right-hander did rediscover some of his velocity (93.6 mph average fastball) from the low-90s fastballs he was throwing earlier in the year, but the overall mark nonetheless ranks as a career low. Betances still has some have leverage potential but is unlikely to be guaranteed that type of role to begin the 2021 season.

Quezada was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies' bullpen had one of the worst seasons of all time in 2020, posting a 7.06 ERA as a unit. Quezada could presumably help his new team, though he hadn't pitched above High-A prior to this season and threw just three innings for the Marlins this year, so he shouldn't be expected to fill a significant role any time soon.

Neris' option was declined by the Phillies on Friday, though he remains with the team as he's still arbitration eligible, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies evidently were uninterested in bringing Neris back for $7 million. Whether they attempt to bring him back at a lower salary or not remains to be seen. Neris has saved 72 games with a 3.38 ERA and a 30.1 percent strikeout rate over parts of seven seasons with the Phillies, though he (along with the rest of the Philadelphia bullpen) struggled last season, posting a 4.57 ERA.

Venditte (oblique) was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Venditte signed with the Marlins at the end of July, and he spent just over a week in the majors before being shut down for the remainder of the season with a right oblique strain. He's expected to head to free agency after being removed from the 40-man roster.

Harvey (elbow) was outrighted off the 40-man roster by the Rockies on Thursday.

Harvey suffered a right elbow sprain in August that kept him on the 45-day injured list for the remainder of the season. He'll remain off the 40-man roster heading into the offseason after tossing 3.1 scoreless innings in 2020.

Bracho was outrighted to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old missed most of the past two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019, but he returned from the injured list at the end of September and allowed two runs over one inning during his lone appearance of the season. Bracho was solid out of the bullpen with a 3.19 ERA in 31 appearances for Arizona in 2018, but he'll need to work for his spot on the roster next year.

Kuhnel cleared waivers Monday and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.

Kuhnel pitched just three times this season, giving up a pair of runs in three innings of work. He's evidently not a significant part of the Reds' plans heading into 2021, though he could still wind up back on the roster to throw a handful of innings.