MLB Player News

The Brewers and Wilson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

This was Wilson's first year of arbitration eligibility. The right-hander thrived in 2023 in his first year as a full-time reliever, posting a 2.58 ERA and 61:22 K:BB over 76.2 innings of work. He'll work in middle relief again in 2024.

The Dodgers and Ferguson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

It's a nice salary bump for Ferguson, who was eligible for salary arbitration for the final time. The left-handed reliever collected a 3.43 ERA and 70:23 K:BB across 60.1 frames with the Dodgers in 2023.

The Marlins and Puk avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.8 million contract Thursday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

It was Puk's first year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander saved 15 games while posting a 3.97 ERA and 78:13 K:BB over 56.2 innings in 2023. The Marlins plan to send Puk to camp as a starter, but the odds of him returning to relief would appear high.

The Cubs and Alzolay avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.11 million contract Thursday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

It's a nice little raise for Alzolay, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time. The 28-year-old emerged as the Cubs' closer in 2023, saving 22 games while posting a 2.67 ERA and 67:13 K:BB over 64 innings. Provided Chicago doesn't add a closer from outside the organization, Alzolay is in line to serve in that role again in 2024.

The Reds and Young avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.16 million contract Thursday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Young was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The left-hander had a nice showing in 2023 in a full-time relief role in Cincinnati, posting a 3.86 ERA and 50:20 K:BB across 53.2 frames.

Hernandez signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez was limited to just 9.1 innings in the minors in 2023 due to a pectoral injury, but it appears he's recovered from that issue. The 28-year-old right-hander holds a 5.04 ERA and 277:94 K:BB over 287.2 innings covering parts of five seasons at the major-league level. Hernandez seems likely to begin 2024 in Triple-A Oklahoma City's rotation.

The Brewers and Milner avoided arbitration Wednesday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.05 million contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Milner had been eligible for arbitration for the second time. The left-handed reliever is coming off his best season in the big leagues, having collected a 1.82 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 59:13 K:BB over 64.1 innings. Milner should be the primary left-handed setup man ahead of closer Devin Williams in 2024.

Stratton signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Dec. 8.

Stratton was non-tendered by the Pirates back in November but wound up re-signing. The 27-year-old threw 12 relief innings for Pittsburgh in 2023, posting a 2.25 ERA and 10:3 K:BB.

Manaea agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract with the Mets on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

After declining his $12.5 million player option for 2024 and becoming a free agent earlier in the offseason, Manaea will get a slight pay increase while he heads to New York on a two-year pact. Much like the deal he signed with the Giants last offseason, Manaea's contract with the Mets contains an opt-out after the 2024 season, per Heyman. The southpaw started in 10 of his 37 appearances in 2023 and finished with a 4.44 ERA across 117.2 innings, but he closed the season in strong fashion, posting a 2.87 ERA from the beginning of August onward. The 31-year-old will presumably occupy a spot at the back end of the Mets' rotation.

Kranick was designated for assignment Friday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Kranick missed nearly all of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, though he managed to turn in 16.1 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis to close the year. He maintained a solid 2.76 ERA and 0.81 WHIP with a 12:6 K:BB, but he'll have to work his way back up the depth chart with a team this spring. The move made room for Martin Perez on the Pirates' 40-man roster.