MLB Player News

Woods Richardson is seen as the leading candidate for the No. 5 spot in the Minnesota rotation as spring training begins, Betsy Helfand reports.

Richardson had his first success in the majors last year with a revamped delivery and increased velocity but ran out of gas late in the season (5.91 ERA and 4.6 BB/9 in his last 11 starts). Still, he's seen as the leading candidate for the fifth starter role, with David Festa and Zebby Matthews also in the mix. Chris Paddack enters camp penciled in as the No. 4 starter, but he's not a lock to keep his spot either. The final two spots could be in flux as a result, but Richardson may begin with a slight lead.

Junis signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Junis has worked primarily in relief for each of the last two seasons and was particularly impressive across 67 innings in 2024 by maintaining a 2.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He's unlikely to crack the Guardians' rotation to begin the season, but he's likely to see some spot starts while primarily filling a multi-inning relief role.

Paddack, who didn't pitch in the majors after July due to a forearm strain, enters spring training healthy and is seen as a part of the starting rotation as camp begins, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's the first offseason he hasn't gone down to zero and then built himself back up," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I think this could be a really good thing for him."

Paddack could have returned during the last week of the regular season, but the Twins didn't activate him from the injured list while out of the playoff race. The right-hander continued to throw all offseason and has been working on a bullet slider to add to his arsenal. It was thought Paddack and his $7.5 million salary for 2025 could be traded in the offseason as the Twins faced budget pressure, but he looks set to remain in Minnesota. He'll face competition for a rotation spot from promising younger pitchers David Festa and Zebby Matthews, but it looks like he's penciled into the rotation to begin spring. Still, Paddack will need to perform well and stay healthy to secure his positioning.

Canterino hit 95 mph in his first live bullpen session of camp and looks healthy as spring training begins, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Canterino missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned for spring training last year but suffered a rotator cuff strain in mid-March and missed the rest of the season. He'll move to the bullpen as the Twins try to reduce the workload on his arm and shoulder. The 2019 second-round draft pick was a rising pitching prospect when last on the mound in 2022 as he posted a 1.83 ERA with a 13.2 K/9 in 34.1 innings at Double-A.

Garcia signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Aram Leighton of JustBaseball.com reports.

Garcia split the 2024 season between the Angels and Red Sox and struggled to a 4.88 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 59 innings. He still maintained a solid 53:15 K:BB so there is some hope for a bounceback, though he'll have to fight for a roster spot in a loaded Dodgers' bullpen.

Reyzelman (illness) was released from the hospital and visited with the Yankees at their spring training complex Thursday, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.

Reyzelman had to be taken to the hospital after suffering an allergic reaction Wednesday and stayed there overnight, but he was cleared to leave Thursday and should be fine. The 23-year-old reliever held a 1.61 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 36:13 K:BB over 22.1 innings with Double-A Somerset in 2024 and could potentially push to debut in 2025 if things go well.

Loaisiga (elbow) said Thursday that he hopes to make his season debut around late May or early June, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Shortly after Loaisiga signed a one-year deal to return to New York in December, pitching coach Matt Blake said he expected the right-hander to return closer to the beginning of May. Although it now seems the Yankees will have to wait a bit longer than that before activating Loaisiga, he's still likely to play a key role in their bullpen once healthy.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Thursday that Gilbreath (shoulder) has been fully cleared for spring training, Patrick Lyons of JustBaseball.com reports.

Gilbreath didn't make his 2024 debut for the Rockies until mid-August after he completed his recovery from his March 2023 Tommy John surgery, and he made just three appearances before going back on the injured list Aug. 26 due to left shoulder inflammation. The southpaw seems to have moved past the injury over the offseason and will now work to solidify his spot in the Rockies' Opening Day bullpen during spring training. Gilbreath is likely to serve in a middle-relief role if he makes the club.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that it's possible Bradford opens the season in the bullpen, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Bradford is coming to camp as a starting pitcher and would seem to have a good shot to begin the season as a member of the Rangers' rotation. However, the left-hander also has relief experience and could be used there if a pitcher like Kumar Rocker stakes claim to a rotation spot. Bradford has minor-league options remaining, but Bochy indicated the southpaw is virtually a lock to make the Opening Day roster.

Pallante will receive a $2.1 million salary for 2025 after winning his arbitration hearing against the Cardinals on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The Cardinals had filed for a $1.925 million salary for Pallante, who was arbitration-eligible for the first time. Pallante submitted a weak 9.0 K-BB% over 121.1 innings across his 29 appearances (20 starts) in 2024, but thanks to his ability to keep the ball on the ground and generate weak contact, most of his ERA estimators (4.15 SIERA, 3.89 xFIP, 3.46 xERA) were roughly in line with his actual ERA (3.78). He should have a firm grasp on a full-time rotation spot in 2025, though his poor strikeout rate will likely make him less valuable in fantasy leagues than in real life.