MLB Player News

Smith was traded to the Athletics from the Rockies in exchange for Jeff Criswell on Tuesday.

Smith received his first taste of major-league action in 2022, recording a 7.50 ERA and 1.72 WHIP over 18 innings out of the bullpen. Smith has always been able to strike out batters at an exceptional rate, though he's often struggled to limit walks.

Garcia signed a one-year deal with the Pirates on Tuesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Garcia will make $2.5 million in 2023, with Pittsburgh holding a club option for $3.25 million for 2024, per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. The lefty was designated for assignment by the Giants in November, but that came after a solid season in which he posted a 3.74 ERA. He's unlikely to add significantly to his career total of two saves this season, but he should still be a serviceable member of the Pittsburgh bullpen.

Kahnle signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Yankees on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Kahnle owns a 3.78 career ERA across 290.1 major-league innings, but just 13.2 of those innings have come in the last three seasons, as he's dealt with Tommy John surgery and other arm troubles. The 33-year-old righty finds himself back in a spot where he's had success in the past, as he spent parts of four seasons as a Yankee, notably producing a 3.67 ERA and 35.5 percent strikeout rate in 2019. Kahnle has only five career saves and probably won't add too many to that total this season, but he could feature regularly in the seventh and eighth innings if he pitches well.

Estevez agreed to a free-agent deal with the Angels on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Estevez will receive $13.5 million across the next two seasons, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The hard-throwing righty logged a 3.47 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 57 innings for the Rockies in 2022. Estevez struck out less than a batter an inning and isn't a master of control, as he walked 23. Despite tallying just 13 saves between the last two seasons, he could be a top candidate to close games for Los Angeles.

Valdez signed a minor-league deal with the Angels on Saturday, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

Valdez spent the 2022 season with the Angels and pitched almost exclusively at Triple-A Salt Lake. He had success, posting a 3.94 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 146.1 frames. Valdez will likely remain organizational depth for much of 2023, but he could get some spot starts with the big-league club.

Martin signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Coming off a nice 2022 campaign that saw Martin record a 3.05 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 56 frames, the 36-year-old reliever will provide a nice boost to a Boston bullpen that turned in the fifth-worst ERA (4.59) in the league last season. Martin will more than likely be turned to often in high-leverage situations, so long as his age doesn't begin to catch up with him.

Castro signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Castro will head to Arizona after spending the 2022 campaign with the Yankees, producing a 4.03 ERA and 1.45 WHIP with 31 strikeouts over 29 innings in 34 appearances out of the bullpen. The 27-year-old right-hander will likely operate in a middle-relief role for Arizona. The Diamondbacks have a club option on the contract for 2024 worth an additional $3.5 million.

Johnson (elbow) said Tuesday that he will start his throwing program in mid-January with the goal of pitching in rehab games in the minors in August, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. "Pretty much I can do everything except for actually throwing a baseball or throwing medicine balls. As far as upper-body lifts, I'm pretty much cleared for all that stuff," Johnson said. "I'm hoping to be able to pitch by next August, maybe in some Complex League games."

The Orioles acquired Johnson in a three-way trade-deadline deal with the Rays and Astros on Aug. 1, even though Baltimore had the knowledge that the right-hander was scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery just two days later. Baltimore might have seen the impending procedure as an advantageous time to buy low on the 24-year-old, who impressed with a 3.00 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB in 27 innings over his seven starts at High-A Bowling Green in Tampa Bay's organization this past season before injuring his elbow. Johnson, who was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster earlier this month, appears to have thus far responded well to surgery, but he'll still spend most of the 2023 campaign in rehab mode. Even a small setback during his throwing program would likely prompt the Orioles to shut him down for the 2023 season with the hope of having him at 100 percent for spring training in 2024.

Miller signed a major-league deal with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Miller spent most of last season in Triple-A, where he racked up a 3.04 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 53.1 frames. The 32-year-old reliever is coming off his best season in the majors since 2017, but his less-than-stellar 8.92 ERA and 1.95 WHIP between 2018-22 sets a low bar. It's unclear what role Miller will play in the Dodgers' bullpen in 2023.

Devenski signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Monday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Devenski will receive another chance to get back on track after struggling to see consistent big-league action during his last three seasons. He's allowed 27 earned runs to go along with a 22:6 K:BB across 25.2 frames over his last three years in the big leagues, spending time in Houston, Arizona and Philadelphia. Per Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Devenski is set to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster during spring training.