MLB Player News

Doval will be part of the Giants' closer committee in 2022, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Manager Gabe Kapler often uses the modern approach to the ninth inning, deploying a committee instead of having one designated closer. Jake McGee and Tyler Rogers will also get work in late-inning situations this season, but Doval is less of a known quantity. The 24-year-old right-hander averaged 98.7 mph on his fastball last season while posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 37:9 K:BB across 27 innings. His hard-throwing ways are well-suited to closing games out even if he's the least experienced of the three relievers currently in the committee.

Lopez will be stretched out to potentially serve as a starter this season, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Lopez made 25 of his 33 appearances last season as a starter, but he finished in a bullpen role. The 29-year-old struggled to a 6.07 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP across 121.2 innings while posting a 3-14 record. He's posted an ERA north of 6.00 in each of the last three years, so he's unlikely to be more than a fifth starter should he land in the rotation, and it's very possible he ends up in a multi-inning relief role at some point.

Santillan (ankle) is scheduled to start Sunday's spring training game against the Giants, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Santillan underwent ankle surgery during the offseason, but he's been throwing bullpen sessions to open spring training and will make an early start for the Reds. It appears the 24-year-old will be ready for the start of the season despite the procedure. He made his big-league debut for Cincinnati in 2021 and had a 2.91 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 56:21 K:BB over 43.1 innings with four starts in 26 appearances.

Adam joined the Rays on a one-year, $900,000 deal Thursday, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.

The 30-year-old righty was non-tendered by the Cubs after posting a 5.91 ERA in a small sample of 10.2 innings last season, but the Rays evidently saw enough to offer him a major-league deal. His appeal is likely related to his ability to miss bats, as he owns a 37.0 percent strikeout rate in 24.1 innings across the last two seasons, which should theoretically be high enough to offset his 13.0 percent walk rate.

Treinen could be used as a versatile relief option rather than as a defined closer, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Kenley Jansen remains a free agent, leaving the door open for Los Angeles to employ a new closer for the first time in several years. Treinen is the logical heir to Jansen's role, as the 33-year-old posted a dominant 1.99 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 85:25 K:BB while collecting seven saves last season. However, manager Dave Roberts indicated this week that the team may opt for more of a committee approach, suggesting that there are "close to a handful of guys...that can finish games," per Matthew Moreno of Dodger Blue. Given Treinen's effectiveness, there is plenty of sense in Los Angeles deploying him in a variety of situations and innings, but it could make for a frustrating situation in fantasy, especially for leagues in which saves carry heavy statistical weight.

Graterol has added a new pitch to his repertoire for this season, though he hasn't yet disclosed the pitch type, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Graterol's primary weapon is a sinker he often throws at triple-digit velocity, with a high-80s slider featuring as his secondary offering. The right-hander added a cutter to his pitch mix last season, and it appears that he'll now have a fourth option at his disposal. It's unlikely that Graterol will feature the new pitch prominently -- he relied on the sinker or slider over 90 percent of the time last season -- but the push to broaden his arsenal is at least a positive sign that the 23-year-old is intent on furthering his development after a somewhat disappointing 2021 campaign.

Norris agreed to a major-league deal with the Cubs on Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Norris was acquired by the Brewers ahead of the 2021 trade deadline but struggled during the second half with a 6.64 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 18:15 K:BB over 20.1 innings. Overall he had a 6.16 ERA last season and has yet to find consistent success since making the transition from starter to reliever.

Fulmer got added competition for the Tigers' primary setup role with the addition of Andrew Chafin on Wednesday, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Gregory Soto is expected to be the team's closer heading into the season, which would leave Fulmer and Chafin in setup roles. Fulmer did have 14 saves and nine holds in 2021 to go with a 2.97 ERA, so he should definitely see high-leverage work moving forward. With Chafin a lefty and Fulmer a righty, manager A.J. Hinch could just play the matchups with his top bullpen options. Either would see a boost in value if they replaced Soto as the closer at any point.

Despite the addition of Andrew Chafin to the team's bullpen on Wednesday, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Soto is still slated to be the Tigers' closer in 2022.

Manager A.J. Hinch tabbed Soto as his 2022 closer back in October, so there's certainly a fair amount of conviction in his favor. Chafin had a strong 2021 with a 1.83 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and five saves of his own, but he looks like a solid setup option at this point rather than a true challenger to Soto. The latter did record 18 saves in 19 chances last year, so he's probably earned at least a little job security heading into the season.

With the Cubs adding Steven Brault (lat) on Wednesday, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Thompson may see added competition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Thompson and Justin Steele were identified as the likely candidates to replace Adbert Alzolay (lat) in the rotation to begin the season, but Brault gives the team a veteran option if he's recovered from his own lat strain. Thompson made six starts for the Cubs last season and had some good moments, recording a 3.38 ERA and 55 strikeouts across 53.1 innings. He could stake his claim to the No. 5 role with a strong spring performance.