MLB Player News

Diekman remains the likeliest choice for primary closer in 2021, but manager Bob Melvin has noted he may sometimes utilize the left-hander prior to the ninth inning, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The departed Liam Hendriks was the unquestioned closer in 2020, but Diekman certainly put on a pretty convincing impression by allowing just one earned run across 21 innings while posting a 0.94 WHIP, 36.8 percent strikeout rate and 96.8 percent strand rate as a seventh- and eighth-inning option. Melvin's recent comments about not always limiting his use of the veteran southpaw to the ninth inning lends some ambiguity to the situation as spring training begins, however, and with other experienced candidates such as Sergio Romo, J.B. Wendelken and Burch Smith (forearm) also available, Diekman may be in line to eventually share some save opportunities.

Varland will join the Dodgers at their big-league camp in spring training, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Varland was acquired by the defending champions from Oakland in a trade last week, and he'll now get a chance to show off his ability during spring training. The right-hander has shown considerable success across 64.1 minor-league innings, though he has yet to pitch above the High-A level.

Hicks, who missed the 2020 season due to the completion of his recovery from Tommy John surgery and his decision to opt out for precautionary health reasons, is expected to eventually return to full-time closing duties, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Goold answers a reader question about whether the hard-throwing right-hander has a chance to be named the official closer by Opening Day by emphasizing there are likely to be a couple of moving parts to the equation. How Hicks looks after last pitching in a major-league game June 22, 2019 will naturally be one of the major factors at play, as well as how others capable of handling ninth-inning work such as Andrew Miller and Giovanny Gallegos perform in exhibition play. Goold adds it's his belief the Cardinals will unsurprisingly err on the side of caution with Hicks and allow him to reacclimate at his own pace, as opposed to applying any indirect pressure by officially labeling him the closer early in camp.

Patino, who was acquired in the Blake Snell trade with the Padres this offseason, will be given a legitimate opportunity to earn a spot in the Rays' starting rotation during spring training, Jim Bowden of The Athletic reports.

Bowden lists Patino as one of two Rays candidates for rookies most likely to make Opening Day rosters, although he adds it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise to see the hard-throwing right-hander open up at Triple-A Durham due to service-time considerations. In addition to his impressive pitch arsenal, Patino has some big-league experience to fall back on, having logged 14 total appearances, including the playoffs, for the Padres in 2020. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times notes Patino's upper 90s fastball and wicked slider make the 21-year-old one of the most intriguing young prospects to monitor in spring training, especially with manager Kevin Cash's out-of-the-box track record with the management of his staff and the durability questions that plague the team's multiple veteran offseason pitching additions.

Herget was designated for assignment Tuesday, Kennedi Landry of the Rangers' official site reports.

Herget was shuttled off the 40-man roster in order to make room for Josh Sborz, whom Texas acquired in trade from the Dodgers. He was a serviceable reliever for the Rangers in 2020, making 20 appearances and posting a 3.20 ERA despite walking 6.4 batters per nine innings.

Hamilton cleared waivers Tuesday and will join the Twins as a non-roster invitee, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Hamilton has been a part of four different organizations dating back to last September, but he'll finally get to settle down in one spot for now, albeit not as a member of any team's 40-man roster. He'll have a tough time claiming an Opening Day roster spot but could join the team down the line if injuries open up a bullpen job.

Sborz was shipped from the Dodgers to the Rangers in exchange for Jhan Zambrano on Tuesday.

Previous reports indicated Sborz had passed through waivers and would remain with the Dodgers, but that's evidently not the case. He finds himself in a landing spot where it should be much easier to earn a big-league job, but his track record (a 6.08 ERA in just 13.1 career MLB innings) remains unimpressive even for a Rangers reliever.

Kimbrel was listed as the Cubs' closer by manager David Ross on Tuesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Kimbrel's track record made him the obvious favorite, though his performance since joining the Cubs in the middle of the 2019 season means his grip on the role may not be too firm. In 36 innings for Chicago, he owns a 6.00 ERA, with his 35.2 percent strikeout rate proving insufficient when combined with a 14.5 percent walk rate and 2.8 HR/9. He can safely be drafted as if he'll be the team's closer on Opening Day following Ross' vote of confidence, especially as top alternative Rowan Wick is dealing with an intercostal strain, but he'll need much better numbers if he's to keep hold of the job.

Sborz cleared waivers Tuesday and will remain part of the Dodgers organization, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

As a 27-year-old with a 6.08 career ERA in just 13.1 total innings at the highest level, Sborz didn't generate any interest on the waiver wire. He'll serve as organizational depth this season and is unlikely to fill more than a low-leverage relief role.

Puk, who underwent shoulder surgery in mid-September, is expected to start the season out of the bullpen in order to manage his workload, Shayna Rubin of The Mercury News reports.

This news contradicts early December reports that Puk projected to break camp as a member of the starting rotation, and there could conceivably be a change of plans yet again before spring training concludes. However, given the towering southpaw already underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and has subsequently dealt with frequent shoulder issues, it certainly would be understandable if the organization erred on the side of caution. Puk didn't need any repairs during the cleanup procedure and was already projected to be ready for spring training since shortly after the operation, so he should be able to give manager Bob Melvin and his staff plenty of opportunity for evaluation over the coming weeks.