MLB Player News

Barraclough signed with the Yankees as a non-roster invitee Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Barraclough has been a high-leverage reliever in the past, posting a 2.87 ERA and a 31.7 percent strikeout rate over the first two years of his career. He struggled to a 4.74 ERA and 24.4 percent strikeout rate over the next two seasons, however, and he failed to pitch a single inning in 2020 after being cut in July by the Padres. He could play a role for the Yankees if they can help him recapture his early career form, but his career 14.1 percent walk rate will likely continue to sink him unless he can get his previously elite strikeout numbers back.

Yamamoto was traded from the Marlins to the Mets in exchange for Federico Polanco on Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Yamamoto moves to a division rival after being designated for assignment on Thursday. Through 90 career innings at the highest level, his 6.20 ERA doesn't look particularly promising, with his poor 11.0 percent walk rate and 35.3 percent groundball rate offsetting a decent 24.2 percent strikeout rate. He's still just 24 years old, though, so there's still time for him to develop into a backend starter.

Edwards (forearm) signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Edwards became a free agent in October after refusing an outright assignment from the Mariners, and he'll have to settle for a minor-league deal ahead of the 2021 campaign. The right-hander was shut down for most of the abbreviated 2020 season due to a flexor mass strain in his elbow, but he could compete for a spot in the major-league bullpen during spring training if he's healthy.

Hamilton was designated for assignment Friday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer repots.

Hamilton finds himself designated for assignment for the third time in just over four months, having been dropped by the White Sox in September and the Mariners in December. It remains to be seen whether or not he'll find his way to yet another organization. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the Phillies to add back J.T. Realmuto.

Soto spent much of his winter ball campaign working on his slider, with the intent on throwing it more this season, Evan Petzold of The Detroit Free Press reports. "I wanted to be comfortable and have trust to throw it in any corner of the plate or any pitch count or any situation of the game," Soto said. "I worked very hard on that. I want to keep myself aware that I can use the slider anytime I want. ... My slider, I consider it very good. It's just a matter of confidence and trust."

Soto is part of the Tigers' late-inning mix. He got off to a great start to the season but really struggled in September. That slider was nearly untouchable last season - he allowed just one hit when throwing it 80 times. Alas, he couldn't always throw it for strikes, and overall he had a 13.3 BB%, which is poor for a potential closer.

Moore signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Phillies on Friday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The veteran lefty cruised to a 3.53 ERA over his first four big-league seasons but went overseas to join the NPB's Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2020 after struggling to a 5.13 ERA over his next five campaigns. Moore was limited to just 13 starts for the Japanese champions due to a calf injury, but he was quite good when available, finishing with a 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate. Giving Moore a big-league deal suggests the Phillies think he has a real role to play this season, and that role could be as the team's fifth starter, as Vince Velasquez doesn't provide the stiffest competition for that job.

Yamamoto was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Yamamoto was the roster casualty to make room for Anthony Bass. The young righty showed some potential in his 15-start debut in 2019 with an above-average 25.2 percent strikeout rate, though his mediocre 4.46 ERA seemed rather deserved given his low 35.6 percent groundball rate and high 11.1 percent walk rate. He endured a rough 2020 season, giving up 23 earned runs in just 11.1 innings of work, but that's a small sample and he's still just 24 years old, so there's a decent chance he gets claimed on waivers.

The Reds are hopeful that De Leon can be a big contributor out of the bullpen after his dominant stretch in the Puerto Rican Winter League this winter, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

De Leon is out of options this spring, but the team was already excited about his progress at its alternate training camp site last fall. He has former high prospect pedigree but hasn't been able to stay healthy long enough to fulfill his talent expectations.

Diaz, Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Winckowski were traded from the Blue Jays to the Mets in exchange for pitcher Steven Matz on Wednesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The 24-year-old made his big-league debut in 2020 and surrendered two runs while recording two outs during his lone appearance. Diaz is likely to begin the 2021 season in the minors, but he should have the chance to showcase himself for his new team at major-league spring training.

Loup signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Mets on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Mets were searching for a left-handed reliever to add to their bullpen, and the team was able to reach an agreement with Loup on Wednesday. The 33-year-old made 24 relief appearances for the Rays in 2020, posting a 2.52 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB over 25 innings. Loup should be the team's top southpaw option out of the bullpen in 2021.