MLB Player News

Sewald has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners.

Sewald was non-tendered by the Mets in early December after stumbling to a 13.50 ERA across six innings in 2020. The right-hander has bounced back and forth between the majors and minors while pitching in the New York organization the last four seasons. He will now turn his attention toward trying to make the Mariners' roster at some point.

Stanek signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Astros on Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Stanek was non-tendered by Miami in early December, but he'll land with the Astros ahead of the 2021 campaign. The right-hander worked solely as a reliever during his first full season with the Marlins in 2020, posting a 7.20 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over 10 innings, but he spent most of the year on the injured list for an undisclosed reason. He'll attempt to carve out a more consistent role with Houston in 2021.

McHugh will throw a showcase session for multiple teams on Jan. 16, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Peak McHugh would be a useful addition to any team's pitching staff, as he recorded a 3.51 ERA over a five-year period from 2014 to 2018. Heading into his age-34 campaign, however, it's not clear whether or not he can still approach that level. He slumped to a 4.70 ERA in 2019 while battling injuries. His elbow issues carried forward into 2020, and he eventually opted out of the season without appearing in a game. His past success keeps him as at least an interesting lottery ticket for both MLB and fantasy teams, but he comes with more than his fair share of question marks.

Gonsalves re-signed Dec. 22 with the Red Sox on a minor-league contract, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Gonsalves reportedly impressed the Red Sox at their alternate training site this summer, but it wasn't enough for him to earn a callup to the big club during the 60-game season. Despite being outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this offseason, Gonsalves elected to stick around in the organization for another year. Expect him to open the 2021 campaign in the Triple-A Worcester rotation.

Treinen signed a two-year, $17.5 million deal with the Dodgers on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The deal also includes a club option for a third year worth $8 million. The 32-year-old headed to Los Angeles for the 2020 campaign and posted a 3.86 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB over 25.2 innings while recording one save and nine holds. Kenley Jansen no longer has a firm grip on the closer's role, and Treinen could step into the job if he continues to perform. Regardless, the right-hander is poised to take on a high-leverage role for the Dodgers in 2021.

Suarez's move to the LG Twins of the KBO was made official after his contract was sold Monday, Melissa Lockard of The Athletic reports.

The move had been initially reported back in mid-December but took some time to complete. Suarez fits the profile common to many players who head abroad, as he's received a few chances at the big-league level but hasn't carved out a regular role. His 4.66 ERA in 202.2 major-league innings will rank as one of the better resumes among former MLB pitchers in Korea, and he's still just 28 years old, so it's not out of the question that he could take a step forward in a consistent starting role and push for more opportunities stateside in the future.

Robles signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Twins on Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

If the Twins are getting the 2019 version of Robles, who saved 23 games for the Angels while posting a 2.48 ERA, they'll be getting a high-leverage reliever for quite cheap. They'll be quite disappointed if they get the 2020 version, however, as the 30-year-old righty is coming off a year in which he struggled to a 10.26 ERA in 16.2 frames. His walk rate, which spiked from 5.7 to 12.5 percent, was the primary culprit, and given that his 2019 mark was his only time below 10 percent in that category in the last five years, a dramatic improvement might not be in the cards.

Yacabonis returned to the Mariners on a minor-league contract Tuesday.

Yacabonis elected free agency in October but will wind up back in the organization he was traded to in August. The 28-year-old righty made just two appearances at the big-league level last season, allowing one run in 2.1 innings, giving him a 5.71 ERA in 104 innings for his career.

Cleavinger was sent from the Phillies to the Dodgers on Tuesday as part of a three-team trade which sent Jose Alvarado from the Rays to the Phillies, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Cleavinger made his big-league debut in 2020, allowing one run while recording two outs. Prior to that, he'd topped out at the Double-A level, where he posted a 3.66 ERA and 36.4 percent strikeout rate in 51.2 innings of relief for Reading in 2019 but also walked 14.9 percent of opposing batters. Heading into his age-27 season, the lefty doesn't appear to have a particularly high ceiling unless the Dodgers can straighten out his control problems.

Alvarado was traded from the Rays to the Phillies on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal with the Dodgers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 25-year-old lefty joins a team desperately in need of bullpen help, and the good version of Alvarado can certainly provide that, as his 2.39 ERA back in 2018 suggests. Over the last two injury-filled seasons, however, he's struggled to a 5.08 ERA in just 39 total frames, with a poor 17.3 percent walk rate offsetting a 27.2 percent strikeout rate. A full bounce-back could see Alvarado picking up saves at some point for his new team, with the inconsistent Hector Neris standing as the only real obstacle on the roster at the moment.