MLB Player News

Montero was traded from Texas to Seattle in exchange for Jose Corniell and a player to be named later Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Montero picked up the first eight saves of his career last season, though he didn't exactly production numbers worthy of a closer role for most teams, as his 4.08 ERA and 26.4 percent strikeout rate hardly popped off the page. He's now found himself on another team that's quite short on established bullpen arms, however, so he should have a good chance to add to his save total in the upcoming season.

Bowman (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Bowman went under the knife in September, and he'll be forced to miss likely the entire 2021 campaign while on the mend. Per Nightengale, Bowman will make $900,000 if he's in the big leagues in 2022.

Lamet's (elbow) throwing program remains on schedule, Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Lamet missed the end of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs due to an elbow injury, a rather disappointing conclusion to a campaign which had seen the righty produce a 2.09 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 12 starts in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He's so far avoided surgery this time around, and his platelet-rich plasma treatment appears to be having the desired effect, but his injury history means the Padres will have to continue to manage his recovery carefully.

Nelson (back) signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Nelson's $2 million team option was declined by the Dodgers at the end of October, but he'll return to the organization on a minor-league pact. He underwent lumbar surgery in July that forced him to miss the entire 2020 season, and the right-hander has now missed two of the past three seasons due to injuries. However, Nelson will get to work with the major-league coaching staff during spring training as he attempts to work his way back into game action.

Stewart signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Stewart didn't play in 2020 after he was released by the Cubs in May, but he'll return to the Dodgers on a minor-league deal. He'll get to work with the major-league coaching staff during spring training, but he hasn't had much success in the majors during his career.

Biddle (shoulder) signed a minor-league contract with the Reds on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Biddle spent the last month of the 2020 season on the injured list with a left shoulder injury, and he was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville in October. He'll get to work with the major-league coaching staff during spring training in 2021 after his injury-shortened campaign last season.

Herget signed a one-year, $700,000 contract with the Rangers on Friday.

Herget was non-tendered by the Rangers in early December, but he'll return to the team on a split major-league contract. The right-hander made 20 appearances last year, posting a 3.20 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 19.2 innings. Herget should resume his role as a lower-leverage reliever in 2021.

Pop was traded from the Diamondbacks to the Marlins on Thursday in exchange for a player to be named later.

Pop was selected by Arizona during Thursday's Rule 5 draft, but he'll be flipped to Miami several hours after his selection. The right-hander could reach 100 mph with his fastball earlier in his career, but it's unclear where his velocity is following Tommy John surgery in May of 2019. He should be fully healthy heading into spring training and will likely see work in lower-leverage situations as he works his way back into game action.

Puk (shoulder) is progressing well from surgery and projects to break camp in Oakland's rotation, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

He will be the Oakland's fifth starter if he stays healthy while getting stretched out this spring. Granted, the A's have been overly optimistic with their public comments about Puk's health and availability in the past, only for things to go south, so we should not take it for granted that he will be healthy this spring and into the regular season. There hasn't been much clarity regarding the nature of the shoulder procedure he underwent in September. Even in a best-case scenario, the 25-year-old lefty won't log close to a full season in the MLB rotation, as he has thrown a total of 36.2 innings since needing Tommy John surgery in 2018.

The Athletics selected Jimenez with the 18th pick of the Rule 5 draft.

Jimenez, who turns 27 later this month, was selected by the other Bay Area team in last year's Rule 5 draft before eventually being returned to the Blue Jays after giving up a run while striking out one in 1.1 innings (two appearances) with the Giants. He logged a 1.87 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 33.2 innings at Double-A in 2019.