MLB Player News

Cleveland selected Stephan with the 15th pick of the Rule 5 draft.

Once a prominent prospect with the Yankees, Stephan struggled while working as a starter once he was promoted above High-A back in 2018. His fastball/slider combo appealed to Cleveland, and he could have a future as a quality big-league reliever if he can throw enough strikes.

The Diamondbacks selected Pop with the sixth pick of the Rule 5 draft.

Pop was originally drafted by the Dodgers and was traded to Baltimore in the Manny Machado trade. He had Tommy John surgery in May of 2019 and could touch 100 mph with his fastball prior to the surgery. This past September, Pop was back to "full go," so he should head to spring training without restrictions. The Diamondbacks will likely ease him back in low-leverage situations out of the bullpen in 2021.

The Pirates selected Soriano (elbow) with the first pick of the Rule 5 draft.

Soriano underwent Tommy John surgery in February of 2020, so he could open the year on the injured list for the Pirates. That may have been part of the appeal, as Soriano won't necessarily take up an active roster spot early in the season, which gives the Pirates more roster flexibility. Before going under the knife, Soriano logged a 2.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 77.2 innings at Low-A. He has a solid fastball/curveball combo that could play up out of the bullpen, but Soriano lacks the polish and upper-level experience to have success in the majors in 2021.

Hicks (elbow/opt out) is expected to enter spring training on a normal throwing schedule, Brendan Schaeffer of KMOV News reports.

The 24-year-old decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign due to some lingering inflammation from his 2019 Tommy John Surgery and the fact he's a Type 1 diabetic, but he's on track to return next season. Hicks had a 3.14 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over 28.2 innings while going 14-for-15 in save opportunities during 2019, so he's the presumed favorite for the closer's role entering spring training.

Athletics general manager David Forst said Wednesday that Diekman is the top internal candidate to close for the team in 2021, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

"Internal" is the operative word here, as the Athletics are still expected to look outside the organization for late-inning help this offseason with incumbent closer Liam Hendriks unlikely to re-sign with the team. That being said, the Athletics historically haven't been willing to dole out big-money contracts to relievers, so any bullpen reinforcements they bring in likely won't have a clear path to the closer's role. Diekman should at least be given a chance to compete for the ninth-inning job after he delivered a career-best season in 2020, finishing with a 0.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB across 21.1 innings.

Marte signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday as a non-roster invitee, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Marte was part of the Royals' 60-man roster pool for most of the 2020 season, but he failed to advance past the alternate training site. The 25-year-old will work with the major-league coaching staff during spring training and could make his debut in the big leagues at some point in 2021.

Leone signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday as a non-roster invitee, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Leone made Cleveland's Opening Day roster in 2020, but he sputtered to an 8.38 ERA and 1.97 WHIP over 9.2 innings before being designated for assignment in September. He'll get the chance to work with the Giants' major-league coaching staff during spring training, and he could certainly appear in the majors at some point in 2021.

Garcia signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday as a non-roster invitee, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Garcia was non-tendered by the Giants last week, but he'll return to the organization with an invitation to major-league spring training. The 26-year-old appeared in 12 games with San Francisco during the abbreviated 2020 season and will attempt to secure a spot in the bullpen at some point in 2021.

Bracho signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Wednesday as a non-roster invitee, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Bracho missed most of the past two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019, but he made one appearance for the Diamondbacks at the end of last year, allowing two runs over one inning. He'll now get to compete for a role with the Giants during spring training in 2021.

Hildenberger signed a minor-league deal with the Mets on Tuesday, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

The sidearmer was in camp last spring with the Red Sox but was never heard from during the season. He most recently logged a 10.47 ERA and 2.27 WHIP in 16.1 innings with the Twins in 2019.