MLB Player News

The Astros exercised Raley's $2 million club option for 2021 on Sunday, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

The 32-year-old southpaw had a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings this season, but his 3.63 xFIP and 25.0 K-BB% paint a better picture of the type of reliever the Astros are hoping to have for 2021. He will likely pitch primarily in the middle innings, but his ability to miss bats makes him someone to keep an eye on if the back of the bullpen underperforms next season.

Banda was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento and signed to a minor-league contract for the 2021 season Sunday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

He gave up eight earned runs in seven innings over four appearances this season. Banda was once a somewhat prominent pitching prospect, but injuries and poor performance have led to his stock fading. He has logged fewer than 15 innings in the majors in each of the last three seasons.

Burdi (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery in October and was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Sunday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection in August to avoid surgery at the time, but the treatment apparently didn't have the intended impact. Burdi has now been removed from Pittsburgh's 40-man roster as he'll miss the entirety of the 2021 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.

Betances will exercise his $6.8 million player option for 2021 by Sunday's deadline, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 32-year-old battled velocity issues from the spring until the summer and missed most of September with a lat injury, so it's not much of a surprise to see him exercise his option rather than head to an uncertain open market. Betances appeared in 15 games and surrendered 10 runs on 12 hits with an 11:12 K:BB across 11.2 innings during the shortened campaign. The right-hander did rediscover some of his velocity (93.6 mph average fastball) from the low-90s fastballs he was throwing earlier in the year, but the overall mark nonetheless ranks as a career low. Betances still has some have leverage potential but is unlikely to be guaranteed that type of role to begin the 2021 season.

Kahnle (elbow) elected free agency Saturday rather than accepting an outright assignment.

Kahnle is expected to miss most of the 2021 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early August, and he'll now head into free agency instead of remaining with the Yankees. It's unclear when the 31-year-old could land another contract as he's still in the early stages of a lengthy recovery process.

Nelson (back) had his $2 million team option declined by the Dodgers on Friday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Nelson missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing lumbar surgery in early July, and he'll receive a $500,000 buyout from the Dodgers as he prepares for free agency. The 31-year-old's health is unclear heading into the offseason. He made 10 appearances (three starts) for the Brewers in 2019, but Nelson has now missed two of the past three seasons due to injuries.

Devenski (elbow) elected free agency Friday rather than accept an outright assignment to the minors, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Devenski battled arm troubles throughout the season and eventually underwent surgery to removed a bone spur from his right elbow. He threw just 3.2 innings and allowed six runs. After breaking out with a 2.38 ERA in his first two seasons in the league, he now owns a 4.88 ERA in his last three. A pitcher with mediocre recent numbers and recent elbow surgery is unlikely to be too popular on the open market.

Hand cleared waivers and had his $10 million contract option declined by Cleveland on Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Hand was placed on outright waivers Thursday, but no team claimed him under his $10 million price tag. He'll be paid a $1 million buyout by Cleveland, and the southpaw could have to settle for a lesser deal in free agency due to decreased financial flexibility around the league.

Gibaut was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Friday.

Gibaut has thrown 26.2 major-league innings for the Rays and Rangers across the last two seasons. He hasn't had much success, walking 15.4 percent of opposing batters en route to a 6.08 ERA. He'll presumably fill a low-leverage role in Minnesota unless his control improves.

Quezada was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies' bullpen had one of the worst seasons of all time in 2020, posting a 7.06 ERA as a unit. Quezada could presumably help his new team, though he hadn't pitched above High-A prior to this season and threw just three innings for the Marlins this year, so he shouldn't be expected to fill a significant role any time soon.