MLB Player News

Kittredge (elbow) cleared waivers and was released by the Rays on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 30-year-old was lost for the season due to a UCL injury in August and was set to undergo Tommy John surgery. Kittredge could miss the entirety of the 2021 season while rehabbing the injury.

Neris' option was declined by the Phillies on Friday, though he remains with the team as he's still arbitration eligible, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The Phillies evidently were uninterested in bringing Neris back for $7 million. Whether they attempt to bring him back at a lower salary or not remains to be seen. Neris has saved 72 games with a 3.38 ERA and a 30.1 percent strikeout rate over parts of seven seasons with the Phillies, though he (along with the rest of the Philadelphia bullpen) struggled last season, posting a 4.57 ERA.

Robertson (elbow) became a free agent after the Phillies declined his team option Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Rather than pay the veteran $12 million for his services next season, the Phillies will pay him a $2 million buyout to get his contract off the books. The 35-year-old righty will wind up making $184,000 per pitch over the course of his contract with the Phillies, as he landed on the injured list after throwing just 6.2 innings in 2019 and wound up requiring Tommy John surgery. He underwent the procedure late enough into that year that he was unable to return at any point in 2020. Injury and age risk will certainly suppress Robertson's market this winter, though there should still be plenty of interest in a pitcher with a career 2.90 ERA and 137 saves.

Venditte (oblique) was outrighted to Triple-A New Orleans on Tuesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Venditte signed with the Marlins at the end of July, and he spent just over a week in the majors before being shut down for the remainder of the season with a right oblique strain. He's expected to head to free agency after being removed from the 40-man roster.

Harvey (elbow) was outrighted off the 40-man roster by the Rockies on Thursday.

Harvey suffered a right elbow sprain in August that kept him on the 45-day injured list for the remainder of the season. He'll remain off the 40-man roster heading into the offseason after tossing 3.1 scoreless innings in 2020.

Hand was placed on outright waivers by Cleveland on Thursday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

The team intends to decline Hand's $10 million club option and pay him a $1 million buyout should he pass through waivers unclaimed. The veteran lefty has a resume that teams would seemingly be quite happy to pay $10 million for under ordinary circumstances, as he's saved 105 career games and owns a 2.70 ERA and a 33.3 percent strikeout rate over the last five seasons. It's possible this is just an example of Cleveland being cheap, though if Hand does indeed head to free agency, it could be an indicator of just how suppressed the market will be during a pandemic offseason.

Graveman signed a one-year major-league contract with the Mariners on Thursday.

The Mariners declined Graveman's $3.5 million team option Wednesday, though their objection was to the price, not the player. Graveman will remain in Seattle in 2021 but will make $1.25 million, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, with an additional $2.5 million in incentives. The 29-year-old righty made two starts and nine relief appearances last season, posting a 5.79 ERA.

Covey was outrighted to the minors by the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Covey worked mainly as a starter during three seasons with the White Sox, but he transitioned to a relief role with Boston in 2020. The right-hander was shuffled between the major-league roster and the alternate training site during the 2020 campaign, posting a 7.07 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 14 innings across eight appearances. He'll now be cast off the 40-man roster heading into the offseason, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him in the majors at some point in 2021.

Graveman's contract option was declined by the Mariners on Wednesday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Graveman began the season as a starter but transitioned to the bullpen after returning from a neck issue in September. The right-hander is open to remaining in a relief role in 2021, and the Mariners have expressed interest in bringing him back with a revised deal. Graveman posted a 5.79 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 18.2 innings this season.

Bracho was outrighted to Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old missed most of the past two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2019, but he returned from the injured list at the end of September and allowed two runs over one inning during his lone appearance of the season. Bracho was solid out of the bullpen with a 3.19 ERA in 31 appearances for Arizona in 2018, but he'll need to work for his spot on the roster next year.